School superintendents call on Dunleavy to approve education funding compromise

The Alaska Constitution spells out the mandate for public education, which is to “establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state.”

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who thinks he has all the answers, doesn’t trust legislators, locally elected school boards, mayors, borough assemblies, teachers, administrators and families. They are not under his control and they don’t share his opinions on some key policy matters.

He told superintendents Thursday that he will veto the compromise funding bill and if it is overridden he will veto the money from the state budget.

Every competent governor learns to trust others with expertise, respect those with different opinions and understand the value of compromise. Dunleavy hasn’t bothered to learn any of that.

Rather than respect the elected officials and school staff members who are doing their best under difficult circumstances, Dunleavy offers nothing but recycled catchphrases, cliches and insults.

Dunleavy can’t name a single public official or intelligent person who believes that money alone will solve the challenges of education. Dunleavy is deceiving Alaskans by claiming that those who disagree with him have the idiotic view that money solves everything.

Since the heady days of Donna Arduin, when Dunleavy proposed a $330 million cut, the biggest education cut in state history, he has been repeating lies that school funds are not spent on instruction and that education spending is “throwing money” at the problem.

Every time Dunleavy mentions throwing money at a problem, especially in regard to education, he should be reminded that the giant pay raise he engineered for himself and his top employees is a better example of throwing money at a problem than increasing school funding.

Paying teachers more to recruit and retain the best instructors we can hire is not throwing money at a problem.

Providing more money to stop the trend of increasing class sizes is not throwing money at a problem.

Maintaining buildings is not throwing money at a problem.

Investing in education to reduce the number of school closures in Fairbanks and elsewhere is not throwing money at a problem.

Increasing the state commitment to education to bring back music, the arts and other necessary ingredients of a complete education is not throwing money at a problem.

The problem is the governor.

Alaska’s superintendents released this statement after Dunleavy told him he would veto the school funding bill if he doesn’t get his way:

In its current form, Alaska’s superintendents stand united in strong support of HB 57. This bipartisan legislation is the product of extensive collaboration, hard compromises, thoughtful deliberation, and meaningful input from education leaders across the state. Its passage reflects a broad, collective understanding of the urgent and real needs facing Alaska’s public schools.

This morning, the Governor shared with superintendents that he intends to veto HB 57 due to the absence of two specific policy provisions: open enrollment between school districts and additional measures related to charter school expansion. He also expressed concern about reading incentive funding being tied to SB 113, stating his preference for that funding to be separated.

We are concerned by this approach. A veto of HB 57 threatens to derail months of bipartisan progress and puts essential education funding at risk—funding that our schools and students cannot afford to lose.

We are grateful to the Alaska Legislature for its strong, bipartisan support of HB 57, and we urge lawmakers to reaffirm their commitment to Alaska’s students, educators, families and communities by standing by this legislation.

At the same time, we thank the Legislature for the swift passage of SB 113, which provides targeted investments to improve literacy and expand career and technical education opportunities—two key areas that directly support student success.

ASA remains committed to continued dialogue around education policy. However, these important conversations must not come at the expense of timely, adequate, and sustainable investments in Alaska’s public schools. Our students are counting on us and we cannot afford to let them down.