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Protection of women and girls from biological males in sports legislation stopped by Democrats in Senate

Suzanne Downing
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Protection of women and girls from biological males in sports legislation stopped by Democrats in Senate

US Sen. Dan Sullivan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted to advance the Senate Bill 9, Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, legislation to protect protections for women by prohibiting federal funds from going to schools and universities that allow biological males to compete against female athletes in sports or other activities designated for women or girls.

But Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block the bill from being able to advance.

In a party-line vote of 51-45, the act fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

Four senators didn’t vote: Republicans Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming; and Democrats Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Peter Welch of Vermont. Both Capito and Lummis were cosponsors of the bill but were not present for the vote.

Sen. Sullivan is a cosponsor of the bill but Sen. Lisa Murkowski is not. Even liberal Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine voted to proceed with the commonsense S.9, which was introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

The bill would codify President Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” Executive Order, signed on Feb. 5, which has wide support from Americans. The president’s order can be undone by the next Democrat president, which is why Tuberville, a former football coach, wanted it in statute.

“Too many girls and women across our country have had their dreams dashed because the former administration shredded Title IX protections by allowing biological men to compete against them in sports,” Sen. Sullivan said. “Protecting our daughters and granddaughters’ right to fair and safe competition is a civil rights issue, and I’m proud to be an original cosponsor of the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. Going forward, I am also eager to lock arms with organizations across the country and in our state to fight back against a culture that is intent on dismantling our values and denying our female athletes the right to stand on the winner’s platform.”

Sen. Sullivan had sent a letter to the former Biden Administration’s Department of Education pushing back against far-left gender ideology infiltrating Title IX and eroding women’s equality, privacy and safety.

The companion bill in the House passed in January, with Congressman Nick Begich voting in favor of it. Last year, then-Rep. Mary Peltola voted against an identical bill.

House passes bill banning males from stealing female trophies. Now, will the Senate grow some balls?

Treg Taylor: The media has twisted the facts on services for the disabled. Here’s the truth

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Treg Taylor: The media has twisted the facts on services for the disabled. Here’s the truth

By ATTORNEY GENERAL TREG TAYLOR

Separation of powers is a foundational principle of this country. We are taught in school that the legislature enacts laws; the judiciary interprets laws; and the executive enforces laws. Executive administrative agencies (such as the US Department of Health and Human Services or “DHHS”) simply do not have the authority to create new laws on their own, or to expand the scope of existing laws. The purpose of administrative regulations is to give guidance on how to carry out a statute’s intent – not to be a workaround of the legal, democratic, and political processes.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a long-standing and important statute that prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating against people with disabilities. For example, public school students with disabilities are able to receive “504 plans” to ensure that they are able to access necessary resources and supports for their education. Section 504 is a critical safeguard for Alaskans with disabilities.

Last year, DHHS finalized a regulation that imposes a one-sided, unfunded, and sweeping set of mandates that jeopardize the continued viability of state programs and services, and that are impossible for any state to fully comply with.  The regulation the State challenged claims to be interpreting Section 504, but it goes far beyond – and even acts against – the language and intent of the statute.

In fact, the new regulation is likely to undermine the State’s ability to provide ongoing service and supports.  It requires states to redesign their service delivery systems to conform to newly imagined and vaguely defined requirements, regardless of the cost or impact to the state. And penalty for failing to meet those “requirements” is a loss of federal funding. With the new regulation, DHHS acted outside of its authority, ignored significant concerns from public commenters including states, families, and advocates, and disregarded congressional intent and federal court cases.

Alaska joined a lawsuit challenging this regulation due to the negative impact on its Medicaid program, which is relied upon by nearly one-third of Alaskans. The Department of Law began communicating with the public about these concerns and its interest in the lawsuit in September 2024, when it joined, and it will continue to share updates as the case progresses.

