Words by Emily Hufford
Alaska’s public schools have faced stagnant per-student funding for the past several years even as inflation has ticked up. Stakeholders from across the state are engaged in a pivotal dialogue. Meanwhile, classrooms face uncertainty. As legislators wind up their law-making session, the future of Alaska’s education system hangs in the balance.
In a state grappling with the complexities of educational funding, the voices of seasoned educators Gary Whiteley and Charlie Stephens resonate with urgency and expertise. Through Their understanding of the Base Student Allocation (BSA) and its far-reaching implications, they illuminate the hurdles faced by Alaska’s schools. Whiteley and Stephens underscore the critical need for sustained investment to overcome these challenges and secure a brighter future for Alaska’s students.
The state’s public school funding formula, established by Senate Bill 36 in 1998 but put into practice in 1999, has seen no recent increases in the base-to-student allocation. The sole adjustment came in 2022 with the Alaska Read’s Act, which boosted the base student allocation by a mere $30, equivalent to just half a percent. Per-student funding has remained unchanged since 2017, standing at $5,960 per student, according to Eric Stone’s reporting for Alaska Public Media (Eric Stone, 2024).
Education funding relies on legislative appropriations, which are reviewed and approved annually. Once passed, the governor signs the budget into effect. However, Alaska governors wield the power of the line-item veto, allowing them to selectively reduce or eliminate funding items, including those allocated for education. (LegFin, 2023).
Public school funding is primarily derived from state aid, which accounts for 63% of the total. It is supplemented by mandatory local contributions and federal impact assistance.
The allocation of education funds has become a contentious issue in Alaska, with Gov. Dunleavy advocating for direct financial support to classroom teachers, prioritizing this over increasing the Base Student Allocation (BSA) or funding students. However, concerns have been raised by lawmakers and education officials regarding the potential implications of this approach, particularly in light of the governor’s proposals to expand charter schools and homeschooling practices (Stremple, 2024)
Conversely, there has been pushback from legislators and educational leaders who oppose Gov. Dunleavy’s approach, citing concerns about its potential impact on overall education funding and equity. State Sen. Gary Stevens, the vice chair of the Education Committee, said that it was a “shame” that there’s no increase to the Base Student Allocation. “I know that our districts are badly in need of some additional funding.” Sen. Stevens thinks that the legislature needs to work with the governor to put money into the BSA. The legislature worries that if the governor vetos the BSA then “they were worse off than when we started.” (Stremple, 2024)
On March 14, 2024, Dunleavy delivered a significant blow to education reform efforts by vetoing Senate Bill 140. Despite the bill’s notable increase in the Base Student Allocation, the governor expressed dissatisfaction with its lack of substantial educational reforms. In his statement, Dunleavy said, “ After a thorough analysis and careful consideration, I have decided to veto Senate Bill 140. SB 140 contains a record increase in the BSA. Although I SUPPORT an increase to the BSA – there were no new approaches, other than enhanced funding, to increase educational outcomes. SB 140 lacked sufficient changes in how charter schools are chartered in order to allow more students and families charter school possibilities.
The lack of such reforms, given our success, with charter schools did not justify the passage of this bill that increases spending without needed reforms.
There is still time in this session to address some of the issues such as increasing broadband speeds for our schools in Alaska. There is also still time in this session to enhance our charter school offerings and methods by which they are chartered.
I will continue to work with legislators, as I have throughout my time as governor, to bring about educational reforms that put the needs of Alaskan families first – not the wants of special interest groups.
Furthermore, I will review the appropriations bills following the legislative session to ensure schools are being adequately funded and the state’s limited resources are being spent appropriately.”
Sen. Loki Tobin is the chair of the Senate Education Committee. She is also not in favor of Gov. Dunleavy’s budget allocations when it comes to education. She hopes that the governor will work with the Senate majority to increase the BSA (Stremple, 2024). “Alaska needs to fully fund its schools, but “a status quo budget is not great for public education in Alaska,” Tobin stated.
Jharrett Bryantt, superintendent of the Anchorage School District, is strongly opposed to Gov. Dunleavy’s lack of emphasis on public education funding. He said in a prepared statement that “underfunding of public education in our state is reaching crisis levels.” He explained that when the Anchorage School District had to issue layoff notices to teachers, one-third of those certified teachers laid off, left Alaska altogether taking their families with them.“I know we can and must do better,” he told the Alaska Beacon (Stremple, 2024).
The Association of Alaska School Boards says that not funding students in the proposed budget is affecting schools that are already dealing with high inflation. “The budget announcement falls far short of addressing the critical needs of our public education system” (Stremple, 2024).
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman of Nikiski, a public high school teacher, says that the BSA needs to increase by $680 per student. He says that costs have increased for pretty much everything and that we have to keep up with the times and fund the students (Eric Stone, 2024).
“Costs have increased. Costs for energy, costs for transportation. Insurance costs have skyrocketed, putting immense pressure on district budgets, and ultimately leaving less money available for the actual educating of our children,” said Bjorkman.
