While Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to cut $87.5 million of the $175 million one-time education funding the legislature approved attracted significant attention and headlines, it was just one of 46 line-item vetoes totaling $200 million. This is the first in a series taking a look at some of the other vetoes beyond the budget line language and figures.
THE VETO
Dunleavy slashed $3.5 million of a $5 million increase for Head Start, the federal program that promotes school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families
WHY IT MATTERS
Alaska is in the midst of a child care crisis. According to a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 77% percent of Alaska parents reported missing work because of child care challenges. Forty percent of Alaskans interviewed for the study said that they or someone in their household had left, declined, or changed jobs because of child care issues in the last year.
Currently, there are 17 Head Start programs serving communities across Alaska by providing care for over 3,000 young children. Head Start programs are an important piece to solving the child care crisis puzzle, if they are fully staffed. Unfortunately, Head Start programs in Alaska are struggling to recruit and retain employees due to budget constraints, resulting in longer enrollment waits.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Federal Head Start grants require a 20% funding match, which the state has long pledged to meet. However, state funding for Head Start hasn’t changed since 2010, sitting flat-funded at $6.8 million despite rising inflation. As a result, the state match for federal grants is now down to 12%. The $5 million in additional one-time funding approved by the legislature would have returned the state match to 20% and helped Head Start programs to make immediate increases to wages and benefits to hire enough employees to fully staff classrooms and increase enrollment.
The federal grants also have enrollment requirements and six Alaska Head Start programs have recently received under-enrollment letters giving them 12 months to get fully enrolled. If they do not, the feds will withhold $11 million in funding, which would be a compounding blow to Head Start programs following Dunleavy’s erasure of $3.5 million.
BOTTOM LINE
Dunleavy’s veto will mean fewer children from low-income families will have access to innumerable benefits Head Start programs provide and fewer Alaskans will be employed.