As an example of the real world impact to Alaska’s Medicaid program, Alaska has asked – and received – permission from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive typical Medicaid rules so that it can provide additional behavioral health and home and community-based services beyond what Medicaid normally allows. Not only does the new regulation impose rules that conflict with CMS requirements for these waivers, but it also imposes substantial costs on states without increasing federal funding for Medicaid. At the same time, it burdens private providers of Medicaid services, who may choose to stop serving Medicaid recipients altogether, rather than take on new costs and administrative burdens. 

The regulation imposes sweeping yet extremely vague new requirements on states and other recipients of federal funds and threatens to take away existing federal funding (including Medicaid) if a recipient is not able to meet its impossible demands. It puts states between a rock and a hard place. If the state chooses to provide waiver services, it has to meet CMS’s requirements – but the regulation says that meeting those requirements could result in a loss of federal funding. 

The overall impact of this rule would be to decrease services and supports available to Alaskans. By joining this lawsuit, Alaska is acting to protect the integrity of the statute and the State’s existing programs and services.    

To be clear: This case is not asking the court to eliminate the Rehabilitation Act or Section 504 protections.  All 17 participating states have unequivocally stated this fact, most recently in a joint status report filed with the court on Feb. 19, 2025: 

Plaintiffs clarify that they have never moved—and do not plan to move—the Court to declare or enjoin Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794, as unconstitutional on its face. Plaintiffs have not sought and do not seek to enjoin the disbursement of funds from the Department on the basis that the statute is unconstitutional.

Recent media reports claiming otherwise are likely based on a misunderstanding of the difference between “as applied” and “facial” challenges to statutes.  The complaint in this case does not seek to have the Rehabilitation Act declared facially invalid (in other words, struck down). The plaintiff states are not asking and will not ask for the Act to be struck down in totality or in part. Our only concern is the regulation, which cannot be reconciled with a constitutional interpretation of the Rehabilitation Act.

The bottom line is this: if the plaintiffs prevail in this suit, Alaskans will experience no changes to the Section 504 protections and benefits they have always received, and the state of Alaska will continue its efforts to improve service delivery without the threat of losing federal funding due to the new regulation.”

Treg Taylor is Attorney General for Alaska.

Peltola and her chief of staff join major law practice as Alaska and federal experts

Suzanne Downing
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Peltola and her chief of staff join major law practice as Alaska and federal experts

Holland & Hart LLP announced today what many in political circles had been talking about for the past week: Former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola and her chief of staff Anton McParland joined the firm, which is primarily a law firm but also provides political and business consulting and has other non-attorneys on staff.

Peltola was named senior director of Alaska affairs, based in Anchorage. McParland will be senior director of federal affairs, based both in Washington, DC and in Anchorage.

Meanwhile, a progressive polling firm has been testing the waters in Alaska to see if Peltola is a viable candidate for representative or governor. The company doing the poll is likely Data for Progress. The national Democratic Party has targeted Alaska’s congressional seat with the aim of flipping it back to Democrat.

Screenshot
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The steady job at Holland & Hart may indicate that Peltola is stepping away from being in office for the time being. The pay is likely better and the hours will be less grueling than serving in Congress.

“Mary and Anton are great additions to our growing bipartisan team,” said Andrew Wheeler, partner and head of the firm’s Federal Affairs team. “They each bring experience working behind the scenes to cultivate stakeholder relationships and build coalitions among parties with shared interests to achieve approvals and outcomes.”

Jon Katchen, administrative partner of the Anchorage office, said, “Mary brings a unique understanding of Alaska’s distinct economic drivers and cultural landscapes that will benefit our local and regional clients. Anton has a deep understanding of congressional dynamics and an ability to craft and negotiate workable solutions based on legislators’ political and policy priorities.”

Signs and wonders: Election season is here in Anchorage and political payback is evident

Suzanne Downing
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Signs and wonders: Election season is here in Anchorage and political payback is evident

Anchorage municipal elections are the only ones in Alaska that are held in early April, and the campaign signs are an indicator that the ballots will be sent out in the mail soon to qualified voters in Alaska’s biggest city.

