Kenai Peninsula residents recently received a letter addressed to Rep. Sarah Vance, urging them to contact her about increased funding for public schools.
“Even if the legislature passes a modest funding increase, the school district is looking at increasing class sizes, taking away extracurricular sports support, reducing staff, closing pools, and reducing support to homeschool families,” the document states. “This is why we can’t understand why our representative, Rep. Sarah Vance, is one of the leading voices in the legislature against supporting our schools.”
The letter was paid for by the 907 Initiative, a dark-money political group known for championing progressive causes. The group has a history of organizing aggressive campaigns across the full spectrum of media and advertising to attack politicians in a way that avoids tripping over finance laws.
As a 501(c)(4), its donors do not need to be disclosed, but it is also restricted from engaging in primarily political activity, such as attempting the influence the outcome of an election.
In 2023, the 907 Initiative went to the mat against Dave Bronson, then the mayor of Anchorage, deploying a flurry of hostile ads. Earlier this month, it also produced ads against Anchorage House Rep. Mia Costello for the same reason it attacked Vance.
The line between influencing public opinion and electioneering is fine, but the 907 Initiative knows just how to avoid crossing it amid its latest campaign.
On April 17, Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a proposed $680 increase to per-student funding. In a column for Must Read Alaska, Vance said she supported that veto because the bill “did not include the necessary reforms to improve education outcomes for Alaskans.”
However, Vance noted that she was open to supporting additional funding for education and raising the BSA under the right conditions.
“The question isn’t just how much we’re spending but whether we’re getting the best results for our investment,” she wrote.
Proponents of raising the BSA argue that the per-student amount has not kept up with inflation. They also point to low academic outcomes that show Alaska lagging behind the rest of the nation, a problem that they say boils down to insufficient funds.
But it might not be that simple. Alaska spends more than any other state on K-12 education as a percentage of taxpayer income and is sixth in the nation for per-student spending.
Republicans who are willing to boost spending on education, like Vance, say that there are tough choices ahead and have proposed measures such as school consolidation. Above all, they stress the importance of deliberation in navigating the challenges confronting Alaskans. In contrast, dark money groups prefer to simplify narratives while concealing their own agendas.
Pedro Gonzalez writes for Must Read Alaska.
Common sense says they are trying to influence the outcome of an election. It’s pretty clear to me.
Dumbest kids in the country don’t need more money This is pure greed using the kids to sucker you into more money They need Politicians to stay out of the classroom and out of the pockets of people who don’t have kids in school, VETO Everything Education till we see better grades