Alaska House passes $1,000 per student funding boost, after three days of debate

Yahoo

13-03-2025

Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, sponsored the school funding bill, and urges House members to vote in favor as student visitors from around the state look on in the gallery on March 12, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that is aimed at adding $275 million to fund public schools starting this summer.
The House spent long floor sessions across three days this week, proposing amendments to, debating and voting on House Bill 69. The House passed the bill by a vote of 24 to 16. It would add $1,000 per student to the formula used to set state funding for K-12 schools.
'The journey this year has been so much longer and literally, I'd say, hard fought, to the point where, at least for me, it's a relief to get it through the House,' said House Speaker Bryce Edmon, I-Dillingham, in a news conference Wednesday after the vote.
In favor
Robyn Niayuq Burke, D-Utqiagvik
Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan
Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks
Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage
Maxine Dibert, D-Fairbanks
Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham
Ted Eischeid, D-Anchorage
Zack Fields, D-Anchorage
Neal Foster, D-Nome
Alyse Galvin, I-Anchorage
Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage
Carolyn Hall, D-Anchorage
Sara Hannan, D-Juneau
Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka
Ky Holland, I-Anchorage
Nellie Unangiq Jimmie, D-Bethel
Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage
Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage
Donna Mears, D-Anchorage
Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage
Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna
Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage
Andi Story, D-Juneau
Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak
Against
Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River
Mia Costello, R-Anchorage
Bill Elam, R-Nikiski
DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer
Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake
Elexie Moore, R-Wasilla
David Nelson, R-Anchorage
Mike Prax, R-North Pole
George Rauscher, R-Sutton
Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River
Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen
Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks
Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla
Frank Tomaszewski, R-Fairbanks
Jubilee Underwood, R-Wasilla
Sarah Vance, R-Homer
Many members of the Republican minority caucus debated and contested the bill, and questioned how the bill will be paid for. 'The revenue picture is not getting any better as time goes on,' said Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, in his caucus' news conference Wednesday. 'And it's really important that if we're going to stand on the floor, and we're going to pass things, we have really got to start telling the voters and the state how we're going to pay for it.'
The mostly Democratic majority coalition originally proposed an $1,800 per-student funding increase, but that was lowered to a $1,000 increase by the House Rules Committee last week. The formula funding, known as the base student allocation, is adjusted upward based on a variety of factors for each school.
'At the heart of this bill is the BSA increase,' said sponsor Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, to the House chamber. 'In terms of the policy areas, we worked hard to find compromises, especially with the executive branch.'
The committee also added some, plus adding policy changes sought by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the members of the minority caucus in closed-door negotiations. The bill would include allowing families to enroll students in any school in a district; requiring rules on limiting cell phone use; and creating a legislative task force to analyze school spending and make recommendations, among other provisions. The bill would also provide a $450 reading incentive grant per student, via an amendment in the rules committee by House Minority Leader Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, to support implementing the 2022 Alaska Reads Act. But that funding is dependent on legislative appropriations.
While the bill is aimed at setting the state policy for how much schools are funded, the actual appropriations would be in separate legislation, the annual operating budget bill.
Last year, Dunleavy vetoed a similar funding boost, citing needed policy changes, and instead approved $175 million in one-time funding. This year Dunleavy introduced an omnibus education bill that repeats the one-time funding for schools, at an estimated cost of $116 million.
School funding legislation is a top agenda item for this legislative session, with much discussion in both chambers on how the state will budget for schools statewide.
The price tag for HB 69 includes $253 million added to the per pupil funding, plus an estimated $22 million for the reading program, according to a new fiscal outlook report published by the Legislative Finance Division. Without the increase, the budget includes $1.15 billion in state funding for school districts.
On Monday, the House took up HB 69 with a marathon session of amendments. Over more than 10 hours, Republican members of the minority caucus brought dozens of amendments, ranging from increasing per pupil funding for homeschool students, expanding charter schools and capping class sizes to a competitive bid process for districts' internet service, tying funding to birth rates and consolidating the state's school districts.
The majority of amendments were voted down, many along caucus lines of 21 to 19 – with the majority coalition of 14 Democrats, five independents and two Republicans driving the defeats.
Five amendments were passed over two days of debate and voting.
The first of those amendments was adopted without opposition. Introduced by Rep. Jubilee Underwood, R-Wasilla, the amendment deleted language in the bill saying, 'nothing in this Act may be construed to allow a voucher system for education.'
In a surprise twist, Stapp introduced an amendment to reinstitute the original funding boost proposal of an $1,800 per student increase — though he attached a conditional clause requiring the bill to also raise revenue to pay for it. 'Currently, we have no way we can fund this bill multiyear, because we don't have the money for the bill,' Stapp said. 'I don't mind debating the policies in the bill, but we should probably tell the voters of the state how we're going to pay for the bill.'
