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David Eastman: Alaska’s Ethics Committee engages in election interference, violates ethics laws

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David Eastman: Alaska’s Ethics Committee engages in election interference, violates ethics laws

By REP. DAVID EASTMAN

Judges in Alaska are barred by law from donating to a political organization or a candidate for public office (Canon 5(A)(e)).

Public members of Alaska’s Legislative Ethics Committee are likewise barred by law from participating in, or even attending, fundraising events on behalf of political parties or legislative campaigns. They are also barred by law from making a donation in any political race involving the legislature or someone running against a legislator or a legislative employee (AS 24.60.134).

That’s what the law says. Public members of the Ethics Committee simply choose to ignore it.

Conner Thomas has been continuously serving on the Ethics Committee since he was first appointed in 1998. While sitting on the Ethics Committee he has publicly made political donations to the Alaska Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee (SDCC), #StopRepublicans, various Democrat candidates running against Republican legislators, and many other partisan causes.

He has been allowed to do this and continue serving on the committee because public members of the Ethics Committee habitually ignore violations of the law when committed by their fellow members of the Ethics Committee. In some cases, members have served on the committee and worked together for more than twenty-five years. Also, the committee (or those hired by the committee) are the ones who recommend to the chief justice that members should be reappointed to additional terms on the committee.

Last year, the committee even went so far as to convince Chief Justice Maassen to intentionally delay his reappointment of current members of the committee until after their terms of office had already expired. By intentionally delaying their own reappointment, members of the Ethics Committee circumvent the state law that prevents them from continuing to remain on the committee after the legislature has refused to confirm their reappointment.

Given the power wielded by the committee, some legislators are reluctant to object to current members of the committee being given additional terms, especially considering the prospect that those same members will continue to sit on the committee even if the legislature is successful in blocking their confirmation.

In 2020, Chief Justice Bolger reappointed Joyce Anderson to the committee for another term. The 31st Legislature quietly declined to confirm her appointment. Instead of resigning, she chose to continue to sit on the committee just as if the legislature had voted to confirm her appointment. Because the chief justice had delayed submitting her reappointment until after her previous term had expired, she was able to continue sitting on the committee uninterrupted until her appointment could be confirmed by a future legislature.

Imagine what it would be like to be a Republican legislator and to know that, at any time, you could be hauled into a courtroom presided over by a judge who is fully committed to the success of the Democratic Party. Would you expect to get a fair shake?

This is what it is like for legislators from conservative districts who have the misfortune of being labeled “too conservative” by those serving on the Ethics Committee in Juneau. It is a glimpse into what legislators like Lora Reinbold, Christopher Kurka, Tammie Wilson and others experienced at the hands of the Ethics Committee during their time in the legislature. In the case of Rep. Kurka and Sen. Reinbold, that treatment continued even after they had left the legislature.

Sen. Reinbold decided not to run for reelection in 2022 and to instead continue to battle the Ethics Committee in court. Rep. Kurka decided instead of running for reelection to run for governor. On April 25th, a fraudulent ethics complaint was filed against Rep. Kurka during his campaign for governor. On April 26th, the day after the complaint was filed, the Chair of the Ethics Committee made a campaign donation to Bill Walker, one of Rep. Kurka’s opponents in the primary election.

Predictably, the Ethics Committee then proceeded to drag out the investigation against Rep. Kurka for more than 18 months, forcing him to incur thousands of dollars in legal expenses before finally concluding, after his campaign had already ended, that the complaint was baseless.

To avoid the obvious conflict of interest that arises when legislators are legally investigated and prosecuted at taxpayer expense by their opponent’s supporters, the Ethics Act bars individuals who wish to make these kind of donations from serving on the Ethics Committee.

State law goes further than simply saying that a member of the Ethics Committee is prohibited from making a particular campaign donation when they are serving as chairman of the committee, or that they are prohibited from making a particular campaign donation when they are presiding over an ethics case involving a particular legislator. The Ethics Act bars members of the committee from making a donation for or against any legislator under any circumstances. Those who wish to influence elections involving legislators aren’t barred from making campaign donations, they are barred from serving on the Ethics Committee.

