Members of the minority Alaska Senate Republican Caucus say they are open to increasing education funding across the board, including for homeschoolers and charter schools, so long as the Democrat-controlled majority agrees to pass meaningful education reform.
So far, Democrats have only proposed a massive increase in education spending with no accountability measures in terms of student achievement. This is the stance favored by the teachers’ union and entrenched educational bureaucrats.
On Feb. 14, Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower, of Wasilla, was joined by fellow Republican caucus members Senators Mike Cronk of Tok/Northway and Palmer’s Shelley Hughes to discuss the need to link education funding to proven reform measures.
Conservative educational experts have been leery of massive education funding increases that fail to address the status quo, especially given Alaska’s disastrous student achievement results over the past decade.
During time span thousands of students have simply left brick-and-mortar public schools in favor of homeschooling, charter schools and private educational options. This has forced districts across the state to shutter underused school buildings.
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“We do agree [as a caucus] that we need policy as well as a BSA increase,” Sen. Shower said, referring to the Base Student Allotment, which is the amount of money the state spends per student. “It’s not one or the other. The answer is somewhere in the middle.”
Democrats are pushing a proposal that would increase the BSA from $5,960 to $8,510 per student over three years. That’s a $1,800 jump (or 43% increase), with the added cost to the state being nearly $1.5 billion over that time span.
Currently, a group of Democrats and Republican lawmakers are negotiating with Gov. Mike Dunleavy on a compromise. Senators Cronk and Hughes were part of the negotiations, which are on a temporary pause.
“Nothing is set in stone,” explained Sen. Cronk, a retired teacher. “We haven’t agreed to do anything.”
Minority Republicans are pushing for policy changes in addition to more funding for all types of public schools, including neighborhood brick-and-mortar schools, as well as homeschool programs, charter schools, and correspondence schools.
14 Comments
Spend more money that we DON’T HAVE!
Back to the basics. When you don’t have it you CAN’T SPEND IT!!!!!!! QUIT SCREWING IT UP!
Don’t worry… They will simply take more funding from the PFD.. The PFD that they have been refusing to pay in the statutory required amounts.
The United States has one of the highest BSA’s and little to show for it. Until the teachers’ unions and the democrats are willing to face reality, there will be little or no improvement. One problem that must be addressed is the distribution of the money. Many of the teachers have posted comments stating that a large portion of the budget goes to administrative areas instead of to the classroom. And the there is the problem of the actual curriculum. More reading, writing and mathematics are needed to equip the students to face adulthood and also qualify for college and trade schools. Less social spending. Unless the politicians who are carrying the water for the unions are willing to make the changes it will be more money for nothing. That would be tragic for the students.
It’s my guess, they do not pay attention to DOGE. Ranked 40th in education and # 1 in spending.
$1.5 BILLION increase over 3 years ? Wheres that coming from ?
Especially when cars, trucks, motorbikes, & planes start running on zero point energy; or ‘microsonic energy as produced in Zembabw, Africa’. google it!
Where’s that coming from? YOUR PFD! (the rest of it that hasn’t already been plundered, anyway)
We have really reached the limit of throwing more & more $$ after no return. It’s NOT working folks. Some areas are closing schools due to low turnout. People are not happy w/the results. High BSA, FAILING test scores. Our kids do not know basic reading. The reforms should be the only negotiating point. The money should not even be an issue. Find out what Norway & China is doing. They are sending their kids to school for many more hours.
the patern is now known! the edu system is the same thing as ngos, dafs, and shell companies. COERCE THE TAX OUT OF THE PEOPLES WALLETS, THEN PLACE IT IN THE CORRUPTION STREAM, AND A FEW GET RICH WHILE THE CHILDREN GET FREE LUNCHES AND INDOCTRINATION!
DUNLEAVY KNOWS DAMN WELL HOW IT WORKS!
Of Course Dunleavy knows how it works, he started his working life as a teacher in a bush community & worked his way up in that system; that’s why he’s supporting a difference policy … focused on the children who can go to any school in the state … not limited to zip code: ordinanry public schools, charter schools, home schools, … basically everything already being used plus much much more … & the childs’ parents will be in charge of where their children learn … not school boards or teachers’ unions! Check out Dunleavy’s school choice announcement on Feb 1st (this year). It will be backed by President Trumps policy of turning the Federal school department back to the states using grants.
I hear you. We are, in the words of former SECDEF Rumsfeld, going to war with the army we have, not the army we want. Both majorities by and large have the votes to pass whatever legislation or BSA increase they want. The senate minority can work with the governor to address policy which we know will increase student outcomes – or we can be left on the side of the road with nothing. The ability to uphold a veto from the governor is not set in stone – in other words – if he was to veto a pure BSA increase it’s possible the votes to override it might materialize. We’d then have a massive increase to the BSA without any concurrent policy legislation. This is our chance to address both – we’re doing our best to insure both sides are taken into consideration – not just the money. I am happy both minorities were included – but then the credit for that goes to the governor. It was his team that came up with the idea to form a negotiating group with all 4 caucuses. It was a good idea and out of the box thinking. We need more of that here. A reason it works is that – while I mention above that votes to override a governor veto of a pure BSA bill with no policy “might” materialize – last year we did uphold his veto on the BSA increase – by 1 vote. That’s a thin margin. However, if the republican minorities get no policy wins – it’s likely we will once again have those veto override votes. Giving votes to override a governor veto with no policy legislation means the ‘mostly’ left side of the aisle gets its “win” on money – and the ‘mostly’ right side gets nothing to address deficiencies in performance. In my opinion that would solidify the republican minorities willingness to hold together on a governor’s veto until we are able to get appropriate policy improvements. Always more than meets the eye in the upside down.
A little late.
I will not support any funding for public schools, even from the minority, unless outcomes and attendance are included. I am not willing to pass on that just to get more charter schools or pay more for homeschooling. I care about the kids left in our failing schools, and am furious that neither democrats or republicans are concerned about really doing something to make changes. It can be done and we need real toughness when dealing with funding for public schools. It is embarrassing to be a retired educator that knows we know what to do but fail to do it1
A total and complete sell out by RINOs. These people all need to be primaried and replaced. I would consider voting for a Dem over these clowns. They are Dishonest Traitors caucusing with the Democrats. They must all go. You see them caving to the NEA! Why because they are RINOS.