Education
It’s time to end discrimination and income-based inequality in education. Children across Alaska are being forced into a one-size-fits-all system that is failing them.
When a single parent cannot afford private school or tutoring for a struggling child, their options are limited. Meanwhile, children from more financially well-off families have access to private schools, tutors, and a range of supplemental resources that others simply can’t afford.
Members of our state legislature continue to support an arbitrary increase in the Base Student Allocation (BSA)- a number no one can clearly explain, justify, or tie to measurable outcomes, but leads to Alaska being in the top five highest per-pupil spending states in the country.
The reality is stark: Alaska’s students consistently rank near the bottom in reading and math- 48th, 49th, or even 51st, depending on the grade level and metric used.
We need transparency and accountability in education. It’s time to support funding levels and programs that will produce results and that can help us become number one in the country. Our students deserve nothing less.
Educational Savings Accounts, Backpack Funding, No More Lines and Learn Everywhere models are just a few of the innovative solutions Alaska must seriously consider if we are truly committed to educating the best and brightest.
PFD
The Permanent Fund Dividend: Alaska Is the Owner State
Alaskans are not just residents. We are shareholders. As owners of the state’s natural resources, we are guaranteed a share of the wealth they generate. The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) is not a welfare or entitlement program; it is a dividend, established by law, to be distributed according to a statutory formula. This is the law, and it is the governor’s job to ensure it is followed.
Yet, for nearly a decade, Alaskans have shown up to what is effectively our annual shareholder meeting only to find out that our Board of Directors – our elected officials- have spent the money elsewhere. There is little transparency or accountability.
We are told the money is not available while we watch spending packages sail through the legislative process.
Alaskans are owed thousands of dollars that has been unlawfully withheld from them.
If lawmakers disagree with the law, they have a responsibility to change it through the proper legislative process. Ignoring it altogether is not simply wrong- it’s a violation of public trust.
We own our resources. Follow the law.
