What now? Governor’s education bill veto draws mixed reactions

JUNEAU Alaska (KTUU) – As mixed reaction ranging from strong praise to disappointment and, in some cases, devastation followed by warnings continued pouring in the day after Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed of a historic, bipartisan $246 million education package, much of the commentary came to a common consensus: a series of comments wondering what happens next.

In response, Senate leadership, who along with other lawmakers are preparing to vote on a veto override Monday, said in a statement the governor’s decision only brings “further uncertainty, larger classrooms, and instructional loss.”

“Our efforts from across political spectrums aimed to equip our schools with the resources essential for effective learning,” Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, wrote in a statement. “Despite ongoing discussions with the Governor over the past two and a half weeks to explore further compromises in a supplemental education bill, we were unable to come to an agreement.”

In the moments following the veto, House Speaker Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, echoed previous House and Senate leadership statements saying, lawmakers would meet in a joint session. It will take 40 of 60 legislators to override the governor’s veto. SB140 passed the House 38-2 and the Senate 18-1.

“But what tends to happen in overrides is you lose people. People peel off. So I think it’d be close. But I think the votes are there to override it,” Senate Rules Chair Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, said after the veto was issued.

Dunleavy said his decision was partly rooted in his belief that the bill mostly focused on raising the state’s per-student funding formula, known as the Base Student Allocation or BSA by $175 million, while doing nothing to fix parents urging him to do something about charter school wait lists and recruiting and keeping teachers in Alaska.

The vetoed funding proposal translates into a $680 per student increase to the current $5,960 BSA, the amount districts use to build their budgets.

“In the end what happened was this bill moved in the right direction. But it didn’t address the charter schools. It didn’t address retention,” the governor said. “From my perspective, it wasn’t enough. Or I would’ve signed it into law.”

The veto came hours after House members sent a charter school bill to education committee members, and, at the same time, Senate education committee members continued moving forward on teacher bonuses. Dunleavy’s office had said legislation on the governor’s priorities would not have had to pass by the time the veto deadline arrived if he saw meaningful action taking place.

While many people on social media expressed disappointment in the governor’s veto, others stood by Dunleavy’s decision.

“Good for you Governor,” Jerry J Thomas commented on an Alaska’s News Source article about the veto. “Make them earn their money and show some results.”

Facebook user Kris Warren also expressed her support for the veto.

“So glad to see Governor Dunleavy finally exercise his veto authority,” Warren wrote. “Hopefully his veto will stand and the legislature now has an opportunity to craft a bill that improves outcomes rather than just more of the same dismal results.”

Speaking to the divided veto reaction, including multiple people and groups not seeing eye-to-eye on education priorities, dissenting voices expressed serious concerns about what the decision means for the future of Alaska’s education system.

“If I had a playbook on how to destroy the public education system, this is the playbook I would use, I’d just stop funding it,” Anchorage Education Association President Corey Aist said. “And your educators will leave. They’ll go to other states where they value and fund education.”

Rebecca McGuire, a Fairbanks mom of three, worried how the veto could impact her children.

“It’s completely ridiculous because they haven’t raised the Base Student Allocation since — I think it was 2017,” McGuire said. “And there’s been quite a bit of inflation since 2017 and it hasn’t even been raised at all. It’s completely insufficient the way it is right now. The Fairbanks schools are just bursting at the seams. They closed three a few years ago and they’re slated to close a few more this year if this doesn’t get overridden on Monday.”

She says her children are already experiencing classrooms at full capacity and budget cuts may force her son’s school to close soon.

“He would have to have a much longer bus ride, have a larger classroom size, he may not be with his friends anymore,” McGuire said. “It’s going to have a very negative impact.”

During the Friday news conference, despite his veto decision, the governor promised to still deliver on school district’s funding needs.

“Because the bill is vetoed doesn’t mean there’s not going to be money. There’s going to be money. It’s going to happen,” the governor said.

When pressed on if he would potentially veto any parts of the education budget lawmakers will eventually send him, the governor’s answer evolved.

