Alaska Education Funding Bill Introduced Amid Legislative Debate
Juneau, AK — Representative Rebecca Himschoot of Sitka announced a significant education funding bill on January 24, 2025, which aims to increase Alaska’s public school financing by over 35%. The proposed legislation seeks to allocate approximately $464 million more annually, raising the total to around $1.2 billion for the state’s educational institutions.
As a co-chair of the House Education Committee and a former public school teacher, Himschoot emphasized the need for increased funding, citing years of stagnant educational spending. The bill’s early introduction sets the stage for a prolonged discussion, as many legislators in the House majority have already identified education funding as their top priority for this session.
However, the proposal could face challenges, particularly due to Governor Mike Dunleavy’s historical resistance to increases in school funding. Last year, he vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have added $175 million to the budget. While he indicated openness to a $200 million increase contingent upon education policy reforms, Himschoot expressed hesitance to link funding increases to these reforms, stating that the primary obligation is to adequately fund schools.
The bill proposes an initial increase of $1,000 to the Base Student Allocation (BSA), incrementally raising it to about $7,768 over the next three years. This increase is designed to align education funding with inflation rates, addressing concerns that Alaska may not be fulfilling its constitutional duty to maintain a public school system.
The House Education Committee plans to hold public testimony sessions soon, with hopes of advancing the bill for further review. Despite potential budgetary challenges stemming from declining oil revenues, Himschoot remains optimistic about expediting the process to support Alaska’s educational needs.
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