Gov. Mike Dunleavy posted a message on X/Twitter on Monday indicating that he is not completely satisfied with the massive education spending package sent to him by the Senate and House of Representatives.
“My initial review of the education bill was that it falls far short of improving student outcomes. It appears to be doing the same thing we have been doing for decades – just more. This does not support the Reed Act, does nothing to improve access to public charter schools, and does nothing for teacher recruitment and retention. Same thing. You cannot repeat it over and over again and expect different results,” he writes.
SB 140 would provide $500 million in new education spending each year for the $680 base student allocation, the largest increase in spending in at least a decade.
BSA spending is essentially a blank check and includes no accountability measures to ensure better outcomes for Alaska's failing schools. Alaska has some of the highest spending in the nation, and with the exception of Alaska's high-performing charter schools, student performance remains at the bottom of almost every measure.
The governor has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday at 12:45 p.m., and SB140 will be the topic of discussion, officials said. Whether he will sign all or part of the bill, veto it, or ask Congress to do something to sign it is arguably the biggest question reporters have for him. Dew.
The Senate issued a statement saying it was satisfied with the bill, but the supermajority's announcement did not mention funding. The only place the money could come from is the Alaskan Permanent Fund dividend, which was cut by three-quarters by the Senate last year.
SB 140 removed language that helped charter schools thrive and removed the governor's priority, which was Alaska's teacher retention bonus. The teachers union probably didn't want that bonus because it was beyond the union's ability to assess union dues.
Some analysts say the bill's funding for the Reading Act, which helps students learn to read at grade level, is structured so that it only goes into school districts' general funds and doesn't actually help them. It says that there are.
