No question about it, the state is delinquent in funding public schools in Alaska. It has failed to do its homework, turn in assignments, come to class prepared and whatever other analogy you want to use.
The mathematical fact is that the state’s per-pupil funding formula hasn’t had a permanent raise of any significance since the Chicago Cubs broke a 108-year drought and won the baseball World Series in 2016. And while 2016 was a good year for Cubs’ fans, that shouldn’t also be remembered as the last year the Alaska Legislature and governor agreed to a real boost in the funding formula which is so important for local school districts.
Legislators have tried over the years, particularly the past couple of legislative sessions when school administrators, teachers and parents pushed hard for more school funding. But Gov. Mike Dunleavy, soon to start his seventh year in the job, has declined to support a permanent raise in the funding formula unless it is tied to his own agenda to promote charter schools. Even then, he has been non-committal on how much more funding he would support for K-12 schools.
The Legislature in this year’s budget appropriated a one-time boost in state funding for the 2024-2025 school year, but all that did was kick the school book down the road.
Then in Wrangell’s case, the borough assembly reduced the local contribution to the school district by the same amount as the one-year state money, negating any classroom benefit from the extra state dollars.
The assembly held back on its contribution to the schools to preserve the borough’s own reserves, which is fiscally prudent. The account needs to stay healthy to help pay for schools and road work in the years ahead.
However, the assembly decision left the school district no choice but to draw down its reserves even more than planned to balance the budget. At the current rate, the district’s reserves could be gone by the 2026-2027 school year.
It’s a multiple-choice test to fund Wrangell schools. A permanent increase in the state’s funding formula is one answer, which legislators will work toward when they convene in January.
The second answer is Wrangell needs to contribute more. It’s not like the school district is extravagant. There is a single counselor for 260 students; many of the district’s jobs are filled by part-time contractors, not full-time staff; the community is asked to do more to help pay for student travel; and teacher salaries are nowhere near the statewide leaderboard.
Borough officials have suggested maybe a tax on alcohol or tobacco, or maybe raising the amount of individual purchases subject to Wrangell’s general sales tax which shuts off after $3,000.
It’s good that borough and school district officials are looking for answers. It’s a chance for the school board to make its case and show that it needs the money, as the assembly will need convincing to raise tax revenues. Students will benefit if both groups do their jobs.
- Wrangell Sentinel
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