Alaska seeks exemption from federal requirements on federal coronavirus relief funds after the federal government claims the state has not paid $29 million to four urban school districts. We are asking the U.S. Department of Education. At the center of the dispute is the hold, an innocuous provision intended to protect school districts with students from low-income families and high-poverty areas from significant reductions in funding.
The State Board of Education held a public hearing last week after the DOE sent a letter to the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) on March 27 saying it was not complying with funding conditions. The federal government said Alaska received federal aid in 2021 and 2022, but some school districts received less funding from the state, which the state says is inconsistent with the Maintenance of National Equity (MOEquity) provisions. claims.
If the DEEDS waiver is denied and Gov. Mike Dunleavy does not ask the Legislature to consider disbursing funds to comply with the American Rescue Plan Act's policies by April 26, the state will receive up to $425 million. Federal aid is at risk of being withheld and will remain in place. “High Risk” Funders.
Austin Reed, federal affairs adviser for the National Conference of State Legislatures, explained at the hearing how federal guidance to states doesn't make it easy for state legislatures to “comply,” but some members of Congress Didn't accept explanation.
“I don’t see it that way. [the] The Alaska Department of Education was monitoring it closely,” said state Sen. Jesse Keel of Juneau, a member of the chamber’s education committee.
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After disbursing hundreds of millions of dollars in coronavirus relief funds to states, the federal government released some updates on how they will be used. One of these requirements is called the “Equity Preservation” requirement and is designed to direct funding to historically underserved student groups.
State Education Commissioner Deena Bishop said the conflict arose because the federal government gave specific instructions on how the funds should be spent. However, Alaska Legislative Finance Director Alexei Painter said the federal capital maintenance provision is meant to prevent states from “cutting state funding just because federal funds are available.” .
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Discussing schools and inflation, Painter explained to the House Finance Committee in May 2023, “It may look like the state has increased tuition.” [spending] With a considerable budget, [but] Inflation and population were much higher than they were then. [spending] According to the minutes of the meeting, the budget is.
At an emergency meeting of the Board of Education in Juneau last week, state Education Commissioner Democratic Sen. Loki Tobin presented information that appeared to show that funding for Alaska's schools has increased in recent years. answered. “This was a $30 increase in the BSA, not a significant increase,” Sen. Tobin said, asking what information was included in the slide.
The small increase in Alaska's per-student funding, known as “Base Student Allocation,” is how the state pays schools on a per-pupil basis. Since 2017, the state is the only state to apply per-pupil funding. Tobin went on to reveal that some states were giving schools more funding than the federal government required to ensure they avoided non-compliance issues.
State Sen. Jesse Keel, a member of the Education Committee, said in response to the DOE's claims that a series of budget amendments filed around the governor's deadline on the 30th day of the legislative session “does not meet the governor's request. There is nothing that will solve this problem.” Alaska did not offer a timely solution.
Bishop said in a March 22 letter to the DOE that Alaska is “not seeking to use federal funds to reduce state education spending,” hinting at a constitutional lawsuit and accused of implementing policies that harm schools in the United States.
According to the DOE, Alaska remains the only state that does not meet federal requirements for an equitable distribution of relief funds.
