March 25, 2024, Alaska State Capitol. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
In the final weeks leading up to the 2024 election, education is playing a big role in Alaska’s legislative campaigns.
In South Anchorage, Republican U.S. Rep. Craig Johnson said he’s heard a lot of opinions about education funding in meetings with constituents. Many of them are asking about his vote against overriding the governor’s veto of a bill that would have increased the state’s education funding over time.
“We did so much last year in terms of education. [but] It all seems to come down to this one veto vote,” Johnson said.
Senate Bill 140 would increase base funding per student by 11%, or $680, a long-standing goal for districts that have been frustrated by years of flat funding under the state formula. .
The bill passed the state House and Senate by a combined vote of 56-3. But lawmakers failed by one vote to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto.
As a member of the House Republican leadership, Johnson first voted for the bill and then voted to override the veto, but he said he was mixed about that vote.
“There’s probably 50-50 people saying don’t give them any more money, and the other half saying you should give them money,” he said.
Johnson said even if lawmakers had overridden the governor’s veto, Dunleavy would likely have vetoed funding increases from the state budget after the House and Senate adjourned for the year. It would have been difficult to prepare a budget for the project, he said.
And Johnson said lawmakers actually increased funding for schools in the last Congress, with Congress ultimately approving funding increases equal to the vetoed budget but only for one year. He said he did. And unlike last year, when the governor vetoed half of a similar one-time funding increase, this time Dunleavy kept the full amount in place.
Either way, Johnson said he would like future legislatures to focus on improving student outcomes. He said lawmakers should focus on expanding school choice, increasing access to homeschooling and charter schools, both of which were priorities for the Republican House majority and governor in the last legislative session.
Johnson’s opponent, Republican Chuck Kopp, did not respond to an interview request, but told the Alaska Beacon that he wants both high standards and consistent funding for education.
Further north, Savannah Fletcher, a civil rights attorney and Fairbanks-Northstar Borough Council president, said she also hears a lot about veto overrides while campaigning for the state Senate.
“That’s a bottleneck for a lot of people in the district,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher, an independent, argues that funding and student outcomes are closely linked. He said replacing vetoable long-term increases with one-time increases would make it harder for school districts to hire and retain teachers. And that has led to larger class sizes and fewer after-school programs for public school students across the vast Senate District, which stretches from Glennallen to parts of Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Tok and the Yukon River Valley. she said.
Her opponent for the vacant Senate District R seat is Republican Rep. Mike Cronk, a former teacher. Like Mr Johnson, he initially voted in favor of the increase, but later changed his mind.
“I know that people had a chance to get permanent and stable increases in school funding with bipartisan support, but I know that people, including my opponent, were defeated.” Fletcher said.
Cronk, who did not respond to requests for an interview, told the Anchorage Daily News that the funding system currently allows districts to open underutilized schools rather than consolidating them to save money. He said he is encouraging them to continue and that “writing a big check” won’t solve the state’s problems. school.
Mr Fletcher also said recruiting and retaining the best teachers would lead to better student outcomes, and adding public sector workers, including teachers, back into the pension system would be a big step towards that goal. . Democrats, independents, and some Republicans have made restoring public pensions another key issue in state House and Senate races.
Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage Hillside, also said many have been vocal about her vote to uphold the governor’s veto after initially supporting the bill.
“Of course people will ask me about that, but most of the conversations I have with people are not necessarily about education funding, but about the quality of education,” Coulon said. “They’re concerned about test scores, they’re concerned about the quality of the education they’re actually receiving and what we’re doing about it.”
Coulombe said increasing funding for public schools is “part of the solution,” but districts also need to reevaluate how they deliver education as student numbers decline. said. Coulombe said he supports so-called “rightsizing” efforts to consolidate schools in the Anchorage School District, saying it would allow schools to make better use of shared resources.
Coulombe also said improved retirement benefits could help the state attract and retain high-quality teachers. Like many Republicans, including Johnson, Coulon said he is skeptical about returning to defined benefit plans. But Coulombe said he is open to other ideas, such as small adjustments to existing 401(k)-style defined contribution plans.
“There are modifications that can be made to increase donations,” she says. “We could reconsider Social Security participation. There are a lot of things to fix. We need to see more analysis to determine what is best for teachers and what states can keep.” I’m not going to commit to anything because I want to do that.”
Mr Coulomb’s opponent, Calista executive Walter Featherly (an independent), strongly supports a return to the pension system and per-student funding.
“The need is well known, widely recognized, and comes up repeatedly in conversations with voters,” Featherly said.
Eric Stone covers state government, tracking the Alaska Legislature, state policy and its impact on Alaskans as a whole. Contact him at estone@alaskapublic.org and follow @eriwinsto on X. Learn more about Eric here.
