Report: What third grade shows about the opportunity to learn

A new report by Mike Bronson examines the relationship between student growth and proficiency. Looking at Anchorage third grade growth and proficiency scores, the report finds that the state is not providing adequate opportunities for students to learn to state performance standards.

Read the full report here.

What makes a good teacher? And why do they keep leaving Alaska?

Nisha Marino

Classroom visits are a gift. In April, several teachers in Homer and Nome generously granted me five-to-ten minutes of their precious time to ask their students a series of questions; they chimed in occasionally to provide clarity or add their own opinion. 

I love hearing from teachers – and I will share more about what I heard from them in a different blog post – but my favorite part of a class visit is the end, when I ask the teacher to plug their ears for just a minute. Each time, the kids lean in. Now they’re part of a secret, ready to answer whatever question comes next with honesty.

I whisper a little bit: “What makes somebody a good teacher? Who is your favorite teacher, and why?”

Everyone turns suspiciously to look at their teacher. Is she listening? Will she hear us say why we don’t like her – or worse, why we do? The teacher smiles and shrugs, maybe closes her eyes or shakes her head to prove she can’t hear anything. The kids turn back to face me and, while we once had formalities like raised hands and pair-shares, now all hell breaks loose as they rush to answer before their time is up.

The same few words are often repeated: nice, funny, and strict. But teachers have to be wary of going too far in any one direction, and some students are sure to tell me which of their teachers have room for improvement. One Homer eighth grader told me, “If a teacher is too nice they get taken advantage of, but if a teacher is too strict then no one likes them. So you have to be balanced to be a teacher.” 

Other important qualities include:

• “Respecting the fact that we’re not kids anymore.”

• “They have to command respect.”

• “We need to be able to learn.”

My favorite part of this activity is when my second question is answered. At this point, the students have established that their teacher is not listening to them. It’s safe to compliment her – and they always do. In Ms. Booz’s class, Ms. Booz is a favorite. In Ms. Shreve’s class, Ms. Shreve gets the green light. Of course, they’re not the only ones. Some eighth graders wanted me to know how much they loved their teachers from last year, or the year before, or even five years ago. A high schooler told me about her fifth grade teacher, who she still thinks about and appreciates.

It’s clear that Alaska has excellent teachers, but unfortunately, they are leaving the state and the profession. And it’s not because they don’t like Alaska. A Special Education teacher, who’s been at Nome-Beltz Middle High School for thirteen years, told me, “we don’t lose teachers because they don’t like Nome. A lot of our teachers have left the school for better paying jobs, but they stay in Nome.” Instead, teachers are leaving in search of livable and appropriate wages. 

The recent Alaska Department of Early Education & Development Teacher Recruitment & Retention (TRR) survey asked educators to rank forty  Personal Importance items to determine what factors teachers consider when thinking about their jobs. The five most important factors were:

1. Adequate compensation for assigned duties (salary)

2. Positive workplace conditions

3. Personal connections with students

4. Retirement benefits

5. Good healthcare benefits

The process of teacher replacement costs districts around $20,000 – and there are fewer and fewer people lining up for the job. The low and stagnant salaries have dire consequences for Alaska’s students, too. Across the state, students are struggling to create emotional connections with a rotating door of educators. One student told me, “Why should I put the effort into this relationship if they’re just gonna leave next year?” 

This relationship between a student and teacher can be the difference between whether a kid shows up for school or not, and kids don’t always understand why their teachers leave: “I used to internalize teachers leaving, like maybe if I was a better student they would stay.” 

Anyone who has the chance to step into a school and observe a class or talk to some students and teachers can tell you: Alaska has good teachers. We have great teachers. Sadly, they’re overworked, underappreciated, and most importantly, underpaid. Without a change to state funding, we will continue to lose them, with devastating consequences for our students and communities.

Bridging Opportunity: How NACTEC is Using Simulation Training to Build Alaska’s Workforce

Industrial Training International recently published this story about how districts are working together to provide Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for students in rural Northwest Alaska. These types of programs are at risk as funding continues to dwindle, but are more important than ever as schools struggle to recruit and keep CTE teachers.

