JUNEAU — Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday vetoed House Bill 57, a sweeping education funding and reform package that would have provided Alaska schools with a long-term $700 increase to the base student allocation, as well as expanded transportation funding and classroom policy changes.
In a video message and press conference, Dunleavy said the bill failed to deliver what he considered “game-changing” policy changes to justify a permanent funding increase.
“There is no evidence that a permanent increase in the Base Student Allocation will improve educational outcomes,” Dunleavy wrote in his veto message. “Therefore, this bill in its current form does not serve the best interest of Alaskans.”
The veto immediately drew backlash from lawmakers, educators, and administrators across Alaska, who warned it would trigger layoffs, closures, and deep uncertainty for public schools already strained by years of flat funding and inflation.
Rep. Justin Ruffridge (R-Soldotna), who supported the bill’s bipartisan passage, said he would vote to override the governor’s veto.
“I believe this bill delivers progress for our students and is really a representation of months of hard work and compromise,” Ruffridge said. “I am proud of that work and will be continuing to support it to the end.”
The Alaska Legislature is scheduled to convene Tuesday morning in a joint session to consider overriding the veto. The bill initially passed 48-11, meaning only five votes would need to shift for an override to succeed.
But Gov. Dunleavy defended his decision, arguing the legislation left out key administration priorities like teacher retention bonuses, broader charter school reforms, and a statewide open enrollment policy. He also objected to the bill’s proposed funding mechanism for a reading grant program, which was tied to a corporate tax expansion.
“This became a spending bill that we believe we could have done a lot better with,” Dunleavy said, criticizing lawmakers for what he called “bad-faith negotiations.”
The bill included a $450-per-student reading incentive grant aimed at improving K-6 literacy rates, but Dunleavy rejected the approach, saying it lacked direct, dedicated funding. “We’re 51st in the nation in reading scores. That should bother everyone,” he said.
But education advocates say the veto does far more harm than good.
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman (R-Nikiski) called the veto “unacceptable,” warning that the impact to schools in his district would be devastating.
“This means that many schools on the Kenai would close — including Nikiski Middle/High School, Sterling Elementary, Tustumena Elementary, Paul Banks in Homer, and possibly more,” Bjorkman said. “Sports programs, theaters, and pools would be severely impacted. Class sizes would swell. This is not the answer.”
Bjorkman added that referring to the bill as funding only is “laughable.”
“The funding in HB 57 equates to a 2.5% cut in K12 education spending because of declining enrollment. Calling that bill a funding-only bill is laughable,” Bjorkman added.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Clayton Holland* described the situation as “massive unpredictability,” noting that the district cannot plan adequately under the threat of mid-year cuts.
“If things go worse or go bad, we don’t even know where we’re going to go from there,” Holland said.
Tom Klaameyer, president of NEA-Alaska*, said the damage from the veto will begin immediately if it is not overturned.
“We’re going to start to be laying off staff. School closures will become irreversible. Programs that were cut or proposed to be cut will become final,” Klaameyer said. “If this veto stands and we don’t have a special session, we can’t wait until January. The destruction will already have been done.”
This marks the second year in a row that Dunleavy has vetoed a major compromise package aimed at increasing education funding. Last year, the override effort fell one vote short.
This time, supporters are more optimistic — but the final outcome is uncertain. Even if the Legislature succeeds in overriding the veto, Dunleavy could still attempt to strike education funding from the operating budget, which would require a three-quarters override vote to reverse.
With the regular legislative session scheduled to adjourn Wednesday at midnight, lawmakers face a tight timeline to decide how to move forward with education reform and funding in the state.
*Clips courtesy of Alaska News Source
