Anchorage Democratic Sen. Forrest Dunbar announced on social media today that he will be able to attend the Aug. 2 special session, boosting legislators’ chances of overriding GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s landmark veto of public school funding.
Dunbar is currently on deployment with the Alaska Army National Guard in Europe, and his absence was expected to make it difficult for legislators to meet the 45-vote threshold to override the governor’s veto of $50 million in public school funding. Legislators approved the funding with 46 combined votes, leaving little room for defections or absences.
The timing, on the governor’s part, appears intentional.
While the official purpose was to push for a slate of public education “reforms” that legislators have already soundly rejected, the real purpose, as it quickly became apparent, was to head off legislators’ attempts to override his vetoes. Along with timing it during Dunbar’s deployment, Dunleavy also ordered sympathetic Republicans to skip the first five days of the session — the window the Alaska Constitution requires for veto overrides.
While several right-wing Republicans said they’ll follow the governor’s orders, Dunbar said he started the process of requesting leave as soon as the session was announced.
“When he declared that we would be called into special session, I began seeking an exception to policy from my federal chain of command, so that I could use leave, return to Alaska on my own dime and join my colleagues for that vote,” he said, noting that the start of the session wouldn’t interfere with his military duties. “I am pleased to report that the commanding general to whom our unit now reports has indeed granted that request. I plan to return to Alaska for the start of the special session, and I will be voting yes to override so that our students have the funds they need to avoid catastrophic cuts to their schools.”
The state of education funding has been one of the most significant issues in Alaska politics in recent years. School supporters argue that years of status quo funding haven’t kept up with inflation, forcing schools to close and class sizes to balloon. Legislators ultimately raised the baseline funding for public schools by more than $700 per student, overriding the governor’s veto with 46 votes. Dunleavy’s subsequent veto reduced per-student funding by about $200.
That, combined with the Trump administration’s unceremonious freeze of federal grants to Alaska, has put school districts in a particularly tough spot, with several districts forced to cut even deeper to balance their budgets.
However, Dunleavy has argued that funding isn’t as important as teachers claim and has pushed for a slate of changes that would initiate the privatization of public education in Alaska through the expansion of public charter schools and homeschool programs, allowing public dollars to flow to private and religious schools in violation of the Alaska Constitution. Critics of the changes argue that they would primarily benefit wealthier families, while leaving children in traditional neighborhood schools with fewer resources.
Dunleavy has suggested that he would support restoring the $50 million in public school funding if legislators agree to finally pass his slate of demands.
Now, with Dunbar’s return, it appears they may be able to restore the funds without surrendering control to the state’s public school system.
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.
