Education

A bill that would increase Alaska’s K-12 education funding formula by $253 million per year is on the desk of Gov. Mike Dunleavy after both the House and Senate passed it.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the governor said Dunleavy intends to veto it, confirming prior posts on social media.

The Alaska Legislature transmitted House Bill 69, containing the formula funding increase, to the governor on Saturday. Under the Alaska Constitution, the governor has until April 30 to sign it, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.

If the governor vetoes the bill, lawmakers must meet “immediately” in joint session to vote and either confirm the governor’s veto or override it.

Overriding a veto on HB 69 would require 40 of the Legislature’s 60 members. Lawmakers for and against HB 69 have said they doubt there are enough votes to override a Dunleavy veto on the issue.

And even if the bill became law, actually funding the formula would require action in a separate budget appropriation bill. Overriding a budget veto would require 45 of 60 legislators.

The Alaska Senate will vote as soon as Friday on legislation that seeks to permanently increase K-12 public school funding, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy has vowed to veto the bill if it passes as currently written.

On Thursday morning, the Senate Finance Committee approved a modified version of House Bill 69, which would increase the base student allocation — the core of the state’s per-student public school funding formula — by $1,000 per student.

School districts and public school advocates have testified for years that state funding, which has been kept flat amid rising inflation, is inadequate and has caused extensive cuts that hurt student performance.

The bill is a top priority for the multipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate.

If the new formula is fully funded by legislators and the governor, the effect would be an additional $253 million per year for public education.

The state House has already approved a version of the bill, meaning that if the Senate approves it, members of the House would be asked to approve the Senate’s version or send the bill to a conference committee to negotiate a compromise.

In a statement posted on social media, Dunleavy called the bill’s present form “a joke,” adding, “Unless it is amended to address needed policies, if this lands on my desk, it’ll be vetoed immediately.”

If the governor vetoes the bill as promised, it would take 40 of 60 legislators, meeting in joint session, to override him. Multiple legislators said that as of Thursday, the necessary votes were not present.

“I do not believe in its current form, it will get through the process,” said Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer.

Some legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower, R-Wasilla, suggested that a smaller increase, on the order of $680 per student, might find success if coupled with policy changes.

The bill advancing toward a Senate vote was introduced at the start of the legislative session by Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, after Dunleavy vetoed a different bill, with a smaller funding increase, last year. Lawmakers failed to override the governor’s veto by a single vote.

Himschoot’s bill was repeatedly modified, and lawmakers held closed-door negotiating sessions with a representative of the Dunleavy administration in an effort to find a compromise between legislators’ preferences and the governor’s.

Most legislators have supported an unrestricted funding boost, which would allow school districts to choose how to spend the new money. The governor has introduced bills that place more emphasis on policy and would empower charter schools, homeschool parents, and alternatives to traditional schools.

The closed-door negotiations ended without success, and the House passed a bill focused on new funding. The Senate Education Committee amended that proposal to include policy items, a step toward the governor’s preferences, but in a statement, the governor said that version of the bill “does not pass muster.”

Rather than try further modifications, the Senate Finance Committee acted Thursday to strip all policy measures from the bill and leave just the funding increase.

“There’s a lot of discussion on what level of funding the BSA should have,” said Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel and co-chair of the finance committee.

“We’re putting this forward to see what support there is on this funding level in this building and on the third floor,” he said, referring to the Capitol floor occupied by the governor’s office.

Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage, objected to that line of thinking, saying that the bill must have more support than its failed predecessor from last year, Senate Bill 140.

“I just want to say on the record that if we’re going to get something done, it’s going to have to be a thoughtful compromise that is durable, that hopefully the governor and the (House) will accept to the degree that it has as many — I’ll say friends, supporters — plus one more — at least — than we had with SB 140, which unfortunately failed,” Kaufman said.

“And so I’m afraid we’re going down the path to failure.”

Editor’s note: This story is part of “Lessons from Newtok,” which connects youth from Newtok (Niugtaq), Alaska and Provincetown, Mass. through a pen pal exchange exploring the impacts of climate change. Students will document their communities with photography and writing, sharing insights on Indigenous knowledge, science, and local responses. Though Provincetown and Newtok’s new townsite of Mertarvik seem worlds apart, both coastal communities face rising seas, erosion, and environmental change. “Lessons From Newtok” offers a unique perspective on how youth are navigating our changing climate.

This fall season, an essential part of the Newtok relocation project happened. Barges bringing construction materials for the new school arrived at the Mertarvik Project Site.

I watched the barges arrive before ice formed on the river. The arrival of additional school children as the last families moved over to Mertarvik means that a new school must be built. A couple of pickup trucks were pulling a trailer with the school construction materials on them. I watched as they carefully drove from the barge landing to the new school site.

This move was challenging, especially as winter set in and the river is covered with lots of ice regardless of the tide. My family moved from Niugtaq to Mertarvik last fall, and on our last trip we took seven hours to get to Mertarvik from Niugtaq because we were stuck in the ice until the tide moved out.

The Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) has full funding approved by the state for school construction, and now the foundation and basic structure are underway. Students are currently attending school in the Mertarvik Evacuation Center (MEC) while we wait for the new school to be built. The new school is named the Mertarvik Pioneer School and is located by the generator, not too far from the Evacuation Center. It will be a little smaller than the old school at Niugtaq. According to Kim Sweet, LKSD’s director of operations, the new school will hopefully be completed in August 2026. The total cost of new construction for the school is roughly $56 million, but that is not all the school district has to pay for. There is a demolition that has to be paid for as well.

“So part of this project agreement is also the demolition of Newtok. So it’s not just about ‘do I have enough money to build a school, it’s do I have enough money to build a school and demo Newtok?’” Sweet said.

LKSD and the State of Alaska came to an agreement to fund the new school in Mertarvik. The agreement also states that the district has to demolish the old school in Newtok and keep students in school until the new building is ready. The total cost of the project is over $81 million, with $68 million going to new construction and the rest going to demolition and maintenance of the MEC building for educational purposes.

The original project agreement between LKSD and the State of Alaska budgeted for a 24,000-square-foot school.

“The original project agreement was much less, like 24,000 square feet, which is barely enough for, I mean, basically it eliminated two classrooms, and then the amount spent was about $55 million,” Sweet said.

After LKSD officials went back to the State of Alaska and said that they needed a bigger school, the district was granted additional funds to build a 31,000-square-foot school.

According to Mertarvik Site Administrator Dawn Lloyd, the building is still in progress with about 30% completed. She said the gym will be three quarters the size of a standard high school basketball court. We are all excited about the gym because basketball is our favorite sport!

Alaska Head Start programs are reeling after the regional federal office was suddenly closed last week, leaving programs uncertain about grant administration and future funding.

Trump-appointed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the closure of five of the nation’s 12 regional offices, as part of an agency-wide consolidation that included cutting 10,000 employees. That included closing the Seattle-based Region 10 office serving Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.

The office was a critical resource for Alaska Head Start programs, for grant administration and compliance, said Katrina Ahlfield, executive director for Kids’ Corps Inc., an Anchorage Head Start program. She also serves on the board of the Alaska Head Start Association.

“​​Thousands of children and families potentially are impacted in the longer term,” she said of the closures nationwide. “If this creates a delay in grant processing, or programs receiving the immediate support that they might need.”

The federal department did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Head Start provides early learning programs through schools and nonprofits that serve children from low-income families, from supporting pregnant mothers up to age 5. Foster youth, families who receive supplemental assistance like food benefits, and those who are experiencing homelessness are automatically eligible.

“We’re looking at some of the most vulnerable children and families in Alaska,” Ahlfield said.

Ahlfield said Kids’ Corps Inc. is one of four Head Start programs impacted directly, currently serving 1,076 children.

Ahlfield said the Alaska Head Start Association heard the news of the regional office closure on March 31 second-hand, and had no direct notice or further direction from federal officials.

That day, federal staff arrived to work in Seattle and were locked out, according to news reports, and staff were placed on immediate administrative leave until June, without warning.

With that office closed, Ahlfield said there’s a loss in administrative and technical support.

“They were your experts really on the Head Start performance standards and all of the compliance requirements that come along with operating any federal program,” she said. “So they were kind of your go-to as a director, or go-to for technical assistance and questions. They also help to process your grant applications.”

While there are no immediate cuts or closures, she said the loss of administrative support impacts her organization, as well as and also CCS Early Learning in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Thrivalaska in Fairbanks, and the Rural Alaska Community Program, or RuralCap, which serves children and families throughout Alaska.

Ahlfield said regional administrators would answer questions, or give advice related to health and safety requirements.

“These people had worked there for, you know, over 10 years, and really knew our programs well, and knew Alaska well,” she said.

“So right now, we don’t have anyone to contact about any of those kinds of questions or needs,” she added.

Kids Corps Inc. serves 189 children in the Anchorage area, and Ahlfield said she’s most concerned about their pending grant funding, which she expects to cover costs for the next six months.

“My most urgent concern is, is this going to create a delay in programs receiving grant approvals and funding on time in order to be able to continue providing services without a temporary, you know, delay and or needing to temporarily close?” she said.

She said there have not been Head Start funding delays reported in Alaska yet. But the uncertainty is difficult; any program cuts or closures would hit families and staff hard.

“We have an early-childhood and an educator crisis, where we don’t have enough people in the field already,” she said. “And so it just makes the situation worse for people. It definitely has the potential to create hard times.”

Alaska Head Start receives $68 million in federal funding each year, she said, with a 20% match totaling $13 million provided by the state through the Alaska Department of Early Education and Childhood Development. DEED provides state grants to 17 Head Start programs across the state, in classroom and home-based settings.

DEED did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

Ahlfield said Head Start administrators and communities are calling on the Alaska congressional delegation to urge the Trump administration to reverse the cuts, or provide a clear plan.

