DEED asks state education board to delay imposing strict limits on local government funding for districts

Proposal has worried local school board members for months; state leaders said they want further evaluation after public comment at meeting Thursday

Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop. (State of Alaska photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Postponing a proposal to sharply limit funds municipalities can give school districts is being recommended by the Dunleavy administration to the state’s education board, following heavy criticism from school districts about what Education Commissioner Deena Bishop said are misunderstood aspects of the proposal.

The Alaska Board of Education and Early Development is scheduled to conclude a two-day virtual meeting Thursday, beginning with an opportunity for public testimony at 8:45 a.m. Among the subsequent items on the agency is the proposed change to "local contribution" rules for non-instructional funding such as recreational activities and student transportation.

It has been a foremost concern during the past several months for Juneau Board of Education officials, who say it could cost the Juneau School District about $8 million a year in a budget that’s currently about $95 million. State officials have said the proposal sought to make the change effective at the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1, 2026, but local officials have declared they don’t trust the state board to not implement the new policy immediately.

Widespread opposition has also been expressed by districts, officials and residents throughout Alaska to the state education board. Bishop, in a presentation to the board Wednesday, said the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is asking members to postpone action so education department officials can review it further with other stakeholders.

Bishop, reiterating previous comments, said the change is being sought to ensure the state complies with federal equality requirements that limit the gap between the highest- and lowest-funded districts per capita.

The state has failed that test twice in recent years, which this year is putting more than $80 million in federal aid at risk

Bishop also said district officials and other dissenters are spreading disinformation about the reasons and impacts of the change that is "impeding the progress of trying to find a solution for the situation."

"As an educator I'm going to share that it is a disservice to young people, to teachers and to families when we cause anxiety in classrooms over such items as this," she said.

Critics, including Juneau School District officials, argue the proposed restrictions on non-instructional funding are misguided if the intent is to achieve federal compliance. Some commenters have also stated it appears to be an effort by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and his administration to further efforts to curb public school funding, especially after legislators have overridden his vetoes to increases in such funding multiple times during the past couple of years.

Many of the 600 public comments submitted during a month-long period ending in late July are variations of a form letter circulated by the advocacy group Great Alaska Schools that states the proposed change "takes a ‘lowest common denominator’ approach to equalizing support for schools. It reduces local self-determination and punishes community support for schools. It introduces significant ambiguity to state regulation that will increase bureaucratic burdens and risk for local districts and municipalities."

Bishop, in response to board members asking about concerned commenters, said "there is no interest in stopping innovative and flexible options for districts. We just want to understand how can they be innovative and flexible within the means of the law."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.