January 21, 2024 Call for Action
Dear Education Supporters,
We have good news and bad news. The bad news is we are facing a critical situation regarding Senate Bill 140, that needs your immediate action. Despite the overwhelming opposition expressed during over 8 hours of testimony last Saturday, the bill has passed out of the House Rules Committee and is headed to the full House this Tuesday afternoon.
We are disappointed by this outcome as Senate Bill 140 as amended, would cause 3 major harms for public schools. The good news is the full House represents a broader spectrum of Alaskans than the small Rules Committee, and there's significant widespread opposition to the bill. This means we have an important opportunity to influence this broader group and must keep up the pressure against the bill!
We can’t do this alone; we need you!
1. **Call or Email Your House Representatives:** Urge them to support real funding for ALL Alaska's public schools through a significant BSA increase ($1413) without compromising local control or introducing a divisive bonus system that neglects the many hardworking classified educators that contribute significantly to the education of our youth.
2. **Emphasize Your Role as a Parent:** Legislators have indicated that they want to hear directly from PARENTS. If you are a parent, highlight this in your communication.
3. **If You're a Charter School Parent:** It's even more important that you speak up in support of local control of charter schools and increased BSA funding. Charter school families are going to be pivotal in getting a meaningful increase to the BSA this session. Charter schools are public schools, and an increase to the BSA benefits ALL Alaskan public schools.
*It’s easy to find your Representative and their contact info at the bottom of the Legislature’s page with the Who Represents Me tool.
For more on SB140 and to inform your message to your Representative, please see below. Don’t forget to share your note on social media to encourage others to get involved!
SB 140 actually spends less on our schools than last year
Though it’s being spun as a ‘funding increase,’ a BSA increase of $300 actually translates to a funding cut that will lead to school closures, program cuts, fewer teachers, and bigger class sizes because it is less than what the legislature passed last year which was ultimately vetoed by the Governor. Further, statewide education organizations have already recommended an increase of $1,413, making this “increase” painfully inadequate and taking support for our schools backward.
SB 140 takes away local control from communities
Under this proposed bill, an unelected state board, appointed by the Governor, would have all authority to approve, renew, and terminate any charter school in Alaska, removing an authority that has been held by locally elected school boards for 30 years. Charter schools provide important alternative approaches to education that support diverse learning styles and offer unique language and cultural focuses. Even if your family isn’t using a charter school, this provision will affect you because this board would have unchecked authority to create new charters, diverting funding away from your family's schools which, as we know, are already struggling under flat funding.
SB 140 creates a divisive bonus system for school employees
This bill proposes cash bonuses for teachers from $5,000 to $15,0000, costing $58 million. No other support staff or paraprofessionals are included. This means the proposed incentive program risks violating the Alaska Constitution’s equal protection clause and violating local collective bargaining agreements. Bonuses would also have to be applied for, and are "subject to appropriations" so the legislature or the Governor has the power to pull the plug at any time. Most concerning, at the end of the year a teacher may get a pink slip with their bonus check because, without a significant BSA increase, schools can’t pay a teacher’s contractually obligated salary.
