Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Taryn Carpenter
“For Henry, our school nurse is not a luxury. She is a critical part of what makes his education possible.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Taryn Carpenter
“Parents should not have to choose between their child's health and their child's education. Teachers should not be expected to manage medical situations they're not trained to handle, and children should not lose access to school because the support they need has been removed.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Taryn Carpenter
“But cutting half of our school nurses and replacing them with uncredentialed health aides in many schools is not simply a budget adjustment.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Taryn Carpenter
“Henry deserves to be safe at school. He deserves to learn, grow, and belong. So does every other child who depends on a school nurse. Please don't take away the support that makes their education possible.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Taryn Carpenter
“Students with diabetes, seizures disorders, severe allergies, feeding tubes, and other complex medical needs rely on trained professionals to recognize problems and respond appropriately. A health aide may be a valuable part of a school team, but an aide is not a substitute for a qualified nurse. Eliminating a nursing position does not eliminate a child's medical needs.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Vicki Malone
“I am begging the school board to prioritize an increase in the VSA for all of our students, which will also benefit charter school students. And, you know, let's make school nurses great again.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Taryn Carpenter
“Every 2 hours, he needs someone who understands his body, his medical equipment, and the signs that something may not be right. Our school nurse provides that care.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Taryn Carpenter
“I'm here tonight to advocate for our school nurses, especially the nurse who cares for my son every single day.”Mat-Su School Board: October 21, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Oct 19, 2026
Ole Larson
“I also would like to— an update, if possible, in either a Board Connect or next meeting on the progress of the nurses. I know there's a committee out there with the Health Foundation working, and I would like to see what they're, they're working on. I'd like to see the outcome, or at least what they're, what they're working towards. They're the ones that gave us, what, $17 million, $700,000 last year to maintain our nursing staff.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“Uh, unfortunately, our total current deferred maintenance costs at this point in time, uh, is in excess of $400 million.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Karen Ingraham
“The growing health and needs and acuity of our students are growing. The workload nurses are carrying and the gaps in training in our systems and the level of responsibility are being placed on one nurse currently. So before decisions are made, I'm asking you to have did you know moment. Did you know that nurses are actually managing the inside of all of these schools every day?”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Karen Ingraham
“Before we cut, let's look inside. Before we restructure, let's measure the actual workload and risk. And before we remove those safety nets, let's understand what that safety net is holding up, because our children deserve to be safe, not just on paper, but in the reality of their school every day.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Stephanie Udy
“Unfortunately, because of the future of school nurses are facing and forward, there's— Karen is moving to a different position Outside of the school district, T-Lin is suffering a dramatic blow and there is no solid plan for chronically ill with life-changing and really childhood-sucking diseases. All of that. I know, solution-oriented. If there's a committee formed, please include parents of chronically ill students. Money is an issue for everyone.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Ole Larson
“So what we're working on, on the, uh, $400 million that we have out there, is when something fails, we fix it. But we don't do any preventive maintenance at all because, uh, we haven't been able to get a— or we haven't developed a, a bond for school maintenance. Is that what I'm seeing here?”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“we recognize, uh, and aren't necessarily anticipating that all, uh, $39 million, uh, will the borough have capacity to support in a single year.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Mary Dewar
“our school nurses, uh, really there needs to be one school nurse per building. I work with students that have feeding and swallowing issues, at risk to choke, and, um, yeah, there's many of them in, in most of the schools.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Stephanie Udy
“January of '24, during her third grade year, our youngest daughter Lennox was admitted to the hospital and had her carefree childhood ripped away from her and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is just one of the many chronic illnesses that are in our schools. The average type 1 diabetic makes anywhere from 180 to 300 related decisions every day.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Karen Ingraham
“But reviewing a service and identifying it as a budget line to cut are two very different things, because the health and safety of our children should not be a safety line.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“These are roof replacements for 3 schools where the roofs are failing, and so, uh, it may take more than one budget cycle to, uh, set aside enough funding in support of these 3 projects. Uh, but these are, uh, roofs that are, are failing and need to be repaired. They are currently leaking.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“the $4.4 million, uh, are the projects that have been approved at the board's request. So these are the projects since 2024 that the board has approved a prioritized list.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“I think that would be of benefit if we did look at a bond, and if the board wanted to look at a bond, it would be to catch up on some of that $411 million.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“what we're asking the board for approval for tonight would be to submit the prioritized list to the borough through this funding source”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Stephanie Udy
“It's a hard call, but I do feel there are certified positions and buildings that should come second to student health.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Karen Ingraham
“I also want to say something respectfully, and I don't think you are being painted the complete picture of what it looks like from the inside of our schools. I absolutely agree that the MSBSD nursing and health services need to be reviewed.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Karen Ingraham
“And if we are talking about school safety, including increased security measures and gun policies, then why aren't we also looking at the health safety? Who is there when a child has a seizure, anaphylaxis, a diabetic emergency, cardiac event, serious injury, or any other medical crisis? Not asking you to protect a job. I'm asking you to make sure that you are making these decisions with the whole picture.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“you can see that from '26 to '27, there's about $3 million in debt service, and that primarily most of that debt service really starts to fall off in 2032.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“so you're correct in that the, the method under which we prioritize projects will have, uh, the most immediate need at the top of that list.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Mary Dewar
“I really think it's important for you here making important decisions to come to one of these meetings to hear the parents of students that are really impacted, almost more so than other students that, you know, that might be in the general education setting.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“if we look at these fast facts, is as of today we are $411 million in, in deferred maintenance.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“the borough has set aside, uh, a little over $6 million on other projects outside of this CIP request. Uh, there were 2 locations that had boiler replacements and repairs that occurred.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Stephanie Udy
“2 And a half years ago, Nurse Chappelle was a godsend.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Ole Larson
“the state will give us absolutely nothing, even though— how much money does, does the state put out in maintenance a year?”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“those are projects that are overdue based on the state schedule. We often see equipment that has a longer useful life than that state schedule, but it means we're already behind, so we're playing catch-up. We're not necessarily planning ahead”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Ole Larson
“I make a motion of major maintenance prioritized, uh, project list and approval.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Stephanie Udy
“She's moved on to middle school to a building that I am not in, but I had heard amazing things about Nurse Karen at Teeland.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Katie Gardner
“I think it's probably time for the state to really look at that program. I think it's due for an overhaul, but we continue to pursue this funding and do our due diligence to try to secure funds and support of the facilities that we oversee.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026
Stephanie Udy
“But Karen has been amazing at making me feel confident that somebody is looking out for my child. We talk every day.”Mat-Su School Board: September 2, 2026 - MSBSD School Board Meeting · Aug 26, 2026