Mat-Su school board sends $39 million maintenance list, led by three leaking roofs, to borough

Replacing leaking roofs at three schools tops a $39 million maintenance list the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District board voted unanimously Sept. 2 to send to the borough.

"These are roof replacements for 3 schools where the roofs are failing," Deputy Superintendent Katie Gardner said. She said it "may take more than one budget cycle to set aside enough funding in support of these 3 projects." The list goes before the Assembly at a joint meeting Sept. 8.

The district's deferred maintenance backlog stands at $411 million, against $1 billion in facilities across 45 buildings that average nearly 35 years old. The district has never won a state construction or major maintenance grant. "I think it's due for an overhaul," Gardner said.

The borough has funded $4.4 million in board-prioritized projects since 2024, plus $6.1 million in supplemental work since about 2023 for failed boilers, septic and water systems.

Board member Ole Larson said the district lacks a school maintenance bond. "When something fails, we fix it," he said. Gardner said preventive maintenance is regular, but systems overdue under the state's schedule leave the district playing catch-up. Debt service is set to fall off mainly in 2032.