In response to the April 12 ruling by Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman, which effectively gutted Alaska’s unique correspondence/homeschool programs for roughly 24,000 students, state lawmakers are considering two bills aimed at preserving parts them, albeit with many more new restrictions on approved spending.
Judge Zeman’s ruling, which will ultimately be decided by the Alaska Supreme Court, bans families from accessing state funds to pay for classes at private or religious organizations. The sweeping nature of his ruling has families, educators, district officials and elected representatives scrambling to understand how this may impact state partnerships with a whole host of entities, such as private contractors, curriculum companies and myriad non-governmental service providers.
Gov. Dunleavy has vowed to fight for homeschool families’ ability to continue accessing state funds to supplement their children’s education with private tutors and classes, perhaps through an educational dividend, or other means. He said earlier this month that his administration is waiting for the state supreme court to weigh in before taking concrete action. He may also appeal any state ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, especially if the decision targets religious entities or businesses.
House Bill 400 and its companion Senate Bill 266, which are both undergoing hearings this week, are an attempt to satisfy Judge Zeman’s legal opinion, but both measures severely limit how parents use homeschool allotments, while going even further than Zeman’s ruling by prohibiting families from carrying over unspent allotment funds to the following year.
In particular, HB 400 and SB 266 specifically ban the following expenses:
— Services or materials provided by a private or religious educational institution.
— Family travel, transportation, food, lodging, expenses or any travel out of state, unless the school district deems that expenses from out of-state travel were associated with direct instructional activities.
— Annual passes or family memberships to a sports or recreation facility; however, an annual pass or membership for a student may be purchased for entry into a facility in which the student is provided lessons under an individual learning plan if the cost of the pass or membership is prorated to include only the cost of the student’s instructional time.
— Religious, partisan, sectarian, or denominational textbooks or other curriculum materials.
— Clothing, uniforms, physical education equipment, or personal items.
— Animals, furniture, parking fees or entertainment.
— Testing, other than educational assessments required by the district.
— Permanent items that adhere to or enhance the value of a non-school facility or items that exceed the needs of the student’s individual learning plan.
Both parties in the correspondence funding lawsuit have requested that Judge Zeman approve a stay of his initial ruling while the Alaska Supreme Court considers the case.
In addition to the above restrictions, SB 266 adds a new prohibition that forbids homeschool parents from opting their children out of standards-based assessments that are mandated by the state.
TAKING ACTION
— Senate Bill 266 will have a public testimony hearing in the Senate Education Committee on April 29, 3:30 p.m., and again on May 1 at 3:30 p.m. Citizens can testify from their local Legislative Information Office or by calling one of the following numbers: Juneau- 907-586-9085 / Anchorage 907-563-9085 / Other 844-586-9085. To call or email Senate Education Committee members directly, click here. To watch the meeting live, click here.
— House Bill 400 has two “invitation only” public hearings set for May 1 and May 3 in the House Education Committee. Both hearings begin at 8 a.m. The general public can watch these hearing live at this link. Written comments can be set to Education Committee members at House.Education@akleg.gov. Citizens can also call members’ offices directly. Details here.
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9 Comments
This is just another way democrats can force homeschooling kids back into Alaska’s WOKE/LGBTQ+ show and no schooling keeping our kids at the bottom of the test scores list. In comparison homeschooling is way better and kids are way smarter than Alaska’s school kids. There is no comparison. How about the court system judge admits he is wrong and reverses his decision. It’s a proven fact that since Obama in 2008 dumped the WOKE/LGBTQ+ crap into our schools our kids have dropped to the bottom and crime has gone up. Annually the school district begs for more money and the state rolls over. This year the governor finally started to fight back but still lost out. Its a tragedy to see kids not learning anything and because of policy being pushed to the next grade and out in 12 years.
It’s time for a change. It’s time parents to say, “Not my kids.” Stand up and fight for kids’ rights to learn life’s lessons and not LGBTQ+/WOKE crap!
Please take your kids out of these evil-woke schools now. They want to brainwash your children and teach them evil ways.
We as parents have the right to teach our kids.
