Students at Soldotna High School protested Governor Mike Dunleavy’s veto—and the legislature’s failure to override it—of a bill that would have provided Alaska’s school districts with a much-needed increase in funding by walking out of school on Wednesday.
At 10:00 a.m., during their third class period, SoHi students left their classes in a coordinated move and gathered outside the school around the flag pole. Armed with signs and chants of “BSA,” “We need teachers,” and “I don’t know what I’ve been told, lack of funding’s getting old,” the large crowd of students gave a voice to their concerns over the state government’s inability for nearly three months to find a meaningful solution to what many considered their number one priority going into the first legislative session of 2024.
“The walkout is because our words haven’t worked,” event organizer Jennifer Webster said. “Students going to board meetings and even our student body president, Jerry Nash, going down to Juneau, wasn’t able to convince our governor and our legislator that we actually need this money and that a lot of our programs are at risk because there isn’t any money. And so it’s time to speak with our actions instead of our words.”
The vetoed bill that passed the house in mid-February and was concurred by the Senate shortly thereafter included a $680 increase (roughly 11%) to the Base Student Allocation (BSA)–money the state gives school districts per student–as well as extra money for student transportation and reading intervention for K-3 students. According to Gov. Dunleavy, however, the bill “fell short” of improving outcomes for students.
In response, school districts statewide have been scrambling to cobble together budgets without knowing whether or not they would receive any increase in funding from the state. This has forced major changes in many of those districts, like Juneau, where two schools have been closed and merged into others due to insufficient funds.
Similar changes appear to be coming in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. On Monday, Apr. 15, the KPBSD Board of Education passed a budget that accounts for the district’s looming $13.7 million budget in FY 2025. The new budget increases the peer-to-teacher ratio by one in most classrooms and comes with large cuts across the borough, like eliminating school pools and theaters.
“Think about what you’ve done,” says Webster when asked what she wants to say to the Governor and legislature. “I think it’s completely ignorant to veto these bills or not override the veto because you say we don’t have the money when I truly believe that we do.”
