What you need to know:
- A final decision on whether the Mat-Su School District will need to lay off teachers before next school year is pending and can’t be made until state lawmakers approve education funding — a process that could take months.
- A $281.3 million budget approved by the school board last week reduces staffing by about 75 positions via retirements and resignations. If the state does not increase next year’s per-student funding above the current level the district will need to cut an additional 120 positions — a step that would require layoffs.
- It remains unclear when school districts will receive final budget numbers from the state. Funding for the current 2024-25 school year wasn’t finalized until late last June.
PALMER – Whether the Mat-Su School District will move to lay off teachers for next school year remains undecided as administrators await final funding numbers from the state – a process that could take months.
A Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District budget approved by the school board Wednesday cuts about 75 positions across the district through retirements and resignations, officials said.
But the $281.3 million spending plan depends on state lawmakers in Juneau approving a $1,000 increase in per-student payments sent to districts, a boost that is far from certain as debate continues about the state's overall finances.
Just when school districts will see final budget numbers from the state remains unclear, a district lobbyist working in Juneau warned the school board Wednesday. Lawmakers could delay that decision until a special legislative session in June, he said.
Money for the current school year was not final until late last June when Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed the state’s operating budget.
Any budget changes or staffing cuts triggered by the final state school budget will have to be brought to the board as an update later, officials said, with staffing adjustments made at that time.
The district budget approved Wednesday also calls for about $2.8 million in cuts to nonstaff spending, including individual schools’ discretionary budgets, according to district budget documents. That money is typically used for things like classroom supplies and school-specific professional development, Gardner said.
The district budget is slated for discussion at a joint session of the school board and assembly meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com
This story has been republished with permission from the original at the Mat-Su Sentinel.
