Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued the following statement ahead of the Special Session beginning August 2:
“The Alaska Legislature will gather in Juneau tomorrow for a special session focused on public education reform and increasing Alaska’s food production and security. There are reports that legislative leadership plans to hold at least two veto override votes before gaveling out and departing the capitol building for the airport.
No hearings on bills to improve Alaska’s dismal student test scores, no effort to lift the public school system from 51st in the nation, no tribal compacting to improve educational opportunities for our rural and Native students, and no apparent desire to prevent high school seniors from being unprepared because they don’t have the skills needed to compete for good jobs in the increasingly competitive 21st century economy.
That is a shame.
The Alaska Reads Act passed the Legislature in 2022 by one single vote. Three years later, reading test scores prove that policy improvements make all the difference. The problem is some lawmakers don’t seem to care. If they do, they wouldn’t squander every opportunity they’ve had to continue that improvement in other core areas like mathematics and writing.
Instead, the public discourse is all about money. They say if we only spent more of it the scores would improve. That is the same excuse that has been made for decades. As soon as more money is approved, the special interest groups and unions get very quiet.
Alaska’s per student spending is among the highest in the nation. Since 2019, the state has increased K-12 public education funding by more than $1.5 billion. The budget I signed this summer contained a BSA increase of $500 per student, even with my partial veto that’s still the largest BSA increase in state history.
Here is the question I have for lawmakers who have resisted any meaningful education reforms. If the legislature is not responsible for public schools – who is? I encourage Alaskans to ask their representatives and senator the same question.
We know what is needed to improve educational outcomes for students. The policies have been vetted and discussed for years. I am ready to work the next 30 days with senators and representatives, school board members, superintendents, teachers, anyone who wants to make our schools better.”