In Spenard, where one hotel gets millions of taxpayer dollars from the Assembly to house homeless people and vagrants during the winter, a sign for Assemblyman Kameron Perez-Verdia shows how it works. Perez-Verdia, a Democrat, signs off on the appropriation for the Alex Hotel and Suites. And the Alex allows the assemblyman to put up a large campaign sign.

The money doesn’t go directly to the Alex, but is appropriated to Henning, Inc. and MASH Property Management. That group has been paid over $6 million to operate the Alex as winter shelter for homeless since 2023.

Henning and MASH use a portion of the taxpayer money to pay for the hotel rooms, and the Alex is named in the contract with Anchorage to provide the rooms. Henning also provides these services at other hotels, such as Merrill Field Inn and Henry House.

Ballots will be mailed to voters on March 11 and the drop boxes for the ballots will be unlocked on March 12. Perez-Verdia has two challengers for his West Anchorage seat: Jonathan Duckworth and Amie Steen.

Anchorage Assemblyman Perez-Verdia calls for emergency order to shut down public process and pass compulsory mask law
Native Movement, Alaska Humanities Forum partner up to push Drag Queen Story Hour
Did assemblyman snore through meeting? Someone sure did, so they took a break

 

JBER base commander claims the base occupies Dena’ina land

Suzanne Downing
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JBER base commander claims the base occupies Dena’ina land

Colonel Lisa Mabbutt, the commander of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and the 673d Air Base Wing since July of 2024, told a legislative committee in Juneau last week that the base occupies Dena’ina land. 

Mabbutt was speaking to the House Military and Veterans’ Affairs Special Committee when she made a “land acknowledgment,” statement, both verbally and printed on her presentation.

Mabbutt was speaking on behalf of the US government when she essentially said that the government base occupies Native land.

JBER is not on Native land. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act finalized an agreement about what land is “Native” in Alaska, and those lands do not include JBER’s 64,213 acres. The largest land claims settlement act in world history, it resolved land claims and economic development issues for Alaska Natives.

Here are Mabbutt’s comments, which came near the beginning of her presentation:


The woke commander’s words were backed up by her slide presentation, which said JBER occupies Dena’ina land.

In her presentation, Mabbutt also made a pitch for the Legislature to increase the base student allocation for school funding, one of the hottest issues in the legislative session. This could be seen as a violation of the Hatch Act, because she used her official position to try to influence funding legislation.

During her presentation, she was asked by Reps. Jamie Allard and Dan Saddler about the large encampments on the base land known as Davis Park and also Arctic Valley. Mabbutt said JBER has some kind of agreement with the Municipality and indicated that the homeless occupying the base (which she believes occupies Native land) is not a security threat.

Watch her presentation at this link:

House Military & Veterans’ Affairs Special Committee

In her role, Col. Mabbutt oversees operations of the 673rd wing’s four groups, and maintains the joint base for air sovereignty, combat training, force staging, and operations in support of worldwide contingencies.

“Five of the seven command experiences at the Mabbutt-Zuhlsdorf household have been at joint bases,” said Mabbut last July when she took over as commander. “The reputation for partnership and support that you and your organizations provide, the JBER Arctic Warriors, families and mission, tops them all. I cannot wait to meet, learn from, and work side by side with each of you.”

Mabbutt previously served as commander of the 633d Mission Support Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.

Although Mabbutt does not list her pronouns on her official military biography, she lists herself as a “she/her” on her LinkedIn bio.

DOGE Alaska: How much did Assemblywoman Zaletel get for her Anchorage homelessness coalition?

Drue Pearce: Prioritizing energy means prioritizing infrastructure

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Drue Pearce: Prioritizing energy means prioritizing infrastructure

By DRUE PEARCE

In the early 1980s, I was a bank manager in Kotzebue, Alaska, 33 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Those were the days of handwritten checks, paper records, and hand-updated documents. When broadband brought high-speed internet to Alaska, all that paper went digital, and residents never looked back—until last month, when an act of nature took them offline again. 

