Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday that he would veto an education funding package approved by the Legislature unless lawmakers adopt his top education priorities by the middle of March.
Those priorities include a provision to pay Alaska teachers annual bonuses of between $5,000 for urban schools and $15,000 for rural schools, as well as a provision that would allow additional charter schools to be approved by a state board of education made up of Dunleavy appointees.The package also includes around $10 million annually for assisting kids in kindergarten through third grade in learning to read; $14.5 million for home-schooled students; $7.
During an hourlong press conference held in Anchorage on Tuesday, Dunleavy said he wanted lawmakers to pass his priorities in order to earn his support for what they had agreed on so far. Under state law, the governor has until March 14 to either sign or veto the bill. “It’s half a coin. It’s a three-legged horse, meaning it’s not going to run very far,” Dunleavy said. “We can fix that.”
The governor’s teacher bonus provision was voted on by House members during a floor session last week. It failed in a 20-20 vote, with support only from the Republicans in the House majority.Iris Samuels is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News focusing on state politics. She previously covered Montana for The AP and Report for America and wrote for the Kodiak Daily Mirror. Contact her at isamuels@adn.com.
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