The Alaska Senate has passed a capital budget to fund roads, school repairs and rebuilds, housing, water and sewer systems and other public works projects across the state — but the spending plan is short of funds to cover repairs to Wrangell’s three aging school buildings.
The budget bill approved by the Senate on April 12 will move next to the House for its consideration and possible amendments before a legislative adjournment deadline of May 15, at which time the governor could exercise his authority to veto individual items in the spending plan.
The Senate voted 15-3 to approve its version of the state’s $3.9 billion capital budget. About 80% of the money is federal, going to roads, airports, broadband internet service expansion and improvements to the electrical transmission lines serving the Railbelt from Fairbanks to the Kenai Peninsula.
Less than $500 million is state general fund money, which covers discretionary spending on projects statewide. That number total is significantly higher than the average annual state spending on construction, repairs and maintenance over the past 10 years.
The Senate bill appropriates a little over $36 million to cover the top 15 items on the Alaska Department of Education’s Major Maintenance Grants Fund list. Wrangell’s $6.5 million request for roof, foundation, siding and other repairs to its schools is No. 16 on the list.
The House could add funding to cover more schools when it takes up the spending bill.
Wrangell voters in 2022 approved borrowing $3.5 million for school repairs, hoping the state would kick in $6.5 million to cover the most pressing $10 million worth of fixes and upgrades to the decades-old buildings.
Separately, the borough earlier this year received a $695,000 federal grant, administered by the state, for rebuilding the Stikine Middle School roof, and can go ahead on that project and whatever it can afford this year and next with the $3.5 million from the local bond issue.
Whether the top 15 projects on the Major Maintenance Grants list funded in the Senate’s version of the capital budget actually receive state funding is in doubt, however, as Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in his proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, asked for legislative approval of only the top two school projects on the list.
This year’s list of 97 projects totals almost $250 million in requests for state aid, similar to past years.
Legislators appropriated significantly more money for the program than Dunleavy requested in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but the governor used his veto powers to eliminate or reduce funding for school repairs each year.
No. 1 on the repairs list is the school in Craig, where middle school staff set out trash cans when it rains to collect water leaking through the roof.
Craig Schools Superintendent Chris Reitan said he was “super surprised” that the Senate was willing to fund the top 15 items on the K-12 major maintenance list.
“This is only the Senate, you know, so it’ll have to be worked out with the House and then the governor, but going down 15 projects is a substantial statement by the Senate in regard to the importance of funding for school districts,” he said.
Craig is slated to receive almost $4 million, enough to repair the leaking roof and make the city’s schools more accessible to disabled staff, students and visitors.
The Alaska Beacon contributed reporting for this story. The Beacon is an independent, donor-funded news organization. Alaskabeacon.com.
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