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The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is scheduled to consider a proposal that would pay teachers, staff and contractors to carry handguns at schools in the borough.

The move, billed as a security measure, would be the first of its kind by a school district in Alaska. 

Current state law forbids anyone from carrying a concealed firearm on school grounds without the permission of a district’s chief administrative officer.

Board Policy 3515, as the concept is formally known, would set up a formalized policy for the Mat-Su school district’s superintendent to grant that permission. It is scheduled for initial discussion Wednesday evening. No vote is expected. 

As written, the draft policy proposes that the district will pay a stipend to “certain qualified individuals to carry a concealed handgun (including other authorized non-lethal security device) on school property in accordance with the provisions of this policy.”

The draft goes on to state that “participating authorized individuals will receive a stipend for this additional duty.” 

It does not state how much the district will pay participants, but that the stipend is expected to cover mandatory training and not a handgun, holster or ammunition.

The proposal is similar to a bill proposed by former Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, last year. That legislation did not advance, and Hughes has since resigned from the Legislature to run for governor.

If adopted as written, interested staff would be required to undergo safety training, a physical, a psychological evaluation and random drug and alcohol screening.

“This policy change is driven first and foremost by a commitment to student and staff safety,” the district said in a description of the proposed policy. 

The Mat-Su school district covers an area the size of West Virginia. North of Anchorage, it is the state’s second-largest, with 19,518 students in the 2024-2025 school year, according to state figures.

“In many of our schools, particularly those in geographically large or remote areas, immediate access to law enforcement may be limited. This policy recognizes that reality and seeks to responsibly bridge that gap in emergency response time,” the description states.

Under the text of the policy, the list of employees approved to carry handguns will be kept secret.

“Any employee who discloses the identity of an authorized individual — except as permitted by this policy or as required by law — may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including Termination,” the policy states.

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The state ferry Columbia, the largest vessel in the fleet, has been delayed a second time coming back to work on the busy summer route between Bellingham, Washington, and Southeast Alaska.

The ship is now scheduled to make its first northbound run from Bellingham on June 5, according to the Alaska Marine Highway System’s online reservations site.

The state will keep the Kennicott on the route until the Columbia is ready to go back into service.

When the Columbia returns, the Kennicott will tie up at the dock in Ketchikan. The Marine Highway System — for the fourth year in a row — says it lacks enough crew to run both vessels during the busy summer season.

As of May 4, the online reservations system showed no availability on the Columbia until the July 24 northbound sailing for a traveler who wanted to take their car or truck or RV from Bellingham to Wrangell.

The Columbia, which has served the popular route since going into service in 1973, has about twice the vehicle deck space as the smaller Kennicott.

In November, the Columbia went into the shipyard in Ketchikan for winter layup and annual maintenance. It originally had been expected back on the route May 6. That date was first pushed back to May 20.

The latest delay to June 5 is due to a couple of reasons, said Gabe Strong, public information officer for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

“The dry docking of the Columbia was delayed because the Lituya had to have the bow repaired. … The Lituya took the Columbia’s scheduled dry dock time and that set the Columbia work back a couple weeks,” Strong said in an email on April 30.

“Luckily, we had the Kennicott available to take over the mainline run for the Columbia.”

The Lituya, which shuttles between Ketchikan and Metlakatla, was damaged when it ran aground after leaving the Metlakatla dock in late December 2025 and spent much of March at the Ketchikan shipyard for repairs.

In addition to losing time in the dry dock, the other reason for the Columbia’s delayed return to service was mechanical.

“During the Columbia bow thruster overhaul, it was discovered that the shaft that drives the turbine had saltwater intrusion, so the shaft was sent south to get flame-sprayed and re-machined,” Strong said.

A single turbine powers the bow thruster, which aids in the ship’s maneuverability. “It’s an omni-thruster that sucks water in from the sides and shoots it out the displacer plate on the keel of the vessel,” he explained.

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