It is time to make bold investments in Alaska and the future of our children and families. It is time for the legislature to act and make our public education system whole again by increasing the Base Student Allocation (BSA) to fund education that keeps up with inflation and other states.
Proper investment in public education leads to economic growth and stability, better labor force retention, and creates a reliable future workforce. Unfortunately I have heard again and again from my colleagues in the design and engineering industry that they want to be assured of a vibrant future for their children. Too often, they leave the state in search of opportunity, seeking out places where public education is valued and there is more economic certainty. This out-migration is one of the factors further exacerbating the instability that the state is facing.
Alaska is now the only state in the nation without a pension plan for teachers, and ranks near or at the bottom for teacher salaries, despite having the 6th highest cost of living in the nation: a profound indicator of how little value we ascribe to teachers.
A decade of flat-funding public education continues to hamstring school districts that have already absorbed the effective cuts by eliminating teacher and support positions, increasing class sizes, closing schools, eliminating cafeterias and meal programs and simply exhausting teachers to the point that they leave the profession. We cannot continue to ask teachers to fill the educational resource gaps at their own expense, and at the expense of their families. We are asking the public education system to “produce” while starving the very infrastructure required to do so.
Additionally, the cost of providing health insurance to public school employees has skyrocketed compared to the rate of inflation, a budget item that is rarely singled out as one of the cost factors significantly impacting funding intended for classroom instruction.
We need look no further than the Anchorage School District and its $48 million budget deficit to see the ramifications of years of flat funding. Although ASD is now only closing one instead of six schools, those closures will be back on the table next year if education funding is not given a significant boost.
It is time to raise the Alaska BSA. Our public schools have lost too much ground over the last decade. If we tied the BSA to inflation, per-pupil funding would have increased by about $1,300 in the past decade, rather than $250. Fully funding education would be a five-fold increase over what the state has done so far. If we want a thriving and prosperous economy in Alaska, we must invest in public education. Study after study indicates that each dollar invested in education has a seven-fold return.
Too many people will frame this issue as one of dollars, but this is really a question of priorities. Investing in public education is the contribution we make as a civilized, creative and humanitarian society where we take care of our children.
At the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Group luncheon last week, every professional in the room raised their hand when asked “Who would be willing to give up their PFD for a well-funded public education system?”
The young professionals in attendance understood that in order to establish good careers and businesses, they need resources like great schools for their kids, and their employees’ kids.
Fortunately, the Senate Education Committee is striking a new and hopeful tone by putting the BSA front and center in this legislative session.
In the coming weeks I urge you to add your voice to the growing number of citizens advocating to build back our public education system for our collective benefit. Add your voice by contacting Great Alaska Schools on Facebook or email: greatakschoolsanc@gmail.com and by asking your legislators and the Governor to re-invest in our kids, our public schools, and our future.
This post is a submission to The Alaska Current. Please send submissions to news@thealaskacurrent.com.
