By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | March 2026
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska – Mat-Su families are facing a one-two punch this week: a projected $22.5 million budget shortfall and a district-wide school bus disruption as union drivers walk off the job.
Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani will present proposed FY27 reductions to the School Board on March 4 at 6 p.m., outlining structural changes designed to protect classroom teachers but requiring significant cuts elsewhere. Proposed reductions include consolidation of three schools, elimination of elementary instructional coaches and secondary librarians, reductions in administrative positions, a shift to shared regional nursing, elimination of activities transportation funding, and cuts to student activities.
The proposal assumes a $3.3 million increase from the Mat-Su Borough to offset state funding changes. If that level of local support does not materialize, deeper reductions will follow. The Board is expected to vote on a preliminary balanced budget March 18.
At the same time, families in Regions 1–5 are scrambling for rides after bus drivers represented by Teamsters Local 959 began a strike against contractor Durham School Services. No bus service began March 2, though schools remain open.
Su-Valley, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek, Willow, and Glacier View schools are not affected.
District officials say they will notify families immediately if service resumes.
For Mat-Su households, the message is clear: tighter budgets and disrupted routines are no longer theoretical. They are here.
