Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday evening vetoed Senate Bill 140, a bill that he might have supported had the Legislature kept in a couple of measures that he wanted, such as charter school authorizations.
Instead, it’s a bill that adds $680 per student to every school district, and asks nothing in return — not performance, not quality, just status quo.
The governor was left with approving a bill that turned into a spending bill, with no education reform or expectation. He said no.
“After a thorough analysis and careful consideration, I have decided to veto Senate Bill 140. SB 140 contains a record increase in the BSA. Although I SUPPORT an increase to the BSA – there were no new approaches, other than enhanced funding, to increase educational outcomes. SB 140 lacked sufficient changes in how charter schools are chartered in order to allow more students and families charter school possibilities,” he said in a statement.
“The lack of such reforms, given our success, with charter schools did not justify the passage of this bill that increases spending without needed reforms.
“There is still time in this session to address some of the issues such as increasing broadband speeds for our schools in Alaska. There is also still time in this session to enhance our charter school offerings and methods by which they are chartered.
“I will continue to work with legislators, as I have throughout my time as governor, to bring about educational reforms that put the needs of Alaskan families first – not the wants of special interest groups.
“Furthermore, I will review the appropriations bills following the legislative session to ensure schools are being adequately funded and the state’s limited resources are being spent appropriately,” the governor said.
Dunleavy will hold a brief press conference Friday morning at 11 a.m. in his Juneau cabinet room to further explain the veto.
It appears the Legislature has the votes to override his veto, with a handful of soft Republicans having told him they intend to override because they are running for reelection and believe this will help them get votes.
Dunleavy waited until the 11th hour on the final day when he’d either have to veto the bill or let it go into law. It was unclear what he planned to do, and during a press conference earlier in the day, House Speaker Cathy Tilton said she had no idea.
The Legislature is likely to meet on Monday in a joint session to vote on overriding the veto. That would need 40 legislators voting in favor of an override.