It looks like government is throwing crumbs at the correspondence schools and we are supposed to be grateful in light of the extreme move by the corrupt judge, Adolf. This bill is hideous and need to either be modified toward the correspondence schools or killed. It’s back to the drawing board and something more friendly. We suspect the NEA to be jealous of the correspondence schools success. Too bad for the NEA. The government does not need to regulate the correspondence schools which are doing outstanding work. The correspondence schools are working in the capitalist system while the NEA is working in the socialist system. Which is better?
It is unlawful for government to legislate from the bench to “We the People.” The NEA union who instigated this injustice needs to be abolished as soon as possible. Work is going on to remove their power from the rank and file union members. One is Right to Work Committee, and the other is Freedom Foundation.
Separation of church and state is being used illegally and was intended to keep the government out of the business of the church. Another corrupt judge reversed the meaning and the courts ran with the dishonest version.
God grants us our Rights not GOVERNEMENT…The GOVERNMENT does not grant any RIGHTS…The GOVERNMENT has no RIGHT to grant ANYTHING…The GOVERNMENT IS OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, and FOR THE PEOPLE…The GOVERNMENT has PRIVILEGES granted to it BY THE PEOPLE…The CONSTITUTION was written to PROTECT the PEOPLE’S RIGHTS from the GOVERNMENT, and to tell the GOVERNMENT what privileges WE THE PEOPLE grant IT!!!
This is hideous. We need school choice with tuition credits that follow the student! We support Governor Dunleavy’s efforts to give the 24,000 school choice. No more NEA interference!!! GOD grants us our RIGHTS not GOVERNMENT…The GOVERNMENT does not grant any RIGHTS…The GOVERNMENT. The GOVERNMENT hs no RIGHT to grant ANYTHING…The GOVERNMENT is OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, and FOR THE PEOPLE…The GOVERNMENT has PRIVILEGES granted to it by the PEOPLE…The CONSTITUTION was written to PROTECT the PEOPLE’S RIGHTS from the GOVERNMENT, and to tell the GOVERNMENT what privileges WE THE PEOPLE grant IT!!! We will email the governor about this.
Mandates do not fit into the Bill of Rights.
And yet the public schools can spend willy nilly on bloated administration, teaching in 93 languages, porn & perv books & tranny hour. Rules for thee . . .
I don’t take money from the state to homeschool my children, But they certainly take plenty of my taxes to support their failing schools. Maybe those who don’t use the public funds for educating their children should be exempt from paying taxes to the public school system. Seems only fair, as the courts are finding it fair to take funding from certain schooling options, which I’m sure they believe threaten their agenda.
The NEA is reacting in fear by sending minions to sue. They do not want any independent thought in their schools so Christian families are choosing their path, which is their right, the children do not belong to the government. They deserve EQUAL financial backing , whether in a public-school or a correspondence school or otherwise. Parents are TAX PAYERS, AND HAVE THE RIGHT AT EQUAL FINANCIAL backing regardless of how they choose to educate their children! Plain and simple, this is an equal rights issue, and a way to suppress families that lost faith in the public schools long ago and put their faith elsewhere. The unions effectively destroyed public school and now they are coming to ruin their competitors too? Education funding belongs to the people to use for their children’s education, as the parents see that it is the best interest of the child. No one knows the child better than the parents/guardians. If it is a part of the Learning Plan, and enhances their child’s education, the parents should be allowed to use those funds. Interesting to target a specific demographic of people, particularly Christians! Many parents give up their careers to stay home to assist the next generation. Why is a UNION sticking its NOSE in the private business of non-public school children? The use-or-lose clause is ridiculous as well. Parents can save unused funds for important educational and athletic field trips that greatly enhance the learning process and success of these students. At four years of focus on biology, a child might get a senior trip to Dana Point Marine Institute, which may be life-changing for the child and ultimately the world as we cultivate tomorrow’s leaders and target their goals, desires and interests. Why is the government so worried and scared? They want to DUMB down and water down our kids. Which by the way SHOULD be a NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. The dumber and more repressed you make our kids, the less of a chance our nation has to thrive, innovate, and to serve. Not everyone MUST think alike and fit in the box. There are so many better ways to do things. Why try to raise all children the same with the same educational experiences? Give the children equitable funding and protect the right of parents to individualize the Learning plans to serve the child!
Wow, I surprised there is no criminal charges. If I broke a law for a decade using public funds I would of been tarred and feathered by now.