A subsea fiber system from Prudhoe Bay to Nome began service in 2017, bringing high-speed internet service to North Slope and Northwest Arctic communities, US military assets, and Alaska’s North Slope oil fields. The system, owned by the private global communications corporation Quintillion, carries traffic for retail internet providers and government communications systems. 

In the last few years, however, two ice-scouring events have sliced the cable buried in the Beaufort Sea, knocking out service to the Northern and Western coasts of Alaska, including Kotzebue and the entire Northwest Arctic region. In June 2023, an iceberg – something only those living in the Arctic region of the US deal with – dragging along the seabed severed the broadband fiber cable that kept many parts of Alaska connected. It was thought to be a “once in a lifetime” cut, but then last month, it happened again.  

To their credit, Quintillion began working with scientific experts to better understand the unexpected offshore ice scouring in the Beaufort Sea immediately after the 2023 cable fault. At the time, they completed a challenging subsea repair to restore service, but the need for a resilient, redundant system in the future was clear. 

They determined that the most expedient alternative solution, should there be a future issue with the subsea cable, would be to build a terrestrial “land bridge” onshore across State of Alaska lands and the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A), from Utqiagvik to Prudhoe Bay, and create a “loop.” This would provide the imperative redundancy needed to protect the system’s operational efficiency.

Over a year ago, Quintillion started working with the Inupiat Community of the Arctic to apply for a FEMA Building Resilience in Communities grant to assist in funding the construction of the land bridge. BRIC grants are specifically for supporting communities as they build capacity and capability to reduce hazard risks.

Given Alaska’s role in our national defense, as home to the largest oil field in North America, and its significant energy production, a government investment in the system’s resiliency seems like a no-brainer. However, the window for awarding grants came and went last fall, and in a seemingly last kick to Alaska before he left office, the Biden administration identified the application for further review but then did nothing with it. 

President Biden’s war on Alaska began as soon as he took office. He sought to continuously lock up lands, shut down resource development — the lifeblood of the state’s economy — and restrict access to opportunity. In his final few days in office, Biden’s administration rolled out yet another swath of NPR-A regulations designed to create a wilderness area in a place specifically set aside for development and force his ideologies on Alaskans without considering how they would affect the state and its residents. And for that, the funding needed to bring resilient high-speed internet access back to North and Western Alaska sits in a holding pattern.

To the contrary, President Trump made it clear from day one that he understands the importance of Alaska to our country’s energy security and national security and has prioritized economic movement and development. In the three short weeks since his inauguration, he has gotten more done for the good of this country and the state I call home than in all of Biden’s four years. President Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are now in the position to move the FEMA BRIC grant forward and ensure the systems needed for energy development, national defense systems, and quality of life can be quickly brought back online and made resilient for the future.  

Mother Nature makes the Arctic a hard enough place to do business without having to worry about Uncle Sam’s hoops and red tape. We should encourage investment and welcome those who continue to innovate, drive progress, and create opportunities for Alaska and for the good of the country.

Drue Pearce served as deputy administrator of the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration at the U.S Department of Transportation, as a senior adviser to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretaries Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne, and as the federal coordinator at the Office of Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects. She also served twice as the Alaska State Senate president and is now with Holland and Hart.

Michael Tavoliero: The 2025 Ukraine peace sabotage by Democrats. A pattern of US foreign policy failures

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Michael Tavoliero: The 2025 Ukraine peace sabotage by Democrats. A pattern of US foreign policy failures

By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO

A defining moment for diplomacy was within reach. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked into the White House, expected to finalize a mineral agreement with President Donald Trump—a deal that, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was already agreed upon and was widely seen as a step toward a potential ceasefire with Russia.

Yet, instead of peace, the meeting collapsed into chaos, ensuring no deal, no ceasefire, and no end to the war.

