By REP. KEVIN MCCABE
This year, the Legislature passed HB 57, which locked in the largest permanent Base Student Allocation (BSA) increase in Alaska’s history, adding $184 million a year to school district budgets. When the governor vetoed $200 of the $700 per-student increase from the budget, amounting to $50.6 million, the Legislature overrode him in special session. That means districts will now receive the full $184 million with no real guarantee of better results for Alaskan children.
Supporters of the override say the money was needed to avoid “starving” districts, to reward minor policy changes, and to provide stable funding. The truth is that Alaska’s education system is already among the most expensive in the nation and among the worst for results. More money without serious reform will only lock in failure.
Alaska spends over $18,000 per student yet ranks 51st out of 53 states and territories in academic performance. Parents are voting with their feet, pulling their children from neighborhood schools in favor of charter schools, homeschooling, or private education. And chronic absenteeism, especially in the bush schools, is rampant.
Since the foundation formula is tied to average daily membership, declining numbers should trigger reduced funding. Instead, the Legislature increased spending via a higher BSA for the same districts without requiring better test scores, higher graduation rates, or other performance measures.
As I have said before, “Alaska’s education cartel is counting kids for cash.” And with fewer kids, they need more cash per kid to retain jobs. And this “cash” is free to them; just get the NEA to trigger Alaskans via emotional, media-supported rhetoric, and voila, other people’s money appears.
Some point to policy changes tied to HB 57, such as class size caps or cellphone bans, as reform. However, these provisions in the final bill are weak, often optional, and do not address the root causes of enrollment loss. Parents are leaving because of poor curricula, a lack of accountability, and limited school choice.
Article VII, Section 1 of Alaska’s Constitution requires a public school system, but it does not mandate automatic funding increases. The 2011 Moore v. State ruling confirmed that a “meaningful educational opportunity” requires rational standards, effective assessments, and strong oversight alongside adequate funding. Judge Sharon Gleason said that funding alone does not meet the constitutional requirement.
True reform would include performance-based teacher pay, school choice through charter schools, vouchers, open enrollment, tribal compacting, and competition that encourages innovation. HB 57’s token changes do not come close to justifying a $184 million increase, and the education-industrial complex knows it. The NEA is already on record saying, “This is a step in the right direction….” Of course it is – it increases their revenue through increases in union dues. And come January they will be coming for MOAR!
The argument for “stable” funding also collapses under scrutiny. Proponents claim a permanent $700 BSA increase allows schools to plan and that one-time funding is a failed business model. Alaska’s revenue base depends heavily on oil, which is inherently volatile. Committing to permanent increases under those conditions is fiscally reckless. And the “one-time funding” comment is highly misleading. What they should reference is one-time “increases.” But using that as an excuse to accept a record-breaking perpetual increase, fails the smell test. It is an especially egregious justification when history shows the Legislature has always met legitimate education needs, even if only on a one-time basis such as the $322 million added by the 32nd Legislature.
The Moore decision did not give the Legislature a blank check to hand to school districts; it demanded results. When enrollment falls because of low birth rates, outmigration, or parents rejecting poor schools, districts must quickly adjust their budgets. The districts are not supposed to operate as jobs programs. A real business model ties investment to performance, not guaranteed cash flow. One-time funding allows the Legislature to check progress before committing to more spending. Permanent increases without accountability only support a system that is losing students because it is failing them.
Some Republican legislators explained their votes by saying district needs outweighed the discomfort of opposing a governor from their own party. In my opinion, that choice prioritized short-term political comfort over long-term principle and ignored the more than 80 years of combined education and school district management experience in the current administration. An article in the Alaska Beacon stated, “Public polling ahead of the vote showed only 35 percent of Republicans supported an override, compared to 65 percent of independents and 91 percent of Democrats.”
Siding with the education-industrial complex, which protects jobs and budgets before students, and it not accountable to the Legislature is a disservice to both families and children.
Alaska’s students deserve schools that earn parental trust. That means funding tied to results, expanding school choice, cutting administrative bloat, and putting more money into classrooms instead of bureaucracies. It means demanding accountability even when it is unpopular.
It is time to stop pretending that higher spending automatically means better education. The Legislature should find the courage to reform the system, hold districts accountable, and put students first.
Rep. Kevin J. McCabe represents House District 30 and is committed to fiscal responsibility and educational excellence.
Save the children and close schools.
Follow the money. This cash won’t benefit the students; instead, it will go to the unions, with increased members paying higher dues.