Last Thursday, Skagway High School students participated in a statewide walkout. The last-minute event was a learning opportunity for the young students, as KHNS reporter Melinda Munson said.
Fourth and fifth graders at Skagway School learned an unexpected lesson in civics on April 4 when they witnessed high school students participating in a walkout. The 20 high school students finished class at 11 a.m. and gathered at the flagpole. Protesters listened to speeches and discussed Gov. Mike Dunleavy's veto of the education funding bill (Senate Bill 140).
The bill would increase the base student allotment by $680. This formula is used to determine how much money states give schools per student. There has been no significant increase since 2017. The Legislature could not override the governor's veto with a single vote.
Skagway fourth- and fifth-graders were not allowed to participate in the protests, but they observed them from their classroom windows. The fourth graders talked about what they had witnessed, sometimes all at once.
Reporter: “Why are you standing by the window?'' Let's raise our voices. ”
Student 1: “We support high school students.”
Reporter: “How is high school going?”
Student 2: “They are protesting to pay more for our school.”
Student 3: Because the president and governors vetoed a law that gave schools more money per student. ”
Student 4: “And we are fighting for education, for our education.” right. ”
Student 5: “And I don't think we're receiving enough money for our schools and our students.”
Tenth grade student Lina Hischer was at the forefront of the protest and was the first to address the crowd. In her speech, she outlined the history of the student base allocation and expressed her disappointment that her veto was not overridden.
“Every dollar invested in our education system is an investment in the well-being of every student and the well-being of our state,” she said. “However, Governor Dunleavy’s actions send a clear message that education is not a priority for his administration. Therefore, while most of us cannot vote, by participating in protests like this, Hopefully we can get the attention of legislators and governors who have continually proven that education is not a priority. And hopefully this will change their minds. Therefore, similar bills in the future If introduced, legislators will vote in favor of students because students are the people they should be serving.”
The protest was organized via social media by the Alaska Student Government Association. Many students wore “educational red.” It was not a school-sanctioned event. No staff or teachers were present, only one parent attended. The participating students were absent during that period and were unable to participate in after-school activities.
Junior Calvin Miller reminded his fellow students that the strike extends beyond Skagway.
“And I don't know if we've made this point clear, but yeah, it's happening across the state,” he said. “Right now, even in Utčagvik, where it's 1 degree Celsius, there are hundreds of children standing outside in colder weather. So we're trying to make a difference across the state.”
Senior Professor Charles Deitch said he's protesting on behalf of school districts that aren't as well-funded as Skagway.
“And this is not just about us,” he said. “We're showing support to large schools like Juneau that really, really need the money, and rural areas up north. We're supporting them and seeing their funding increase and We want their education to be a priority for the state.”
In writing statementDunleavy said he vetoed the bill “because it does not include education reform.”
The students returned to the school campus after eating their fill of goldfish crackers and fruit snacks.
