Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to news media on Friday, March 15, 2024, at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. Dunleavy made good on a threat Thursday that he would veto the bipartisan bill passed by lawmakers if they didn’t also pass his education priorities, including a temporary teacher bonus plan at a cost of $58 million per year and a provision to allow a board appointed by the governor to approve new charter schools.
Dunleavy said he believes he has “a moral imperative” not to “kowtow” to the National Education Association of Alaska, the union representing more than 12,000 public education employees. The union’s members have been some of the most vocal proponents of an increase to the state’s spending on students, which has not changed significantly since 2017, despite significant inflation.
Education Commissioner Deena Bishop said that while there hasn’t been an increase to the BSA, there have been funding boosts through one-time federal grants allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bishop was an advocate for increasing the BSA while she served as superintendent of the Anchorage School District, but hasDunleavy said he would support an increase to education funding this year even if the bill remains vetoed, but refused to say what amount he would find acceptable.
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