The Mat-Su School Board selected 21-year Alaskan and father of nine children, Anthony Pitcher, to fill the vacant school board seat. During a Dec. 6 special meeting nine applicants were each given a chance to make their case for filling the seat vacated last month by Jacob Butcher due to a move out of state.
During his five-minute presentation, Pitcher noted that he moved to Alaska 21 years ago to work on a dairy farm. He quickly became involved in electrical work and has done that ever since.
Of his nine children, two have graduated high school, two attend charter school, two are in standard public school, one is homeschooled and the two youngest are yet to begin formal education.
According to his resume he has been active in serving with church youth programs and helping with the Boy Scouts.
After being raised by a “very patriotic father,” Pitcher told the board that he believes education should ground students in history, while preparing them for future career success. To that end, he said education should be varied and diverse with ample opportunity for students to explore viable career paths that will be both satisfying and profitable.
While he supports those who choose to attend college, Pitcher said this should be done with a concrete goal in mind so that students don’t waste time and rack up debt without a plan of action.
He told the board that, like Jacob Butcher, he shares a strong belief in parental choice when it comes to educational options. He also wants to focus on fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars.
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After three rounds of voting, the board approved Pitcher as Butcher’s replacement on a 5-1 vote.
When Butcher stepped down from his seat on Nov. 6, he was among the seven-member board’s six conservatives. Member Ted Swanson is the lone liberal voice.
Pitcher was sworn in and seated immediately after the vote and will serve until the next scheduled election in November 2024.
12 Comments
Congratulations Anthony Pitcher!
He sounds like a great candidate for that position.
Nine children! They and their progeny will contribute to the biggest and most underreported threat to our planet: overpopulation. I’m sure he’s super conservative and Christian, so fits in with the Matanuska Susitna demographic, but nine consumers!
calm down. The US birth rate is lower than ever. He’s doing us a favor. Plenty of liberals are choosing the “child free life”.
Ceak: There is not one significant social or environmental problem that couldn’t be eliminated or diminished by a reduction in population, liberal conservative – no matter.
And yet- your still choosing to be here adding to the over population.
Tsun Wut? That makes no sense
Lucinda- by your own words
“There is not one significant social or environmental problem that couldn’t be eliminated or diminished by a reduction in population. “
So if you really believe that-why are you still here? Or does your egocentric thinking not allow you to see past your own stupid comments?
You don’t get to say- who lives or who dies, who gets to born and who isn’t. How many children couples have is up to them. Not you and not the government.
Great for MSBSD, GREAT for us! Stay Conservative, educate don’t indoctrinate.
Welcome aboard! Now let’s get to work. It’s time to implement your ideas. Mat-Valley is way better than Anchorage but we need to stay vigilant or things will go south in a hurry!
What an excellent choice for a school board: someone who actually has children!
T sun. I did not mention HOW to reduce the population. You filled that in with your nickel plated, unassailable rigid beliefs.