Mat-Su School District Superintendent Randy Trani discussed student achievement, enrollment, funding challenges, and school transportation with Emily Forstner on Valley Edition last week.
The superintendent began with positive news. Test scores in the district continue to lead the Big Five school districts in Alaska. He said Mat-Su is also gaining ground faster than comparable districts.
Trani credited the improvements to professional learning communities, or PLCs. Teachers use dedicated time to collaborate and focus on student achievement. Mondays are structured for the PLCs to meet.
He said the results are encouraging. He sees a stronger focus on achievement when he visits schools. He also emphasized that the district has room to improve. The process is to make changes, monitor the results, use data, and identify what works.
One focus area is the transition from eighth to ninth grade in math. Another is sixth graders. Their schedule has been changed to provide them with more time for language arts and math.
The superintendent discussed enrollment next. Neighborhood schools are meeting their enrollment projections. However, Alaska and the Mat-Su are experiencing a decline in student numbers.
Some choice programs in the district, including Burchell and Valley Pathways, are having difficulty reaching their projections. Trani suspects that students who might have enrolled in those programs are choosing correspondence or hybrid education instead.
Trani noted that funding remains a concern. The district receives less funding than needed to maintain existing services. It also faces rising costs for everyday expenses. For instance, he noted that food prices have increased in recent years.
He said that the Alaska K-12 funding formula was established in the late 1990’s. The education landscape has changed since then. More students are enrolled in correspondence, charter, and other choice programs. Trani explained that the current formula was not designed for the variety of educational options now available to our students.
He described choice as valuable but expensive. Smaller schools generally cost more to operate. Districts will face difficult decisions about programs, transportation, and school buildings without changes to funding.
Trani said the closure of Glacier View, Meadow Lakes, and Larson schools was driven by funding and enrollment. He acknowledged that school closures were personal and painful for affected families.
The district faces uncertainty about how much funding it will receive for this school year. Trani said that the full amount may not be known until after enrollment and intensive-needs student counts are reconciled. It could be as late as early 2027. That’s half way through the school year.
Transportation continues to be a challenge. Trani noted that on the day before the interview last week, about 97 percent of school bus routes had operated. However, the families affected by canceled routes that day faced disruptions.
Driver shortages are the primary cause of canceled routes. The district is working with the contractor Durham. It is imposing contract fines. It has asked the company to spread cancellations across routes when possible.
Trani said switching contractors would not provide an immediate solution. Replacement buses take a year or more to acquire.
He emphasized the educational opportunities available throughout the Mat-Su. He said the district goal is to help every student grow and succeed. Students can attend neighborhood schools, charter schools, choice programs, or correspondence schools.
The full interview with Superintendent Trani is on bigcabbageradio.org in Valley Edition under podcasts.
Palmer Rotary hosts a candidate forum with Palmer City Council and Borough Assembly candidates tonight at 6 p.m. at the Palmer Depot.
The Palmer City Council meets tomorrow night at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
Ravens’ Watch Walking Tour debuts tomorrow and Wednesday. It begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Babb Arboretum in Palmer. Go to eventbrite.com search for “raven” in Palmer, Alaska to get tickets.
Oh, and tomorrow is the first day of fall.
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Mike Chmielewski reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Monday September 21, 2026.
image credit: Mat-Su Borough School District