Fairbanks: Helping Hands, School Support & Tax Relief, a New Bill & More!

November 14, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

As Fairbanks approaches the ‘holiday’ season, it has been exceptionally busy. In the city, the election was finalized and new members of the School Board and Borough Assembly were sworn in and seated, the holiday season means that some vulnerable families are in need and you can help, time keeps on ticking-or backwards if you were on Daylight Savings Time (is it ‘time’ for change?), school and child support will be a huge and important lift this year. Check out the holiday beginning enewsletter today!

Local Elections are Over! Welcome to the New Local Leaders

The election meant some changes to both the Borough Assembly and the School Board with several incumbent members losing to political newcomers. Thank you’s go to all those who have served, including Assembly Members Jimi Cash, Tammie Wilson and Aaron Lojewski and School Board Members Maggie Matheson and April Smith. Finally, I wish the very best to the newest members including Assembly Member Scott Crass, Nick Lajiness and Liz Reeves-Ramos and School Board Members Bobby Burgess and Meredith Maples. I look forward to working with each and every one of you.

Public Broadcasting Needs Our Help

The Federal House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies has recommended eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the 2024 appropriations bill. There are two amendments, Amendment 211, to claw back previously appropriated funds for public media, and Amendment 59, to prohibit the use of federal funding to acquire programming from NPR and PBS. If these amendments go through, the cut in funding to stations like NPR and our local stations like KUAC would be detrimental. Zeroing out this funding would deeply impact KUAC, risking the loss of a valuable resource that serves both urban and rural Alaskans. I grew up listening to local stations and even worked at KUAC during college. I hope you will join me in calling and emailing our Alaska Delegation in DC:

Representative Mary Peltola: 202-225-5765

Senator Lisa Murkowski: 202-224-6665

Senator Dan Sullivan: 202-224-3004

Let's Hope Our Kids Will See a Wolf in the Wild-- NOT in a Museum

Alaska is home to a diverse community of animals, including mammals, birds and even reptiles, many of which rely on our lands and waters to survive. Unfortunately, due to factors such as threats of destruction of natural habitats, disease or predation and inadequate regulatory mechanisms, or even climate changes, there are 15 endangered species in Alaska.

States play a key role in recovering endangered species. However, states cannot do this work alone. The federal Endangered Species Act remains imperative for supporting endangered species. Through the National Caucus of Environmental Legislator s, Senator Löki Tobin , Representative Andy Josephson and I signed onto a letter to the Biden Administratio n calling for increased federal assistance for the protection and recovery of endangered species. All the species of plants and animals of the earth are slowly dying, not simply because of natural selection, but because of lack of attention to preservation. How sad would it be for the next generation of Alaska children who must go to museums or picture albums to view extinct species?

School Support and Tax Relief is a Part of the Same Issue

School funding continues to be a big issue that taxpayers at the borough level and lawmakers at the state level this year. As the Chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee, I have met with new school board members, the FNSBSD administration, the Coalition for Equity in Education and the Alaska Council of School Administrators to be briefed on preliminary education funding. Every group has said that they need some amount-more than last year due to inflation and increased class sizes. Since COVID-19 with health safety closures, online learning shifts, population shifts in the military and a lower birthrate, the number of students has been extremely volatile and difficult to understand.

This year, many groups and parents have asked us to increase the budget that the state allocates for education and school boards. The State Senate has proposed an overall $680 increase per pupil which is permanent and will track with future inflation, but there’s no guarantee that the Governor will not veto the Senate proposal. The legislature overwhelmingly passed a single $180-million increase in the budget last May that the Governor soon cut in half. The State House, on the other hand, does not have a clear focus on where they will land on education funding or priorities.

The other issue that legislators will consider down in Juneau is that the amount legislators add to school support impacts your local property taxes. For those who may not know, school funding deficits from the state government are ‘usually’ made up by the local government which raises its funds almost exclusively through property taxes in organized boroughs. This means that the lack of funding, but support at the local level for schools means that ONLY local property taxpayers will have to help support K-12 education and everything that comes with supporting a smarter, more engaged, employable future workforce.