Now, explosive details suggest this wasn’t just a diplomatic failure—it was deliberate political sabotage.

The shadow meeting that changed everything

Just hours before the White House meeting, Zelenskyy quietly and without notice to the president, met with anti-Trump Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

What was said? What pressure was exerted?

Less than an hour after Murphy’s cryptic post on X, where he hinted at Zelenskyy’s changed stance, the Ukrainian leader clashed with Trump in front of the press, and the deal was dead.

“Just finished a meeting with President Zelensky here in Washington. He confirmed that the Ukrainian people will not support a fake peace agreement where Putin gets everything he wants and there are no security arrangements for Ukraine.”

Does this fit the pattern of historical US war manipulation

This wouldn’t be the first time US leadership prolonged a war for political or financial gain. Let’s compare:

1. Iraq War (2003) – built on lies

Like Iraq, deception was used to prolong war.
Like Iraq, defense contractors profited from continued conflict.
Like Iraq, the biggest winners were political elites—not civilians caught in the crossfire.

The Bush Administration falsely claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction to justify an invasion. No WMDs were found, but the war lasted over a decade.
Who benefited? Defense giants like Halliburton (linked to Cheney), Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.

Comparison to Ukraine (2025):

  • In Iraq, false intelligence was used to start a war.
  • In Ukraine (2025), peace was allegedly sabotaged to continue a war.

2. Libya (2011) – ‘Humanitarian’ regime change left a country in ruins

Like Libya, US intervention led to prolonged instability.
Like Libya, Western interests benefited while civilians suffered.
Like Libya, war was prolonged under the illusion of “helping.”

The Obama Administration led a NATO-backed war in Libya, claiming to prevent humanitarian atrocities.
Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown, but Libya collapsed into chaos, terrorism, and open-air slave markets.
Leaked Hillary Clinton emails suggest the real goal was to block Gaddafi’s plan for a gold-backed currency that would rival Western banking systems.

Comparison to Ukraine (2025):

  • Libya’s war continued despite U.S. claims of “stabilization.”
  • Ukraine’s war allegedly continued despite an opportunity for peace.

3. Rwanda (1994) – Political considerations overruled human lives

Like Rwanda, US political calculations came before stopping mass death.
Like Rwanda, the decision to let the conflict continue was intentional.
Like Rwanda, the real victims were civilians—not politicians.

Clinton’s administration ignored clear intelligence warning of genocide in Rwanda.
800,000 people were slaughtered while the US blocked United Nations peacekeepers from intervening.
Years later, Clinton admitted failure but the damage was done.

Comparison to Ukraine (2025):

  • In Rwanda, peacekeepers were blocked, and mass killings continued.
  • In Ukraine, peace was allegedly blocked, and war raged on.

4. Ukraine Coup (2014) – The US helped ignite the war it later prolonged

Like 2014, US officials allegedly interfered in Ukraine’s leadership.
Like 2014, US actions escalated conflict rather than resolving it.
Like 2014, billions in US aid flooded the country, benefitting war profiteers.

The Obama-Biden administration backed the 2014 coup, replacing Ukraine’s elected government with a US-approved regime.
Leaked calls showed U.S. officials handpicking Ukraine’s new leadership before Yanukovych was even removed.
The coup triggered Russia’s annexation of Crimea and led directly to the current war.

Comparison to Ukraine (2025):

  • In 2014, the US helped create the war.
  • In 2025, the US allegedly blocked peace to keep the war going.

Who Benefited from sabotaging peace?

If peace was rejected, who gained?

Political operatives who want to deny Trump a victory

  • If Trump had secured peace, it would have been a huge win for him ahead of the 2024 election.
  • By blocking peace, Ukraine remained a political tool instead of a diplomatic success.

The military industrial complex

  • Every day this war continues, billions flow into defense contractors.
  • Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics have seen record profits.
  • The same companies profited from Iraq, Libya, and now Ukraine.

