By KENDAL KRUSE
Education is the cornerstone of a thriving society, and in Alaska, our education system is at a critical juncture. The need for comprehensive reform is not just a policy discussion; it’s necessary for our future. Despite generous funding per student compared to many states, Alaska continues to lag in outcomes. We must have reforms.
Recent reports and studies have highlighted that Alaska’s public school charter schools achieve some of the best results in the nation. Our charter school success is a beacon, showing that with the right reforms, we can achieve remarkable results. Parents know that charter schools offer their students something that many neighborhood schools cannot, and the growing number of students on waitlists is evidence of that.
Gov. Dunleavy recognizes that parents are demanding a variety of education models for their children and is advocating for policies that expand educational choice. Sadly, his proposals have met with resistance from special interests, who seem more interested in funding a system than meeting the demands of parents and students.
In addition to the creation of more charter schools, increased funding for public homeschool correspondence programs is also a pressing need. These programs have seen a significant rise in enrollment, with over 23,000 students participating last year — about 18% of all Alaska’s students. Currently, families only receive about $2,700 every year for the most common correspondence programs, compared to a statewide average of $21,058 per student. This amount hasn’t kept pace with educational costs, the needs of students in remote areas or those choosing homeschooling for personalized education. It also raises serious questions about equity.
The current correspondence funding calculation also creates a financial burden for school districts that have correspondence programs. Dunleavy’s proposal to calculate funding differently would increase the amount of funding for school districts and could empower more families to tailor education to their children’s unique needs, especially in regions where traditional schooling is logistically challenging.
Another critical aspect to education reform must be the alignment of education with workforce needs. Alaska’s economy is unique, with significant opportunities in fields like skilled labor, resource management, health care and technology. Alaska’s business community supports the governor’s efforts to expand career and technical education (CTE) opportunities for students. His proposed changes will provide more options for CTE training and will better prepare students for real-world jobs that are available in our state.
Finally, the most important reforms could be those that support our teachers and the collaboration between public educators and the people they serve — Alaska’s parents and students. Teachers are the heart of education, and without supported and motivated teachers, no amount of reform will succeed. The implementation of cellphone-free policies during instructional times, as proposed in some legislative bills, could be one way to enhance classroom focus and teacher effectiveness. School district policies must also limit the amount of disruption that occurs in classrooms.
The involvement of parents and communities in educational reforms cannot be overstated. The current system often lacks transparency and accountability, which has led to a disconnect between what Alaskans want for their children’s education and what is currently delivered. Educators must include parents in policy decisions and parents need to be actively engaged in helping their children to be more successful. Everyone should recognize that we must do something different if we want different results.
Alaska has many great educators and local districts have made some good policy changes, but the overall system is crying out for reform. With Alaska’s dubious status of being 51st out of 53 in NAEP scores and over half of our students below basic proficiency in core subject areas, despite spending an average of more than $21,000 per student annually, the evidence for needed change is clear.
We must address the increasing demand for correspondence schooling by boosting funding, alleviating the pressure on charter schools by streamlining their expansion and better supporting our teachers. A multifaceted approach that includes accountability, innovation in teaching methods, strategic funding and community engagement is not just beneficial but essential. The future of our children depends on our ability to reform education now.
It’s not just about funding; it’s about rethinking and restructuring how we educate the next generation of Alaskans.
Kendal Kruse is mother of four young Alaskans and serving on the Mat Su School Board. The opinions expressed here are her own.
It’s simple – that’s why the government parasitical slugs can’t figure it out.
Privatize education.
One of the top 10 schools in America, based on standardized test scores is Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage.
Tuition costs are $7500.00 per year versus the $21,000.00+ per year in Anchorage where the MAJORITY of students are reading or performing math at grade level.
The difference?
No DEI or ESG nonsense.
3 teachers for every 1 administrator versus the 3 administrators for every 1 teacher in ASD.
Traditional teaching methods to insure strong functional literacy in reading and math.
And, oh yeah, no teachers unions – if you’re a bad teacher you are fired, period.
This is the model for a good education.
Anything is just more expensive with less results.
Exactly!!!
The school teachers often act like university professors. They present the material but don’t help the students. There is little help if they start to fall behind. And then there is all the sex stuff, porn book fight, two months ago a pronoun survey, and boys on girl wrestling is still happening. They make girls feel left out if they don’t want to wrestle boys. I watched guys smooshing a teen girls breasts with her back on the floor a couple weeks ago. Grabbing the girls chest or crotch to flip them over. What are we teaching boys?? They are also loathed to punish bullies afraid of losing money. Accountability? Secretive. You shouldn’t have to fight the schools to do their jobs and not push pervert ideas on them.
An excellent article!
Lost us at “boosting funding”, Kendal.
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Without a DOGE forensic audit of education industry finances and managemnt practices
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…with FUBAR’d grand jury and election systems
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…with what looks a lot like racketeering in at least one school board
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…with at least one superintendent thumbing his nose at ICE to keep on doing God knows what with illegal-alien children
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…with a lobbyist-legislator team who seem perfectly happy keeping things just the way they are while threatening us with new taxes,
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…what do you want to “reform”, how much extra money needs to be poured into this bloody racket to “reform” it?
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Should those who butchered Alaska’s education system be allowed to “reform” it, if not what should be done with them, and who’ll do it?
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See the problem, Kendal?
Uneducated adults are more easily swayed by democrat/union falsehoods.
OK, we know what works, we know what we need to do (maybe…). How do we get from here to where we need to be? You, on the school board – why hasn’t this already been done?
Pothole syndrome – The teachers NEED a raise… “We just need more money to give teachers a raise.” So we give you more money. Teachers get a tiny token raise. Next year, “the teachers NEED a raise, we just need more money”… We’ve had it with this bureau’rat money game.
You know what to do – GET IT DONE. And while you’re at it, get rid of at least 50% of the school district administration – then you can actually give the teachers a raise.