“That’s not the plan. That would cause huge problems,” he began by saying.

Saying later, “My goal is to make sure that our schools have the funding that they need. But we got to cross that bridge when we come to see what the final package is.”

Joining other districts across the state, Anchorage School District leaders, who last month passed a budget that relies on $9 million from the package’s proposed $680 per student increase to the BSA, warned of now facing additional cuts, as they urged lawmakers to override the governor’s veto.

“For ASD, this news means that our FY25 budget will be revisited, and our community will be faced with additional reductions that could negatively impact the education of nearly 40% of Alaska’s public school students,” Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt and School Board President Margo Bellamy wrote in a joint statement. “In an already tenuous environment for public education in Alaska, the uncertainty and chaos this veto will have on districts’ progress to improve student outcomes cannot be understated.”

Lawmakers are scheduled to come together for a joint session to vote on overriding the governor’s education bill veto Monday afternoon.

Full Anchorage School District Statement, From Anchorage School Board Pres. Margo Bellamy and Superintendent Dr. Jharrett Bryantt

We have an update to share with you about the state’s status on finalizing education funding for next school year.

The Alaska State Legislature came through for our students, staff, and families with the historic bipartisan approval of Senate Bill 140 (SB 140). This type of collaborative leadership at the beginning of the legislative session speaks to their dedication to public education. We can’t thank them enough for their support.

We are deeply disappointed and gravely concerned about Governor Dunleavy’s decision last night to veto SB 140. The Governor’s veto could not come at a worse time, not only for the Anchorage School District (ASD), but for all school districts across Alaska. The ASD FY 2025 budget was developed to keep class sizes stable and maintain beloved student programs. Through SB 140, the Legislature made a good faith effort to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to provide for and fund a great public education system. The Governor’s rejection of SB 140, a bill which passed with 93% approval of the Legislature, undermines a bipartisan effort to make a historic investment in our children’s education.

The repercussions of the Governor’s veto are dire and far-reaching. By depriving public schools of essential financial resources, he has exacerbated existing challenges that will push the state of our education system to the brink. ASD alone has more than 600 vacancies, spanning key functions such as special education staff, paraprofessionals, and classroom teachers. Vetoing SB 140 will do nothing to help reverse this alarming trend. Undoubtedly we will see further attrition of educators, compounding the shortage of qualified teaching professionals and compromising the quality of instruction for our students.

The adverse effects of the Governor’s veto extend beyond the immediate fiscal concerns and will impede the long-term prosperity and development of Alaska’s youth. Without adequate funding, schools will be unable to invest in crucial resources, programs, and initiatives essential for nurturing the academic, social, and emotional growth of students, thus hindering their ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive global landscape.

For ASD, the Governor’s decision means that our community could be faced with additional reductions that negatively impact the education of nearly 40% of Alaska’s public school students. In an already tenuous environment for public education in Alaska, the uncertainty and chaos this veto will have on districts’ progress to improve student outcomes cannot be understated.

Senate Bill 140 is a landmark piece of legislation that holds the promise of significantly bolstering public school funding across the state, something that has not occurred since 2017. The $680 increase, as passed in SB 140, to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) for the upcoming school year would provide much-needed relief to ASD. After years of record inflation, and corresponding flat funding by the state, the District’s structural budget deficit has grown progressively larger. For FY 25, ASD is currently grappling with a budget deficit nearing $100 million.

To balance our budget in recent years, we have exhausted nearly all of the District’s emergency savings, increased class sizes, and eliminated teaching positions. The $680 BSA increase will inject approximately $50 million into our schools, offering a lifeline to preserve vital positions and programs essential for the educational well-being of our students. With the veto of this critical funding, Governor Dunleavy has jeopardized the academic progress and future prospects of Alaska’s youth.

We will continue to work with our elected leaders to properly and fairly fund public education. We stand ready to help find the common ground for common sense solutions.

We encourage our community to make their voices heard to their state representatives to override the Governor’s veto. The future of our students and staff hangs in the balance.

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