Participants must attend at least 24 hours of training and will receive a $500 stipend meant to help cover their costs.
A sign at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District administration building in Palmer. PALMER — The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board last week voted to approve a new program allowing teachers and staff members to carry concealed weapons in schools, provided they meet a series of training requirements and pass two health screenings.
The program is meant to improve safety in district schools, some school board members said last month. Armed teachers and staff would supplement local Wasilla and Palmer police officers, whom the district pays to monitor some schools across the region.5-2, with members Tom Bergey and Ole Larson voting no because they believe the board lacks the authority under Alaska law to direct Superintendent Randy Trani to establish such a program.
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, according to a policy update approved June 3. Participants must supply their own weapons and will receive a $500 annual stipend, the policy states. The payment is intended to help cover training costs, officials said.
Participants also must undergo a psychological evaluation before joining and complete additional screenings after experiencing a “life-altering event,” as defined by a district policy that has not yet been written. The program is expected to cost about $450,000 in its first year, including insurance, a consultant to help establish the program and costs associated with 10 participants, district officials said during a regular school board meeting June 3.
That estimate is lower than a preliminary program budget presented last month, which projected first-year costs of about $700,000 and included funding for 150 participants and a full-time program coordinator. The coordinator may not be necessary, and they do not expect 150 staff members to enroll during the first year, district officials said. Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Superintendent Randy Trani speaks during a Sept. 17, 2025 school board meeting at Mat-Su Central school in Palmer.
While the new policy directs Trani to establish a series of written procedures for implementing the program, it does not require him to launch it. Authorizing staff members to participate — the step that would trigger spending on the effort — is optional, according to the policy.
The school district is facing a deficit of more than $25 million heading into the 2026-27 school year and is implementing a series of deep cuts to address the shortfall, including closing three schools. Funding approved by the state Legislature could provide Mat-Su with about $18 million more than previously expected, officials said June 3. The district is now waiting for the legislation affecting that money to be signed into law by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
If it’s approved, theto restore student activity transportation, including for sports; pay for increased employee health care costs; repair the Talkeetna Elementary School roof; and bolster a reserve account used during funding emergencies. Dunleavy is expected to veto some or all of that funding, a district lobbyist based in Juneau told the board during the meeting.
Amy Bushatz is a former Anchorage Daily News reporter who is founder and editor of the Mat-Su Sentinel, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan online news source covering the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Contact her at abushatz@matsusentinel.com or go to matsusentinel.com.
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