Latest news with #BaseStudentAllocation
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill as lawmakers say override possible
May 19—Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday vetoed a bipartisan education package in a step against permanently increasing the education budget, which has largely stagnated during his tenure. Lawmakers convened earlier this year under a shared commitment to significantly increase the education budget for the first time in nearly a decade. Dunleavy also said he would support an increase to education spending, but stipulated his support on the passage of policy demands that lawmakers said were untenable. Educators have said that Alaska's public education system is in crisis due to years of virtually flat funding. Multiple school districts had planned steep cuts to programs, staff and more. But the Anchorage School District recently reversed many of those cuts on the assumption a funding boost would be approved this year. Dunleavy already vetoed one education bill passed by lawmakers earlier this year. Legislators returned to the drawing table and passed House Bill 57, which would raise the $5,960 Base Student Allocation — the state's per-student funding formula — by $700. That would translate to a roughly $180 million increase to the state's $1.2 billion education budget. The sweeping measure also has policies intended to improve student outcomes, including by limiting cellphone use in schools and creating a new task force to study some of Dunleavy's policy demands. Lawmakers and the governor last year agreed to a one-time increase in the education budget by an amount equivalent to a $680 BSA increase. The year before that, lawmakers also approved a one-time $680 increase, half of which was vetoed by the governor. "There is no evidence that a permanent increase in the Base Student Allocation will improve educational outcomes. Therefore, this bill in its current form does not serve the best interest of Alaskans," Dunleavy wrote in a letter delivered to the House and Senate on Monday afternoon. Lawmakers and education advocates have countered that an increase in education funding would allow districts to retain qualified and experienced teachers, and keep class sizes smaller — policies they say correlate to improved educational outcomes. House Bill 57 passed the Legislature on April 30 in a combined 48-11 vote. Opposition came from Republican lawmakers in minority caucuses. Since then, Dunleavy told school superintendents that he would veto the measure unless his preferred education policies were approved by the Legislature. Superintendents said Dunleavy also told them he was prepared to veto a school funding increase from the budget. House Minority Leader Mia Costello, an Anchorage Republican, on Monday declined to comment about the veto. But majority members say that the Legislature may be able to muster the 40 votes needed to override the governor. Legislators have thrice failed to override Dunleavy's vetoes of education funding. Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican, said Monday that over the past several days, he and other House members had spoken to members of Dunleavy's staff about the education bill in an effort to find common ground that would stave off a veto. But majority lawmakers also said they were not willing to consider Dunleavy's policy demands. "The message is: We have to find a way to get wins, and I think going to war with both each other and our school system isn't a good plan," said Ruffridge. Dunleavy's policy demands include a provision to allow students across the state to enroll in the public school of their choice, regardless of where they live. Legislators have said that the open enrollment plan Dunleavy is seeking has been described as unworkable by educators. Lawmakers are planning to hold a veto override session on Tuesday. The regular legislative session must end by midnight on Wednesday. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anchorage School Board bets on state funding increase in revised budget, reversing cuts to staff and programs
May 7—The Anchorage School Board on Tuesday passed a revised budget that relies on a yet-to-be-finalized funding increase from the state, aiming to save staff and programs that were set for cuts. However, multiple school board members cautioned that even if the funding comes through as currently proposed, Anchorage schools will still face reductions, both this school year and next. "It does seem like there will be more funds coming from Juneau, and so I think to that degree it's not unreasonable for the board to make that assumption and stop some of the worst of the damage," board member Andy Holleman said ahead of the vote. But, Holleman added, "this doesn't fully restore things by any means." The board passed the revised budget unanimously. Member Dave Donley was absent. The Alaska Legislature last month passed a bill that would increase the Base Student Allocation, the state's per-student funding formula, by $700. School districts across the state say the increase is urgently needed after a decade of virtually flat funding, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy has criticized — and vetoed — past legislation because it does not also include education policies he has