PEER Report: The State of Vouchers in 2025

Read PEER’s full report, “Public Dollars for Private Schools: The State of Vouchers in 2025,” here.

This report is a collaborative effort between the Partnership for Equity & Education Rights (PEER) and 31 education advocacy organizations spanning 19 states. PEER is a national network of organizers, advocates, lawyers, and community leaders focused on reinvestment in public education. The Coalition for Education Equity of Alaska is honored to be a part of PEER’s extensive network.

While vouchers have yet to reach Alaska, it is critical to be aware of any and all potential threats to our public education. Alaska’s public education system is already suffering due to chronic underfunding. We cannot afford to pay for privatized education that is unaccountable, inaccessible, and inequitable. No matter what they’re called, voucher programs are about privatizing our education system. Vouchers (often presented as “school choice”) are a threat to public education as public good.

The federal government is taking drastic action to dismantle the Department of Education, strip students of federally-funded resources, and direct public tax dollars to private schools. State-based efforts are simultaneously using voucher programs to divert public dollars away from public schools and toward private institutions, despite overwhelming public opposition and clear evidence that it harms students. We must address these efforts head-on so that more public school students aren’t left behind.

List of Alaska Public School Mandates — via Alaska Municipal League

After its presentation at the joint Senate and House Education Committee meeting on February 19, the Alaska Municipal League shared a list of Public School Mandates with the committees. Click here to read the list of public school accountability factors.

Along with the list, AML Executive Director Nils Andreassen wrote:

Unfunded Mandates – We have attached a review of State statutes, which identifies what could be considered unfunded mandates. All that means is that these are obligations of school districts that don’t have specific funding tied to them. It does not mean that we have a position on these requirements, or that they shouldn’t be there, necessarily. Instead, it’s worth the Legislature thinking about each of these obligations and the cost to deliver them, and how does that affect resources available to support educational attainment. Here are questions that could be asked:

• Is it needed? How is it paid for?

• Could it be delivered differently?

• Does it happen at each school, or at the district level?

• How many FTE in each district is required?

• Is there a way for DEED to otherwise offset these responsibilities?

• What are the trade-offs? What does it come at the expense of?

Opinion: Alaska education funding does not have to be at others’ expense

The following article was posted in the Anchorage Daily News on Friday, February 21, 2025. It was written by Lon Garrison, Lisa Parady, and Caroline Storm. You can read the article as posted here.

Lon Garrison is executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards. Lisa Parady is executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators. Caroline Storm is executive director of the Coalition for Education Equity.

Public debates often get reduced to simplistic, headline-friendly narratives. In Alaska, one of the most persistent false choices is the idea that increasing public education funding — by raising the Base Student Allocation, or BSA —must come at the expense of the Permanent Fund dividend (PFD). This framing suggests that policymakers and the public must choose between supporting schools and supporting individual Alaskans.

But that’s not the real debate. The real debate is about Alaska’s budget priorities as a whole, and whether we are willing to have an honest conversation about the broader set of choices that shape our fiscal future.

Framing the budget as a fight between education funding and the PFD ignores the full range of spending and revenue decisions policymakers make every year. Consider these factors:

• State operating costs and inflation: The state adjusts its own operations for inflation while leaving schools, local governments and other programs to struggle with static funding. This is a policy choice, not an inevitability. If state government expenses are inflation-proofed, shouldn’t essential services like education be given the same consideration?

• Capital budget and deferred maintenance: Alaska’s infrastructure backlog is massive. A “bare-bones” capital budget might allocate $300 million for projects, but the actual needs are far greater. How much funding gets allocated to roads, bridges and other critical projects is a choice — just like funding education is.

• Oil tax credits and industry subsidies: A recent ADN article noted that Alaska will spend $800 million on oil tax credits this year and $400 million next. Yet, there is no heated debate over whether these subsidies should be reduced in favor of a larger PFD or more school funding. Why is this spending largely off-limits for discussion while education funding is pitted against direct payments to Alaskans?

