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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
After much deliberation, two weeks ago the Senate passed HB 69. Included in this version of the bill was an increase of the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000 per student. This allocation of funds represented the commitment of legislators from across the state coming together to prioritize Alaska’s children.
Unfortunately, for the second year in a row Governor Dunleavy vetoed this bill, a veto which I voted to override, once it arrived on his desk. Citing reasons having to do with the lack of policy in the bill and a deteriorating revenue situation, his new proposed bill does not represent functional fixes to what plagues our schools. It favors some Alaskan children over others and we need something that will work for all.
For over a decade, there hasn’t been any considerable increase to the BSA. As inflation drives the costs of operation up, we’ve watched as schools have been forced into the difficult position of having to cut crucial programs, navigate imbalanced student-to-teacher ratios, and even decide to close their doors. Looking around, it’s not hard to see that Alaska schools are in a financial crisis and that increased education funding from the state is crucial to addressing the issue.
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