Eleven members of the Alaska Legislature’s GOP minorities joined with the Democrat-controlled majorities to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of a record-spending education bill that will benefit a failing education system with little to no meaningful strings attached.
The May 20 override required 40 of 60 votes to succeed. The final tally was 46-14, which means Alaska will spend an extra $700 per-student next year, growing the budget by an estimated $185 million amid declining oil prices, a shrinking PFD and a looming fiscal crisis.
If just seven other Republicans had voted against the override, the governor’s veto would have been been preserved.
As expected, every Democrat supported the override vote.
Three GOP representatives – Sarah Vance (Homer), Jubilee Underwood (Wasilla) and Elexie Moore (Wasilla) voted to sustain the governor’s override, despite voting for the spending bill initially.
In vetoing the bill on May 19, Dunleavy acknowledged that there was a chance the Legislature would override him. Still, he said he felt a moral obligation to veto a bill that simply throws more money into a failing system, without requiring any meaningful reforms.
“Let me be clear: I support investing in public education,” Dunleavy posted to X shortly after his veto was overturned. “I have consistently supported increased funding when it is paired with real, meaningful reforms that improve outcomes for students. This bill did not meet that standard.”
On Monday, Dunleavy said he wanted the spending bill tied to reading incentive grants, open enrollment to allow students to attend any school – regardless of where they live, alternative ways to authorize new charter schools, and additional money for increasingly popular state-funded homeschool correspondence programs. It contained none of those measures, all of which were staunchly opposed by teachers’ unions and educational bureaucrats who fought nearly all reform efforts – claiming additional money should not be tied to any reform mandates.
Rep. Vance was one of just 14 lawmakers to vote to uphold Dunleavy’s veto. After initially voting to approve the bill Vance explained on social media why she changed her mind.
“First, it is important to know that the Governor gave the Legislature two weeks to come to the table with a compromise before exercising his veto,” she said. “We asked for modest reforms like charter school access, open enrollment, and early reading interventions—policies that don’t harm neighborhood schools but expand opportunity for families. The Democrat-led majority refused to negotiate or consider these ideas. This wasn’t a last-minute scramble but a refusal to try.”
Vance said she also has concerns that the bill will draw nearly $200 million from savings, including the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) and the Higher Education Investment Fund.
“That’s not sustainable or fiscally responsible,” she said. “We now have an extra $240 million in permanent, untethered spending without any commitment to real change.”
Schools will now see a massive influx in funds this coming year, despite the fact that, for years, Alaska’s students have had some of the very worst educational outcomes in the nation.
SENATE GOP MINORITY MEMBERS WHO VOTED TO OVERTURN DUNLEAVY’S VETO
— Sen. Rob Yundt (Wasilla)
— Sen. James Kaufman (Anchorage)
— Sen. Mike Cronk (Tok/Northway)
HOUSE GOP MINORITY MEMBERS WHO VOTED TO OVERTURN GOV. DUNLEAVY
— Rep. Mia Costello (Anchorage)
— Rep. Dan Saddler (Eagle River)
— Rep. Julie Coulombe (Anchorage)
— Rep. David Nelson (Anchorage)
— Rep. Bill Elam (Nikiski)
— Rep. Justin Ruffridge (Soldotna)
— Rep. Will Stapp (Fairbanks)
— Rep. Jeremy Bynum (Ketchikan)
REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED TO UPHOLD DUNLEAVY’S VETO
— Rep. Jamie Allard (Eagle River)
— Rep. DeLena Johnson (Palmer)
— Rep. Kevin McCabe (Big Lake)
— Rep. Elexie Moore (Wasilla)
— Rep. Mike Prax (North Pole)
— Rep. George Rauscher (Sutton)
— Rep. Rebecca Schwanke (Glennallen)
— Rep. Cathy Tilton (Wasilla)
— Rep. Frank Tomaszewski (Fairbanks)
— Rep. Jubilee Underwood (Wasilla)
— Rep. Sarah Vance (Homer)
— Sen. Shelley Hughes (Palmer)
— Sen. Robert Myers (North Pole)
— Sen. Mike Shower (Wasilla)
22 Comments
What a mess!
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It looks like the majority prevailed. That’s called representive democracy at work. It’s imperfect but at least we aren’t subsidizing religious schools with public funds.
