As a pediatrician and a mother of three children enrolled in the Anchorage School District, I see firsthand how essential strong public schools are to the health and well-being of Alaska’s kids. In my office, I care for many students with complex needs — kids who depend on school nurses to manage chronic health conditions, on counselors to help them cope with anxiety and trauma, on special educators to support their learning differences, on stable classrooms to feel safe and seen.
But every week, I hear about another support being cut. Another staff member leaving. Another child losing access to a service that helped them succeed.
This isn’t happening because of mismanagement. It’s happening because, year after year, Alaska has failed to invest in public education. Adjusted for inflation, K–12 funding is down 5% since 2011. Meanwhile, the Department of Corrections’ budget has grown by 52%. Our budgets reflect our values — and right now, the numbers say we value incarceration more than education. That has to change.
On April 11, the Alaska State Senate passed House Bill 69 — legislation that would raise the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000, marking the first meaningful education funding increase in over a decade. This vote came after an overwhelming wave of public support from Alaskans across the state — parents, educators, school board members and students — who made their voices heard. The message was loud and clear: our schools need real, permanent funding, not one-time patches.
I have immense gratitude for the community activism that made this possible and for the senators who stood up for Alaska’s children with courage and clarity. Their leadership gave us hope — and a path forward.
The Senate’s vote was a critical and courageous step. With bipartisan support, our legislators rose to the moment. Now, the bill sits on Gov. Dunleavy’s desk — its future, and the future of our children, hanging in the balance.
A veto would be devastating.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Anchorage School District has already notified more than 180 educators that their positions will be eliminated if this bill doesn’t become law. Without that funding, here’s what we can expect in our schools next year:
- Elementary classrooms with 30 or more students per teacher
- Reduced access to special education services for students with disabilities
- Cancelled summer school programs for struggling learners
- Cuts to language immersion and cultural education programs
- Fewer school counselors, nurses, librarians, and principals
- Loss of middle and high school sports, music, and extracurriculars that keep kids connected, motivated, and mentally well
These services are not extras. These are the bare minimum conditions required for schools to function—and for children to thrive.
Critics sometimes point to Alaska’s test scores as evidence that the system is broken. But as Lisa Parady of the Alaska Council of School Administrators put it, “Education is not failing — it’s starving.” Our students aren’t failing. They’re being failed by a system that has been steadily stripped of the resources it needs to succeed.
Alaska’s Children Can’t Wait
I’ve spent my career helping children navigate medical, behavioral and developmental challenges — and I can say with certainty that when schools are underfunded, kids suffer. And the children who are most vulnerable are always the first to feel the pain.
The Legislature has done its job. With bipartisan support from both chambers, lawmakers have shown that they are listening to their constituents and choosing to invest in Alaska’s future.
Now, the decision rests with Gov. Dunleavy.
We need him to do the right thing.
We need him to see what so many Alaskans already understand: that investing in our public schools is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. We need him to hear the voices of parents, teachers, students, and community members who have spoken up with clarity and conviction.
No one is asking for extravagance. We are asking for enough — for stability, for opportunity, for the basic resources our kids need to grow, learn, and succeed.
Gov. Dunleavy has a chance to choose investment over neglect, prevention over punishment, and opportunity over austerity. This isn’t about politics — it’s about priorities. And right now, our kids need to be the priority.
If he hears from enough of us, maybe he’ll listen. Maybe he’ll choose the future our children deserve.
Make Your Voice Heard
If you care about the future of Alaska’s schools, now is the time to act. Call or email Gov. Dunleavy and urge him to sign HB 69. Remind him that the people of Alaska have spoken — and that we’re still speaking.
We are talking about the future of over 100,000 students across the state. Our children deserve more than political posturing. They deserve more than survival. They deserve a real chance to thrive.
Let’s give them that chance. Let’s fund our schools.
Susan Beesley is an Anchorage pediatrician and mother of children in Anchorage public schools.
• • •
The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to [email protected] or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.
发表回复