3 Mat-Su schools set to close after Assembly rejects school funding, approves tax cut

What you need to know:

• Larson, Meadow Lakes and Glacier View schools will close this year after the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly approved a $470 million fiscal year 2027 budget Thursday night that does not include funding to keep the schools open.
• The newly approved budget fully funds Mat-Su public bus service, increases phone line fees that help fund 911 services and boosts school district funding to help avoid teacher cuts.
• The budget lowers property taxes for most residents outside the city limits of Houston, Palmer and Wasilla, while residents inside those cities will pay slightly more because of changes to borough animal services funding.

• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

PALMER — A trio of Mat-Su schools will close permanently at the end of the school year after the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly approved an annual spending plan late Thursday that does not include money school district officials said is needed to keep the schools open.

Larson and Meadow Lakes elementary schools near Wasilla and Glacier View School are slated to close as part of a series of budget cuts needed to address a nearly $30 million Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District funding deficit expected next year.

The Assembly voted 5-2 to reject amendments that would have provided money to operate Larson and Meadow Lakes next year, with Assembly members Stephanie Nowers and Ron Bernier voting in favor of the funding. They did not consider a measure to fund Glacier View.

The Assembly also voted 5-2 late Thursday to approve the borough’s overall $470 million fiscal year 2027 spending plan during a chaotic meeting that strayed from budget debate norms, stretched until 11 p.m. and included twisting sets of member crosstalk, secondary amendments and reconsiderations.

The budget includes about a $54 property tax cut for residents who live outside the city limits of Houston, Palmer and Wasilla.

Residents who live in those cities will pay about $28 more per year because of a change to how the borough manages animal services.

The new total areawide mill rate is 7.955, or about $796 per $100,000 in property value.

The total non-areawide mill rate is 0.160, or about $1.60 per $100,000 in property value, a decrease of about $35 compared with current rates. The non-areawide rate is paid only by residents who live outside city limits.

Tax bills will be mailed to borough property owners in early July.

The newly approved budget restores full funding for Mat-Su public bus service, orders a 50-cent increase in a monthly borough resident phone line fee that helps pay for 911 dispatch services, and cuts funding to the cities of Palmer and Wasilla.

The plan also designates money for the Mat-Su school district to run hunter education classes at each of the region’s high schools, gives the district a $1.6 million funding boost to help avoid teacher cuts and pays for the borough to operate the soon-to-close Glacier View School facility as a community center.

Assembly members Dee McKee and Ron Bernier voted against final budget approval. McKee said she voted no because she objected to moving the budget forward without more meetings. Bernier said he voted no because he believes the borough spends too much money.

Fastracked budget debate and vote

Thursday’s final budget vote marks one of the first times in decades the Assembly approved an annual budget after only one night of debate, borough officials said.

Members typically debate and vote on sections of the budget over a series of three sessions scheduled across two weeks. But instead of following that pattern, the Assembly voted 4-3 at nearly 10 p.m. to move forward to a final vote, with Assembly members Ron Bernier, Stephanie Nowers and McKee voting no to leave time for deliberation and public comment at meetings scheduled for next week.

Assembly member Maxwell Sumner, who initiated the proposal to push the budget through in one night, said he did so to force the Assembly to make a quick decision on whether Meadow Lakes, Larson and Glacier View will close this year and to give families and staff at those schools the ability to move forward.

But the step caused upheaval among some assembly members, who said those most affected by the budget deliberations deserved a chance to answer final questions, witness the vote or hear debate that is typically expected to continue over several days.

Only a handful of residents attended Thursday’s meeting, including four people who said they supported keeping the schools open. The near-empty room followed weeks of borough assembly and school board meetings in late February, March and early April that included hours of public comment asking officials to keep the schools open.

Sumner, who said during several budget-related meetings this year that he planned to push through a school decision early in spending talks, said the lack of attendance or public comment during Thursday’s debate indicates residents support the full budget.

“I didn't see any public comment, which means that people have had the opportunity to review this budget. We’ve all had the opportunity to reduce budget for weeks. I went through every page of this budget. I called numerous staff with lots of questions,” he said. “If people didn't come out and talk about the budget, I think they must be happy.”

One budget update, which removed $50,000 in annual borough funding for the Palmer Municipal Airport, was introduced Thursday without warning to Palmer city officials or Assembly member Stephanie Nowers, who represents the area.

Nowers said city officials should have the chance to explain why they want the money. Assembly member Dmitri Fonov, who proposed the cut, said the airport should be self-sufficient within the city and not rely on the borough for funding.

The measure was approved 5-2, with Nowers and McKee voting no.

“I kind of hope no one was watching tonight,” Nowers said during closing comments. “Some of that was really painful. You know, sometimes, if you're the nail, you get the hammer, and sometimes we deserve that. But I think that what we did tonight to the city of Palmer is really disrespectful, and we didn't have to do it that way.”

Other assembly members said they were proud they took swift action to approve an annual budget in the face of tough decisions while also lowering property taxes for most residents.

“We had some tough decisions this year with the schools,” Assembly member Bill Gamble said during the meeting. “I mean, I had no idea that we were going to be dealing with that as we took on the budget cycle. Nobody likes to see money taken away from the kids and the kids being shuffled all over the borough. But unfortunately, that's the hand that we were dealt this year, and I think we did a good job.”

– Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com

This story was updated May 8 to clarify the number of times Maxwell Sumner said he wanted to push through an education funding decision early in the budget process.