During his time on the Ethics Committee, Conner Thomas has made over 1,200 donations to Democrat candidates, the Democratic Party, and Democrat-affiliated groups. The fact that the Ethics Act, which he is sworn to uphold, specifically prohibits him from making a number of these donations has not stopped him from doing so.

This is the person that current members of the Ethics Committee unanimously elected to be their chairman, not just once, but repeatedly.

This ought to tell you something about the political leanings of those currently sitting on this committee. It should also tell you something about what conservative legislators are up against in Juneau today. It’s not a fair fight when your political opposition breaks the law with impunity and then uses public funds to prosecute you for made-up crimes.

No legislator worth their salt should be voting to tolerate these kinds of on-going abuses.

Some of the many campaign donations made by Conner Thomas while serving on the committee include:

On April 4, 2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Bill Walker who was running against Rep. Kurka in the primary election. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On April 22,2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mary Peltola, who was running against Sen. Josh Revak for Alaska’s vacant congressional seat. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On April 26, 2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a second campaign donation to Rep. Kurka’s opponent, Bill Walker. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On June 7, 2022, while serving as Chairman of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to the Alaska Democratic Party. Note: this donation was made while Sen. Josh Revak was running against Mary Peltola for Alaska’s vacant congressional seat.

On November 21, 2020, while serving as Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to Stop Republicans. The Ethics Act permits staff contracted by the Ethics Committee to engage in certain political activities “if doing so will not lead to the appearance that the committee is subject to undue political influence and there is no appearance of impropriety” (AS 26.40.134). Should we expect committee staff to follow the law if Ethics Committee leadership openly refuses to be held to this same standard?

On January 14, 2021, while serving as Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, he made a second political donation to Stop Republicans.

On September 8, 2021, while serving as Chair of the House Subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, he made a third political donation to Stop Republicans.

On October 17, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee (SDCC). The SDCC is a subdivision of the Alaska Democratic Party. Campaign donations made to the SDCC in 2018 were transferred to Rep. Scott Kawasaki’s legislative campaign for state senate. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On August 22, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On September 13, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On September 17, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Bill Walker who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On September 17, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On September 20, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On September 27, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 4, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 11, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 18, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 19, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 21, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 24, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On October 25, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On November 1, 2018, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Mark Begich who was running against Sen. Kevin Meyer. This donation violated the Ethics Act.

On May 16, 2016, while serving as House Subcommittee Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to the Alaska Democratic Party.

On March 31, 2015, while serving as House Subcommittee Vice Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a political donation to the Alaska Democratic Party.

On June 30, 2014, while serving as Senate Subcommittee Chair of the Ethics Committee, he made a campaign donation to Byron Mallott who was then campaigning with Senate Minority Leader Hollis French as Democrat candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

Records show that while serving on the Legislative Ethics Committee, Conner Thomas made over a thousand political donations to the Democratic Party and other partisan causes.

Rep. David Eastman represents Wasilla House District 27.

Candidate Suzanne LaFrance is supported by extreme anti-gun group in Washington State

Suzanne Downing
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Candidate Suzanne LaFrance is supported by extreme anti-gun group in Washington State

Candidate Suzanne LaFrance, running for mayor of Anchorage and in the current run-off election against Mayor Dave Bronson, is supported by Fuse Washington, which bills itself as Washington’s “largest progressive organization – people creating change online, on the ground, and on issues that matter most.”

One of the issues that matters most to Fuse Washington is gun control.

The Fuse group supports Bob Ferguson, attorney general of Washington state, for governor in that state’s next gubernatorial election. Ferguson has partnered with retiring Gov. Jay Inslee to pass dozens of laws and regulations to eliminate the right to own a firearm in Washington. Fuse Washington has the ban of “assault weapons” as one of its highest priorities.

Washington governor signs even more gun laws

On campaign finance paperwork with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, LaFrance support group “907 Action,” a side activity of the leftist pop-up group “907 Initiative,” has sent thousands of dollars to Fuse Washington for help with the campaign against Mayor Bronson.

907 Action’s executive director is Aubrey Wieber, who came to Alaska as a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, and then became an Assembly aide to Assemblyman Chris Constant, before being hired by the newly launched 907 Initiative, whose supporters include all-female, all Democrat types:Debra Call, the group’s president; Eleanor Andrews, vice president; and Sydney Scout, treasurer.

