Gov. Mike Dunleavy used his veto powers last week to take away $50 million in state funding approved by the Legislature for local school districts across Alaska.

He said low oil prices had cut into revenues, and the state could not afford to spend the money.

He used the same oily excuse for his other budget vetoes, including cutting two-thirds of the money legislators had appropriated for major maintenance work at nine schools in Alaska, leaving behind $13 million in funding for just three projects from a list that exceeds $300 million.

Dunleavy, in his seventh year as governor and thankfully prohibited by the constitution from seeking a third term, also vetoed $1.9 million in grants for child care centers, $2.7 million to support infant learning programs and $100,000 for dementia education and prevention.

“It’s not an easy thing to do,” he said of his vetoes. “It’s certainly not a fun thing to do, but it’s necessary,” he said in a prerecorded video message on June 14, avoiding a news conference, avoiding questions — and avoiding his job and accountability to the public.

The reason for the “not fun” budget cuts is less oil tax and royalty revenue. Or so he said.

“The oil situation has deteriorated. … Basically, we don’t have enough money to pay for all of our obligations. So as a result of that, you’re going to see some reductions in this year’s budget.”

Yes, oil prices are down from the start of the year, which is a good reason to be cautious in spending. But just a month before his vetoes, Dunleavy — and his education commissioner — told Alaska school superintendents that he was looking at cutting state spending on education if the Legislature did not include his personal priorities in an education policies bill.

There was no mention at the time by either official of oil prices, which actually were 10% lower that week than they were on the day the governor announced his vetoes.

And no mention of oil prices last December, when the governor announced his spending proposal for this year — a budget that created a $1.5 billion deficit because of Dunleavy’s insistence to pay out a $3,800 Permanent Fund dividend, which the Legislature wisely rejected. Oil prices on the budget-vetoes day were just a couple dollars a barrel less than on the budget-announcement day.

It adds up to a convenient excuse for the governor. Blame oil prices for cutting school funding, which he had threatened to do anyway. And ignore oil prices when it suits his political agenda of promoting big dividends.

Alaska needs a new governor next year who doesn’t hide behind excuses.