proposed. Dunleavy has yet to sign or veto House Bill 57. Regardless, lawmakers have said they believe they have the votes to override a veto. In a May 6 memo outlining the proposal, the Anchorage School Board members who proposed the amended budget said it was crafted "in response to the Legislature's bipartisan passage of House Bill 57 and with acute awareness of the distress that the scale of ASD's FY26 staffing displacement process and programmatic reductions have wrought on students, families, educators, and the community at large." The revision increases the district's proposed operating budget from $594.6 million to $634.5 million. It assumes a $560 increase to the BSA — a lower number than is included in the legislation currently on the table, but an amount school board members noted the governor has indicated he can support. Still, board member Margo Bellamy on Tuesday repeatedly characterized passing the revised budget before HB57 becomes law as a "calculated risk." Bellamy likened it to "me not having any income, and writing a check, hoping that it pays for my mortgage, and it depends on so many other things — if I get a job, if someone helps me, whatever." "I'm not comfortable with it, but it is necessary," she said. Board member Kelly Lessens at the meeting outlined sweeping changes the revised budget makes possible, including allowing the school district to increase the pupil-teacher ratio by one student rather than four, making it possible it to reverse a majority of the cuts to staff positions, avoiding layoffs and most displacements. More than 200 teacher positions would be restored under the revised budget, the school district said in a statement Wednesday. Lessens added that the revised budget also reverses cuts to middle school sports and certain high school sports programs; elementary paraprofessional positions; the IGNITE program; librarians; nurses; elementary language immersion programs; elementary and secondary summer school programs; and Battle of the Books. It also provides more funding to charter schools and correspondence students, among other changes, she said. However, Lessens still characterized the funding increase the amended budget relies on as "modest." About $23 million in cuts remain in the budget for the upcoming school year, she said. "It's not perfect. Principals are still tasked with making unenviable decisions," Lessens said. "This is not a magic wand by any stretch of the imagination." The school board's memo notes that even if the currently proposed $700 BSA increase becomes law, it "would not address the full $1,808 inflationary gap that has grown between FY11 and the present." Board member Pat Higgins cautioned ahead of the vote that the budget also relies on reserves. "I ... want to be completely honest: Unless the Legislature and the governor decide that their obligation is to fund adequately public education, we're going to do this again next year," Higgins said.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska Legislature poised to approve 'compromise' education bill with $700 per-student funding boost
Apr. 28—JUNEAU — The Alaska Legislature is poised to pass a compromise education measure on Monday with a $700 boost to the Base Student Allocation, the state's per-student funding formula. Gov. Mike Dunleavy last week said that he would sign a school funding increase of that size, but only if education policies preferred by his administration were added to the measure. The Senate on Monday added several provisions intended to appeal to Dunleavy and minority Republican legislators. A spokesperson for the governor's office did not immediately say Monday morning whether Dunleavy would support the amended measure. Multiple lawmakers noted that the $700 increase to the BSA would be the largest nominal school funding increase in state history. But administrators in multiple school districts have said that may not be enough for a public education system in the midst of enacting steep cuts to programs, staff and more. Republican minority members, in particular, have supported a funding increase, but only with policies intended to improve Alaska's bottom-of-the-nation test scores. Anchorage Democratic Sen. Löki Tobin, chair of the Senate Education Committee, said the Legislature had made multiple attempts to get an education package signed into law. But she said the Senate's new education measure "strikes a balance" between policy and funding. "While the bill before you isn't the final answer to adequately funding our schools, it will get the much-needed financial resources our schools desperately need to retain high-quality educators, reduce class sizes, keep beloved extracurricular activities and support our struggling students," she said. The Senate on Monday approved HB 57 on a 19-1 vote. North Pole GOP Sen. Robert Myers was the only no vote. HB 57 now heads back to the House for a final vote. Multiple lawmakers said the House could approve the bill later on Monday, sending it to Dunleavy's desk for his consideration. But first, the Senate amended the measure on Monday to add "compromise" provisions. House Bill 57 includes plans to limit cellphone use in schools; a boost for student transportation costs; provisions to ease the process of forming new charter schools and to make it