There are even several charter school parents who are encouraging the legislature to increase the BSA. They believe charter schools offer a diverse array of educational options and that increasing the BSA would be of benefit to them (Rebecca Bernard, 2024).
As voices advocating for increased funding in charter schools echo through the educational landscape, we pivot to a deeper exploration of Alaska’s education funding terrain.
Introducing a multifaceted exploration into Alaska’s education funding landscape, we delve into the expertise of two seasoned Alaska educators: Gary Whiteley and Charlie Stephens, with a three-decade tenure within the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.
Whiteley and Stephens offered insights into the workings of the Base Student Allocation (BSA) and its impact on educational resources. Discussing how factors such as school size and geographic location influence BSA funding, revealing disparities between rural and urban schools. Stephens said, “Staffing schools is often difficult due to the remoteness of many schools and the inclement weather/darkness that all areas deal with for much of the school year. It can be culture shock for staff as they learn to deal with an environment that is foreign to them.” He underscores the daunting challenges educators face in Alaska, where maintaining adequate resources proves to be a formidable task. According to Stephens, “Compounding this issue is the fact that compensation packages for educators in Alaska are far less competitive than they once were. In addition, there is no guarantee that upon reaching retirement age a teacher will actually be in a position financially to retire.” Whiteley further delves into the practical repercussions of BSA fluctuations, emphasizing their direct impact on staffing, materials, and infrastructure. He advocates for sustained financial support, stressing the indispensability of recurring funding to uphold the vitality of schools. “Recurring funding is essential to funding schools so the BSA is essential,” Whiteley added. “We have an Earned Benefit Retirement and it needs to be back to a defined benefit. So to help recruit more educators it should go back to defined benefit.”
Both educators stress the urgency of addressing funding challenges to ensure quality education for Alaska’s youth. Stephens highlights the struggle to attract and retain talent amid financial constraints, while Whiteley advocates for the restoration of Earned Benefit Retirement to bolster educator recruitment and retention. They collectively emphasize the critical role of stable funding in safeguarding the longevity of Alaska’s education system.
In conclusion, the insights provided by Whiteley and Stephens underscore the imperative of sustained investment in education to address the diverse needs of Alaska’s students. Their combined expertise serves as a clarion call for policymakers to prioritize educational funding, recognizing it as a fundamental pillar for the state’s future prosperity.
Stephens emphasizes the unique challenges that Alaska faces in providing education to its youth. The state’s geographical and climatic conditions make building, maintaining, and heating school facilities more expensive. Additionally, staffing schools is often difficult due to their remote locations and harsh weather conditions. This can be a significant adjustment for educators who are unfamiliar with such an environment. Adding to these challenges is the declining competitiveness of compensation packages for teachers in Alaska. Many teachers view the state as a temporary stop in their careers, as highlighted by Stephens’ own family members who left after only three years. They were attracted by higher salaries, better health insurance, and more secure retirement plans available elsewhere.
Stephens, who dedicated 30 years to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, said, “Years ago a school board member was advocating for better pay for teachers here in the K.P.B.S.D. She pointed out that a school district is much like a car and teachers are the wheels that make that car move forward. A district that doesn’t attract top talent for the classroom is little more than a Cadillac up on blocks. It looks great, but without the wheels it’s going nowhere. Salary and benefits for staffing a school district account for as much as 80% of the budget. Without an increase in the BSA, districts will have to make cuts to staff and reduce compensation packages, there’s just little else to cut.”
“Recurring funding is essential to funding schools so the BSA is essential,” Whiteley added. “We have an Earned Benefit Retirement and it needs to be back to a defined benefit. So to help recruit more educators it should go back to defined benefit.”
As this article went to print on May 1, the Alaska Legislature had not made any headway on increasing the Base Student Allocation.
References
Eric Stone, A. P. M.-J. (2024, January 24). Wide-ranging Alaska House education bill would boost school funding but faces uncertain future. Alaska Public Media. https://alaskapublic.org/2024/01/23/wide-ranging-alaska-house-education-bill-would-boost-school-funding-but-faces-uncertain-future/
Eric Stone, A. P. M.-J. (2024, February 14). Funding remains a key sticking point in education Bill Debate. KTOO. https://www.ktoo.org/2024/02/14/funding-remains-a-key-sticking-point-in-education-bill-debate/
Legislative Finance Division. (2023, August). Citizen’s Guide to K-12 Funding in Alaska Legislative Finance Division, Informational Paper 21-2 Ak Legfin https://www.legfin.akleg.gov/InformationalPapers/23-8CitizensGuideToK12.pdf
Rebecca Bernard, B. H. (2024, February 4). Opinion: We’re Alaska Charter School parents. we believe public schools need a real funding increase. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/opinions/2024/02/02/opinion-were-alaska-charter-school-parents-we-believe-public-schools-need-a-real-funding-increase/
Stremple, C. (2024, February 12). Local education administrators and state officials at odds over how to fund Alaska’s Schools. Alaska Beacon. https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/02/12/local-education-administrators-and-state-officials-at-odds-over-how-to-fund-alaskas-schools/
True North is a publication of the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Journalism and Public Communications. It has been published since 1995.