On Thursday, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy – a Republican who often reminds reporters he was once a teacher, school administrator and school board member – became the first-ever governor in state history to veto school funding below the level laid out in state law.
Citing declining oil revenues, the governor delivered a round of vetoes that slashed an outsized chunk of public school funding. Out of $150 million in vetoes, the governor cut a total of $76 million in public school funding, with $51 million coming from the state’s Base Student Allocation. That will amount to a cut of at least $200 for every student in Alaska, and for some, much more.
“We’re going to make sure that those things that are absolutely necessary are in the budget and those things that we can live without, at least for a little while, will be removed,” he said, in a slickly produced video published to social media.
The BSA feeds into the state’s baseline funding formula, which determines the amount of funding each district receives based on factors such as location and student needs. Intensive needs students, for example, can receive up to 13 times as much, meaning Dunelavy’s veto will amount to a $2,600 cut for them.
The governor’s vetoes also include cuts to school maintenance and repairs, teacher recruitment and incentive programs, as well as early learning programs.
Schools and education advocates have argued that flat funding for the BSA has eroded districts’ buying power, forcing closures, program eliminations, and teacher firings. It has been a significant issue in recent years and has helped put education-focused bipartisan coalitions in the majority in both legislative chambers.
“This is the first time since the BSA was enacted in 1999 that a governor has refused to honor the statutory school funding formula,” said Association of Alaska School Boards Executive Director Lon Garrison in a prepared statement. “This veto is not just a rejection of legislative compromise — it is a rejection of Alaska’s students, families, and local governance.”
Dunleavy, however, has remained stubbornly opposed to such an increase and has instead favored “targeted investments” that redistribute funding to programs, such as charter schools and homeschool programs, that primarily serve wealthier and less diverse student populations.
He vetoed legislators’ attempts to increase the BSA three times over the last two years, with legislators finally overriding him on the last attempt to increase the BSA by about $700. That amount wouldn’t have even made for a significant year-over-year increase in funding when factoring in last year’s one-time money.
That means Dunleavy’s veto amounts to a cut in school funding from the current year, not a smaller-than-expected increase.
“I think the governor just abandoned us, and we’re going to have to figure out the best way to move forward,” Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, told the Anchorage Daily News.
At an emergency public hearing on Thursday night, Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the vetoes created an “education emergency” that will force districts to consider additional last-minute cuts.
“Emergency school closures are on the table for districts, as are reductions that will result in increased class sizes, poor learning environments, and will continue to result in the decaying infrastructure we see all across the state in our schools,” said Bryantt, according to coverage by the ADN.
Districts have faced several rounds of whiplash over funding this year, forcing them to outline deep cuts across the board, reverse them and then reverse the reversal.
Legislators have a good shot at overriding the governor’s veto, given that 46 legislators voted to override his veto of the BSA increase, and a budget override requires 45 votes. However, just when that happens and when districts will get some real clarity on their funding moving forward is unclear.
Legislative leadership could call a costly special session to attempt an override or wait until the beginning of the 2026 legislative session, which is about halfway through the budget year, to take up an override.
“Education is one of the biggest issues facing our state and a top priority of our coalition. If we’re going to have an override of any vetoes, we have to get it right and be successful,” said Rep. Calvin Shrage, an Anchorage independent who oversees the capital budget, in a prepared statement.
Stevens told the AND that districts should “have hope” that the Legislature will come around and override the governor’s veto.
“Right now, districts are just in turmoil and having a tough time existing,” said Stevens. “As time passes, I think legislators will realize the very difficult position their districts are in.”
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
