Those who claim more state spending on government run schools will lead to better student achievement are hatching a multi-pronged strategy to pressure Alaska lawmakers during the upcoming legislative session.
Many entrenched educational activists are upset that Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed state budget does not include a plan to grow state spending on the Base Student Allocation (BSA), which is the amount of money the state spends on each student enrolled in public education.
Lon Garrison, Executive Director of the influential Alaska Association of School Boards, recently wrote a letter to educators across the state, warning that the upcoming legislative session will be “the most critical and consequential session public school advocates have ever faced.” In particular, he hopes to wage an all-hands-on-deck campaign to overwhelm lawmakers with lobbyists, phone calls, personal visits and positive reinforcement to push them into greenlighting more state funds for education.
Education spending, however, is already the second largest annual budgetary item for the State of Alaska with the Department of Education being allotted $1.67 billion in fiscal year 2023.
In fact, Alaska spends more prodigiously on education than most states. The Heritage Foundation ranked Alaska as the ninth-highest spending state nationwide in the 2018-2019 school year, at $18,615 per pupil after adjusting for Alaska’s cost of living. Nearly $6,000 of that comes from state coffers. The U.S. Census Bureau documents an unadjusted per-pupil spending in Alaska of $18,313 in 2020, which far exceeded the Census Bureau’s U.S. average of $13,494 per pupil. Some rankings place Alaska’s spending as the fourth highest in the country.
The reality is that many families are pulling their kids from failing brick-and-mortar public schools and opting for private education, independent homeschooling or public homeschool programs.
But more spending has not translated into better student outcomes. Despite high educational expenditures, Alaska was second-to-last on the 2022 fourth grade reading National Assessment of Educational Progress. According to the latest statewide standardized assessment, the Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR), more than 70% of Alaska students are below proficient in reading and math.
Garrison and his group have repeatedly blasted those who note that dismal standardized test scores are objective evidence that Alaska’s public schools are failing to educate children. Earlier this year, he claimed that objective test scores are just sterilized statistics, which don’t take into account the subjective and personal experiences that he and other state educators claim are far more important in factoring educational success.
But the reality is that many families are pulling their kids from failing brick-and-mortar public schools and opting for private education, independent homeschooling or public homeschool programs. This is perhaps one of the driving forces behind educators seeking more per-pupil spending. Total enrollment in government-run schools has been decreasing steadily in recent years, dropping from 133,381 in 2018 to just 131,212 in 2023. With fewer overall students to educate, school districts are receiving less state funding.
Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed budget reflects this reality, and includes a 9% reduction in the Education Department’s budget. He said he wants to place a greater emphasis on how the state spends educational dollars rather than simply dumping more money into the system.
He told the Alaska Beacon that he wants to put more money towards charter schools and homeschool programs, which consistently outperform standard public schools.
But cutting the education budget does not set well with Garrison, teacher unions and other educational activists who have consistently claimed that they just need more money to improve Alaska’s dismal academic outcomes.
In order to ensure the money keeps flowing Garrison said it is the ASAA “mission, together as an association and you individually as school boards and communities,” to “convince the Legislature, the Governor, and the Commissioner” that spending more public money is the key to educational success.
Garrison encourages activists to “collaborate with journalists to feature stories that illustrate the impact of insufficient funding on schools and students.”
To accomplish this goal, AASB has planned an elaborate and multi-pronged strategy that has been in the works since early fall.
Working in tandem with teachers unions, school districts, school boards and activist groups, AASB is building a network that will unleash a unified message in support of increasing the BSA, along with other “additional education funding opportunities.”
AASB has already met many legislators and their staff prior to the start of the session, and Garrison is hoping to enlist local school board members to visit lawmakers in Juneau throughout every week of the upcoming legislative session.
“AASB is holding events, board academies, webinars, and meetings with legislators to help prepare you to advocate effectively,” Garrison noted.
ASAA is also compiling research that supports its claim that increased education spending leads to better student achievement.
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In addition to more per-pupil spending Garrison plans to ask for extra money related to building improvements, new resources and funds to hire new teachers.
To accomplish this task, Garrison wants activists to deliberately “cultivate relationships with legislators and their staff members,” by finding out where they will be and having personal interactions that will hopefully translate into greater influence over lawmakers.
Leveraging local media is another component of the strategy. In addition to writing letters to the editor and publishing press releases, Garrison encourages activists to “collaborate with journalists to feature stories that illustrate the impact of insufficient funding on schools and students.”
“Prepare compelling arguments backed by data and personal anecdotes to sway lawmakers’ opinions,” Garrison advised. “Stay persistent and maintain consistent pressure on legislators. Follow up regularly, provide updates, and adapt your strategies based on the evolving political landscape.”
Whenever lawmakers agree to advance their agenda, Garrison advises publicly praising them with letters of appreciation and community events to “reinforce positive behavior.”