“If it’s not possible to reinstate our regional office, and that would be our first preference, … then we really need and want a well communicated, coordinated plan on how this is going to work, so that it doesn’t impact these vital services,” she said.

State legislators grilled two University of Alaska Board of Regents appointees at a Senate Education Committee meeting last week as part of their confirmation process. That’s after the board approved a motion to scrub mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion from university communications. 

The February vote from the board has brought up criticism about the decision itself and the lack of transparency in the board’s process. 

Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, criticized the decision during last week’s Senate Education Committee meeting. Tobin is also a PhD student at the University of Alaska Anchorage and said the board should have heard from the university community before making the decision.

“I have had my faith shaken over the last few weeks,” Tobin said. “It has been deeply shaken, and I know many of my fellow colleagues and fellow students are feeling similar. We are feeling unheard. We are feeling unseen.”

The University of Alaska Board of regents is composed of 11 members. Each regent serves eight-year terms, except for the student regent, who serves for two years. Members are appointed by the governor before going through a confirmation process with the Legislature.

Only one of the two appointees being considered was actually at the meeting. Anchorage-based Regent Christine Resler was appointed for her first term this year. She voted in favor of the motion to scrub DEI mentions from the university.

“I stand behind that we were trying to do the right thing, but I also recognize how hard it was for the community,” she said.

Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, said the decision gives the federal government a lot of power over the university.

“It doesn’t just say we’re going to follow the U.S. Constitution or federal law,” he said. “It said any guidance and executive orders or guidance on executive orders that come out of the federal government, anything from the U.S. Department of Education on Maryland Avenue in Washington, D.C. is the law of the University of Alaska system.”

Resler said she’s committed to supporting the UA community through any other changes from the federal government.

“We are in a very dynamic environment, and I can’t predict what’s going to happen next or what we’re going to be faced with, but what I can tell you is I will make sure the Board of Regents will react to support the students, the faculty and the alumni of the state and the university system,” she said.

Regent Karen Perdue was reappointed this year. She wasn’t at the meeting when the board approved the motion, but said that the university needs to maintain a stable environment to face what comes from the federal government.

“We see directives coming out sometimes on short notice,” she said. “But what we can do is we can stick together, talk to each other, and try to figure out how we might react and best adapt to these activities. I value the principles of academic freedom and the right to speak about issues. These are core values of our university.”

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, was the only other senator to question the appointees during the hearing. He asked about accreditation and research within the UA system.

Resler and Perdue’s confirmations will be heard at a joint legislative session that has yet to be scheduled.

The eighth annual Traditional Games was held in Juneau this weekend at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.

More than 250 athletes from 30 teams from across the state, the Lower 48 and Canada competed in a dozen different events rooted in Alaska Native values. 

Matthew Chagluak of Anchorage sat low on the gym floor at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Saturday morning. His neck was craned upward and his eyes were laser-focused on a ball hanging on a piece of string above him. 

Suddenly, in one fluid motion, he kicked a leg up to touch the ball while balancing on one hand, successfully executing an Alaskan High Kick. 

“By showing grace in your events, its showing respect for not only the event, but yourself too,” he said. 

Chagluak is Yupik, and he’s one of more than 250 athletes who came to Juneau to compete in the eighth annual Traditional Games. Many of them are Indigenous, but the games are open to participants from any background.

“It’s all about family and people who I care about, showing my support and having fun at the same time,” he said. 

Throughout the three-day event, the athletes from 30 different teams competed in a dozen different games. Each requires a unique skill set, a lot of training and focus. They’re all rooted in Indigenous hunting and survival skills. 

“The history goes back hundreds maybe 1000s of years, so let’s see it continue hundreds or 1000s of more years,” said Kyle Worl, a coach who leads the program in Juneau. 

He said the games had a profound impact on him when he began participating as a high schooler. Now, as an adult and coach, he wants to make sure other young people can experience them too.

“It’s a way to celebrate our culture and carry on these games and introduce them to youth throughout the Southeast region and beyond,” he said. 

Nathan Blake is a high school senior in Juneau. Not only did he compete, but he was also in charge of getting the crowd of family, friends and spectators excited.

He said the inclusiveness of the games is one of the biggest reasons he’s drawn to them. 

“All of us have really our own reasons to love this and appreciate the values that it brings to each home,” he said. “This is an event that teaches everyone that this isn’t just a game for one culture and one only. This is a game for everyone to come together and just be one with one another, regardless of how you look or what you do.”

Ricardo Worl, Kyle’s uncle, was a coach for the games in Juneau back in the 1980s and was honored on Saturday. During a speech to the athletes, he called on them to continue to uplift their culture and diversity amid the political turmoil happening in the country.

“We have grown-ups who don’t believe that being diverse, being inclusive, is something that should be supported,” he said. “Your added responsibility for this weekend is to be exactly who you are as athletes, Alaska Natives, proud, respectful.”

This year, athletes broke 12 records in different categories and age groups. Organizers say this year’s Traditional Games were one of the biggest held since they began in 2018.