The Matanuska-Susitna School Board has selected Anthony “Brooks” Pitcher to fill the vacant seat for District 5, which covers the Knik-Goose Bay and Point MacKenzie areas.
The seat was vacated when Jacob Butcher, who was elected to the board in 2022, resigned last month and moved to North Carolina. Nine people applied to fill it, and the remaining six board members selected Pitcher during a special meeting Wednesday night.
Pitcher is an electrician and has nine children, five of whom attend various charter, public, and homeschool in the Mat-Su. He and each of the eight other candidates were given five minutes to make the case for their selection.
“I have a vested interest in the education of children, not just mine, but the children of the community,” Pitcher said. “I was raised by a very patriotic father, who instilled in me that education was important, not just for career paths, although that’s one of the chief things that I’m here for today.”
Pitcher advocated for a greater focus on preparing students for careers and giving them more hands-on learning. He said he shares many of the values that Butcher campaigned on, including goals of ensuring fiscal responsibility, exemplifying high standards in education, prioritizing school safety and maintaining parents’ rights to make decisions about their children’s education.
“When it comes to parent choice, I’m a big fan of that, which is why my kids are in different schools,” Pitcher said.
Pitcher’s term on the School Board goes until 2024, when there will be an election to determine who will serve the duration of Butcher’s term, which would have been until 2025.
Tim Rockey is the producer of Alaska News Nightly and covers education for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at trockey@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8487. Read more about Tim here.