• Revenue shortfalls and future planning: Some argue that Alaska doesn’t have a revenue problem, just a spending problem. But the state consistently faces budget deficits, and our long-term fiscal stability depends on addressing structural issues — whether through new revenue sources, revised tax structures or better long-term planning. We can’t just keep rearranging pieces of an ever-shrinking pie.

It’s time to move past the false narrative that pits the BSA against the PFD. The real question is: What kind of Alaska do we want to build? Do we want a state that invests in long-term infrastructure, public education, and economic stability? Or do we want to continue lurching from one budget crisis to the next, forced into artificial choices that limit our future?

Alaskans deserve a real conversation about our state’s fiscal future — one that includes all the choices on the table, not just the most politically convenient ones.

Press Release: NAEP Scores Are A Problematic Measurement For Alaska’s Student

View the press release here.

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For Immediate Release

February 5, 2025

NAEP Scores Are A Problematic Measurement For Alaska’s Students

DEED sent out a press release on Wednesday, January 29th implying that Alaska’s state test scores have dropped across the board and that increased funding to districts would not improve student performance.

This is an inaccurate portrayal of the scores and requires not only clarification but a rebuttal.

NAEP is a problematic measurement, because the sample population is so small in rural schools that data is not statistically significant. NAEP scores come from a sample set of schools, and not every school is tested. For example, the Petersburg School District tends to score well above the state average, but was excluded from the 2024 NAEP testing cohort; had Petersburg been included, the overall state score may have looked different.

In addition, the students assessed in 2024 were completely different from those assessed in 2022 (different schools, different students). The test is inherently a poor indication of the entire picture of Alaska academics.

Because NAEP compares different schools and different students year-to-year, the scores do not show improvement of cohorts - which is the precise “performance metric” that the Governor implies that he is looking for.

Testing the same grade across different schools and cohorts does not show whether students grow and improve. The MAP scores, which are available to publicly view on the DEED website, show consistent and measurable growth across grades.

The Alaska NAEP scorecard shows that there was no significant improvement or decline in fourth grade scores compared to 2022. The gap between national and Alaska fourth grade reading scores did not change over the two years. However, the national average in fourth grade math did improve significantly and thereby widen the gap between Alaska and the nation. Eighth graders fell more than half of a year of learning in two years. This gap grew because Alaska scores fell faster than nationally and they showed a drop over two years.

A bigger question remains: How many of the students tested in Alaska were being taught by a teacher with an emergency certification or an international exchange teacher?

In the Lower 48, it is probably very rare to have a teacher teaching a NAEP subject (ELA or Math) that is not highly qualified to teach it, yet in Alaska some teachers teaching those subjects only have an endorsement, because the pool of certificated teachers has diminished so significantly.

Commissioner Bishop has made it public last week that we are seeing growth in our early elementary scores, yet the Governor continues to insist that more money won’t help. Districts need funds to be able to pay for additional staff to focus on the Reads Act mandates as well as to meet all of those communication requirements, not just to keep the lights on.

Report: The data do not suggest Alaska charter schools are more effective than neighborhood schools

This report from Beth Zirbes and Mike Bronson examines results from Alaska’s in-state academic assessments of public school students during the 2018-2019 school year to determine how much of the charter schools’ performance might be attributable to characteristics that students bring to the schools versus the education the schools provide.

Read the report: the data do not suggest Alaska charter schools are more effective than neighborhood schools.

About the Authors:

• Beth Zirbes teaches high school students in mathematics and statistics in Fairbanks. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and master’s degrees in both mathematics and statistics from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

• Mike Bronson volunteers with the Anchorage branch of the National Association of Colored People. He holds a biology doctorate degree from the University of California.

Opinion: Alaska school districts deserve more transparency from state education department

The following article was written by CEE Executive Director Caroline Storm and posted in the Anchorage Daily News on Saturday, December 21, 2024. You can read the article as posted here.

In early October 2024, the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) released a draft proposal to change a standing regulation that would expand the definition of “local contribution.” Local contribution is the dollar amount that municipalities and organized boroughs across the state contribute to their school district. The local contribution is then directly subtracted from the amount that the state funds that school district using the statutory formula. The proposed regulation change represents a major shift in how “local contribution” is defined, and will directly, negatively affect the total amount of money many districts receive.

