Gov. Dunleavy vetoed more than $122 million from Alaska’s annual budget plan before signing it into law on Thursday, June 12. His vetoes fell heaviest on education, eliminating more than $50 million from the state’s per-student education funding formula, and tens of millions intended for major school maintenance projects. (Alaska Beacon photo/James Brooks)
Over the last two years, the Alaska Legislature has tried three times to increase funding for the state’s schools – which haven’t seen a permanent boost in a decade – and Gov. Dunleavy vetoed all three.
In May, both houses of the Legislature, in a surprising show of unity, came together to override his latest veto, and approved sending the state’s cash-strapped schools another $700 per pupil.
There was one final chance for the governor to use his veto pen – the more or less procedural matter of the enactment of the state budget. Many thought it was unlikely that the governor would veto school funding in the middle of the summer, since it would throw school districts into financial chaos.
But he did, and it has.
The Sitka School Board met on June 18 to figure out what to do. They had budgeted assuming a $680 increase, and got a little breathing room when the Legislature opted for $700. The governor’s veto has knocked that down to $500, which – when combined with the automatic reduction in the city’s contribution – amounts to about a $500,000 loss to make up.
The board wrangled over the possibilities for a while, with at least two members reluctant to make up the difference with reserves, since that would leave the district with only about $275,000 to cover any emergencies in the coming school year.
The logjam was broken by the only board member not allowed to vote on the budget, student representative Francis Myers.
“The purpose of a fund balance and savings is to account for unexpected scenarios,” said Myers, “and this is an unexpected scenario we didn’t imagine would happen. And to lay off staff right now is very harmful to them, because it’s too late in the season to get a teaching job elsewhere. It’s too late in the season to go to a different school. Other job positions, they’ve opened and they’ve closed. And so it’s not just laying off five teachers. We’re like, messing with their entire life for a year.”
That seemed to be what the five adult voting members needed to hear. Member Steve Morse said, “We keep this money for a rainy day, and it’s raining.”
Teacher Susan Brant-Ferguson, speaking from the public, said drawing down reserves was the only logical option.
“You’ve heard it from me before, but I feel like I have to say it again,” said Brant-Ferguson. “We have a fund balance for next year. It is not for the year after that. It is only for next year in my mind. And you have the obligation to give next year’s students the best education you can possibly give them.”
Superintendent Deidre Jenson reassured members that district reserves used to be held for major maintenance emergencies, which were now the responsibility of the city. The board ultimately approved the draw-down of reserves, 4-1, with Amanda Williams opposed. Williams was one of the district teachers who lost their job last year when the education bill was vetoed. She explained that she was uncomfortable taking reserves down to the level needed to cover this latest veto.
Rep. Rebecca Himschoot was in the audience for the meeting. She told the board that the bar for overriding the governor on the budget enactment was higher than for legislation, requiring a three-quarters vote of both houses, rather than two-thirds. “If it were just two-thirds,” said Himschoot, “we could override him tomorrow.”
