In 1925, the U.S. Supreme Court in the Pierce v. Society of Sisters laid out a message that should resonate with Alaskan parents today.

The Court declared: “The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only,” and added, “The child is not the mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.”

This century-old decision reminds us that children belong to families, not the state.

Yet for too long, Alaska’s education system has been shackled to a 19th-century Prussian model, which John Taylor Gatto critiques in “Weapons of Mass Instruction” as designed for obedient workers, not free thinkers; a warning echoed in Pierce. This model has been hijacked by the National Education Association (NEA-Alaska), the Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA), and their political allies, who treat education as a taxpayer-funded business. They lobby relentlessly for bigger budgets while resisting parental empowerment. It’s a closed-loop “Education Kabuki Dance”: districts pay public money as dues to ACSA, which lobbies Juneau for more public funds, often using teachers and students as props in the annual funding pageant. Failure earns cash; accountability is ignored.

The results are indefensible. Alaska spends over $18,000 per student, one of the highest rates nationally, yet ranks dead last in reading proficiency, with only 33% meeting math standards and a statewide graduation rate of 84%. Enrollment keeps falling: Anchorage School District (ASD) has lost 11.6% of its students since 2016, dropping from 47,939 to 42,353 by 2024. The latest October Average Daily Membership (ADM) measurement signals another significant loss, hinting at further funding shortfalls and closures. We must shift the paradigm before the system implodes. Families aren’t abandoning schools lightly; they seek environments where kids are challenged and prepared for life.

Contrast this with Mat-Su Borough School District, where parental demand drives success. Spending less, Mat-Su graduates 92% of its charter students and runs Career and Technical High School with a 98% graduation rate. Parents approve bonds for new charter facilities, investing in results. Meanwhile, ASD, bloated with administration begs the legislature for more funding to cover its mismanagement. This isn’t underfunding; it’s a failure of priorities, turning children into “funding units” on a ledger.

Reject the notion that your child’s future belongs to the system.

The system’s self-preservation is evident. NEA-Alaska and ACSA push for Base Student Allocation (BSA) hikes without accountability, rejecting Governor Dunleavy’s merit-based teacher bonuses and Representative Sarah Vance’s HB 21, which would let teachers opt into AlaskaCare for better, cheaper insurance. Instead, educators are trapped in the NEA-controlled Public Education Health Trust (PEHT), where premiums rise and transparency vanishes. This self-serving cycle extends to rural neglect, where crumbling facilities, chronic absenteeism over 30% in some districts, and moldy classrooms in Alaska Native communities fuel crises like suicide and addiction.

The latest affront is the Task Force on Education Funding, created after the unfortunate override of the governor’s veto of HB 57, which gives us a $184 million BSA increase. Co-chaired by Sen. Löki Tobin (Anchorage) and Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (Sitka), its October 30 meeting is set for Juneau during the interim. The meeting location is a tone-deaf choice at best, or at worst it is exclusion by design. Most Alaskans can’t afford the $800 trip to the isolated Juneau location. Interim meetings should rotate through Anchorage, Fairbanks, Bethel, and other hubs where parents can attend in person. Streaming online is a spectator sport, not engagement. This elitist mindset walls off the parents that Pierce empowers to guide their children’s destinies.

It’s time to dismantle this education-industrial complex and rebuild for families. Here’s how:

First, consolidate districts. Alaska’s 54 districts, which are more than states with ten times our population, drain millions into overhead. My HB 69 amendment would have reduced that to 30 by 2027, saving up to 20% in costs to redirect into classrooms. Hawaii thrives with one district; Alaska can streamline with regional administration and local hearings to preserve rural voices.

Second, expand choice. End the single-authorizer stranglehold on charters by creating an independent state board for innovative charter schools in underserved areas. Protect correspondence and charter school programs serving any community from overreaching school boards.

Third, Implement Education Savings Accounts so funding follows the child as Milton Friedman envisioned. Mat-Su’s model proves it; 13 states offer universal choice, and Alaska must join them.

Fourth, demand accountability. Tie every dollar to graduation rates, test scores, and improvement. We must have definable results for the money we spend. Alaskan children should always be our highest investment. We should also demand a high return on that investment. Audit non-classroom spending, mandate PEHT financial disclosure, and give the legislature a seat at the table during any contract negotiations.

Parents, this “high duty” under Pierce demands you write the task force now. Demand a task force meeting in your local community by November and insist on parent testimony before January’s session. This task force cannot be just another stanza in the noise of the Kabuki dance. Only you can make it relevant. Reject the notion that your child’s future belongs to the system.

From Barrow to Ketchikan, we can build a leaner, freer model that inspires, not indoctrinates. Attend meetings, sit among the sea of purple and red shirts, and demand accountability for our kids. The future belongs to Alaska’s families, not NEA bureaucrats or Juneau suits. Let’s take back our schools and put our children first once and for all.

TAKING ACTION

— Click here to contact members of the Joint Committee Task Force on Education Funding.

— Click here for details about the Oct. 30 meeting for the Task Force on Education Funding.

The views expressed here are those of the author.

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