At this point in time, we have heard from Education Commissioner Deena Bishop that the proposed regulation change is required to bring Alaska in line with federal guidelines. She says the change would ensure that Alaska meets the disparity test, a process used by the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate whether a state’s school funding distribution is equitable across all school districts.

The problem with Commissioner Bishop’s explanation is not only does it directly conflict with guidance given by DEED since 2016, Alaska passed the FY 2024 disparity test and is passing the FY 2025 disparity test by the widest margins in almost a decade (using the current definition of local contribution). Furthermore, the proposed regulation would directly conflict with federal guidance on transportation funding in Alaska and with DEED’s 2021 testimony on the disparate student transportation needs in Alaska. So why exactly is a regulation change required now?

The federal Department of Education overseeing the Federal Impact Aid Program has stated that it neither asked nor recommended that DEED change its state regulations. A letter from the U.S. Education Department says, “State regulations are not within the Impact Aid Program’s interest or purview.”

[Earlier coverage: Alaska school districts could take financial hit as education department considers tighter limits on local funding]

This proposed change would have enormous financial impacts to many school districts in the state. Anchorage would potentially see an $11 million decrease in funding. Juneau would see funding for high school and middle school activities eliminated as well as dramatically hinder their ability to provide funding for student transportation and student food services. Many other districts would also see the funding for extracurricular activities and sports, food services/student nutrition, and pupil transportation negatively impacted.

These impacts would directly and negatively impact Alaska’s students, the very population that DEED is supposed to be supporting.

Frankly, this proposed regulation change can only be viewed as a stealth raid on school district budgets. Parents deserve to know why DEED is proposing a change that has no merit other than to further defund public education in Alaska.

We should all be asking about the real motivation behind the proposed regulation change and strongly oppose measures to further defund public education, regardless of the answer.

(As of the writing of this piece, the Alaska Association of School Business Officials has opposed the regulation change and the Juneau Board of Education has passed a resolution in opposition to the proposed regulation change with more school district boards considering doing the same.)

Report: How legislators short-changed students out of reading and math instruction

Twenty years of data show how budget cut-backs for K-12 schools starting in 2007 predict both the loss of teachers and plunging student proficiencies in Alaska. For example, fourth graders’ math and reading proficiency fell one full year of learning as the Legislature reduced its real-dollar base student allocation to schools. At the same time, eighth graders fell behind by more than a year of math learning and by almost a year of reading learning.

This report by Mike Bronson, NAACP Anchorage education committee, looks at how the base student allocation (BSA) and the numbers of teachers correlate with the drop in student proficiency over recent years.

Read the report: How legislators short-changed students out of reading and math instruction.

For more information, you can also read the supplemental data tables.

PEER's November Convening in Tulsa

Nisha Marino

In November, Executive Director Caroline Storm and I went to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a national convening on the state of public education. Representatives from coalitions across twenty-two states joined at the PEER convening for three days of conversation and learning about public education and advocacy in the U.S. 

Our time at the convening was focused on what advocates face at the state level and how they address it. While each state has its own politics and education systems, we were able to discuss our challenges and responses so that we can learn from one another. 

Alaska is, of course, unique from other states. The state is geographically much larger, less accessible, and more expensive to live in. Still, other states’ representatives had helpful lessons about how to organize and advocate for public education. 

We talked a lot about funding, one of the central problems most states are facing. Many states are struggling against vouchers, which move funds away from public schools and into private ones – often giving state money to already-wealthy families. Voucher legislation was on the ballot in many states this year, but was often defeated with widespread opposition from voters. We were fortunate to talk to advocates who have successfully fought off vouchers in their states to make sure public funds continue to go to public schools, like those in Nebraska who had to defeat vouchers twice.

The people in the room at PEER are smart and honest – they know what public schools are up against and talk candidly about it. Following the election, this is especially important. We can’t afford to simply defend our public schools against attacks, we have to actively push for better. 

One of the things that makes public education so vital yet vulnerable is that it is our greatest opportunity to inform children about the world. All of us, and especially children, should be armed with knowledge about where we come from so that we can be prepared to go forward. The more opportunities we have to share our histories and strategies, the better.

