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I am disappointed in the minority of legislators who failed to override the veto of the education funding and reform package. They recklessly continue to underfund the educational needs of our children and still wonder why they are not seeing better results. The legislature is now about to embark on a path of more one time school funding - the most wasteful and ineffective way to fund education in Alaska.
Schools must have predictable funding to provide classes sizes where students can learn, retain experienced and effective educators, and offer vocational training, sports, music, art, and other beneficial programs. Providing reliable educational opportunities is hard to do when so much of a school district’s budget comes from unpredictable one-time State funds. Increasing the BSA means schools can budget for an upcoming year, knowing how many teachers they can afford and what may need to be cut. Laying off a significant portion of a school’s teachers every year due to budget uncertainty leads to larger class sizes and the loss of good teachers. Short term bonuses will not keep teachers at their desks if schools can’t afford to keep them on the payroll.
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