How candidates for the Alaska Legislature are talking about education as Election Day approaches

Education is playing a big role in the Alaska Legislature’s campaigns in the final weeks before the 2024 elections.

In South Anchorage, Republican Craig Johnson said he hears a lot about education funding when he talks to voters. Many of them are asking about his vote against overriding the governor’s veto of a bill that would have provided a long-term increase in state education funding.

“We did an awful lot on education last year, (but) it all comes down to that one veto vote,” Johnson said.

Senate Bill 140 would increase per-pupil base funding by 11%, or $680, a long-term goal for school districts that have complained about years of flat funding under the state formula.

Bill was adopted overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives and the Senate by a vote of 56 to 3. But lawmakers he lost by one vote replace Gov. Mike Dunleavy veto.

As a member of the House Republican leadership, Johnson first voted in favor of the bill and then upheld his veto, and said he received mixed opinions about the vote.

“Probably 50-50 people say… don’t give them more money, and the other half say we should do it,” he said.

Even if lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto, Johnson said Dunleavy would likely veto an increase in state funding after the House and Senate adjourned for this year, which would make it more difficult for schools to budget.

Johnson also said that lawmakers did increase school funding last session – the Legislature ultimately approved a funding increase equivalent to the one that was vetoed, albeit only for one year. And unlike last year, when the governor vetoed half of a similar one-time funding increase, this time Dunleavy allowed the whole thing to stand.

In any case, Johnson said he would like to see future legislatures focus on improving student outcomes. He said lawmakers should focus on expanding school choice, namely by increasing access to home education and charter schools, which was a priority for both the Republican House majority and the governor during the last legislative session.

Johnson’s opponent, Republican Chuck Kopp, did not respond to requests for an interview, but he told the Alaska Beacon wants both high standards and consistent funding for education.

Further north, civil rights attorney and Fairbanks North Star County Assembly Speaker Savannah Fletcher said she also hears a lot about veto votes during her state Senate campaign.

“This has been a point of contention for many in the district,” Fletcher said.

Independent Fletcher says funding and student outcomes go hand in hand. She said replacing the vetoed long-term raise with a one-time raise makes it harder for districts to hire and retain teachers. She said that has led to larger class sizes and fewer extracurricular activities for public school students in the sprawling Senate district, which stretches from Glennallen to parts of Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Tok and the Yukon River basin.

Her opponent in the race for the vacant District R Senate seat is retired teacher Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok. Like Johnson, he first voted for the increase and then changed course.

“People know there was a chance to get lasting, stable increases in school funding with bipartisan support, and then they know people failed, including my opponent,” Fletcher said.

Cronk did not respond to requests for an interview, but he told the Anchorage Daily News that the funding formula currently encourages districts to keep underutilized schools open rather than consolidate them and save money, arguing that “writing a big check” won’t solve public school problems.

Fletcher also said recruiting and retaining good teachers will help students achieve better, and added that returning public sector workers, including teachers, to the pension plan will go a long way toward achieving that goal. Democrats, independents and some Republicans have made restoring state pensions the next step a key issue in the House and Senate races statewide.

Anchorage Hillside Republican Rep. Julie Coulombe said she’s also hearing a lot about how she voted to uphold the governor’s veto after initially supporting the bill.

“Of course people will ask me about it, but most of the conversations I have with people are not necessarily about education funding, but about the quality of education,” Coulombe said. “They are concerned about test scores, the quality of the education they are receiving and what we are doing about it.”

Coulombe said increasing funding for public schools is “part of the solution,” but said districts also need to reassess how they deliver education amid declining student enrollment. Coulombe said she supports the so-calledsuitable size” efforts in the Anchorage school district to combine schools, saying it would allow them to better utilize shared resources.

Coulombe also said improving retirement benefits could help the state attract and retain qualified teachers. Like many Republicans, including Johnson, Coulombe said she was skeptical about returning to the defined benefit plan. But Couloumbe said she’s open to other ideas, including smaller tweaks to the existing 401(k)-style defined contribution plan.

“There are solutions to increase premiums,” she said. “You may want to reconsider signing up for Social Security. There are many different things we can fix. “I’m not going to commit to any because I would like to see a lot more analysis to see which one is best for teachers and what the state can sustain.”

Coulombe’s opponent, the independent chief executive of Calista Corp. Walter Featherly, strongly supports returning to the pension plan and increasing funding for each student.

“The need is well known and widely recognized and comes up frequently in my conversations with constituents,” Featherly said.