Public Education

Revitalization of Alaska’s public education system is foundational to a brighter future for our state. Quality education in rural areas is inherently more difficult and expensive than in the cities but each kid, no matter where they live, deserves the best we can provide them. 

It's true that a quality education costs money; it's also true that not educating our kids well will cost a lot more in the long run. We need to fundamentally restructure educational funding so that it is stable, predictable, and sufficient.

Two common "culture war" talking points being propagated are that we are overspending on education and that until we see grades and rankings improve, the school system doesn't deserve more funding. The first one is simply factually false, and the second ignores that some of the same critics gripe about too much testing for kids. We do measure and we do know: per the respected Annie E. Casey Kids Count Data Book, Alaska is 49th in education and 47th in overall child well-being. So, this argument about "results" is a repackaging of the classic old saw, "The floggings will continue until morale improves."

Overall statewide, about 60% of K-12 educational costs are paid through the Base Student Allocation (BSA). It's critical. Yet, in the 14 years from 2011 to 2025, the BSA only increased by $280 from $5680 to $5960. Meanwhile, costs rose in Alaska by 24%, some schools saw their insurance triple, and deferred maintenance is a widespread problem. After an override fight, this year, the BSA is still inadequate at $6600. Using 2011 as a baseline, adjusted for inflation the BSA should be about $8500 today.

To retain teachers who are otherwise avoiding or fleeing our state, it is imperative to improve pay, keep schools open, and keep class size under 30 as well as finally restore a viable and attractive defined benefits plan.