Fuse’s criteria for endorsements include supporting those who are women, people of color, LGBTQ and young candidates.

The 907 Action group popped up as a subsidiary of the 907 Initiative, which does not report its funding sources to the public. In 2022, the 907 Initiative reported it had $341,000 in revenue during its initial start-up year, but it hid the source of all of its contributions.

Ballots for the runoff election go in the mail to qualified Anchorage voters on April 30, and they must be returned to the local drop boxes or mailed back to the Municipal election office by May 14.

Dark money: 907 Initiative’s campaign arm is going into debt for Democrats on Anchorage ballot

Will the Democrat convention in Chicago be a repeat of 1968 or 2020 riots?

Suzanne Downing
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Will the Democrat convention in Chicago be a repeat of 1968 or 2020 riots?

With violent protests rising across America’s college campuses between those who support Hamas-led terrorists and those supporting the right of Israel to exist in peace, a summer of riots could be ahead, hearkening back to the riots during the 2020 presidential election cycle, when Black Lives Matter was all the topic, and where “CHAZ” encampments took over the streets of cities in the hot summer months leading up to the primary and general election.

We are better than this, but we are also a weary nation

The officials in charge of safety for this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago say protests will be allowed, but only to a point. They don’t want to see a repeat of the violent 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, when anti-war protestors took over the convention district. The National Guard was deployed to break up the protests that year, after Chicago had been the target of riots and mass looting since the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told CNN, “Look, we believe in free speech, and we’re going to allow people to protest and say whatever it is they want to say, but the reality is, we’re also going to make sure that people have ingress and egress and that they’re safe in our state.”

Since he made that statement, however, college campuses across America have erupted in pro-Hamas demonstrations and encampments, and surveys shows that more than 50% of Jewish students feel unsafe on college campuses today. In one survey, 65% of respondents have felt unsafe on campus due to anti-Semitic attacks, with one in 10 reporting they have feared physical assault because they are openly Jewish.

A Jewish student at Yale University earlier this month was stabbed in the eye by a pro-Hamas protestor wielding a Palestinian flag. Chants of “Burn Tel Aviv to the ground,” and “Hamas we love you. We support your rockets too!” have been recorded by those covering the Columbia University riots.

Chicago has been a hotbed of political demonstrations and looting. Recently, the access to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was shut down by hundreds of protestors. Gov. Pritzker said the protesters were cleared quicker than any other similar road protests across the country.

“Our Chicago Police Department was able to get those folks off the highway faster than any other city in the United States. And they’re prepared for the Democratic Convention.”

But that was before the Palestinian protests have erupted and become more violent and widespread on campuses — weeks before schools are emptied for the summer. The rhetoric and violence against Jewish people has only intensified in recent weeks, splitting the Democratic Party, as its members argue over what constitutes “genocide.”

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19-22. President Joe Biden is the party’s only nominee.

Column: It’s time to help victims, improve justice, and at no cost to the state

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Column: It’s time to help victims, improve justice, and at no cost to the state

By CAROL FRASER, KC HOSTETLER, IVY CERDENA

Why are Alaska crime victims still required to carry the most burden, endure the most trauma, and experience the most frustration of any “participant” in Alaska’s criminal justice system?

The obvious answer is, they absolutely should not.

And yet, for some unknown reason, under current Alaska law and court rules, victims of felony crimes must testify at criminal grand jury proceedings, reliving what is, most likely, the worst day of their lives. This means that a woman who has been raped will be forced to testify again, only weeks or days after the rape, even though the information already has been provided to law enforcement, the prosecutor, medical personnel, and/or the judge.

Even in property crimes, larceny, car theft, and other felonies, the completely unnecessary burden to appear at grand jury proceedings is placed on the victim. Why? The victim didn’t do anything wrong! Yet, it is the victim who is required to repeat their story multiple times for no purpose. This ridiculous requirement contributes to the court’s backlog, delays the process, hurts victims, impedes justice, and increases the cost to the state – all while being completely unnecessary!

The entire purpose of the criminal grand jury proceeding is to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial. That is it – period. It is not a forum for prosecution, it is not to face your accuser, nor does it determine guilt or innocence. The defendant is not present, and there is no reason for the victim to be present.