15 Comments
Typical Union and Democrat talking points give us more money and we will improve. Sorry it does not work that way you need to work within the parameters already in place and prioritize teaching not administration. A failing teacher should be fired if the students are not learning and performing. I will be writing my legislature representative and voicing my opinion of no additional money should be expended until results are seen and then it depends on the enrollment. Chugiak Resident
I agree with Mr. Chappell. I wrote and yelled but to no avail. They dont care. The unions and teachers just keep begging and the state keeps dumping more money into a failing venture. I think the teachers are somewhat strapped. The problem is the administrators. ASD doesn’t need a principal, superintendent and 15 support people per school and a nurse. If your child is sick they’re not staying in school. Call the parent if the child is that sick and the parent can take them to the doctor. Take a map draw a line vertical and horizontal and have one Superintendent for all ASD – then a principal for each of the four squares. Support staff, 2-3 per school, to answer phones and call parents for sick kids. Now let’s talk about buses; when I was a kid we all rode the bus. This crap of a bus per grade don’t work. The driver goes down his route and picks up all kids. The routes will need to be smaller but kids need to go to bed at 10pm and get up to catch the bus. Yes 10pm and off the streets. That stops a lot of this vandalism at night! We could cut $50 million off the budget and still have plenty to run our school efficiently.
“…overwhelm lawmakers with lobbyists, phone calls, personal visits and positive reinforcement to push them into greenlighting more state funds for education. To accomplish this task, Garrison wants activists to deliberately “cultivate relationships with legislators and their staff members,” by finding out where they will be and having personal interactions that will hopefully translate into greater influence over lawmakers.” It’s okay for the left to stalk legislation and visit them personally and use positive reinforcement (bribes? threats?), but the moment someone from the conservative side does this, we are attacked for sway, or influence, or use space unethically. There is truly only one person that I know of in the Alaska House or the Alaska Senate that would not cave to the bullying, threats or bribes by the left; I have no faith in any legislature beside Rep. David Eastman to do what is right.
Repeat after me.
THE. BSA. DOES. NOT. GO. TO. TEACHERS!
Or the “classroom”. It will not be functionally avialable to increase your student outcomes. The BSA goes to the school districts. The unions then negotiate a contract with the district and teachers (and the classroom) will only get a small fraction of that BSA. If you want to keep quality teachers than the governors direct teacher bonus bill is the only possible way to add value to their lives and keep them teaching in these failing school districts. There is a report out this month that talks about the number of children that have left the brick and mortar schools since 2019. 1.5 Million children have been taken out of traditional public schools. Only 300K of them are now in charter schools. The rest are being home schooled. Want a good education for your kid – TAKE HIM OR HER OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Especially ASD. What a PIT that has become.
What about the legislation to bring back the teachers pensions? Is this included in this or is that separate?
Let all those activists who want more money for the BSA tell the truth on how it will be spent. In the meantime, don’t hold your breath. This is coming into an election year and the Teacher’s Union and leftists will be talking votes. In a democracy, this is the weak point in standing on principle when the leftists have so much voting power. So don’t blame the Governor, he can only do what the legislature will sanction. Get ready for more home schooling and charter schools and fewer students in government schools. Yes, the situation is disgusting.
Dunleavey has shown ZERO backbone since the leftists threatened him early in his first term. He has run scared since then, and has not “stood tall for Alaska” by any standard. Dr. Zink is a prime example of his inability to get rid of poison in his administration. Add to that such things as the buying of bogus carbon to further the GCC agenda, and the retention of woke bureaucrats who propagate the LGBTQ+ agenda, and you see who MJD truly is: a weak-kneed RINO.
I agree Steve!
Milquetoast Mike, is not at all what we voted for.
Sure Shelia. Those red pens your uncle Mike received ran out of ink! Dunceleavy, defund, deficits! This governor is a complete Failure. Grade point: 3) D and 1) F !
And they will get the money they want too, in spite of shrinking enrollment numbers and diminishing results on standardized tests. They demand more money but produce less: poor business model all the way around!
Until the average Alaska citizen gives their senators and representatives an ear full, things will continue as they have been going… which is precipitously downhill.
Instead of badmouthing the Governor, why don’t you tell him what he should do and why and encourage him when he does the right thing. The conservative side is bad about taking shots at their own. Remember how at the beginning of his term he tried to make the hard cuts on spending but he got so much whining and crying from those it would effect which in Alaska there are so many who work for the state. Nowadays a state job gives better pay and benefits than a private one when it used to be the opposite.
I cannot support him. At his swearing-into-office ceremony, he held his hand inside of his suit jacket – a freemason sign. While saying his oath, he looked and sounded so pressured like having to promise to do his duties was not something he wanted to promise. Well, he hasn’t not done his duty to protect the people of this state. He gets the publicity and lack-of-support that he deserves. His partner-in-crime Lt Governor will receive no better treatment than him since she has been not kept her oath of office either to protect our elections and the processes.
This topic of Dunleavy not doing his job and receiving what he deserves – lack of support brings up something I have been hearing continuously lately. There is much talk going on in this state about how nearly ALL of our legislators are not doing their jobs as we hired them to do. Why is this? What does the evil have on Mike Shower or Shelley Hughes or Kathy Tilton that they are being threatened with if they don’t play the evil’s game? I thought those three were going to work for us, but they don’t. Others that never worked for us from the beginning: Mike Dunleavy, Nancy Dahlstrom, Kevin McCabe, David Wilson, Jesse Sumner, Mary Peltola, Lisa Murkowski. I could name everyone (if I remembered everyone) EXCEPT David Eastman. Eastman is the only one that has upheld his oath to Alaskans. The clock is ticking. The pendulum swings. Which way is the pendulum going to swing now? Is it to save Alaska and Alaskans, or are we frogs in boiling water that is getting fairly uncomfortable now, but we are going to keep sitting and just get our skin boiled off?
Well amen to those comments! He’s not just a free mason, he is a communist sympathizer! We are being prodded into the one world government under his murderous watch!