harder for local school districts to revoke existing charters; provisions to establish target class sizes to limit overcrowding in classrooms; and the establishment of a legislative task force to study education funding and how to allow students to enroll in school districts other than the ones in which they reside. The Senate on Monday added reading incentive grants proposed by Wasilla Republican Sen. Rob Yundt, a minority member, for reading. The $450 per-student funding would be paid to districts for their students who perform at grade level or show improvements in reading. But the grants would only be paid if the Legislature approves Senate Bill 113 — a measure that would raise new state revenue by applying corporate income tax on out-of-state businesses that operate online. Yundt said the grants would incentivize student outcome improvement. The contingency for new revenue recognized the tough fiscal spot the state faces, he said. The measure advanced quickly last week for a final vote, setting the stage for last-minute negotiations. Several minority amendments were rejected by the Democrat-dominated majority on Monday. But Wasilla GOP Sen. Mike Shower, the Senate minority leader, said the bill represented a "compromise" agreement with the minority after a lot of work over the weekend. He said before Monday's final vote that he would support the bill with "a lot of reservations." He said that he could support the funding increase, but that the bill should have contained more education reforms. Shower suggested that his yes vote could change if Dunleavy vetoes the measure. Minority Republican Sens. James Kaufman, Mike Cronk and Rob Yundt voted for the bill on Monday. If Dunleavy vetoes the bill, all three senators said they would vote to override Dunleavy's veto. Dunleavy last week said that his policy priorities would need to be added for the bill to receive his support. Those policies included extra funding for homeschooled students on top of what they would receive through a BSA increase, reading incentive grants and plans to expand charter schools in Alaska. But some of Dunleavy's education priorities have been opposed by many lawmakers. Multiple legislators have said that his open enrollment school policy could see students blocked from attending their own schools, and that his charter school provisions could erode the power of local school boards. The Legislature last week failed to override Dunleavy's veto of another education bill that had a $1,000 increase in per-student funding. Overriding Dunleavy's veto required support from 40 of 60 legislators, or two-thirds of the Alaska Legislature. Last week's override vote failed with 33 lawmakers voting yes. School administrators have said that a $1,000 BSA increase would be critical for school districts facing substantial deficits. Districts report that without a substantial funding increase, they will need to cut hundreds of teacher positions and popular programs. But at a cost of over $250 million per year, many lawmakers have said a $1,000 BSA boost would be unaffordable with the state facing a dire fiscal outlook. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Dunleavy vetoes school funding boost
Apr. 17—JUNEAU — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday vetoed a $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation, the state's per-student funding formula. The Alaska Legislature narrowly passed House Bill 69 on Friday despite the fact that Dunleavy had threatened to veto the bill. Legislators stripped policy provisions from the measure that were intended to appeal to Dunleavy. Dunleavy said he vetoed the bill because "the revenue situation has deteriorated a lot since we submitted the bill and worked up a budget" and because "there's no policy" in the bill. Dunleavy said he would introduce an alternate bill this week with a smaller increase to the Base Student Allocation along with his policy priorities. That bill would include a $560 increase to the Base Student Allocation, along with $35 million in other targeted investments, according to Dunleavy aide Jordan Shilling. The bill, which had yet to be formally introduced as of Thursday, includes provisions to allow students to enroll in school districts other than the ones in which they reside; ease the process of forming new charter schools and make it harder for local school districts to revoke existing charters; increase funding for homeschooling programs by hundreds of dollars per correspondence student; pay districts $450 per elementary school student who performs well on reading assessments; and require schools to adopt cellphone use policies. School administrators across Alaska have said a substantial school funding boost is needed after almost a decade of virtually flat funding. School districts report that hundreds of jobs could be cut without a $1,000 increase to the $5,960 BSA. An education funding boost of that size would cost the state over $250 million per year. Many in the Legislature have said that is unaffordable with the state facing a $680 million deficit over two fiscal years based on status quo spending. Supporters of the $1,000 BSA boost have pledged to try to override Dunleavy's veto. Support from 40 of 60 lawmakers, or two-thirds of the Legislature, would be required