I want to end by telling you a little bit about Tulsa. Over the three days, we had several chances to engage with and learn local history. We took a tour of the Greenwood District and learned the real history of the Tulsa Massacre from local historian Chief Amusan. We got to hear from Damario Solomon-Simmons, an attorney helping survivors of the massacre get reparations, and Dr. Tiffany Crutcher – the founder of the Terence Crutcher Foundation, which works to create just and liberated communities free from violence and harm. 

For me, it was really special and important to be able to learn the history of the place hosting us from the people who are fighting for it. We weren’t just there to talk about education, we were there to participate in it ourselves. The great thing about learning is that it can change you for the better, as you adjust your relationship with the world and people around you. And, as many attendees pointed out, it is our duty to do so, as histories of violence against marginalized people are actively being suppressed. 

My gratitude for this trip is actionable, and I ask that readers please read and take action on the following two petitions. The first is to address over-policing and violence in Black communities, which you can find here. The second is to designate the Historic Greenwood/Black Wall Street National Monument, which you can find here.

Member Resolution Calling for BSA Increase

On November 7, 2024, the Coalition for Education Equity passed a Member Resolution calling for a raise to the Base Student Allocation (BSA). You can read the full text below:

Reflections on a field trip in Gustavus

Nisha Marino

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Gustavus, a small town in Southeast Alaska. I was staying at the Tidelines Institute, which hosts a variety of place-based educational programs throughout the year. Coincidentally, the second day I was there, Tidelines hosted the Gustavus School’s K-2 class for a field trip. I was able to talk to teachers, students, and a parent about their experiences with the public education system in Alaska.

While these students were young, it was clear that they had grown up in Gustavus. On a tour of the garden, kids pointed out plants they recognized and enthusiastically picked big leaves to eat. One of their teachers joked with me, “how many second graders in the Lower 48 would be happy to eat kale for a mid-morning snack?”

The beauty of the campus and ample running space was not lost on these students. Fitted with layers of fleece and rain pants, they repeatedly commented to one another about “the best field trip ever.” Their parent chaperone told me elementary school in Gustavus often feels like this: kids are used to high community involvement, visits from scientists and gardeners, and subsistence education at home. She said Gustavus elementary school’s education sometimes seems closer to an alternative school than a traditional public school, and in a community with lots of homeschooling, that’s highly valued.

Still, every adult I talked to mentioned the school’s understaffing and underfunding. The Gustavus high school is one without a guidance counselor, meaning that if students are interested in post-secondary education, it falls on their parents or outside sources to help them explore options. As students get older, parents are increasingly compelled to supplement their childrens’ education, and some move to Juneau or Oregon when their kids hit high school. Considering how much the children expressed joy and love for their town, I think it’s a shame that school underfunding can push parents to move or send their kids away for school. 

It was frequently reiterated to me that none of the issues at the school are due to a lack of passion. Teachers are very passionate – there just aren’t enough of them, and they aren’t paid well enough. I saw firsthand how deeply the teachers cared for their students, and how reciprocal that relationship was. When a teacher asked students to clean up their dominoes before playing outside, they stopped running and packed the game up. I’ve worked with kids in this age range, and trust me, that’s rare. 

From Tidelines hosting the students to the level of parent engagement, there is a clear community investment in children’s learning. Still, the impact of low funding is visible, and DEED’s profile on the school just served to verify what I heard in passing conversation. Overall, I felt extremely lucky to be able to experience this field trip. My reflections here might be an old story to some Alaskans, but to me, it’s a story worth telling.

A student’s response to the question “What do you like about living in Gustavus?”

Executive Director Caroline Storm's Trip to Lower Kuskokwim

Caroline Storm

As CEE’s Executive Director, I had the opportunity to travel out to Western Alaska at the end of August to engage with three member school communities at 4 different sites and meet with three district superintendents, Bethel Mayor Mark Springer, and District 38 Representative CJ McCormick.

After 22 years in Alaska, and many trips to North and Northwestern Alaska, it was my first trip to Bethel, Tuluksak, Kalskag, Aniak and Sleetmute, and I am reminded once again that each of our state’s far flung communities are unique jewels that are distinct in their culture.