The Fairbanks Food Bank is Providing for Families in Need

Recently, I took a tour of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank with Director Sam Kiersten who explained how the Food Bank manages and distributes food donations through various programs with the help of dedicated staff and community volunteers. The Food Bank has been an important part of the local social safety network due to major problems with food stamp backlogs and problems with the administration of all state services. Various departments have been pressured, haven’t been able to hire and have been cut so deeply that services usually provided to the public have been inadequate and the Governor has been sued by various Alaskans.

Sam also explained some of the challenges facing the Food Bank, including unprecedented borough tax assessment changes that affect the organization’s fundraising capabilities. The Food Bank has also had issues with receiving store-donated fresh produce, much of which is given to area residents with medically necessary dietary needs through the Food Bank’s Food Is Medicine program. This vital service provides up to 30 pounds of fresh produce per person each week and currently serves more than 900 local residents, many of whom are seniors. For more information on the Food Is Medicine program as well as volunteer opportunities at the Food Bank, please visit their website or call 907-457-4273.

Time for a Change?

The last week we ‘fell behind’ or stepped back in time in observance of Daylight Savings Time. I attributed the maxim "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" to my father and only recently found out it was Benjamin Franklin who is usually attributed to the words of wisdom. He was also attributed to first discussing the observation of a Daylight Savings Time in modern history. Only Hawaii and Arizona have opted out of DST, but many legislatures have discussed the bill to establish permanent standard time or permanent daylight savings time, while Congress has had legislation to change it nationally. It didn’t really make sense that Alaskans observe DST because our light and dark cycles can be total darkness in winter or total daylight in the summer and modern Alaskans work all the time!

By request of some constituents, I have drafted legislation that would take the state to a permanent standard time of which the State Affairs Committee, Labor and Commerce Committee and Finance Committees will discuss in January. Do you have any comments?

The Holidays are Upon Us!

The Holiday Season is upon us! Holidays can be hard, especially if you don’t have somewhere to go and celebrate. Luckily, the Fairbanks community is strong and has opportunities for those who wish to celebrate by eating a meal or volunteering!

Donation Locations and Needs:

The Fairbanks Community Food Bank is taking donations for Thanksgiving food boxes, please check their Facebook for updated lists of needs:

Stuffing
Canned Corn
Baked Bread or Rolls
Sticks of Butter
Canned Cranberry Sause
Turkeys
Pies
Canned Pumpkin
Green Beans
Hams

PFLAG Fairbanks is taking donations for their community meal. Please send their Facebook page a message (or call/text 907-799-4447) if you’d like to donate perishable food items, monetary donations are also being accepted:

Turkey
Ham
Stuffing
Potatoes
Gravy
Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Sauce
Salad Kits
Pie & Desserts
Green Bean Casserole
Paper plates & Napkins
Tin Cooking Dishes
Drinks & Cups
To-Go Boxes

Fairbanks Native Association Street Outreach & Advocacy Program is looking for Turkeys for their Thanksgiving food boxes! Please reach out to 907-347-3176.

Meals/Events:

November 18:

Friends of Creamers Field: Thanksgiving for the Birds 12:00pm-4:00pm – Make birdfeeders and learn about winter birds in Alaska. Free of charge, donations are appreciated.

November 21:

Golden Heart Angels in Motion will also be providing a Thanksgiving lunch for those in need from 11am-2pm at Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall.

November 22:

Fairbanks Community Food Bank - FREE Thanksgiving Food Boxes Distributed at First Presbyterian Church in Fairbanks from 9:00am-4:00pm and Lord of Life Lutheran Church in North Pole from 12:00pm-2:00pm.

November 23:

The Bread Line will be serving a Thanksgiving breakfast from 7:30am-9:30am.

November 24:

PFLAG Fairbanks Friendsgiving meal at Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall from 2:00pm-6:00pm.

If you know of more events, please reach out to my office!

My Staff and I are Here for You

As always, I and my staff are are still working for you. Feel free to contact my office and we will assist you with issues important to you and your family.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,