That was not happening any. It is also an incredibly poor argument. There was one small School that was doing that. The rest of the public charter schools have been proving to be far superior to our existing brick and mortar schools. There is something wrong with the system and the best argument is religious content?? Its not scores and cost per pupil assessment? This is absurd. We need a a serious change in our “Representatives”.
“………at least we aren’t subsidizing religious schools with public funds………..”
I suppose that’s one way of looking at the situation, if starving parochial schools is your priority. But if one was to compare education results of any standard between public schools to parochial schools, parochial schools beat the public schools hands down. But that’s irrelevant, right David?
We were never subsidizing ‘religious schools’ except the public school version, before. That had nothing to do with it.
And why is funding ANY child’s education anathema to you? Who cares which school they go to as long as they are getting a quality education. Denying religious schools funding is discriminatory and narrow minded.
cc: Religion is poison.
Mullen, your Woke schools are poison.
Get a life, if we want to go to church, and you don’t want to, that’s ok.
Let us choose, where we send our kids to school.
At least we are upholding the premise of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again by increasing funding the public schools without any requirements for improvement and expecting different results.
Agreed. As a business developer, if I never looked at my results and listened to my customers and spend MORE than I bring in, I would go bankrupt and out of business…. that is happening to our state. Money doesn’t fix the problem. Doing a GOOD JOB does…
yeah those religious schools never produce any good results do they DJ. Clown meter is pegged. well one step closer to a State income tax. thats thier goal.
The Demorats, Under disgraced Gov. Walker, broke into the PFD bank and have been on a spending spree ever since. They are stealing YOUR money and lavishing it on the special interest groups & teachers unions with no accountability.
I say cash out the PFD PRONTO before it is all gone. Divide the money up to all verified legal citizens, a win for the citizens and a boon for the state economy. Then institute a state income tax. The demorats (and rhinos) will be held accountable at the polls and will think twice before instituting any new tax increases.
Why isn’t Merrick’s terrible vote of yes included in this public tally flogging? If ever there was a rhino it is she.
Giessel and Bjorkman should be on the list as well.
Stedman and Stevens should be there, too.
Rep. Justin Ruffridge just lost my vote. I’m so tired of these RINO’s cowering to the teachers unions and not living up to conservative values. You should be ashamed of yourself Justin!
At this point I would write my legislator and demand an explanation. Hold their feet to the fire for voting for a failed system and wasting our money and vote.
Rep. Will Stapp, needs to start packing. His young, new political career is OVER !!! Liberalism is a cancer that started in the west in California, spread to Oregon and Washington. Now those lunatics are after Alaska. they grow in large cities and overtake the state from it original inhabitants with their numbers. We must keep separate from the lower 48. We are the last hold out for true American values.
Agree
Sorry MI Moore, but Alaska hasn’t been separate from the lower 48 for over a decade in regard to the political grifting and self servitude. Prime example: Murkowski, she’s their Dark Power queen. She opened the floodgates to the lowest dregs of her fellow swamp scum and we got a tidal wave of them. Everywhere… north to south, east to west across Alaska. They have no interest in doing what is best for their constituents. She showed them it’s all about keeping “THEIR power seat” at the grifter’s table. Once they get elected they aren’t one of We The People, they are multiple levels above us. They can’t be bothered to serve, they must rule over us peons.
Most who honor and practice true American values are too busy to be bothered with informing themselves and others of the cold hard truth. They aren’t willing to be honest with themselves and others. It might upset someone or, God forbid, hurt their feelings. I have friends and family here who are a perfect example.
I inform myself of facts and truth then vote accordingly. I vote in EVERY election, local, state and national.
Too many Americans and Alaskans just close their eyes, cross their fingers and hope things will be ok. Kinda like watching a grease fire start in the kitchen. Then going to the bedroom, pulling the covers over your head and hoping the house won’t burn down. Pffff.
Sure, pray, hope, wish… but DO SOMETHING! Fight the fire anyway you can! Call the fire department, but keep fighting!
Mark my words, the next governor of Alaska will be a Dem or worse, a AK Rep Party supported RINO. From that point on the entire state will become a lager version of the rancid cesspool that Anchorage has become. It just continues to spread its filth, sewage and rot. Just ask the good people in the Valley.
Alaska is NOT a red or conservative state. Liberals and RINOs are running and trashing our once great and amazing state.
As Anchorage goes, so goes the state. If Anchorage is a filthy, leftist run sewage hole that’s what the state is or soon to follow. Only when our city and state has sunk and the rats have fled can we rebuild it to its former glory. Maybe 50 years down the road. Maybe.