Alaska Legislature fails to override Dunleavy's school funding veto
Apr. 23—JUNEAU — The Alaska Legislature on Tuesday failed to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy's veto of a significant funding increase for the state's public schools — a $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation, the state's per-student funding formula.
Lawmakers voted to sustain Dunleavy's veto in a 33-27 vote on Tuesday afternoon, seven votes shy of the 40-legislator threshold.
School administrators across Alaska have said a $1,000 BSA increase is needed after almost a decade of virtually flat state funding. Multiple school districts report that flat funding means hundreds of teachers face losing their jobs; classroom sizes will continue to balloon; and popular programs will be cut.
Dunleavy vetoed House Bill 69 last week, saying that the bill contained no policy. Also, with the state facing a dire fiscal outlook, Dunleavy said that a $250 million annual funding increase for schools would be unaffordable.
Democratic Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson supported overriding Dunleavy's veto. She said during Tuesday's joint session that parents across Alaska "care deeply about the quality of their children's education," and that flat funding has led to overcrowding of classrooms and teachers leaving Alaska.
"The consequences of underfunding are being felt deeply," she said.
Some lawmakers said they supported a substantial school-funding increase, but that a $1,000 BSA increase would be unaffordable based on current revenue.
Bethel Democratic Sen. Lyman Hoffman, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said that he would vote to sustain Dunleavy's veto with "great reluctance." He said he supported a $1,000 BSA boost, but only with new revenue measures enacted to address "the state's major budget deficit."
After Tuesday's vote failed, Gov. Mike Dunleavy posted to social media, thanking lawmakers for upholding his veto. He said that the vote recognized the state's "fiscal situation and the fact that the bill had zero policy to create a better educational outcome for our students."
On Tuesday, Dunleavy introduced an alternative education package he promised shortly after issuing the veto. The measure contains a $560 increase to the BSA, along with roughly $35 million for homeschooled students and in reading incentive grants. The bill also has provisions intended to allow students to enroll in school districts other than the ones in which they reside; plans to limit cellphones in schools; and provisions intended to support charter schools — among other changes.
Fairbanks GOP Rep. Frank Tomaszewski, a House minority member, said Dunleavy's new education package represented "a real compromise" and that the Legislature should approve it.
"If anyone doesn't want to get on board with that, they're really not interested in funding education," he asserted at a Tuesday media conference.
However, some lawmakers have raised concerns about Dunleavy's proposals.
Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski said after Tuesday's vote that a first-come, first-served open enrollment policy could see some students miss out on the school of their choice. Additionally, Dunleavy's charter school provisions could reduce the power of local school boards, he said.
"I think fundamentally, there are many people in both bodies who are concerned about giving up local control," he said about the House and Senate.
An expected result
Last week's veto was the third successive year that Dunleavy has used his veto pen to cut school funding.
Education advocates and multiple legislators expected this year's override effort to fail. Last year, there was more uncertainty, before the Legislature fell one vote short of overriding Dunleavy's veto of another education package.
The state Capitol's hallways were filled last year with education advocates calling on legislators to override the governor. This year, the Capitol was virtually empty ahead of the joint session.
Members of the Democrat-dominated House and Senate majorities spoke at length on the House floor during the joint session. Only one Republican minority member — Rep. Mike Prax — spoke in opposition to a veto override.
Overriding Dunleavy's veto required support from 40 of 60 legislators, or two-thirds of the Alaska Legislature.
However, just 32 lawmakers voted to approve the $1,000 BSA boost on April 11. Thirty-three legislators on Tuesday supported the veto override — all from the bipartisan House and Senate majorities. Golovin Democratic Sen. Donny Olson initially voted against the measure, but he supported the override.
HB 69 had contained policies intended to appeal to Dunleavy and Republican lawmakers. As the bill advanced through the legislative process, Dunleavy said he opposed it. Dunleavy said provisions requiring greater oversight of homeschool spending would be "inequitable."
Earlier in the month, the Senate Finance Committee stripped out all the policy provisions from the bill, except for the $1,000 BSA boost, triggering Dunleavy's veto threat.
Wrestling with what's next
Lawmakers last year ultimately approved a one-time $175 million increase in school funding. That was equal to a $680 BSA boost, but only temporarily. Across the Capitol, lawmakers have said that a stable and reliable school funding increase should be approved this year. Many legislators have signaled support again for a $175 million funding increase for schools.
But there are sharp divides between the bipartisan House and Senate majorities on how to address the state's fiscal situation, which has framed this year's education debates.
Fairbanks GOP Rep. Will Stapp voted last year to override Dunleavy's education veto. He opposed the override vote this year. He said the $560 boost proposed by Dunleavy would likely not be sufficient for many school districts. But he stressed that the House majority, in particular, had not proposed a way to pay for a $1,000 per-student funding increase.
"If you want to prioritize education, prioritize it in the budget and fund it," he said on Tuesday.
However, some lawmakers said a funding increase of that size would be critical and that it was reasonable.
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, a Nikiski Republican, supported the $1,000 BSA boost. He said that it would amount to a $78 million increase on school funding approved last year. Bjorkman, a former teacher, said that class sizes are increasing as opportunities are being eliminated in areas like career and technical education.
"Our schools are unable to meet their mission effectively, because they don't have the budget to deliver on the requirements that we expect," he said.
With one month left in the legislative session, several lawmakers have said it would be difficult to craft a consensus education agreement that is supported by a majority of lawmakers and Dunleavy.
Kodiak Republican Senate President Gary Stevens said after Tuesday's vote that discussions had not started yet with the governor's office on a new education package. But he said that lawmakers would try to find common ground.
"We'll see where it goes," he said.
Voting yes
Reps. Robyn Niayuq Burke, D-Utqiagvik; Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks; 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-Toksook Bay; Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage; Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage; Donna Mears, D-Anchorage; Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage; Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage; Andi Story, D-Juneau; Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak; Sens. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau; Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski; Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage; Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage; Matt Claman, D-Anchorage; Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage; Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage; Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage; Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River; Donny Olson, D-Golovin; and Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks;
Voting no
Reps. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River; Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan; Mia Costello, R-Anchorage; Julie Coulombe, 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; Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna; 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; Sens. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka; James Kaufman, R-Anchorage; Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer; Robert Yundt, R-Wasilla; Mike Shower, R-Wasilla; Robert Myers, R-North Pole; Mike Cronk, R-Tok; and Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel.
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