Many states do not have grand jury proceedings at all, the prosecutor simply presents the evidence to a judge, and the judge determines if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial. For states that do have grand jury proceedings, most, including the federal government do not require victims to be at grand jury proceedings. Alaska’s requirement is the worst in the country for victims.

This absolutely must change.

This change is supported by, and a priority for Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), Victims for Justice (VFJ), Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), Catholic Social Services, Child Advocacy Centers, Covenant House, MyHouse Mat-Su, and many others.

By making this one (no cost) public policy change – removing the requirement for victims to appear at criminal grand jury proceedings – we can help, and positively impact 6,000-7,000 Alaska victims every year. What is most amazing to us, is that this simple change has not been made already.

Please join us and immediately contact all members of the of Alaska State Legislature and ask them to make this change before they leave Juneau this year.

This is the right thing to do for victims, for Alaska, and for justice. And it is needed right now.

The authors of this column are Anchorage residents.

Wacky in Washington II: Copper thieves undermine state’s electric car goals

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Wacky in Washington II: Copper thieves undermine state’s electric car goals

By TJ MARTINELL | THE CENTER SQUARE

Washington state aims to have fast-charging electric vehicle ports every 50 miles across the entire span of its 2,633-mile road system, and 3 million total in both public and private charging ports.

However, these efforts to electrify the state’s transportation sector could be undermined by copper wire thefts that have already hit newly-installed charging stations in various locations, leaving the chargers unusable and costing taxpayers.

It’s a problem already noted by the Washington State Department of Transportation. According to the state agency, total wire theft on their properties has cost taxpayers $1.5 million since 2021.

“Drivers and taxpayers are the ones being ultimately harmed by these crimes,” a WSDOT webpage states. “Unlike private companies or members of the public who may be insured by commercial insurance companies, WSDOT is self-insured. Since there is no insurance company with which to file a claim, WSDOT losses are paid by taxpayers.”

Metal thefts isn’t a recent phenomenon. It was a big enough problem in 2007 for the Legislature to enact Senate Bill 5312, which increased penalties for those found guilty of stealing metals.

In a May 2023 WSDOT blog post, Sean Quin, social media lead for WSDOT’s Northwest Region, wrote that the agency is facing thefts like this on a daily basis.

“Not only is this theft costly to taxpayers, it also puts people at risk who have to make those repairs and the public loses critical infrastructure that helps traffic flow smoothly,” he wrote. “Despite the effort put forth by us and law enforcement, it’s no guarantee that our equipment will be protected from further damage or theft.

Copper wire thieves have also hit other public entities, including Seattle City Lights, which between March 2023-January 2024 had eight of its 13 stations subject to theft.

Wacky in Washington: Inslee buying electric vehicles for ‘low-income’ residents, paid for by taxpayers

Puget Sound Energy has also experienced thefts. In March, a newly-unveiled $500,000 EV charging station in Sumner had wires stolen, making them unusable for EV drivers.

While the direct cost to taxpayers via WSDOT for metal thefts may not seem high, the thefts can cost the state in multiple ways. WSDOT also experiences metal thefts with its tolling operations, which cost them $440,000 in lost revenue annually. Additionally, the repairs every year are around $96,000. In five counties, WSDOT has invested $310,000 in security upgrades in the last biennium.

Although the 2007 state law upped the penalties for metal thieves, it’s still classified as “other” among crimes deemed “destruction/damage/vandalism offenses” in annual crime reports compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

However, as drivers transition more and more toward EVs and the state 2030 mandate banning sale of new fossil fuel vehicles takes effect, thefts of EV charging ports could have much greater implications for transportation infrastructure.

WSDOT says “it can often take several days if not weeks to make repairs to the infrastructure and replace the wiring due to delays in materials or availability of crews to go out and complete the work.”

While WSDOT says WSP “aggressively investigates these crimes as they risk public safety by disabling traffic signals and other devices,” WSP Captain Deion Glover wrote in an email to The Center Square that “many of these events occur in city or county areas, and the WSP does not track those crime rates.”

He added that although “WSP is always looking to reduce crime in all areas of the community … we do not have a specific plan to address copper wire theft at this specific time frame.”

The Center Square reached out to the state Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council’s co-chairs, but both were unavailable for comment.

