With state legislators set to square off in the coming month over–among many other budgetary issues–the state’s education budget, Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop says she supports Governor Mike Dunleavy’s exclusion of a blanket Base Student Allocation (BSA) from his proposed budget. Commissioner Bishop says she, like the governor, favors a focus on increasing teacher salaries instead.
The BSA is the amount of money the state allots in its annual budget to school districts per enrolled student.
Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharett Bryant has already spoken out in opposition to the governor’s and commissioner’s stance. “The quality of education that districts are able to provide is being eroded by inflation and the state shirking its constitutionally mandated duty to maintain a system of schools that thrives,” Bryantt said in a prepared statement.
Commissioner Bishop responded quickly to Bryantt, however, reaffirming her position on the issue and the priority of addressing teacher salaries.
“I can say as [an] Alaskan who’s been an education for 34 years that our state can make investment in education and what we’re looking for. And as an educator myself, those inputs into education should hit where they matter most. I am a proponent of paying teachers more,” Bishop said in an interview with KTUU-TV. “Teachers who are the closest to the children should be paid more — and that was part of the bill. I believe in funding education for the things that we want out of education. Many times, we’re not always putting our money where the best places are.”
Last week, Governor Dunleavy presented his proposed budget, which did not include any increase to the BSA in its $13.9 billion total. “The question has always been whether we put money in the BSA and that’s the base student allocation, that’s part of the formula for a funding, or whether we put money into the education world in various forms in various for various purposes,” said the governor at the time.
Currently the Base Student Allocation is $5,690, however, despite a sharp rise in inflation over the last several years, that amount has only increased by $30 since 2017.
