Alaska Matters: Education Funding & Department Employee Shortages

Protecting Your Rights: Serving West Anchorage

February 16, 2023

Education Funding & BSA Increase

Last week, the Senate Education Committee heard Senate Bill 52, legislation that raises the Base Student Allocation by $1,000 per student and provides an overdue funding increase for public schools in Alaska.

Watch this week's video update

Department Employee Shortages & Importance of Defined Benefit

Essential state services continue to be impacted by labor shortages. Our office continues to hear from constituents who have not received food stamps for months. A KTOO article interviewed two workers in the Division of Public Assistance who explained that chronic understaffing is the cause of the backlog. During recent committee hearings in late January, the Department of Health also attributed the delays on outdated technology and lasting impacts of the May 2021 cyberattack.

Food stamp programs should be reliable and consistent. As we learn more about how vacancies, retention, and recruitment issues are impacting the experiences of members of our community and state workers, we are considering how the legislature can help. For programs like food stamps, adequate funding and staffing is key to success. The food stamp program also uses an antiquated computer system that needs to be modernized. We understand that through the budget, we can ensure proper funding for state services. And through legislation, we can return the state of Alaska to a competitive retirement system that will assist departments in recruiting and retaining staff.

In 2006, the legislature ended the state's defined benefits plan and replaced state worker retirements with a 401(k) style plan that is reliant on the volatility of the stock market. This year, there are several proposals that address the state retirement system.

House Bill 22/Senate Bill 35 are companion pieces of legislation that return public safety officers to a defined benefit plan.
Senate Bill 11 returns the state to the Tier 3 pension retirement structure.

An important consideration is how Alaska competes with other states in the retirement plan we offer public employees. Currently, Alaska is the only state that does not offer a pension plan to state employees. With lower salaries than some states in the Northwest and a weaker retirement plan, Alaska is having difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified employees. This challenge is highlighted by UA’s capacity to graduate 200 certified teachers every year while the Anchorage School District currently loses more than 200 teachers every year. We lack the capacity to fill teacher openings in Anchorage, and we’re competing with other states and school districts when we recruit in the Lower 48.

Representative Peltola Address

Tune in tomorrow for Representative Mary Peltola's first annual address to the Alaska State Legislature at 10:00 a.m. The Senate and the House have scheduled a joint session for her speech.

You can watch the speech live on YouTube via KTOO 360TV.

U.S. Representative Mary Peltola Address to the Alaska Legislature

Save the Date: Mid-Session Constituent Meeting

Join Senator Claman, Representative McKay and Representative Armstrong for a mid-session constituent meeting for Senate District H.

When: Saturday, March 25, Time TBA

Where: Anchorage Legislative Office, 1500 W. Benson Blvd.

Community Information

→ Update Your Voter Registration

The deadline to update your voter registration or register to vote for the upcoming Anchorage Municipal election is March 5. Ballots will be mailed to qualified, registered Anchorage voters on March 14. All ballot envelopes must be postmarked on or before Election Day, April 4, 2023.

To learn about what's on the ballot, including assembly races and bond propositions, visit the MOA Elections website.

Anchorage assembly boundaries changed due to redistricting. Find your district here.

→ Review of Community Council Boundaries

The Municipality of Anchorage initiated a review of Anchorage's community council boundaries. This review is required by municipal code to ensure that the community council areas continue to reflect neighborhoods in our community. The survey response period closes at 5:00 PM on TOMORROW, February 17.

To respond to the survey, click here.

→ Rave Mobile Safety Launch

The Municipality of Anchorage announced the launch of Rave Mobile Safety, a free public safety notification service that is replacing Nixle. Through Rave, residents can receive public safety alerts from state and local authorities via phone, text, and email. It will also allow residents to answer poll questions intended to give public safety officials critical information during emergency situations.

To join Rave Mobile Safety and input notification preferences, individuals will need to sign up here. Anyone who had previously subscribed for Nixle alerts will not be automatically enrolled in Rave.

→ FedEx ANCA Facility Development at Ted Stevens (ANC)

Project information: FedEx is planning to redevelop and expand the FedEx Cargo Development area at ANC with the intention of accommodating existing and future demand for cargo operations, increasing operational efficiencies, and meeting FAA and airport safety requirements. The project includes construction of new feeder aircraft parking apron, cargo building, automobile parking areas, two connections to Postmark Drive, and new security and perimeter fencing.

Public meeting: A public open house will be held TONIGHT, Thursday, February 16 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the Coast Inn at Lake Hood (3450 Aviation Ave, Anchorage). This meeting is considered a public scoping meeting and is meant to allow the project sponsor to receive input as they draft the Environmental Assessment.