The move prompted intense debate on the floor, until House Speaker Edgmon interjected. 'There's tension building in the chamber here, and that is not my intent, to allow that to go forward,' he said. The vote was overwhelmingly against the amendment, 27 to 12.
The House adopted an amendment introduced by Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, that would allow charter schools to appeal a decision by a school board to terminate their contract to the state. The education commissioner would review the decision and issue a decision within 90 days. It would also establish a charter school coordinator in the Department of Education to support charter schools, including with policy guidance and regulations, help with applications, and coordination between school boards and the state.
Another amendment passed 25-15, authored by Ruffridge, that would require more reporting from school districts on testing and improving students' academic performance over time.
Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Wasilla, introduced an amendment to consolidate the entire state down from 54 to 30 school districts, as well as an amendment to tie funding to state birth rates. Both were voted down 23 to 17, and 31 to 9, respectively.
Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage, introduced an amendment to require school districts to complete a competitive bid process for internet access every two years. She said it would prompt districts to find more efficient and low-cost internet service, and reduce reliance on federal funding, citing the Lower Yukon School District paying millions for internet service. Last year, the district signed an over $100 million contract for broadband with GCI, the majority of which is paid by federal funding. That amendment was narrowly defeated by a tie vote, 20 to 20.
Late Monday evening, House debate grew tense as Ruffridge introduced an amendment to expand authority for use of force in schools from teachers to include 'teaching assistants, principals, and other persons responsible for students.' Some members recounted stories of disruptive students hitting teachers, and supported the measure that would allow them to be restrained by force. However, other members objected strongly, including Rep. Robyn Niayuq Burke, D-North Slope.
'Nearly every single Alaska Native student in my district is descended from somebody who was forced to attend a residential school,' Burke said. 'My grandmother was picked up, placed in a trash can and hit by a ruler on her hands for speaking her language. There are other options: de-escalation training, funding for resource officers. Expanding corporal punishment doesn't address the needs appropriately, it opens up wounds for rural schools.'
Ruffridge defended the measure, calling it a 'grave misunderstanding' that he supported children being harmed, but said it would expand what's already allowed for teachers handling behavioral issues. 'This bill simply says, teachers, we see you, we hear you. We want to make sure that you can teach your class,' he said. 'And if you have to, and Lord, I hope they don't have to, but if you have to help save a student from either hurting themselves or another person you can do so, but by no means should we be hitting children.'
On Tuesday, the second day of debate over amendments, the House passed a proposal by Costello to require future legislatures to pass school funding legislation by March 15, to allow school districts time to budget for the next year, rather than have to create estimates and wait for when final budgets typically pass in May.
Another amendment introduced by Coulombe would cap class sizes, a concern for members across the House majority and minority coalitions, as many districts report overcrowding of classes with a lack of teachers and support staff. After debate, the amendment failed, 21 to 19.
But minority leadership said, following that vote, they hoped to pursue some of the policy changes in future legislation, including capping class sizes, increasing funding for homeschool students and addressing school facilities funding.
'The House Republicans were not participants in the negotiations that were occurring when we started out at the table,' said Costello in an interview following the amendment votes on Tuesday. 'And so we've been incredibly disappointed and frustrated that we weren't … we need to focus on things that bring outcomes to our students, and so that was disappointing, that more amendments didn't pass.'
On Wednesday, lawsmakers each stood to voice support and opposition for more than three hours before a final vote on the bill.
'This is a substantial and historic increase to the base student allocation,' Himschoot said. 'Our schools are waiting.'
'This bill does not address specific drivers of costs that are crushing my rural districts,' said Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen, a former school board member who represents most of the rural Interior. 'Insurance, transportation. There is no accountability in this bill.'
Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, read a list of the severe potential cuts to the Anchorage School District, now facing a $111 million deficit, that include sports, staff and programs from preschool through high schools. The district says those cuts would be reversed if the state funding increase is passed. He suggested that the state is failing to meet the requirement under the state constitution to provide adequate funding for schools.
'How can I possibly say no?' Josephson said. 'I don't know why there hasn't been an adequacy lawsuit yet, but I guarantee you it's a winner. So why wait for the lawsuit?'
In the final vote, minority-caucus Republican Reps. Jeremy Bynum of Ketchikan, Coulombe and Ruffridge joined the majority in voting for the bill.
'A vote that is green should not be taken as support for the bill. It's support for moving it to the next step in the process,' Ruffridge said in an interview after the vote, referring to the color scheme of the electronic board that reflects how members vote. He added that he made a motion to move the bill back to the House Education Committee to continue debate and public input on the policy measures. 'I'm generally supportive of increased education funding. But that bill has significant issues that need to be addressed.'
The bill now moves to the Senate, where its likely first stop will be the education committee.
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