Mat-Su moves ahead with school concealed carry program using state, taxpayer funds

What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su School District plans to use state and local taxpayer money to set up its concealed carry program for teachers and staff, with startup costs last estimated at about $130,000.
• School board member Andrew Shane initially said he planned to require the policy to move forward only if it was funded by an outside source, as the district worked through millions of dollars in budget shortfalls and the closure of three schools. That requirement was not included in the final policy.
• School district officials said they will provide an update on program costs and implementation in October.
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PALMER — The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District will use state and local taxpayer funding to cover startup costs for a new program allowing teachers and staff members to carry concealed weapons in schools, district officials said.

School board member Andrew Shane helped spearhead the concealed carry program and initially said he planned to propose an amendment directing the district to move forward with the policy only if officials could secure outside funding.

That amendment was ultimately not introduced and was not part of the final policy the board approved in June ahead of its annual summer break.

Shane said he still hopes to secure grant money to cover the program’s costs, but declined to share specific details about who could provide it.

He said he believes the program is worth doing now regardless of the funding source because it addresses what he said is a critical school safety issue.

“One of the main reasons I ran was because I wanted to make our schools a safer place,” he said. “There’s going to be people that believe that this is the wrong way to do things, and there's people who believe this is the right way to do it.”

The concealed carry program is meant to supplement the district’s existing school policing program, which operates under contracts with the Wasilla and Palmer police departments. 

Those contracts provide five officers who rotate among elementary and secondary schools in Big Lake, Wasilla and Houston, and secondary schools in Palmer. They cost the district about $800,000 annually, according to contract documents. Schools in Talkeetna, Trapper Creek and Willow do not have assigned officers included in the contracts.  

District officials estimate initial startup costs for the concealed carry program will run about $130,000, according to data released in June. That includes consultant fees for designing rules and standards to operate the program and costs for creating a training program for teachers and staff who want to participate. District officials are expected to provide an update on program costs and progress next month.

District officials closed three neighborhood schools and made more than $11 million in other cuts ahead of the current school year because state and local funding did not match the district’s ongoing costs.

A $16 million state funding package tied to oil revenue and announced late last month restored money to some of the cut programs, including about $1.5 million for student transportation and activities, and covers new shortfalls, such as more than $5 million in increases to staff health care costs.

The district will designate money to pay for the concealed carry program as part of the school district’s October budget update, Assistant Superintendent Katie Gardner said in an interview last month.

Setting up the concealed carry program is one of the administration’s six priority projects for the 2026-27 school year, Mat-Su Superintendent Randy Trani told the board at a work session late last month.

“The concealed carry is in the works now — including training standards and how individuals will be chosen to participate,” he said.

Once the program opens for enrollment, accepted teachers and staff will receive a $500 stipend designed to cover the cost of required training and certifications, according to the policy.

Would-be participants must hold an Alaska concealed carry permit and complete between 24 and 40 hours of initial training to qualify, then between eight and 24 hours of annual training to remain in the program, the policy states.

Participants also must undergo a psychological evaluation before joining and complete additional screenings after experiencing a “life-altering event,” as defined by a policy the district is developing as part of implementing the program.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com