The Alaska House of Representatives voted Monday to raise the amount that the state provides schools for K-12 students in the school year 2023-2024.
The vote was taken as lawmakers started a floor debate about running the budget in the State for twelve months beginning July 1. The discussion is expected to continue through Tuesday.
Alongside boosting school funding in addition, the House on Monday approved a resolution to reinstate funding for a proposed plan to let the state manage the federal program to regulate the construction of permits in wetland areas and also confirmed House lawmakers who voted in favor of a $2700 permanent Fund dividend.
The increase in K-12 funding which isn’t yet finalized is yet another part of ongoing negotiations over the right amount of state-funded public schools in the area.
The state’s per-student formula for funding also known as the base allocation of students remains the same since the year 2017 schools and districts have urged lawmakers to provide additional funds, claiming that the rise in inflation has deprived the funding formula of its worth forcing them to cut the number of staff members and programs.
Monday’s 39-1 vote for an amendment by Rep. Delena Johnson, Co-chair of the House Finance Committee, adds nearly $175 million to the current version of the budget for the state. This is enough to raise BSA by $860. BSA by $860 to $6,610 per pupil. This amount is then multiplied by the needs of students with special needs or who live in rural areas.
“It was our goal to listen to the countless residents across the state that are calling for more education funds,” said Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna.
The amount was not as significant as the one demanded by school districts. It also doesn’t require a permanent change to the formula used by the state for funding.
Johnson stated that an increase that is permanent is not likely to be approved by in the Legislature next year. which would require urgent action by the Legislature.
If a permanent change –which is being considered in separate legislation both in the House and Senate If it is approved by through the Legislature and is approved by Governor Scott, it will replace the one-time boost approved on Monday.
“I believe there’s more work to be done” Johnson said.
At the moment the advocates for legislative reform say that it’s a great step for public schools.
“I will give it my total backing,” said Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan and the bill’s sponsor that would provide a long-term boost in funding for public schools.
Permanent Fund dividends are at $2,700
At the time of writing the budget being debated in the House has a deficit that is estimated at around $600 million which could be paid for with expenditures through the Constitutional Budget Reserve, a savings account of $2 billion.
Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau suggested the reduction of the current Permanent Fund dividend from $2,700 to $1,350 for each recipient, which could cut around $800 million.
“It is a means to help balance the budget this year. Free rides are hard to stop and it’s not going to go disappear anytime near, and we have to make sure that we have enough money to afford our monthly bills,”” the senator said.
House lawmakers have voted against her proposal, 12-28.
Wetlands program continues to grow after initial failure
The House approved a vote of 22-18 to reinstate $4.9 million to be used to pay for the state’s acquisition of a federal permit program that regulates construction in the wetlands.
The supporters of the proposal say that it will lead to more rapid approvals for smaller construction projects. The opposition says that they believe that the government is underestimating the costs of the plan.
The plan is backed by Governor. Mike Dunleavy, who included it in his version this year’s budget. However, lawmakers on the House Finance Committee removed funding for the plan from the budget and directed this money to the educational Head Start program. Head Start.
In the afternoon of Monday on Monday afternoon, the House was unable to approve an amendment to add five million dollars to budget in order to finance the purchase. The amendment, proposed by Rep. Mike Cronk, Tok, R-Tok, was defeated in a single vote, 20-20.
A few hours afterwards, House Majority Leader Dan Saddler (R-Eagle River) suggested paying for the takeover through a transfer of five million dollars from the Community Assistance Fund which provides grants to boroughs and cities.
The amendment was passed 22-18, and would leave the decision on the takeover’s fate to the decisions by Senate Alaska Senate, which has yet to take up an operating budget.
The story first appeared in Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
