The AFL-CIO wants the public to get activated and encourage their lawmakers to override the governor’s anticipated veto of the $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation, or basic funding formula for schools. On Facebook, the union put out a notice to rally the troops to support the extra $253 million annually for the per-student funding component.
But the Alaska public on Facebook was having none of it. The majority of commenters said “veto it,” which is what is expected to happen on Thursday, when Gov. Mike Dunleavy fulfills his promise to axe House Bill 69, which would permanently raise the BSA from current $5,960 per student. It’s a 22% increase for the school districts, where students now hover at the bottom of the 50 states in terms of actual learning, even though the districts are better funded than most in the country.
Alaska spends approximately $22,000 per pupil annually on K-12 public schools, ranking 6th in the nation for total per-pupil spending, according to 2025 data from the Education Data Initiative. Education is the second-largest category in Alaska’s budget, with $1.67 billion budgeted for the Department of Education and Early Development in FY2023
The House and Senate Democrat-led majorities supported HB 69, even though the governor had already called it a “blank check” for school districts with no expectation from them to spend it intelligently and improve how they fulfill their duties to education Alaska’s children.
On the AFL-CIO’s own Facebook post, the public is having none of it, with dozens of responses telling the union that it’s just not reading the room anymore. Here are just a few:
Year after year, the school districts have been getting one-time increases, but without a locked-in formula amount that ties the hands of future legislatures. That’s because the State has drained its reserve accounts and because conservative legislators understand that tying the hands of future lawmakers is wrong.
The union, on the other hand, knows that once the money is released to the districts, the members can then go fight to make sure they get it. HB 69 has no strings — districts are free to use their funds the way they want to, whether or not it goes to teachers, building maintenance, or more administrators. The union can then stage a strike to get the money for its members.
All of the policy pieces of HB 69 that the governor wanted, which would increase school district accountability, were stripped out by Democrat legislators and thus, on Thursday, Dunleavy is likely to make good on his veto promise.
Gov. Dunleavy has already indicated he will support a smaller BSA or another one-time increase if legislators will approve even a few of his policy measures, such as increasing fairness for homeschools and charter schools.
To hell with the unions. They have turned into a den of thieves, and the schools mismanage funds anyway, spending money on garbage that does nothing to further education. Get back to basics.
The union bosses in Alaska are Democrap, More money for stupid is a bad idea VETO VETO VETO
Alaska spends more than 44 other states on education and the “teachers” can barely graduate half of the students. Great idea, give them more money to squander. I’ve said may times: Taxpayer money and unions have no business being together.
There should never be a locked in formula. It’s unsustainable in the future. Everyone wants more but isn’t willing to cut where needed. Provide the maintenance needed on our rural schools, reduce administration in every school and every district and provide funding for educational outcomes instead of dumping it all into each district’s general funding. Alaska is smarter than this and the legislative branch needs to do their work instead of kicking the can down the road to the executive branch. If the legislature can’t figure it out, they shouldn’t be in office. We need a balanced, not bloated budget.
At what point is enough going to be enough?
The failures of Alaska public education are well established. As are it’s hard left politics.
Alaska spends insane amounts of money on the arguably worst school system in America. And the results only get worse.
If public education is not reigned in hard, and held to accountability, it will collapse this state.
It will suck our money dry while producing a supply of barely literate drones unable to compete in the modern economy
It’s gotta stop. But it won’t.
No one bothers to vote in school board elections. Union representatives not even disguised as Republicans (they used to try) shill for an untenable position and they get elected.
People who actually get it like Donally are effectively pigeonholed into non existence.
Families who can are fleeing this state for the sake of their kids.
It’s gotta stop. But it won’t.
MA, spot on commentary above.
Let’s hope that enough people have finally had enough and actually do what it takes to effect change in Education.
The teacher’s unions greed is going to lead to the death of organized labor!
Some other unions getting exorbitant pay for their members and producing disastrous results are the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association.
It’s not the money..You can throw all the $$$ you want, but it isn’t going to solve the problem with OUR education..It’s the understanding that when you teach and push for the extreme educational standards totally against basic education. It won’t go far. Each student is different and have different views and have their own goals.
Huh?
KC I read your post several times and still don’t get what you are trying to say. Do you claim that having standards is a bad thing? Please define “extreme educational standards”.
Thank you!
The unions have become corrupt any career minded politician knows that to oppose them will get you kicked out of office education without accountability should be vetoed
The Teachers Union can only represent the teachers. The students are not represented because they do not pay union dues.
Mike Dunleavy 👍👍
Union bosses 👎👎
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Now let’s activate the public for all Alaskans to receive their just and legal $3900 PFD.
$22,000 per student each year?!? Man. I raised my three kids on just a third of what the school district got to teach them! Can’t imagine how much better our lives would have been with $66,000 a year to live on!
School choice anyone?
How about no increase to the BSA period. Throwing more money at the problem does not fix it. When they improve students test scores then maybe we can talk but until them HELL NO.
I’m not against private sector unions but I absolutely hate public sector unions. The NEA is a sack of crap outfit.
I’m ashamed of Alaska, I thought it was great when we raised the state flag in Juneau. We were proud to a be state. Juneau is no longer a capital, it’s a den of thieves. Ditto the pitiful entity we call the anchorage assembly.