This is our daughter’s first year in elementary school. Kindergarten is an exciting time of firsts: first year in a big-kid school, first school performances, first field trips, first formations of lifelong friendships. But our joyful year of firsts has been overshadowed by a crippling and constant anxiety — one that parents across our state know all too well — as we watch the dismantling of our public schools in real time.
Like many parents, we are exhausted. Not just from the countless hours of advocacy and worry, but from the relentless and ill-informed rhetoric of politicians who wield their power and platform to distort the truth. We are tired of watching education be weaponized for political infighting. Across the range of political perspectives in our network, we all value and rely upon a well-resourced public education system. And we are all fed up.
The crisis we’re in is not accidental. It is the predictable result of deliberate policy decisions that have systematically weakened Alaska’s public schools over the past decade, spearheaded by our governor. Throughout his political career in Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has worked relentlessly to undermine the foundation of our children’s futures. As a state senator, he sponsored and helped pass legislation in 2014 allowing correspondence school allotments to be used for private school tuition, catalyzing a steady diversion of public funds that’s currently being challenged in court. Then, after taking office as governor in 2018, he began flat-funding public education, keeping the Base Student Allocation (BSA) frozen despite rising inflation.
Public schools have been stripped of essential resources, and as performance has declined under the strain, some political leaders have doubled down on the divestment. Their defiant rallying cry — ”No funding increase without accountability for student outcomes” — is ironic given they’re scapegoating accountability for the very system they’ve starved. Our public schools are not failing; they are being failed by our Legislature.
The cost of inaction
Last week, we watched as HB 69 narrowly passed the Senate and returned to the House for concurrence, where it passed 21-16. In a disappointing but unsurprising move, Rep. Julie Coulombe —who initially supported the bill — flipped her vote and opposed it. Now, the bill heads to the governor’s desk where he has already promised to veto it — just as he did last year.
We’re here again because the Legislature has repeatedly failed to prioritize public education or pass sustainable, revenue-generating measures for our state. We cannot keep riding the coattails of oil, expecting a single industry to fund every essential service we rely on. Far too many lawmakers remain stuck in the past, refusing to pursue forward-thinking solutions that reflect the needs of modern Alaskans and the urgency of this moment.
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To the legislators who say we cannot afford to fund education at the most basic levels, let’s be clear — we cannot afford not to. If you cannot meet the foundational needs of our public education system under the current revenue model, then it is your literal job — your constitutional obligation — to find the mechanisms to pay for it.
Illusions of choice
Public education isn’t just about students — it’s about the entire economy. Families should absolutely have the freedom to choose the educational path that best meets their children’s needs—whether that’s a neighborhood school, charter school, private school, homeschool, or a correspondence program. But those choices must be supported by strong investment in the system as a whole.
A $1,000 increase to the BSA supports all students, no matter where or how they’re learning. But prioritizing select educational models over others does not expand school choice, as the governor boldly claims. Not every family can afford private school tuition, even with an allotment. Not every family benefits from or can access a charter school model of instruction. And not every parent can quit their job to homeschool.
These are not real choices for most Alaskans — they are illusions of choice.
Where We’re Headed:
Last year, several lawmakers who originally voted in favor of education funding reversed course and failed to override the governor’s veto, caving when it mattered most. That decision cost our schools dearly. The betrayal is still fresh.
We’re tired of seeing our children’s futures held hostage by political games. Education must be treated as the priority it is. If lawmakers fail our students and communities again, we won’t forget who stood with us — and who didn’t.
Rachel Blakeslee is an ASD parent, nonprofit executive and education advocate based in Anchorage.
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