Articles written by The Alaska Beacon


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  • State House goes on record in support of federal aid for schools

    The Alaska Beacon|Mar 26, 2025

    The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to appropriate funding for a program that pays money to rural school districts affected by the decline of the timber industry — including Wrangell. The state House voted 35-4 on March 17 to pass a resolution urging Congress to reinstate the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The U.S. Senate approved extending the program and providing funds last year, but the U.S. House never took up the legislation before it adjourned in December, leaving a big hole in c...

  • Governor signs state budget; Wrangell funding intact

    Sentinel staff and the Alaska Beacon|Jul 6, 2022

    Though he vetoed funding for several projects and public services around Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy did not cross out $4.1 million in state grant funding toward a new $15 million water treatment plant in Wrangell. The borough hopes to finish design work and go out for bids on the project later this year. Federal funds are covering about $11 million of the cost. The governor also left intact a one-time $57 million legislative appropriation to boost state funding by 5% for local school district operating budgets. The increase for the 2022-2023...

  • Legislation directs schools to help students with low reading scores

    The Alaska Beacon and Ketchikan Daily News|May 25, 2022

    By the narrowest of margins, 21-19, the House on the last night of the legislative session passed a bill implementing a statewide approach to how school districts intervene when students have difficulty reading. The session’s original reading legislation had been blocked in the House, opposed by several rural lawmakers and Democrats, but the Senate merged it into another education bill on the next-to-the-last day of session, forcing the House to accept or reject the entire package. The reading intervention bill was a priority of Gov. Mike D...