Many lawmakers are focusing on education funding as they approach the beginning of Alaska’s next legislative session.
The state’s baseline funding for school districts, also known as the base student allocation or BSA, has not changed much since 2017. The cost of almost everything has risen, and districts are now facing severe budget shortages and having to make difficult decisions such as closing schools, eliminating jobs, or increasing class sizes.
According to Anchorage Daily News, some lawmakers say that it’s a top priority to provide more funding for schools.
ADN reporter Iris Samuels and Morgan Krakow, her colleague, have been speaking to legislators who want to increase BSA.
Samuels states that the main questions are: How much? What strings are attached?
Listen:
This transcript has been lightly edited to improve clarity.
Iris Samuels So, based on conversations I’ve had recently, it seems like this is a very high priority across all political spectrums. This year, there is a slight difference in priorities than previous years. There have been legislators who have prioritized this issue and have been discussing it for many years. This year is different because more conservative legislators, who are less likely to spend public money in any given year are now recognising the importance of this issue.
Different lawmakers talk about it differently. More Democrats are open to increasing funding for districts to make them feel more whole and provide the services they need. More conservative legislators are more likely to talk about student achievement. Alaska is ranked low in key metrics that measure student performance in math and reading. This has been true for many years. Some lawmakers are now discussing how to increase funding for schools, but ensure that it is tied to certain metrics that will ensure that the quality of education rises along with that increase. This is a tricky problem because it is a chicken and egg issue. What can you do to improve student performance if you don’t have enough heat schools?
Casey Grove – This is definitely a chicken-and-egg situation. It seems that when you talk about the change in who is discussing this, it makes me think about a quote from your story that said, “But now this is happening to my backyard.” This is a reference to the fact that some schools are being closed to fill the budget gap. It seems that the conversation has not changed. The only thing that seems to have changed is who is having it.
Iris Samuels :: The problem has become more severe over time. There were some events in recent years which allowed school districts to offset lower funding from the state with other sources. The pandemic resulted in an increase in federal funding for schools. Districts have used that money and tried to stretch the dollars. However, the money is now gone. The problem, which was somewhat masked by a Band-Aid, is now fully exposed. We now see everything that has been going on for the past couple of years under that Band-Aid.
Casey Grove : The Band-Aid is now off and it’s a top priority for the Legislature.
Although I think the pandemic funding from federal government in the last year or so might have contributed to some of the problems, this is (flat funding) that goes back to 2017 before the pandemic. Why hasn’t it happened yet? What are the roadblocks that prevent lawmakers from increasing education funding?
Iris Samuels – It’s a complicated issue. It really boils down to the fiscal problems that Alaska has faced for many years. Some lawmakers are seeing that the state’s resources and the money it has to provide all the services the state offers, isn’t where they need to be. The state also had a large deficit. So both Gov. Dunleavy and other lawmakers basically stated that even if they wanted to increase the tax, they don’t have enough money.
Casey Grove – There are some legislators who say they don’t want to “write a blank check” without these returns in the form better test scores. Does that still pose a problem? Is that still a topic of conversation? Side question: How do they measure it? Are they measuring test scores? Are they GPAs? How does it work?
Iris Samuels : That’s a great question. This is a topic that I expect to see lots of discussion in the upcoming legislative session. Some lawmakers may be saying that they recognize the importance of funding schools more, but are still not able to make sure that schools get better performance from funding. How do you make this connection? This is a question of openness. Do you use test scores? Are you using other metrics? It’s not accidental that legislators now say they are prioritizing increasing Base Student Allocation. However, we haven’t seen specific bills that would do this, as legislators are still working out the mechanism. There will likely be many proposals. The session will last several months and there will likely be a lot more evolution.
Casey Grove – I expect more stories about this topic to come.
Iris Samuels – Without a doubt.
Casey Grove – OK, Iris. As much as you can predict the actions of the Legislature, what do YOU think will happen?
Iris Samuels : I believe that funding will increase very, very quickly. It is unclear how much and what stipulations that funding will increase. While I don’t believe in betting on anything, I think people can be confident that there will be an increase in funding. The amount and how quickly that increase occurs will impact the future of what districts can do with the funding.
