The 2024 Election, AASB, and the Fate of Public Education
Lon Garrison, AASB Executive Director
The statewide general election is coming up on Tuesday, November 5th. Every election is important, but this one is especially crucial for public schools and the ability to provide quality education to every student in the state. It’s unlikely to see a significant shift to a supermajority in the House, and there may be a reduced bipartisan coalition in the Senate. The narrow majority makes a veto override highly improbable, but it also means that most successful legislation must be bipartisan. Thus, it is very important that AASB, with your help, educate all candidates for the House and Senate about the priorities you have agreed upon and the crucial needs your district has for ensuring every student’s success.
With the governor halfway through his term, we are facing two more years of an administration with a different view of public education than most Alaskans. This view challenges Alaska’s Constitution and its prohibition on using public funds for private and religious schools (Article 7, Section 1 of Alaska’s Constitution). Governor Dunleavy and others advocate for limiting education funding and argue that our public education system does not provide or support sufficient choice within the public school system. They believe that student outcomes will only improve through unconditional school choice, whether public or private, supported by public funds. AASB’s membership is currently resolved to support sufficient and sustainable funding through increases in the Base Student Allocation (BSA) and to maintain local governance control of charter school formation through local school boards. Where We Stand 2024
The AASB Board of Directors has three legislative priorities that have been in place since November 2023. The board will evaluate these priorities and any changes in the membership’s resolutions at its annual meeting in November after the conclusion of the 2024 Delegate Assembly. For now, we continue to move forward with our advocacy aligned with the following three priorities. AASB urges each school board member to consider the following priorities as we begin our advocacy campaign this fall.
Sufficient and Sustainable Public Education Funding
The Base Student Allocation (BSA) has only received one permanent increase since 2017, which was a minimal increase of $30.00. School districts are cautious about using one-time funding for new programs or increasing staff, as this funding will not be available for subsequent years. Inflation since 2017 has eroded the purchasing power of the flat-funded BSA, leading to the need for school districts to reduce expenditures by eliminating or reducing various activities and staff. Additionally, the facilities deferred maintenance list is growing longer every year, resulting in the degradation of schools and learning environments.
Retention and Recruitment of Teachers, Administrators, & Staff
There is a severe shortage of teachers, administrators, education specialists, and support staff across the entire United States. School districts are finding it difficult to compete with each other to fill vacant positions. In the past, Alaska was considered a top state for educators to build their careers. However, this is no longer the case due to various reasons. Alaska’s retirement program, a defined contribution program, provides incentives for educators to leave the state once vested in the program and move to a state with a better retirement program. Additionally, with no increase in the BSA (Base Student Allocation), Alaska’s teaching salaries have decreased to a level that makes it nearly impossible for educators to maintain a reasonable lifestyle considering the level of education required for a teaching certificate. New teachers struggle to afford housing, living expenses, and often have student debt on their salary in Alaska today. Due to the intense competition for teachers nationwide, Alaska districts have been forced to utilize programs such as the U.S. Department of State J-1 Exchange Visitors visa classification or the H1-B program to hire foreign teachers with special provisions to fill vacancies. Despite these efforts, school districts commonly have year-long unfilled vacancies, resulting in overcrowded classrooms or long-term substitutes.
Student Wellness and School Safety
Alaska’s students are still feeling the impact of two years of remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trauma is a serious issue for today’s youth, and it doesn’t stay outside the school doors. Students bring their mental health challenges into the school, creating a burden for both the students and the school staff, who have to address these issues while also focusing on education. Social media plays a significant role in causing trauma among young people, with hurtful and false accusations often going unpunished. Furthermore, there has been an increase in violence and inappropriate behavior in the general population, leading to concerns about physical school safety. Simple fire drills are no longer the only safety precautions schools must consider; they now have to prepare for scenarios such as active shooters, bomb threats, and threatening anonymous phone calls. Ensuring student safety has become a major responsibility for school districts, especially considering that many school buildings were not designed to address the current threats to student safety.
Your AASB Advocacy Team is beginning to represent your association before each candidate of the legislature and the governor. We are unable to do this alone. As a locally elected school board official, your voice is typically much more effective than a paid AASB staff member. We strive to provide factual and impactful information to help you become even more effective in that responsibility.
We encourage you to get involved by taking the following advocacy actions:
- Contact legislative candidates running for reelection or election and learn their positions on education issues. Provide any information you obtain to the AASB Advocacy Team.
- If you are a school board member or superintendent, please read our legislative newsletter, “The Session,” which is emailed to you every Monday morning during the legislative session. Through it, you can stay informed on the legislature’s activities.
- Respond to the “Calls-To-Action” sent out via email or text to board members. You can respond via text, email, telephone calls, or virtual testimony. The “Call-To-Action” will contain instructions and a synopsis of the important issues at that time. It is critical for legislators to hear from you. Your voice makes a difference.
- Plan to attend the AASB Fly-In in Juneau and meet legislators face-to-face from February 8 to 11, 2025.
- Keep those in your community who are interested in education informed on what is happening in the legislature. Enlist them in responding to our “Calls-To-Action.” Help them craft their message. These include parents, students, local business owners, city/village officials, tribal staff and members, community elders, and graduates of your schools.
- Anytime a legislator is in your community, invite them to your schools. Accompany them on their visit and show them the great things happening with students. Show them your needs to be able to provide an excellent education for every student every day.
Lon Garrison
Executive Director
Association of Alaska School Boards
Grammarly AI was used to assist in the grammar and editing of the content of this article.