With Fairbanks Democrat Rep. Maxine Dibert in the hospital for a serious lung condition, Alaska’s House of Representatives has a fragile Democrat-led majority. That is a behind-the-scenes issue buzzing around the Capitol, and it became clear that in House Education Committee, there is no actual Democrat majority without her. The Democrats’ plans were being stymied due to one member missing.
Thus, on Wednesday, the Democrats took to the House floor to force their education funding bill out of the committee, where it was languishing.
House Bill 69 is one of the Democrats’ priorities, a massive increase to the formula funding for schools. It’s being pushed by unions, the National Education Association, and school districts. There is no accountability measure tied to the legislation to improve Alaska’s dismal school performance.
Rep. Mike Prax, a North Pole Republican broke with his fellow Republicans voted with the Democrats to force the bill out of House Education and into House Finance Committee.
He later explained it as a voting error. Although he asked for a reconsideration vote, the Democrats denied him the opportunity for a do-over.
HB 69 would increase the per-pupil funding by $1,000 in this fall, and another $400 per pupil for 2026 and again in 2027. The bill would tie the hands of future legislatures, and the funding source will almost certainly come out of the Permanent Fund dividend that Alaskans expect to get in October.
The cost of the bill in FY26 is expected to be $356 million, and by 2027 it would be more than $500 million, with no other funding source than Alaskans’ bank accounts.
This bill, HB 69 to increase the BSA is to be heard in House Finance TODAY, February 20th at 1:30. Here is link to presentation by Legislative Finance: ‘https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HFIN%202025-02-20%2013:30:00#tab4_4.
Spend more money on the dumbest kids in the Nation That will fix it!! Rino’s and Democraps are a HUGE waste of good air
“Error??”
DOGE.
Oh No! If this passes then Alaska schools might be adequately funded. Hurry do something before we get an educated populace!
Do you really think money is what is the missing variable that will provide an educated population? What is the magic amount? More? Then more? And then?
You hit the nail on the head, sinking it to it’s crown. The only adequate funding is more funding.
Sure, just throw more money at it. It’s worked really well so far….
It’s clear to see that education did nothing for you. Liberals answers to our problems is to throw more money at it (more like in their own pockets).
Haha, Jack (like most ) did not get our money’s worth. Even his teachers did not know jack.
Hey Jack in the Beanstalk So magic dollars will grow an real education… thanks for your dreaming smoke some more of that GOOD SH*T!
No chance of that, Jack! You may have your chain yanked by union bosses. No public school is EVER adequately funded.
Until schoolboards across the state and teachers get rid of the unnecessary courses and material and get back to teaching reading, writing and arithmetic and a proper American History and civics classes any increase in funding for Alaska schools is a waste. I even think that it would be criminal to pass the funding for this bill with out education reform. There is nothing Alaskan about this action. I believe the existing funding level is more than enough to provide a proper education for Alaskan children. There is probably great waste with bloated administration besides the improper curriculum. We need spending control right now until we can get a revenue flow into the treasury from our oil, gas and minerals.
When you only have one party in the state, this is the result you get. The union party will do as they please.
About time the legislature meets Constitutional requirements to fund public education.
How much Frank? Do the unincorporated areas have any obligation to fund their kids?
Right on Sapper! that’s call realism Frank take a lesson in reality!
Oh “Frank”….
Wait, wait are you claiming that the state has up to this point NOT funded education at all?? Frank the state is funding education just fine. Sadly those receiving those funds can’t or won’t budget properly and see it more as a jobs program and union dues generator than imparting knowledge to our kids.
Yeah… because throwing more money at it has worked over the last 20 years.
Cut Admin expenses. Consolidate schools. Cut useless programs.
Leadership is the problem for failing schools. Period.
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Sad that So-Called Republican Representative Mike Prax disrespects voters with some lame story about his $350M voting “error”.
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Looks like the education-industry mob’s milking the cow as fast as it can for as much as it can before DOGE hits or worse, forces states to account publicly for education spending.
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One can take comfort from the possibility that this sudden education-funding hysteria might well mean the industry’s closer to collapse than we thought.
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What if our lobbyist-legislator team succeed in forcing veto-proof taxes on productive Alaskans?
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Tribes like Alaska’s Ruling Class, the serfs, public-employee unions, bums, lobbyists, casino owners, Native corporations, union members, NGO’s, and everyone outside the Three Civilized Boroughs either won’t pay it, or will get pay raises to offset it.
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So who’s left to pay the tax? You guessed right: highly annoyed, productive Alaskans tired of this mess and being unable to fix it because elected ad unelected officials broke their election system.
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As drill baby drill morphs into tax baby tax, who’d be surprised to see another 80’s style exodus?
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Good news is the problem may be self-correcting if the education industry’s jonesing for sales and income taxes just to get by, overtaxed left-behinds can’t pay what the industry needs, and overtaxed oil companies decide it’s regime-change time.
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Can’t happen here, but what if it did?
There needs to be ‘consequences’ for all those “Y” listed above in green.
How much is going to go to DEI and CRT bull feathers?
And the teachers might get 25cents per hour raise… All the rest will be eaten by admin and the union. Time to clean house – change the way we fund schools. This won’t pass constitutional muster, since it takes away the funding decision from future congresses, but I wouldn’t count on our leftist courts to help us.
For another look:
‘https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/louisiana-shows-america-how-to-fix-schools-and-improve-students-test-scores
I know a great way to reduce spending, school vouchers. Let parents vote with their feet.
Here’s a novel idea. For every year that the students and the state rank below the 50th percentile of states in national rankings cut the budget to those schools by 10%
“When the student has failed to learn the teacher has failed to teach”
A quote from years ago by the commanding general of the army war college
Frank, if you had any morals, you would be ashamed of yourself. Oh well.
So when a Rep. wants to change his vote the majority votes no …. we are loosing our Republic ! What’s with the Distress state of affairs’ in Sitka? Who’s in charge there ? Whining Bureaucrats at the city?
And King Edgmon strikes with immunity again. …
How did Bryce Edgmon get his slim majority? Oh, he bought a majority by giving a seat on Finance to Nellie Jimmie from Tooksok Bay… A freshman legislator…a candidate that in the debate couldn’t answer a single question about finance and still can’t, in my opinion…
This is what is wrong with the Binding Caucus… you’re one bought legislator when you trade your guaranteed vote to the Speaker for a committee position…which in the real world of the other 49 States is illegal….
So why should Nellie Jimmie give a hoot?? Well she comes from a Village that’s drowning in poverty. She’s gotten a position through rank choice voting and a salary that’s higher than anyone else in the Village… She’s been there long enough for every union lobbiest to guarantee enough campaign donations, just like her previous predecessors too ease her conscience over eliminating the PFDs that keep her next door neighbors out of poverty.
A strong voice for rural Alaska was her campaign slogan… Naw, just another piece of raw meat bought and owned by the Unions…just like her new mentor, King Edgmon.
Anyone hoping for a DOGE review of the entire state?
What do you expect when our legislature is filled with retired school teachers and our governor comes from the same motley crew. Elections have consequences – don’t vote for anyone who is even remotely connected to public education or this is what you will get.
Alaska history shows more money equals poorer performance for our kids.
it is hard to believe it can get worse, but that was true a few years back as well, and it has gotten worse.
When is the madness going to stop!
we need Alaska DOGE to audit the school districts!
What’s the explanation for us currently spending near the most in the nation on a per capita basis but still our students are at the bottom of the nation in regards to academic performance? How is more money going to change the trend that has been in place for the last 20 years?
Just throw more money at it…I’m sure it’ll work this time. The kids are gonna be so smart!
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