Override vote coming, lawmakers say, after Dunleavy vetoes education bill
JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - House and Senate leaders predicted an override vote will come as early as Monday, shortly after Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed Senate Bill 140, a historic, bipartisan $246 million education package.
“SB 140 contains a record increase in the BSA. Although I SUPPORT an increase to the BSA – there were no new approaches, other than enhanced funding, to increase educational outcomes,” Dunleavy wrote in a statement. “SB 140 lacked sufficient changes in how charter schools are chartered in order to allow more students and families charter school possibilities.”
Dunleavy’s press release announcement, which included a reference to the bill’s proposed $175 million increase to the state’s per-student funding formula known as the Base Student Allocation, or BSA, came about three-and-a-half hours before a midnight deadline for the decision to either veto the bill or let it become law without his signature.
“We had thought maybe the governor would go veto the bill. He’d indicated that before,” House Speaker Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, said. “We have the plan in place for an override joint session. It’ll be Monday, maybe Tuesday. Just depending on what flights look like coming into Juneau.”
Tilton echoed previous House and Senate leadership statements saying if Dunleavy vetoed the bill, 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.
In a joint statement from Margo Bellamy, president of the Anchorage School Board, and Jharrett Bryantt, superintendent of the Anchorage School District, education leaders in Alaska’s biggest city expressed “deep disappointment and grave concern” in their disapproval of Dunleavy’s vetoes.
“The Governor’s veto could not come at a worse time, not only for the Anchorage School District, but for all school districts across Alaska,” the statement read. “The ASD FY 2025 budget was developed with the intent of keeping class sizes stable and maintaining beloved student programs. The Governor’s rejection of SB 140, which was passed with 93% approval of the Legislature, undermines a bipartisan effort to make a historic investment in our children’s education.
“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. 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. We encourage our community to make their voices heard to their state representatives to override the Governor’s veto.”
Much of the governor’s statement focused on the Dunleavy’s position state school board members, which are appointed by the governor, gain new powers to approve charter school applications.
“The lack of such reforms, given our success, with charter schools did not justify the passage of this bill that increases spending without needed reforms,” Dunleavy said. “There is also still time in this session to enhance our charter school offerings and methods by which they are chartered.”
Earlier on Thursday, Tilton had expressed hope a newly introduced House charter school bill would show the governor meaningful efforts were being made on his priority.
The House bill, HB391, was introduced hours after Senate leadership continued to call the governor’s charter school position, which they worry will take away local control, a “non-starter.”
House Minority Leader Calvin Schrage, NA-Anchorage, called the governor’s decision “extremely disappointing,” saying with the state’s education system in what he characterized as a crisis, he said SB140 provides Alaska students essential support.
“Whether they attend charter, correspondence, or neighborhood brick and mortar schools, while directing funds into the classroom and funding the Alaska Reads Act. The members of the Alaska House Coalition stand ready to override this veto and ensure SB140 becomes law,” Schrage said.
Reacting with “grave concern,” and encouraging community members to tell lawmakers to support a veto override, Anchorage School Board President Margo Bellamy and Superintendent Dr. Jarrett Bryant issued a joint statement late Thursday night, saying the veto meant 2025′s fiscal year budget would have to be reexamined, and predicted additional cuts.
“The Governor’s veto could not come at a worse time, not only for the Anchorage School District, but for all school districts across Alaska,” Bellamy and Bryant said. “The ASD FY 2025 budget was developed with the intent of keeping class sizes stable and maintaining beloved student programs.”
“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,” Bellamy and Bryant added.
The now vetoed SB140 originally started as a rural school internet funding bill, which includes $40 million to the Alaska School Broadband Assistance Grants (BAG) program. Combined with federal grant dollars, the funding has the potential to secure 100 Mbps internet download speeds.
When Dunleavy first issued his veto threat, Department of Education & Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop responded in a memo to concerns the internet funding could be caught in the middle.
“There is still time in this session to address some of the issues such as increasing broadband speeds for our schools in Alaska,” Dunleavy said in his veto statement.
Absent from that statement, however, the governor’s $61 million proposal to pay for a three-year teacher bonus pilot program, to study if $5,000 to $15,000 payouts, based on a school’s location, successfully recruits and retains Alaska teachers.
Finally the governor promised to continue working with lawmakers and to review education budgets after the session ends.
“To ensure schools are being adequately funded and the state’s limited resources are being spent appropriately,” Dunleavy said.
The governor’s office says Dunleavy has scheduled a news conference for 11:00 Friday morning.
Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.
