(The Center Square) – A poll of 810 Alaska residents shows a majority favor increased funding for charter schools and open enrollment but also want support for an increase in the base student allocation.
The poll conducted March 20-24 by Dittman Research at a cost of $37,500 to the state also shows that 73% of respondents grade the state’s school at a “C” or lower.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy made increased support for charter schools a key component of his education plan. He vetoed Senate Bill 140 last month, which did not include additional charter school support but included an $680 increase to the BSA.
Seventy-three percent of respondents said they supported public charter schools using excess capacity of other public schools while 64% support a greater allocation of education funding to public charter schools.
SB 140 also did not include Dunleavy’s plan to give teachers bonuses. The Legislature failed to override the veto by one vote.
After the governor’s veto, NEA-Alaska said schools, parents, teachers and communities can’t rely on the governor.
“Our public schools are crying out for help while the governor’s focus is trained on expensive experiments, meetings in Washington, D.C. and pet projects that haven’t been thoroughly vetted by the Legislature,” NEA-Alaska said in a news release. “By threatening the funding necessary to keep public charter and neighborhood schools open unless he gets his way, he shows a cruel indifference to the fiscal reality all Alaska school districts are facing.”
Dunleavy said what he calls “special interests” want money but not reform.
“Once we put in an permanent increase to the BSA, the chances for reform are very slim. Historically speaking, that’s been the case,” the governor said at a news conference.
Seventy-seven percent of those polled said they support an increase in BSA funding while 57% said changes and reforms to the education system are the most important factors in improving education outcomes. Thirty-three percent said increasing education funding is the most important, according to the survey.
“Anyone who thinks that merely increasing the BSA will fix Alaska’s education system deceives themselves,” Dunleavy said. “Alaskans want an adequately funded education system that does not maintain the status quo. They want children able to read, write and perform math at their grade level.”
The House Education Committee advanced a second shot at increasing the BSA on Monday. House Bill 392 includes the $680 BSA increase but was amended to remove Dunleavy’s plan for teacher bonuses. The bill goes to the House Finance Committee next.
