Wearing red buttons emblazoned with “Base Student Allocation $1,413,” educators packed a joint hearing of the House and Senate education committees on Monday to warn legislators what will happen if school funding isn’t increased substantially this year.
Larger classes, fewer electives, fewer teachers and more shuttered schools are on the table for nearly every school district in the state as they grapple with the expiration of one-time money and baseline education funding that hasn’t been meaningfully increased in six years. School officials widely agree that a $1,413 increase to the base student allocation—the figure used to determine baseline funding—is needed to keep up with rising inflation and other costs.
“I think we’re all walking off a cliff,” Haines Borough School District Superintendent Dr. Roy Getchell, the president of the Alaska Superintendents Association, told the House and Senate education committees. “Some are already there, but we’re all on the way.”
Education funding has been a leading issue since the start of this year’s legislative session. The bipartisan Senate has backed a straightforward increase to school funding, while the Republican-led House and Gov. Mike Dunleavy have pushed for a far smaller increase to school funding as part of a wider package of conservative education goals. That package has stalled, with the House unable to muster enough support to pass it.
Dunleavy and Department of Education Commissioner Deena Bishop have sought to downplay the seriousness of the budget situation facing schools. Dunleavy has at times suggested that schools are intentionally inflating the concerns, while Bishop has told legislators it’s simply a matter of prioritization.
At the hearing on Monday, Nikiski Republican Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, a teacher and supporter of education funding, noted the administration’s claims and asked what guidance they have been providing, if any.
Getchell said the state hasn’t provided any, explaining that the fund balance that the Dunleavy administration has claimed is sufficient funding is intended for emergencies and would only cover one month’s expenses.
Later, Bjorkman implored educators to be clear about the consequences of not funding schools.
“Say the quiet part out loud,” he said. “Because you have a commissioner that says, ‘You don’t need any more money.’ And meanwhile, I have students emailing me saying, ‘Please save my music program.’ ‘I want to learn a foreign language at my school.’”
Dr. Lisa Parady, the executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, urged the legislators to listen when their constituents reach out to them, noting that several legislators have refused to take such meetings this session.
As far as the benefits, she said that increased funding will bring much-needed stability to schools. She said the funding situation has created undue stress and uncertainty for the system, which results in a revolving door of teachers and support staff that hurts the students.
“There is research that talks about the impacts of turnover,” she said. “Superintendent turnover impacts principal turnover, principal turnover impacts teacher turnover, and when we’re seeing that kind of spin cycle with school districts and that kind of instability, what we know is it creates lower student achievement. One of the keys to increasing student achievement is stabilizing school districts and being able to keep our high-quality staff.”
Heather Heineken, chief financial officer for Yukon-Koyokuk School District, said districts are reaching a breaking point.
“At my school, I’m at the point where I get to choose whether I heat my school or pay my teachers. I bet that many of our districts are feeling that pain,” she said. “We’ve got to heat our schools, so what’s it going to cost us to do that? … We are in a dire situation for our students.”
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 Twitter.