Peltola fundraises on the backs of aborted babies

Suzanne Downing
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Peltola fundraises on the backs of aborted babies

Rep. Mary Peltola and the Alaska Democratic Party have a message for Democrats: Abortion is her campaign currency this year.

Before, she was “sweet Mary.” She was all smiles during her first campaign for Congress.

Now, she’s going out with the angry message: “Stay the hell out of our exam rooms.”

Peltola, an abortion extremist who believes in up-to-moment-of-birth abortions, and her party sent a pro-abortion fundraising plea to her Democratic base last week. The edginess in the subject line was an effort to get people to open the email. But Peltola’s views do not line up with most Americans or Alaskans, as she is on the far edge when it comes to abortion.

 “My campaign in 2022 was centered around abortion rights and reproductive rights, and I’m working every day to protect these freedoms,” she wrote. Actually, it was centered on “fish, family, and freedom.”

“To me, reproductive choice is deeply personal – and I believe that DC politicians and the Supreme Court should stay the hell out of our examination rooms,” she wrote in her fundraising appeal.

The logic may extend to anything doctors and patients decide to do in the exam rooms of America’s clinics and hospitals. She is, by inference, saying all medical care should be deregulated.

The Supreme Court did not get into exam rooms, however. In fact, it liberated them from federal control when it undid Roe v. Wade and sent the decision about abortion back to the states. Each state now sets its own laws about abortion.

That’s not how Peltola sees it, however: “Unfortunately, my opponents disagree: They claim to support small government, but when it comes to abortion, they want the government to make decisions for women.”

“…the difference could not be more stark: I’m fighting to make sure DC politicians keep their hands off of our bodily autonomy, and my opponents are fighting for the opposite,” she wrote, and asked for money to help her stay in office for another two years.

The message was likely focus-group or poll-tested among the Democrat faithful, most of whom are pro-abortion. She’s going for the younger, angrier voter, catering to young women, who in Alaska are most supportive of abortion, hoping to make this an issue to cover her voting record against Alaska and her endorsement of Joe Biden.

Peltola actually doesn’t need the money for her campaign. She has raised more than five times what either Republicans Nick Begich or Nancy Dahlstrom have raised. But she’s shoring up her base with a message that she believes will work on them: Abortion all the way, with no restrictions at all.

In reporting on historic birth-rate collapse, CDC and news reporters avoid the term ‘birthing persons’ and return to using the term ‘female’

David Boyle: Senate teams up with teachers’ union to kill student opportunities

Suzanne Downing
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David Boyle: Senate teams up with teachers’ union to kill student opportunities

By DAVID BOYLE

Alaska Superior Court Adolf Zeman’s decision to shut down the Alaska correspondence program created a firestorm among correspondence school parents.

Now the Alaska Senate is attempting to rewrite laws to limit correspondence schools’ parents the freedom to educate their children.

Senate Bill 266 is an effort to crush the current correspondence school program in which parents have enrolled more than 22,000 students.  The Senate, led by Sen. Loki Tobin and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, seems to have taken the lead from the NEA-AK in writing the bill.

Ironically, these two senators have most of the worst schools in the Anchorage School District. Why would they not want more public school opportunities for students in their districts? Wouldn’t these senators want their constituents’ kids to be able to attend a public correspondence program?

In its response to Judge Zeman’s decision, the teachers’ union has rewritten the State of Alaska’s regulations setting out the rules for correspondence schools.

It’s surprising how similar the language in the proposed senate bill SB 266 is to what the National Education Association-Alaska submitted to the judge for the rewrite of the regulations for correspondence schools. Some would call it plagiarism.

Here are some of the striking similarities comparing the NEA-AK regulation rewrite to SB 266:

