Some Alaska state legislators express opposition to the governor's selection of education committee members

Some Alaska senators announced Monday they would oppose the bill. State Board of Education members reaffirm their positions on public education, including support for spending state funds on private schools.

Bob Griffin was first appointed to the Alaska Education Early Development Commission in 2019 by Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy. Griffin is a commercial airline pilot, former Air Force pilot, and researcher at the Alaska Policy Forum, a conservative group that advocates for directing public funds to private and religious schools.

Griffin was appointed by Dunleavy to an additional five-year term on the State Board of Education earlier this year, subject to approval by the state Legislature. Lawmakers are expected to vote next week on whether to confirm Griffin, along with members of other public boards and commissions appointed by the governor.

The State Board of Education is responsible for developing and implementing statewide education regulations. Its members are appointed by the governor. Two other board members will be confirmed this year: Barbara Tyndall and Pamela Duplass. He leaves one seat vacant on the board.

During a Senate Education Committee hearing, Griffin reiterated his support for the distance learning program, which was found by an Anchorage Superior Court judge earlier this month to violate the state constitution, which prohibits the use of public funds to benefit private schools. did. The allocation was initially intended to fund students' individual study plans, but has increasingly been used by families to subsidize private school tuition.

Members of the Senate Education Committee appeared skeptical Monday of Griffin's support for parts of Dunleavy's agenda, including the governor's proposal to give the State Board of Education authority to approve new charter schools. That power is currently vested in locally elected school boards.

Earlier this year, Dunleavy vetoed an education bill that would have increased per-student education spending, saying he didn't support the bill because it didn't include new ways he wanted to approve charter schools. Mr. Griffin told senators on Monday that he supported Mr. Dunleavy's veto and that after the veto, he encouraged lawmakers not to override it. An attempt to override Dunleavy's veto failed by one vote, with 39 of 60 lawmakers voting to override the governor's veto. Initially, 56 members voted in favor of passing the bill.

“I think the governor was correct in that the policy was light on reform,” Griffin told senators. “I encouraged lawmakers to maintain the veto because I think the governor was right in that we have been on a path of increased spending without meaningful reform for a very long time. It is.”

Senate Education Committee Chairman Loki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat, said he plans to vote against Griffin's confirmation because of his lobbying efforts and urges other members to do so. He said he would encourage them not to approve it.

“I've heard people talk about lobbying members of Congress, and I think that's very close to violating the Executive Office Ethics Act,” Tobin said.

The law prohibits board members from lobbying if they are compensated.

Mr. Tobin also questioned the research Mr. Griffin used to argue in favor of charter and distance learning programs, as well as his support for giving the State Board of Education the authority to approve new charter schools. I threw it.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars went from public funds into private hands during my tenure on the State Board of Education,” Tobin said.

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When Griffin was appointed to the State Board of Education in 2019, Dunleavy also removed Sitka teacher Rebecca Himschut, whose term was scheduled to expire in 2021, from the board.

Himshut, who was elected to the state House of Representatives as an independent in 2022 and currently serves on the House Education Committee, said during a House education hearing earlier this month that distance learning students have been widely successful. He asked pointed questions about Mr. Griffin's claims, including his claims. Less than 20% of students take the statewide test, making it difficult for education officials to assess student success.

Republican former lieutenant governor Loren Lehman spoke before the House Education Committee in support of Griffin's reauthorization. He said Griffin has a “willingness to challenge the status quo.”

Several public school advocates spoke out against Griffin's confirmation, including Caroline Strom, executive director of the Education Equity Coalition, which advocates for increased funding for public schools. She said Griffin's “efforts to expand charter flights are not the answer in remote and rural Alaska.”

Immediately before his appointment to the board, Griffin served as treasurer of an independent spending group that spent millions of dollars on Dunleavy's campaign. In 2011, Griffin ran for the Anchorage School Board, but lost to incumbent Pat Higgins.