I wanted to briefly note that despite each school site facing unique issues, the students were genuinely happy to be back at school and excited about learning with new and returning teachers and staff. I was flattered to have several students in Tuluksak ask if I was a new teacher.

My time in Tuluksak (Yupiit District), and Sleetmute and Kalskag in the (Kuspuk District) coincided with culture week, which are fantastic hands-on project based experiences for students. In Tuluksak specifically it was an honor to witness elders coming into the school to teach multi-age student groups, as well as the teachers, the art of designing, making and the properties of using a fish trap.

In all four sites, what I saw first hand is the unequivocal dedication, commitment and patience of teachers welcoming students back and ushering in a new school year. Conversations with superintendents covered a wide range of topics from needs to the potential for student engagement with new and innovative programs.

My discussion with school board members in Kuspuk revolved around the desire for more project based cultural instruction.

In Sleetmute, I changed my hat to professional architect and did my best to assist the district with a mitigation plan so that the students number one request be met:  that they be able to use their gym again.

As a whole, the trip deepened my understanding of site to site individual needs, as well as deepened my resolve to lead CEE to advocate for and find solutions for those needs. Lobbying for adequate public education funding remains the number one priority for CEE, and now we are also looking at the potential for different support mechanisms to alleviate our most heavily taxed districts.

In the coming months I will elaborate on site specific insights from this visit. Until then, CEE will be focused on boosting the visibility of pro-education leaders with an eye to a pro-education House coalition after November 5.

Scholarship Application is Open!

Application Deadline: April 19, 2024! The Spike Jorgensen Scholarship is awarded annually to students from Coalition for Education Equity member school districts (see list of member districts here) who show strong promise in overcoming academic, personal, or societal obstacles to excel in his or her chosen area of post-secondary education. Since its inception in 2011, the scholarship has awarded $30,000 to 19 students across the state of Alaska. 

This scholarship honors Spike Jorgensen for decades of effective work transforming the educational facilities and programs serving Alaska’s students. As the founder of CEAAC (now Coalition for Education Equity), he has contributed significantly to the education, safety, and life fulfillment of many thousands of children. Through this scholarship, Coalition for Education Equity honors him with sincere gratitude for his leadership. 

This year’s scholarship application deadline is April 19, 2024. Renewal applications must be received by May 24, 2024. Find the application here.

Governor's FY25 Budgets

Budget Overview

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed FY 2025 budget was introduced Dec. 14 and totals $13.9 billion with a deficit of just  under $1 billion. Governor Dunleavy is proposing a  Permanent Fund Dividend of $3,400 per resident at a cost of approximately $2.39 billion. This is the largest single expenditure in the operating budget. Additionally, several factors will likely create additional budget pressure in FY25, including increased  employee salaries (the largest union, GGU, is set for a 5% increase in FY25), retirement payments (set  to increase by $68.1 million in FY25), and increasing healthcare and education costs. All the FY25 budget documents can be found at the OMB webpage HERE. To afford the full PFD, Governor Dunleavy proposes to fund the deficit out of the Constitutional Budget  Reserve (CBR). The CBR has an estimated $2.7 billion in it. Many legislators immediately pushed back  on filling the proposed deficit by using the state’s savings account. The budget proposes no increases to spending on K-12 education despite an ongoing budget crisis. Dunleavy said in a news conference that the budget proposal is just a starting point and is likely to change after lawmakers weigh in. The per-student funding formula known as the Base Student Allocation has not increased in over eight years, despite record inflation, contributing to school district budget shortfalls. There is a reduction in the K-12 formula but that is due to student count reductions.  Combining these two factors results in a $119.5 million dollar reduction in school funding. There are no  proposed budget changes or increased staffing to key permitting agencies across multiple departments. Community assistance, municipal harbor debt, revenue sharing, PCE, school bond debt reimbursement,  and PERS/TRS obligations are all funded in the budget. 