NEA-AKSB 266
The correspondence school district must require students to participate in the statewide tests.  A mandate to parents. Mandates correspondence students take the statewide assessment test.  Requires correspondence school districts to provide the test scores of their students to the state.  Deletes the freedom of a parent to remove a child from the state’s statewide tests.  A mandate to parents. 
A parent may spend public funds to pay a private individual for tutoring in the fine arts, music, or physical education.  But that cannot be given by a private or sectarian educational institution.  Guess the state can pick and choose what is and isn’t “private”. A parent may use an allotment to pay a private organization for tutoring in fine arts, music, or physical education.  The state can determine what is a “private” educational organization.  But the parent cannot pay a private educational organization for tutoring in the core subjects such as math, reading, the sciences? 
A parent may not use the allotment to buy uniforms or physical education equipment.  That includes barbells, exercise mats and other small PE equipment. A parent may not buy physical education equipment.  That leaves out barbells, exercise mats, etc. 
4.  A correspondence program may not pay for, reimburse for, or provide money for: religious, partisan, sectarian, or denominational textbooks/materials; physical education equipment; items that are considered excessive by the school administrator; tuition, instruction, or any other expense from a religious or private educational institution.Student allotments cannot be used to pay for services or materials provided by a private or religious educational institution.Student allotments cannot be used to pay for religious, partisan, sectarian or denominational textbooks or other curriculum materials. Tutoring may not be provided by a religious or private educational institution. 

The NEA-AK goes to the extreme and mandates “The correspondence program must provide, and require parents to sign, a written statement that they understand, and will abide by, the requirements of the assessment program.” Whatever happened to freedom, privacy, and choice?

And the teachers’ union does not stop there. It wants transcripts of correspondence students’ courses that they paid for themselves!  Here is the quote from their emergency regulation rewrite: “A transcript that includes the source of any course taken by the student that was not offered or approved by the governing body of the district…and for which no public money was provided…”.

And SB 266 goes even further.  It requires correspondence school districts to provide demographic information on their students.

Parents cannot use their allotment funds to pay for testing by private organizations. A parent cannot pay Sylvan Learning Center or any other private educational organization for testing their child.  

Here’s the real kicker: Parents can no longer roll over their fund balances at the end of the school year. Their unspent allotment funds go back to the school districts to enrich their coffers.

Both SB 266 and the teachers’ union rewrite of correspondence school regulations want to shut down opportunities for students to learn outside the brick & mortar schools.  The education industry is losing thousands of students to the correspondence school programs. They also lose millions of dollars when a student goes from a neighborhood school to a correspondence school.

And when the education industry loses students, it loses power.  It loses control.

Here is one parent’s comment that summarizes the situation, “I’m wondering if that’s the plan. To make EVERYTHING but state curriculum to be from a “private organization” and not able to be used for allotment. A way to force people into the state curriculum”.

You can provide testimony to SB 266 on April 29 at 3:30 p.m. Here is a link to the bill.

David Boyle is an education writer for Must Read Alaska.

David Boyle: Education industry tries an end run around the courts
David Boyle: A jubilant teachers’ union wields power and control over K-12 education

Portland State University rejects grants and gifts from Boeing after student and faculty demands over ties to Israel

Suzanne Downing
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Portland State University rejects grants and gifts from Boeing after student and faculty demands over ties to Israel

Portland State University will pause accepting any more gifts or grants from the Boeing Co., bending to demands from faculty and students who object to the company’s manufacturing division, which makes components for weapons, and due to Boeing’s ties to Israel.

Boeing helped develop Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system, which protected the nation from hundreds of missiles launched by Iran earlier this month. The Arrow 3 system helped intercept all but a handful of drones and missiles during the onslaught. Iran and Palestinians are trying to wipe Israel off the map; Israel is standing its ground and fighting the Hamas terrorists in Gaza with the help of the United States.

Portland State University President Ann Cudd said her decision came in response to “the passion with which these demands are being repeatedly expressed” by members of the university community. The rejection of Boeing support may not be permanent, she said.

Boeing may welcome the rejection of its philanthropy. Its first-quarter revenues were down 8% year over year, since quality control issues have been a well-publicized issue for the company, which has also been criticized for adopting “equity” hiring practices, rather than focusing on quality. The matter has not been helped by the loss of a door plug during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, and subsequent failures of other Boeing jets in service. This past week, a Delta flight from New York City to Los Angeles had to turn back after its emergency exit slide detached in flight.

But the move by Portland State doesn’t relate to safety of passengers. It’s the growing anti-Israel and anti-semitic environment on college campuses that has fed into the decision. The squeaky wheel got the grease, as Cudd said her decision was because the voices on one side were so loud.

