
OPINION: Ways Alaska can address its ongoing workforce crisis
By Sarah Montalbano – Alaska Policy Forum People of all ages are unprepared for the evolving job market, but Alaska can adopt policies to help learners prepare for good careers and meet the needs of the state’s economy. Alaska businesses are


Alaska’s Senate majority considers slashing PFD to add $250M to public education
Alaska’s Democratic-controlled Senate majority caucus is attempting to justify deep cuts to this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend checks in order to pump an extra $250 million dollars into public education, along with paying down massive amounts of


OPINION: Another Prolife “Victory”?
Who is Mark Houck? He’s a person who was doing what I was doing here in Alaska when I was his age: spending time, a lot of time, in front of abortion clinics. There are several ways to save an unborn child’s life: block the doors, thus preventing entry;


Aside from homeschooling, Alaska ranks poorly on educational choice
By Sarah Montalbano – Alaska Policy Forum The Heritage Foundation recently released its inaugural Education Freedom Report Card for the U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Alaska ranked 45th overall and is in the bottom ten states for having few


Time’s up! Juneau School Board places 60-sec minimum on public testimony
In what some see as an affront to the ability of parents and others to address elected representatives on the Juneau School Board, the board unanimously voted to grant public testifiers a 60-seconds minimum to speak during public hearings. “I worry that


U.S. election watchdog group urges Alaskans to send a message by scrapping ranked voting
The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), which advocates for conservative policy reforms across the nation, says Alaska’s New Year’s resolution should be to scrap its “ill-advised” ranked-choice voting system. Since 2015, FGA has achieved


OPINION: Why Alaska should never pass a budget exceeding $7.7 billion in state funds
By Vance Ginn and Quinn Townsend – Alaska Policy Forum Introduction While revenue estimates for the state of Alaska hit a record high last fiscal year, this upcoming fiscal year 2024 (July 2023 – June 2024) is another story. The Fall 2022 revenue


Administrative bloat drives Alaska’s swollen education budget, deprives teachers
By Sarah Montalbano – Alaska Policy Forum The Heritage Foundation recently released its inaugural Education Freedom Report Card for the U.S. Alaska ranked 47th in the nation for high spending, given the state’s extremely


Juneau School Board looks to limit public testimony to 60 seconds
Parents and others who want to publicly address the Juneau School Board may soon be limited to a mere 60 seconds before being cut off. On Jan. 10 the board is scheduled to vote on a policy change regarding “meeting conduct” which would impose


What’s driving Alaska’s ongoing workforce shortage?
A new report from Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development predicts that the ongoing worker shortage, which has plagued businesses for the past two years, will continue in 2023. “As Alaska’s economy continues to recover, the worker