The Department of Revenue also released its fall forecast. In comparison to the March 2023 Revenue Forecast,  the ANS oil price forecast increased by $9.39 per barrel for FY 2024 and $6.00 per barrel for FY 2025.  These forecasted changes result in projected increased revenue of $228 million for FY 2024 and $79  million for FY 2025. More details can be found in the Fall 2023 Revenue Sources book. Although any  increase in revenue is good news, oil price forecasting is difficult to predict and subject to many  variables, including global politics. 

Operating Budget Highlights

Education: 

• Foundation Program/BSA: $1.16 billion. 

• Pupil Transportation: $70.5 million. 

• School Debt Reimbursement: $57.5 million. 

• REAA and Small Municipal School District Funding: $27 million. 

• Grant to Alaska Resource Education/Resource Education: $1 million. 

• Grant for Hunter Education/Archery/Gun Safety: $1 million. 

• Child Nutrition: $77.2 million. 

• Alyeska Reading Academy and Institute: $5 million. 

• Teacher Recruitment, Retention, Certification and Apprenticeship Development: $1.5 million. • Career and Technical Education Initiative: $1.5 million. 

• Residential School Funding: $8 million. 

• Broadband Grants: $6 million. 

• Pre-K Grants: $6.1 million. 

• Arts Council: $3.9 million. 

• OWL: $482,000. 

• Libraries: $11.8 million. 

• University increased costs: $13 million.  

• University working groups/Alaska Center for Energy and Power (carbon capture, energy  education and hydrogen): $200,000. 

Public Safety: 

• Village Public Safety Officers, salary increases of 7% and ten new positions: $24.3 million. • Three new Alaska State Trooper investigators based in Bethel to focus on crimes against children  in Y-K.

• Four investigators at AST fully dedicated to investigating missing and murdered Indigenous  persons. 

• New Positions:  

• Recruitment Manager to fill vacancies and pay for travel for required testing: $250,000. • Two pilots, Fairbanks and Nome, to improve response times: $400,000. 

• Planner for drone operations: $150,000. 

• New position to process public records: $140,000. 

• Advertising Campaign/Report Missing People Immediately: $250,000. 

• Acquisition of a single engine turbine-powered all-weather aircraft for statewide Public Safety  operations and replacement of a patrol vessel for Southeast Alaska (Cap budget). 

Corrections: 

• Community Jails: $10 million. 

• Increasing costs/Pretrial: $10 million. 

Natural Resources: 

• New Position for Carbon Offset Program: $175,000. 

Community: 

• Senior Benefits Program/Monthly Cash Benefits to Seniors: Not funded, usually $21 million.  • Community Assistance/Revenue Sharing: $30 million.  

• Food Banks/Food Security: $5 million to food banks. 

• 30 full-time Eligibility Technician positions to process back logged SNAP applications: $8.8  million. 

• Debt repayment including harbors: $3.5 million. 

• Commerce/Broadband: Expedite projects by funding permitting and land management jobs at  other agencies like the Departments of Natural Resources, Transportation and Fish and Game:  $1.1 million. 

As in past years, the capital budget mostly provides state matching funds for federal projects. There are  very few district specific projects. The total budget is $3.54 billion of which $2.99 billion is federal  funds.  

Capital Items

Some highlights include:

• School construction and maintenance, $8 million funding for the first project on each list. • Broadband Equity Access: $1 billion. 

• University Early Childhood Day Care Center: $5.6 million (Fairbanks). 

• University/Drones: $10 million. 

• University/Carbon Capture: $11.1 million (Railbelt). 

• Alaska Marine Highway M/V Tustumena Replacement Vessel: $92.7 million. • Food Security/Micro-Grants: $4 million. 

• NPRA Grants: $46.9 million. 

• Community Block Grants: $6.3 million. 

• Alaska Travel Industry: $2.5 million. 

• AEA-Renewable Energy Grants/Round 16: $5 million. 

• AEA-Solar for All: $20 million.

• AEA-Bulk Fuel Upgrades: $13 million. 

• AEA-Rural Power Systems Upgrades: $27.5 million. 

• AEA-Statewide Grid Resiliency: $13.9 million. 

• Village Safe Water Upgrades and Expansions: $106 million (increase). 

