UPDATE: Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced he had vetoed House Bill 69 Thursday morning during a press conference.
Original Report:
School had just ended for the week in Unalaska, but not all students were celebrating. More than 30 students proceeded to march to Unalaska City Hall to show support for House Bill 69. The state bill would increase the base student allocation (BSA), the basic per-student state funding that goes to schools each year.
“Fund our Future,” the students chanted as they walked from the Unalaska City High School along Airport Beach Road, carrying signs that read “Make our education a priority” and “@mikeduleavy fund AK schools.”
The BSA has only increased once over the past decade, falling far behind inflation.
Last year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed increased education funding that the Alaska Legislature approved. He said in his veto letter that the bill “lacked sufficient changes in how charter schools are chartered in order to allow more students and families charter school possibilities.”
At the protest, one student carried a sign that asked, “Where’s the funding?” along with a familiar three-letter acronym.
Unalaska City High School was one of many schools across the state that rallied in support for an increase in the BSA on Friday. Hazel Basilio, a sophomore at Unalaska City High School, said students are noticing the lack of funding going toward their education.
“Schools are starting to cut activities and cut down on resources,” Basilio said. “As a governor, I think it's a priority, not a burden, to fund our schools.”
The governor’s past education vetoes didn’t stop state lawmakers this year from introducing and passing a bill that would increase the BSA by $1,000. According to the Unalaska City School District, that increase would cover the district’s million-dollar deficit.
House Bill 69 passed in Alaska’s House earlier this month, followed by the Senate. Now the bill is waiting for Dunleavy to sign it, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature by April 30.
But Dunleavy said in an April 10 social media post that he will immediately veto the bill, calling the bill “a joke.” Then, in another post the following day, Dunleavy said that although there’s a consensus that Alaska schools need additional funding, the bill “hands out a blank check to school districts.”
Dunleavy said that House Bill 69 doesn’t hold schools accountable for improving test scores and notes that Alaska students rank near the bottom nationally in academic performance.
If Dunleavy vetoes the bill, 40 out of 60 state legislators would need to vote to override his veto. Still, Unalaska students remain hopeful that the governor will change his mind and support the bill.
KUCB’s Lucy Bagley and Lauren Adams contributed reporting to this story.
