Education Funding

The Coalition for Education Equity believes that a thriving state requires a successful education system. This means that we need a stable, sustainable, and predictable budget supported by diversified revenues.

There is widespread acknowledgment that current education funding levels in Alaska are insufficient. Most school districts have prepared for a significant deficit in their budgets for the last 4 years. Historic 40-year high inflation has resulted in rising costs in all areas.

From 2011 to 2025, the BSA had increased only 4.29% while Alaska’s urban consumer price index has risen 24.6%. Even with a BSA increase for FY26, the amount only accounted for 39% of what was needed to keep pace with inflation. These rising costs and budget shortfalls have an impact on multiple aspects of delivering an education in Alaska: funding for teacher and other staff salaries, fuel and energy costs, facilities maintenance and repair, capital improvements, teacher housing, insurance premiums, etc., and also affect the ability of our school districts to provide counselors, nurses, special education aides, arts and sporting programs, and career and technical education. Budget uncertainty and late decision-making mean that schools are unable to plan effectively and efficiently, losing purchasing power, increasing fuel and maintenance costs, and often leading to teacher turnover.

Coalition for Education Equity fights for:

• Significant increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) for FY27 to catch up to inflation;

• Future education funding adjusted to inflation;

• Predictable, reliable, stable education funding with early decision/notification

• Development and implementation of a statewide fiscal plan that includes diversified revenue and ensures stable sources of education funding.