• Village Safe Water First Time Projects: $159.1 million (increase). 

• DEC: Million in increased funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water funds, for the  revolving loan fund and new funding for emerging containments.  

• Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund: $6.8 million. 

• Pacific Salmon Treaty Chinook Fishery Mitigation: $750,000. 

• Alaska Marine Salmon Fisheries: $1.3 million. 

• Code Blue: $500,000. 

• Statewide deferred maintenance and repair: $28.2 million. 

• National Recreational Trails Grants: $1.75 million. 

• Winter Trail Grants: $185,000. 

• State Parks Facilities Upgrades: $3 million. 

• Public Access Infrastructure: $1 million. 

• Community Wildfire grants: $10 million.  

• Mine Reclamation: $4.3 million. 

• AHFC Teacher, Health, and Public Safety Housing: $9.5 million (increase). • AHFC Energy Programs, Weatherization: $17.5 million (big increase). 

• AHFC Down Payment Program: $25 million (new). 

• AHFC Affordable Housing Development/Seniors: $3 million. 

• Rural Housing Coordinator-NWAB (MH): $135,000 and one rural $135,000. • Statehood Defense: $2 million increase to Dept. of Law 

• Rural Airports: $384.7 million. 

• PFAS: $2.5 million for 25 State-owned Part 139 airports to switch to non-PFAS foams. • AGDC: $4.5 million to advance commercial investment in AKLNG and maintain project  assets in ready status.  

• Tax Revenue Management System (TRMS): $1 million for maintenance and support. • No funding for the AIDEA/DNR/Mustang Road transfer or the large railbelt transmission  line project. 

• Millions in funding for highways, roads and airports with the required state match included.

 Senate Organization

The Alaska State Senate bipartisan majority coalition consists of 17 members, eight Republican and nine Democrats. Members include Sens. Click Bishop (R-Fairbanks), Jesse Bjorkman (R-Kenai), Matt Claman (D-Anchorage), Forrest Dunbar (D-Anchorage), Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage), Elvi Gray-Jackson (D-Anchorage), Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel), James Kaufman (R-Anchorage), Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks), Jesse Kiehl (D-Juneau), Kelly Merrick (R-Eagle River), Donny Olson (D-Golovin), Bert Stedman (R-Sitka), Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak), Löki Gale Tobin (D-Anchorage), Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage), David Wilson (R-Wasilla).

Senate leadership are as follows:

• Senate President – Sen. Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak)

• Rules Chair – Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage)

• Majority Leader – Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage)

• Majority Whip – Sen. Click Bishop (R-Fairbanks)

• Finance Co-Chairs: Sen. Bert Stedman (R-Sitka), Operating Budget Sen. Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel), Capital Budget Sen. Donny Olson (D-Golovin), Bills

• Legislative Council Chair – Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson (D-Anchorage)

• Education Chair – Sen. Löki Gale Tobin (D-Anchorage)

• Health & Social Services Chair – Sen. David Wilson (R-Wasilla) and Vice-Chair Sen.-elect James  Kaufman (R-Anchorage)

• Judiciary Chair – Sen. Matt Claman (D-Anchorage)

• Resources co-Chairs – Sen. Click Bishop (R-Fairbanks); Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage)

• State Affairs Chair – Sen. Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks)

• Community & Regional Affairs Chair – Sen. Forrest Dunbar (D-Anchorage)

• Labor & Commerce Chair – Sen. Jesse Bjorkman (R-Kenai)

• Transportation Chair – Sen. Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage)

• World Trade Chair – Sen. Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel)

• Joint Armed Services co-Chair – Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks)

• Legislative Budget & Audit Vice Chair – Bert Stedman (R-Sitka).

Conclusion

This is just the beginning of the budget process. At this point, the proposed budget is mostly flat funded  and not particularly exciting. Many senators noted that both the capital and operating budgets failed to  address a number of items that will need to be considered. Additionally, the education community will  be advocating strongly for increased funding after years of rising inflation and no permanent increase to  base funding. Also note, federal grant funds will continue to flow to Alaska over the course of several  years and will cover several budget cycles. New grant programs are still being implemented at both the  state and federal level and will provide additional opportunities to fund projects