Legislation before the Alaska House of Representatives would boost the Base Student Allocation in Alaska by $100.
That’s the amount provided to school districts each year for each student enrolled.
Representatives Les Gara and Harriet Drummond, both D-Anchorage, introduced House Bill 339 on Feb. 9.
Public education in Alaska is roughly $25 million less today than compared to 2015, according to the non-partisan Legislative Finance Division, and considering effects of inflation, that loss is actually $90 million, they said.
“School funding cuts are demoralizing teachers and parents to the point they are leaving the state,” Gara said.
“The bipartisan Alaska House Majority Coalition has worked to maintain an adequate level of education funding, but school districts continue to lose ground to inflation and increased costs for things like health care and energy,” Drummond said. “We must draw the line somewhere, and for me it’s excessive class sizes.”
A teleconference hearing on the bill is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 a.m. before the House Education Committee, chaired by Drummond.