Lockheed Martin stock surged over 40% since the war began.
Raytheon received $3 billion in military orders for Ukraine war stock replenishment.
General Dynamics’ combat vehicle production revenue increased by 25%.

Global power players & energy interests

  • The longer Ukraine remains unstable, the more leverage financial elites have.
  • European energy markets remain disrupted, ensuring US dominance.
  • Global financiers profit from war-related economic shifts.

Was this illegal? The case for investigation

If Democratic lawmakers deliberately obstructed a foreign policy agreement outside official government channels, federal laws may have been violated. For example:

Logan Act (18 U.S.C. § 953) – Unauthorized Negotiation with Foreign Leaders: If Murphy and others influenced Zelenskyy to reject peace, they could have violated the Logan Act.

Conspiracy Against the U.S. (18 U.S.C. § 371): If U.S. officials coordinated behind closed doors to block diplomacy, it could qualify as obstruction.

Ethics violations & abuse of office

  • If classified intelligence was used to pressure Zelenskyy, it could be an abuse of office.

What needs to happen now?

Congressional Committees (Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, Ethics) must investigate whether Zelenskyy was pressured.
The Department of Justice must examine whether officials violated the Logan Act.
Independent watchdogs must track financial connections—who profited from blocking peace?

Final question: How many more must die for political power?

Final final, question, oops two more after this one… Without a Republican victory in 2026—or worse, a Republican win that’s been co-opted by the Left—will this entire scandal be quietly buried and erased from memory, another forgotten casualty of Beltway politics?

Was peace sabotaged because it wasn’t politically convenient?
Did war continue because the right people stood to gain?

If history has taught us anything, this is what Washington does.

Until the full truth is exposed, we are doomed to repeat it.

Michael Tavoliero is a writer at Must Read Alaska.

New Dept. of Education portal allows parents to report DEI discrimination, indoctrination in schools

Suzanne Downing
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New Dept. of Education portal allows parents to report DEI discrimination, indoctrination in schools

The US Department of Education launched EndDEI.Ed.Gov last week. It is a public portal for parents, students, teachers, and community members to report instances of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools. This secure platform allows users to submit detailed accounts of concerning practices, including the name of the student’s school or district and an email address for follow-up. The department intends to catalog these submissions to identify potential areas for investigation. 

This initiative aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within federal agencies and educational institutions. The administration and most Americans believe that such programs can lead to discriminatory practices against certain groups, including white individuals and white men. 

Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, expressed support for the portal, stating, “For years, parents have been begging schools to focus on teaching their kids practical skills like reading, writing, and math, instead of pushing critical theory, rogue sex education, and divisive ideologies—but their concerns have been brushed off, mocked, or shut down.”

The webpage demonstrates that Trump’s Department of Education is putting power back in the hands of parents, she said.

The launch of EndDEI.Ed.Gov is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape educational policies and ensure federal funding is not allocated to institutions perceived to engage in discriminatory practices under the guise of DEI initiatives. The administration has warned that schools and universities continuing such programs risk losing federal funding.

Anecdotal evidence suggests many education institutions, including programs in Alaska, will simply change the descriptions of their DEI programs to replace the words “diversity, equity, and inclusion” with synonyms or like terms.

Visit EndDEI.Ed.Gov to report your school’s indoctrination programs.

U.S. Education: DEI is civil rights violation, noncompliant schools may lose funding
Will Anchorage School District comply with federal demand to ditch DEI programs or will it increase funding for them?
University Board of Regents votes to end campus DEI
Kendal Kruse: A case for education reform

Kendal Kruse: A case for education reform

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Kendal Kruse: A case for education reform

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.

Michael Tavoliero: Alaska Education Freedom and Local Control Act would establish parent education accounts and more
Win Gruening: Alaskans must decide what’s more important — unchecked school funding or improved student achievement
Governor’s bill provides path out of darkness for Alaska schools via open enrollment, charter schools
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