JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – As lawmakers dig deeper into the education funding debate, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Tuesday that a new study he commissioned will examine what Alaskans want when it comes to education. Promoted state polls.
The governor said the poll was conducted days after he vetoed the education bill, which he said was just a “spending” bill and did not address improving educational outcomes.
The poll, conducted by Dittman Research at a cost of $37,000, surveyed 810 people from various backgrounds across Alaska. The governor feels that the results of this survey show that the majority of those surveyed share the belief that the education bill should address reforms, not just increase spending.
Of those surveyed, 41% were from Anchorage, 11% were from rural Alaska, 27% reported being Republican, and 18% were Democrats.
Survey data shows that while 77% of respondents support increasing basic student placements (BSAs), only 57% say reform of the education system is most important to improve educational outcomes. Of these, 33% said increasing education funding was most important. element.
Opinions on charter schools were surveyed, with 73% of respondents saying they support public charter schools that utilize excess capacity from other public schools, something they said was missing from the education bill the governor vetoed. reflected the policy. Only 64% of respondents supported increasing education funding for public charter schools. Bonus incentive programs to recruit and retain teachers were approved by her 71% of respondents.
The governor said he was satisfied with the findings.
“I had no idea what the outcome was going to be. I thought it would be similar to this. Because of the conversations I had with people, I expected them to be similar to this. ” Dunleavy said.
However, there were some questions regarding the vote. For example, only 38% of those surveyed had school-age children, and 19% of those surveyed had children attending charter schools.
The governor has advocated for an education bill that would streamline the charter school approval process and provide relief for parents with children on charter school waiting lists. He also wants Congress to approve a bill that would give the State Board of Education the power to approve new charter schools.
Sen. Bill Wilechowski (D-Anchorage), who opposes the governor's charter school proposal because he believes it would take control away from local school boards, says why the issue of state control and charter schools is at the polls. I am wondering if this is not included in one of the questions.
“One of the big issues we're working on here with charter schools is to turn over to the State Board of Education who runs the charter schools, who certifies the charter schools, and then to Does that mean we're going to take it away from society?' I think the majority of Alaskans probably don't agree with that, and that question wasn't asked in this poll,” Wirechowski said.
The Anchorage senator also said that when it came to school funding, respondents were not asked how the BSA should be set up. The operating budget currently proposed on the House floor provides for a one-time payment of $680 for the BSA, but some House minority members have proposed higher amounts, ranging from $800 to $1,413. He claims he is demanding a sum of money.
“If you ask someone, for example, do they support increasing education funding, as we found in the poll, 77% support increasing education funding. But that's a $1,400 increase in the BSA. Does that mean the BSA will increase by $600? So this poll doesn't really show the level of specificity that is needed,” Wierechowski said. said.
The House majority is questioning those who support a higher BSA, asking if the House minority wants to withdraw money from Permanent Fund dividends to fund a higher BSA.
In a poll commissioned by the governor, 23% of respondents supported using the PFD to increase education funding.
Asked about questions that Wirechowski and others felt should have been included in the poll, the governor said he did not intentionally leave them out.
“There are only so many questions a person can ask. There's always the ability to guess the survey question. It just didn't come to mind. It wasn't explicitly ruled out. It wasn't something that came to mind.”
The bill, HB 392, which just passed the House Education Committee, includes a provision that would give the State Board of Education the authority to approve new charter schools, as well as a $680 increase for the BSA.
However, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Tom McKay (R-Anchorage), removed language regarding teacher incentives from HB 392 because it was a “controversial” topic among lawmakers.
The governor has advocated for teacher bonuses ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to help recruit and retain teachers in Alaska, but many members of the Senate majority are unsure how to fund such a proposal. I have doubts about whether it will be covered. The governor's proposal would cost the state about $180 million over three years.
HB 392 now needs to pass the House Finance Committee before heading to the full House.
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