to override Dunleavy's veto. Thirty-two legislators voted for the stripped-down education bill on Friday. Multiple legislators have said that they likely don't have the votes required to override a veto. The vetoed bill is now set to head back to the Legislature. The Alaska Constitution states that the Legislature "shall meet immediately in joint session" to consider vetoed bills. The veto came just as lawmakers were leaving Juneau for the Easter holiday. Senate President Gary Stevens said a joint session was planned for Wednesday, once all lawmakers were back in the Capitol. "Unlikely we will get to 40 but one never knows until you try," Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said in a text message. "If it is not successful, we will roll up our sleeves and get to work, because we know that our schools are in crisis," said Sen. Löki Tobin, who chairs the Senate Education Committee. During his Thursday morning press conference, Dunleavy offered a highlight reel of his recent comments on education: He cited a study of charter schools — which has drawn criticism from school officials, lawmakers and researchers — that found Alaska's system outperformed other states'; he denigrated the National Education Association; and he said funding alone would not improve students' outcomes, even as he insisted that he was, in fact, in favor of a nominal funding increase. The funding increase he proposed Thursday would, in effect, serve as a reduction in real funding to most school districts compared to funding approved by lawmakers last year, after accounting for inflation, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the third year in a row that Dunleavy has vetoed major education funding legislation in some form. In 2023, Dunleavy vetoed half of a one-time $680 BSA increase. In 2024, Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would have permanently increased the BSA by $680, but allowed the BSA to be boosted by that amount on a one-time basis. "While we agree that additional funding for education is necessary, the fiscal reality dictates that the amount put forward match this reality. The amount put forward in this bill does not," Dunleavy wrote in a letter explaining the veto. While Dunleavy said that a funding increase would not constitute a sufficient policy shift to improve Alaska students' lagging outcomes, Tobin said that funding alone would allow districts to adopt policies that would benefit students. "Funding school is a policy choice. Funding schools reduces class sizes, retains quality educators and ensures that there's programming outside of the essentials that kids love," said Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat. Tobin said Dunleavy's proposed open enrollment policy indicated "his office doesn't seem to realize that top-down approaches with a diverse and complex education system that we have here in the state don't work" because some schools have unique application and enrollment requirements. Tobin said the policy would primarily benefit students from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough seeking to enroll in Anchorage School District programs — an example that Dunleavy offered when he spoke in favor of the policy during his press conference. Fairbanks Republican Rep. Will Stapp called the policies proposed by Dunleavy "very reasonable." Stapp voted in favor of overriding Dunleavy's veto of an education bill last year, but said he would not vote in favor of overriding Dunleavy's veto of the BSA-boosting bill. Instead, he said the Legislature should pass Dunleavy's newly proposed legislation with minimal changes, if any. "I don't see anything in here that's super controversial," said Stapp, a member of the Republican minority. "I don't know why we wouldn't just pass this." Dunleavy's bill could have an unequal fiscal impact on school districts. The handful of school districts that run large, statewide correspondence programs would stand to gain more than those that lack such programs. And districts with a greater share of students who can read at grade level could, in the short-term, get a financial advantage over districts with a higher proportion of students who underperform in reading. Dunleavy has presided over a massive increase in publicly funded homeschooling programs during his tenure. As a state Senate member, he had pushed for laws governing those programs to be vastly relaxed, allowing parents to use public funds for more purposes, including to cover the cost of private school tuition. During Dunleavy's time as governor, the share of Alaska public school students enrolled in correspondence programs — rather than traditional brick-and-mortar programs — has gone from around 10% to close to 20%. As lawmakers have sought to address education funding amid an ever-shrinking revenue forecast, the governor has faced criticism in recent days — including from members of his own party — over his prolonged absences from Juneau and disengagement from the legislative process. Dunleavy said Thursday that his administration is "prepared to continue to work with the Legislature and stakeholders to agree to a bill as soon as possible." "I'm a phone call away, even if I'm in Taiwan trying to get an LNG line," he said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
