‘We Have To Move On:’ Dunleavy explains education bill veto

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - Embracing a confrontational tone while promising to still support some form of a per-student funding increase, Gov. Mike Dunleavy blasted what he called special interests’ opposition to his priorities as he explained his decision to veto a bipartisan $246 million education package during a Friday news conference.

“So what happened here was we tried to get stuff and teacher bonuses, charter schools. That didn’t happen. So we’ve got to move on,” the governor said. “We’ve got to fund education, which is going to happen, but we have to move on. Because if not, it’s just going to be chaotic.”

Dunleavy said he ultimately viewed the education bill as only a spending bill, standing in the way of providing solutions for a backlog of parents who want to send their children to charter schools, or solutions for recruiting and keeping teachers in Alaska.

“If being confrontational is doing the right thing, and having a moral imperative, I’m guilty,” Dunleavy said.

Blaming NEA-Alaska

Specifically naming NEA-Alaska, Dunleavy called out what he viewed as special interest opposition, making it a key focus of his veto explanation.

“It’s a moral imperative for me not to kowtow to NEA; it’s a moral imperative for me to do everything I can to help kids and to help parents,” the governor said.

“In the end, what happened was this bill moved in the right direction,” Dunleavy added. “It didn’t address the charter schools. It didn’t address retention.”

Responding in a statement, NEA-Alaska President Tom Klaameyer said, “Time and time again this governor has shown that he has nothing but antipathy towards our public schools. This is simply the latest example.”

“By threatening the funding necessary to keep public charter and neighborhood schools open unless he gets his way, he shows a cruel indifference to the fiscal reality all Alaska school districts are facing,” Klaameyer added, as he urged lawmakers to override Dunleay’s veto.

Charter Schools

Digging into his dislike of how the issue evolved, Dunleavy expressed something akin to disbelief at the opposition he eventually saw toward charter schools.

“I can’t think of a good reason other than the educational establishment of this state did not want charter schools because they saw it as a threat to what they’re doing, which makes no sense to me,” the governor said. “Because if the whole idea is to help kids and help their performance, why don’t you take a vehicle that obviously works and expand it?”

“So in the end, 15 days, 20 days, trying to work with people, trying to bridge the gap — [we] couldn’t bridge the gap,” the governor said.

The governor has frequently cited a Harvard study to support his position the process for his appointed State School Board members to approve charter schools should be expanded, which critics have argued would hurt current local school board’s approval power.

That study found Alaska’s charter schools scored better than any other state in the nation.

However, a recent Alaska’s News Source Investigation showed The Harvard study did not conclude that state control over the process was necessarily a good idea in Alaska.

“On the one hand, it appears that charter schools so far had been authorized by school boards or school districts. And that would say, well, then you should leave it there,” said Harvard Professor Paul Peterson, who was in charge of the study. “But on the other hand, school districts have become reluctant to a charter addition, authorize additional charter schools. And we find that ... when we look across the country as a whole, we find that we’re going have a state authorizer that is the authorizer that has the most success in creating schools where students perform well.”

Praise For Lawmakers

Despite the outcome, Dunleavy spent much of his news conference praising lawmakers’ efforts to pass an education budget early to give school districts the number to balance their budgets.

“I think they did an amazing thing,” the governor said. “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.”

“From my perspective, it wasn’t enough. Or I would’ve signed it into law,” the governor added.

School Districts Scramble

Multiple school district leaders and families across Alaska say the education veto has created a state of disarray. The most closely watched provision was a historic $175 million increase to the state’s per-student funding formula, known as the Base Student Allocation, or BSA. The proposal translates into a $680 per student increase to the current $5,960 BSA, the amount districts use to build their budgets.

“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,” Anchorage 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.”

Dunleavy made a point of saying the idea for a $680 BSA increase came from the Kenai School District.

“It wasn’t researched, numbers weren’t really run,” Dunleavy said. “That became the political goal. So in the end, the bill came down to just merely being a spending bill.”

When the topic turned to the slow progress, so far, of his $61 million plan to pay for a three-year teacher bonus pilot program, to study if $5,000 to $15,000 payouts based on the school’s location successfully recruit and retain Alaska teachers, the governor lamented how that also played a great role in his veto decision.

“I was basically told, and I’m paraphrasing, that teacher bonuses is out. It’s not going to happen. Just get over it. It’s done. OK. All right. I get it. I understand how the process works,” Dunleavy said.

Override Vote Scheduled

A joint session to override Dunley’s veto has now been scheduled for Monday afternoon.

“I would say to the folks that are looking at doing that: You could override and you could have this bill but that doesn’t guarantee money in the budget at the end. That’s a whole different process,” Dunleavy said. “So I would say, you know, if folks are contemplating an override, they have to kind of answer a rhetorical question that probably will be posed to them, actually, ‘Why’d you override?’”

As lawmakers prepare for Monday’s joint session, Senate Rules Chair Bill Wielechowski, D- Anchorage, says he thinks while the vote will be close, he thinks the 40 votes needed to override the governor’s veto are there.

“If this override doesn’t happen, there will be another bill right behind it. And quite frankly, if we don’t pass another bill, we’re going to put $680 [BSA] in the budget. Would be my expectation,” Wielechowski said.

Despite the complexities of another potential education funding veto, after lawmakers eventually pass a budget, Wielechowski also thinks that’s what the governor may still do.

“A veto of an appropriation requires an even higher threshold, it requires 75% of the legislature to override that,” Wielechowski said. “That is extremely difficult to get.”

Dunleavy Promises To Support Funding

However, during his news conference, the governor promised to support some sort of BSA increase by working with lawmakers during the remainder of the session, and in how he said he would view the budget lawmakers eventually send him.

“It could be $400, it could be $500, it could even be $700. I doubt that,” the governor said. “But the point I’m trying to make is 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.”

When pressed on if he would potentially veto any parts of the education budget lawmakers 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.”

Whatever happens, House Speaker Cathy Tilton, R- Wasilla, echoed Wielechowski, saying there is still time left to get an education package a passed, if it’s needed.

“I think it will be challenging. But I, you know, we’re always up for a challenge here. And hopefully we can work together with the Senate and the Governor and do what’s best for Alaska,” Tilton said.

NEA-Alaska President Tom Klaameyer’s full statement

“I wish I could say I was surprised, however, time and time again this governor has shown that he has nothing but antipathy towards our public schools. This is simply the latest example.

Since being elected to the Alaska State Senate, he has introduced legislation to shred the Alaska Constitution to funnel public money to for-profit and religious schools, has slashed school funding from the budget, introduced legislation that marginalizes at-risk students, and has ignored the findings of his own Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force.

Our public schools are crying out for help while the governor’s focus is trained on expensive experiments, meetings in Washington D.C., and pet policy projects that haven’t even been thoroughly vetted by the legislature. By threatening the funding necessary to keep public charter and neighborhood schools open unless he gets his way, he shows a cruel indifference to the fiscal reality all Alaska school districts are facing.

It’s clear that Alaska students, parents, educators, and communities can’t rely on Governor Dunleavy. As the proud president of Alaska’s largest education association, I call on the legislature to show Alaskans what real leadership looks like. I urge them to override the veto of SB 140 and publicly commit to protecting public education funding in the operating budget.”

Full Anchorage School District Statement, From Anchorage Shool 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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