Legislature’s education task force seeks more funding via series of policy recommendations

30-day public comment period includes day-long hearing Thursday as six-member group suggests changes to per-student funding and separating costs such as maintenance

The Alaska Legislature’s Task Force on Education Funding meets at the Alaska State Capitol on April 22, 2026. (Gavel Alaska screenshot)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A long list of goals largely aimed at boosting the amount and predictability of state education funding was released Monday by a task force of six legislators, with majority members hoping Democratic gains in the Legislature and governor’s office will allow passage of proposals that have previously come up short.

Among the suggestions are basing per-student funding on enrollment on an average of past years rather than the current one, automatic adjustments for inflation, reassessing if the formula is adequate for current needs and separating that funding from money needed for facilities operations. There are also recommendations on a wide range of matters such as student transportation, correspondence schools and employee retention.

The committee consists of four majority caucus members — three Democrats and an independent — and two minority caucus Republicans. A summary of the recommendations notes they "were reached by consensus of the members. Where consensus was not achieved, a final recommendation represents the position of a majority of members."

"I didn't want there to be anything that was too political or too opposing, because then it will be challenging to get it across the finish line where you need all the voices and all the people in the room," Sen. Löki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat who co-chaired the task force, said when asked in an interview Monday what give-and-take occurred in what is presented as a bipartisan report. "We wrote this report prior to knowing who was governor and so we didn't want there to be animosity amongst any group that we might need to pull override votes from."

Messages left with both minority members of the task force on Monday by the Juneau Independent did not receive a response.

The recommendations are a first draft open to public comment for a 30-day period ending Dec. 8, according to a statement issued by the task force. A day-long public hearing for testimony by residents statewide is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with in-person comments scheduled at four locations in designated time segments during the meeting.

In-person testimony in Juneau is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. in Room 106 at the Alaska State Capitol. Remote testimony will be accepted when all people presenting wishing to testify have done so — a rule that will be in effect at each of the other three locations.

Notable among the short-term recommendations is basing per-student funding on average enrollment during the past three years rather than the current year, which will allow districts to know sooner in their budget process how much money they can expect. State certification of enrollment figures for the current school year often takes several months, extending into winter and spring periods when district leaders are well into drafting budgets for the coming year.

The change will also mean more funding for most districts since student enrollment is generally declining. The Juneau School District’s enrollment of 3,673 students in September is down from 4,116 in 2023-24, 3,964 in 2024-25 and 3,832 in 2025-26. That previous three-year average of 3,971 students would equate to nearly $2 million in additional per-student funding, an 8% increase.

A bill allowing such enrollment calculations passed the House by a 31-9 vote this spring, but fell short in the Senate in favor of other education funding legislation. Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, who authored the failed bill and is a member of the task force, said in an interview Monday the House vote shows the three-year averaging concept can be a short-term change that already has bipartisan support.

"You have to have the funding in a more consistent and timely manner so districts can hire and retain our best teachers," she said. "We avoid that uncertainty that drives teachers and families away, and really affects our student achievement."

Another key recommendation is studying the per-student formula known as the Base Student Allocation to determine if it "accurately reflects the current costs of delivering adequate and equitable education in each school district," according to a published summary. Suggested as part of that analysis is examining funding criteria for subgroups such as at-risk, limited-English-proficiency and special needs students.

Many public school officials and advocates have stated BSA funding was essentially flat for more than a decade, causing serious financial hardships for districts due to inflation. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed numerous funding increases during his two terms, and policymakers seeking more funds are expressing optimism Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins — the likely winner of this year’s election — will be more supportive.

A big change would be separating BSA funding from spending for operation and routine maintenance of school facilities. The published summary notes such expenses can’t be funded from the state’s capital improvement projects budget and argues they shouldn’t come from funding used for classrooms.

Tobin also described the state’s list of capital budget infrastructure projects for schools as "woefully broken" due to extensive deferments and "that obviously needs reform immediately." The summary states there is a $535 million backlog in school maintenance requests due to more than a decade of inadequate funding.

"This has led to collapsing structures, facilities that do not meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, non-functioning fire suppression systems, and dozens of identified health and safety threats," the summary notes, adding "Inaction will only increase the eventual costs of repair or replacement and continue to put children at risk."

Another funding change seeks to continue a separate energy cost reimbursement to districts passed by the Legislature this year due to skyrocketing fuel costs stemming largely from the Iran war. A draft task force recommendation calls for such funding, estimated at $88 million for the next fiscal year, to continue indefinitely.

The draft recommendations also suggest possibly more funding for correspondence programs — but also more oversight. The summary "recommends reviewing Alaska’s existing correspondence school statutes, which allow broad exemptions from statewide content standards, proficiency assessments, and fiscal audits."

"The Task Force recommends that school districts investigate effective methods for incorporating public

correspondence programs into a broader brick-and-mortar framework, acknowledging extensive post-

pandemic research indicating that for most students, in-person learning significantly outperforms online

and distance learning," the summary notes.

Sen. Jesse Kiehl, also a Juneau Democrat on the task force, said Monday the accountability measures are in part because "there's been real concern about the pittance of correspondent students who take the state's (proficiency) tests."

"We want to strengthen those public charter options, many of which do a great job," he said. "The way we've got it set up now was originally built to encourage more charter schools and I worry that there's a financial disincentive for school districts to run them. So I think some of those recommendations will help with that."

Kiehl, who will co-chair the Senate Finance Committee during the next session, said the total cost of the task force’s draft recommendations hasn’t been calculated.

"The task force can't enact any of these things," he said. "So each bill would get its own fiscal note. Each idea would get its full vetting."

Shawn Arnold, superintendent of the Juneau School District, stated in an email to the Juneau Independent on Monday that his "first reaction to the findings is relief."

"As a long-time school leader in Alaska, I have seen systemic underfunding and the difficult trade-offs each year required to balance budgets," he wrote. "The Task Force's report acknowledges these real-world pressures and directly addresses our state's constitutional obligation to provide an adequate, stable education for every child."

Adopting a clear definition of an "adequate education," an adequacy study of the BSA formula, separating facilities funding from classroom instruction, and energy assistance were among the recommendations getting approval from Arnold in his email. He also stated field visits from task force members as well as other efforts to develop the recommendations were appreciated.

"The findings verify what our educators, families, and community members experience every day. Now, the work turns to action," Arnold wrote.

The scheduled public testimony times and locations for Thursday’s task force meeting are: – Anchorage LIO: 9 a.m.-noon.

– Fairbanks LIO: 1-3 p.m.

– Juneau, Capitol Building, Davis Committee Room 106: 3-5 p.m.

– Kenai LIO: 5-7 p.m.

People wanting to testify by phone can call 907-563-9085 in the Anchorage area, 907-586-9085 in the Juneau area and 844-586-9085 for all other areas of the state.

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