Unconscionable. Indefensible.
There are many words to describe the disrespect for the public and disregard for honest government by the actions of the governor’s office to block publication of a factual report on teacher salaries in Alaska.
Even for the administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, this is a low point in putting politics ahead of good government. And that’s saying a lot for an administration that has been criticized by the court for firing state employees who refused to pledge political loyalty to the governor.
State government should be about telling the public what is happening and why, the costs, the choices, the problems and what elected officials are doing to find answers. It should not be about hiding the facts, denying reality or blocking disclosure of information that could be seen as unflattering to the governor.
Yet that is exactly what the governor’s office did.
For decades, the Alaska Department of Labor has published a monthly magazine of facts, numbers and information about job, career, economic and population trends — thus the name, “Trends.” The unbiased publication is widely quoted and widely respected. It has no advertising, no opinion columns, nothing but facts and analysis.
But last month, it fell short of educating its readers. Not because the staff didn’t do their job. They did. Sadly, the governor’s office stopped publication of a story it did not like.
The October issue of “Trends” had been scheduled to include an article about teacher pay in Alaska, pointing out that in 1980 Alaska teachers’ average wage was No. 1 in the nation, but by 2022 had fallen to No. 10.
The headline of the canceled article was: “Teachers’ shrinking wage advantage: Alaska used to pay the most, but now we’re tenth.” There are no political words in the headline, no opinions, just reality — which apparently bothered the governor’s office enough to call a halt to publishing the news.
This from the same Dunleavy administration which a few months ago vetoed half of a legislative appropriation to provide a one-year boost in state funding for public schools.
There has not been a permanent change in the state funding formula for schools in seven years, likely contributing to the stagnant wages and Alaska’s drop in the national rankings. While the governor talks about his support for public education, he hasn’t done much of anything to help school districts, or teachers, or students. He also vetoed most of the money appropriated by legislators for school repairs the past three years.
To veto school funding and then block Alaskans from learning about what could be one of the consequences is dishonest, manipulative and denial-based governing. The governor deserves a failing grade on this one.
— Wrangell Sentinel
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