Ready to speak up? Here are our tips:

Tips for Testifying at Alaska Legislature public hearings

Flier for distribution - includes QR link to Great Alaska Schools’ petition to the Governor

Great Alaska Schools sign-up/sign-in sheet for in-person gatherings

Who represents you? Find out here.

Click the link above
Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page
Look for the ‘Who Represents me?’ box on the righthand side of the page.
Sample letters can be found here!

How are schools funded?

The Base Student Allocation or BSA is an important part of Alaska’s school funding formula. It is the number used to determine how much funding schools receive. Much like a wage or salary, when the Base Student Allocation stays the same year after year, it feels like a pay cut to our schools. The Base Student Allocation has not been raised significantly in more than a decade; meanwhile the cost of living - including the costs running our schools - has gone up astronomically.
Per the Department of Labor reporting. Read more here.
State and federal laws and regulations protect parents’ rights to make choices about their children’s education.
Check out this resolution from the Alaska legislature for a comprehensive list of rights.
“…regarding the sometimes competing interests when considering the rights of parents, teachers, and students, parental rights are indisputably the most vast and voluminous…”
Why should I be concerned about school vouchers and other attempts to spend public funds on private & religious schools or expand “school choice” or “parent rights”?
As outlined above, Alaskan families already have a wide range of opportunities to direct their children’s education. What’s really behind some of these innocuous-sounding initiatives is an attempt to dismantle public education and strip away local control. Find out more -->

Alaska’s constitution says:

“The legislature shall by general law establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the State, and may provide for other public educational institutions. Schools and institutions so established shall be free from sectarian control. No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.”

You can download a PDF of this handy infographic from the Association of Alaska School Boards here.

The Alaska Beacon outlines who’s behind the push for school vouchers and the impact they are having in other states.
Fairbanks parent and stats teacher Beth Zirbes unpacks the charter school study. Charter School parents and teachers say new legislation is not needed in this letter.
Alaska will not have the educated, capable workforce we need if we dismantle public education. We all benefit from strong public schools.

What moves legislators most is hearing from you

Sharing your stories and concerns about our schools with your legislators is one of the most powerful things you can do to help increase school funding.

Please consider writing to your state legislators. The list of senators and representatives (scroll to the bottom of each page to the “who represents me” button.

Photo: Great Alaska Schools volunteers meeting with Fairbanks Representative Will Stapp in 2024.

Sample Letters