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The Interior Delegation has heard from constituents, school board members and the working public about student needs in the classrooms. As a young kid who grew up here, graduated from Joy Elementary, Tanana Middle School and Lathrop High School, I am thankful for all of the great teachers, administrators and volunteers who helped me on my way to adulthood. However, when I see the dramatic drops (with inflation) in teacher pay and a complete loss of retirement for teachers, it is no wonder that it is difficult to recruit and retain the kind of teachers we need for our kids.
A recent suppressed report from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows what many already know to be true. Where teacher pay and benefits were once among the highest in the nation, Alaska has fallen greatly. Compounded with inflation and a lack of retirement security, schools are in jeopardy. A graph from a report titled “Teachers’ shrinking wage advantage - Alaska used to pay the most, but now we’re tenth.”
According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development report, Alaska ranked 10th for teacher pay behind states like California, Washington, and New Jersey. Alaska is just a little bit better than the average teacher pay in Illinois. We all know that Illinois has a much lower cost of living than Alaska. The legislature will take a long look at whether the Governor’s vetoes of education support funds should be taken up-which by Constitution, must be done within the first five days of the session. The legislature will also consider a permanent increase to the student formula and a return to a defined retirement benefit to teachers.
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