“Indeed, I have heard many students and faculty express that they would like to see PSU cut ties with the company. I initially found these demands confusing and arbitrary: PSU has no investments in Boeing but accepts philanthropic gifts from the company and, given that Boeing is a major employer in the region, many of our alumni work there. However, the passion with which these demands are being repeatedly expressed by some in our community motivates me, as a scholar of academic ethics and a university leader responsible for the well being of our campus constituents, to listen and ask additional questions,” Cudd wrote in her letter.

PSU will host a forum at which the demands “can be carefully framed and debated. We will organize a two hour moderated debate in May to include faculty and student voices. I will participate in the forum, representing the perspective of academic ethics. I want to share my thoughts on the matter and model the civil discourse and spirit of open inquiry that should guide any great university,” she wrote.

“In consideration of the strong feelings that have been expressed, PSU will pause seeking or accepting any further gifts or grants from the Boeing Company until we have had a chance to engage in this debate and come to conclusions about a reasonable course of action,” Cudd wrote.

Her letter also addressed to the on-campus pro-Hamas, anti-Israel demonstrations that have lately occurred at PSU and many other campuses around the nation.

“I have also heard concerns about how PSU responds to individuals engaged in protest during this fraught time and on this point I want to be absolutely clear. No one involved in a protest has been sanctioned for the content of their message. PSU has always been and will remain a place where free speech and academic freedom are treasured,” Cudd said.

“Our focus is on drawing a bright line between protecting freedom of speech and activities including discrimination, harassment, intimidation, property damage and assault. We have reasonable time, place and manner restrictions in place — these are community standards so that our university can continue to be a place for learning, teaching, working and living. We will continue to enforce our policies evenly for all campus events, including protest, and expect all of our campus community members to conduct themselves in ways that follow student and professional codes of conduct. This includes following all anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies,” Cudd wrote.

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Senate Finance chops dividend to $1,600; otherwise budget reflects House proposal for next fiscal year

Suzanne Downing
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Senate Finance chops dividend to $1,600; otherwise budget reflects House proposal for next fiscal year

What started out as a $3,300 Permanent Fund dividend for 2024, as proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, has now been whittled to $1,600 by the Alaska Senate Finance Committee.

The committee has cut the proposed dividend by over 40% from the House of Representatives’ proposed version. The cut is also more than half of what Dunleavy set forth in his budget; the governor believes in following the formula that is written in Alaska law.

But the amount is not set in stone yet. The House of Representatives had settled on a $2,723 dividend, the Senate budget writers rolled out the $1,600 proposed dividend last week, and the final amount will be negotiated in “conference committee” at the end of the legislative session.

Dividends are sent out to qualifying Alaska residents each year as their share of the oil royalties, since subsurface rights in Alaska belong to the people. The amount is set by a formula in Alaska Statute, which has not been followed since Gov. Bill Walker broke the law in 2016 and cut the amount of Alaskans’ dividends in half. In 2019, the newly elected Gov. Dunleavy tried to restore the statutory formula but he is not allowed by law to add back money to the dividend, once the Legislature cuts it, which has happened every year since 2017.

The total operating budget for agency operations is set at $4.6 billion in state dollars in the Senate version. Adding in the federal dollars, the Senate budget is proposed to be nearly $12.8 billion. With the capital budget at $255.9 million in state spending and the Mental Health budget at $15.1 million, there is a $196.8 million surplus.

But that surplus may be eaten away by the more than $203 million in potential fiscal notes on things like House Bill 193 (Broadband), which has a cost of $39.4 million, and Senate Bill 170 (Senior Benefits) with a fiscal note of $23.5, as well as other fiscal additions; four unions are still negotiating salary adjustments, which could lead to 5% raises, totaling at least $26 million.

Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed budget, submitted to the Legislature in December, totaled $14.1 billion in state and federal funds, with a budget deficit of $987 million to be covered by a draw from the Constitutional Budget Reserve and the Statutory Budget Reserve.

The current Senate working version of the budget funds nearly 21,000 full-time state workers and one 2,300 permanent part time and temporary workers.

The Senate operating budget has, similar to the House version, a $175 million one-year extra funding for education, outside of the current Base Student Allocation funding formula.

The governor lost some items in the process. Legislators took out the Public Safety airplane the governor asked for and some of the public safety positions the governor wanted, for example.

The Legislature has 17 days left to finalize the budget, with the last day of session set at May 15.

House passes operating budget early, with Permanent Fund dividend at $2,273
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