Legislature(2025 - 2026)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/31/2025 03:30 PM Senate EDUCATION
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| State of Education in Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 31, 2025
4:25 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Löki Tobin, Chair
Senator Jesse Bjorkman
Senator Jesse Kiehl
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Mike Cronk
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
STATE OF EDUCATION IN ALASKA
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
LISA EAGANLAGERQUIST, representing self
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
SARAH LEWIS, representing self
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
ANNAROSE MACARTHUR, representing self
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
MARILYN NOYAKUK, representing self
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
CAROLINE STORM, Executive Director
Coalition for Education Equity
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
EMILY FERRY, representing self
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
TRACY FISCHBACH, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
MEGAN PELTIER, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
TAMARA KRUSE ROSELIUS, representing self
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
JACQUELINE MUEHLBAUER, representing self
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
NICKY EISEMAN, representing self
Ester, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
CHRISTINE VILLANO, representing self
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
EVELYNN TREFON, representing self
Newhalen, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
ERICA MONAHAN, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
MEGHAN REDMOND, representing self
Homer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of school funding.
ACTION NARRATIVE
4:25:34 PM
CHAIR TOBIN called the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 4:25 p.m. Present at the called to order
were Senators Kiehl, Bjorkman, and Chair Tobin.
^STATE OF EDUCATION IN ALASKA
STATE OF EDUCATION IN ALASKA
4:26:24 PM
CHAIR TOBIN announced the committee would continue hearing
public testimony on the state of education in Alaska.
4:27:25 PM
LISA EAGANLAGERQUIST, representing self, Juneau, Alaska,
testified in support of school funding. She testified that
Alaska needs a permanent and inflation-proof increase to the
Base Student Allocation (BSA), stating that one-time funding is
not sufficient. She emphasized that inadequate funding forces
schools to choose between essential courses and leads to
unmanageable workloads for teachers and insufficient staffing
for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). She
urged the legislature to make funding dependable and commit to
overriding a potential gubernatorial veto.
4:30:10 PM
SARAH LEWIS, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, testified in
support of school funding. She thanked the House Education
Committee for recognizing the financial crisis in Alaska's
public schools and criticized Governor Dunleavy's emphasis on
school choice as a solution. She argued that inflation has
eroded the value of education funding, noting the BSA has not
changed since 2011 while costs have risen. She rejected the
notion that money is not the root issue, stating school closures
across the state clearly show otherwise. She urged legislators
to support HB 69 and resist tying basic education funding to
reforms that create inequities between types of schools.
4:33:03 PM
ANNAROSE MACARTHUR, representing self, Nome, Alaska, testified
in support of school funding. She stated that without a BSA
increase tied to inflation, the Nome Public Schools face cutting
10 teachers and one assistant principal. She emphasized that
these educators are community members whose livelihoods and
morale are at risk. She noted additional cuts to student travel
and staff housing funds, stressing that years of underinvestment
threaten the viability of raising a family in Nome. She urged
legislators to fulfill their constitutional duty by strongly
funding public education.
4:34:50 PM
MARILYN NOYAKUK, representing self, Nome, Alaska, testified in
support of school funding. She stated she is a student at Nome-
Beltz Middle High School and testified in support of her
teachers and teachers across Alaska. She emphasized that
education funding impacts future generations, including her
younger siblings. She expressed concern that eliminating non-
core classes like music would negatively affect students,
teachers, and the broader community.
4:36:20 PM
CAROLINE STORM, Executive Director, Coalition for Education
Equity, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of school
funding. She expressed frustration over the ongoing education
funding debate and emphasized that these issues have persisted
for over a decade. She pointed out that from FY 2019 to FY 2025,
the state corrections budget more than doubled, with over
$40,000 spent per incarcerated individual compared to $21,000
per student. She compared corrections to education and
questioned why schools are expected to operate on inadequate
budgets until students' scores increase while corrections
funding continues to rise despite a high recidivism rate. She
suggested prioritizing education instead. She also noted that
Alaska's high healthcare, construction, and energy costs make
operating schools more expensive.
4:37:04 PM
EMILY FERRY, representing self, Juneau, Alaska, testified in
support of school funding. She shared that her children have had
a great experience in Alaska's public schools, including
participating in hockey and leading a high-scoring robotics
team. She expressed concern that future students may not have
the same opportunities due to declining investment in education.
She noted that after Juneau's high schools combined, 30 students
lost access to cross country because the team couldn't
accommodate all interested participants. She emphasized that
these diminishing opportunities affect family decisions to stay
in or move to Alaska.
4:39:51 PM
TRACY FISCHBACH, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, testified
in support of school funding. She urged the legislature to fully
fund the BSA and inflation-proof it. She and her husband chose
to stay in Alaska for nearly 30 years because of the strong
public schools, but said she wouldn't make the same decision
today. She described growing class sizes and inadequate staffing
that now limit her high school children's educational
experiences. She emphasized the need for more counselors,
teachers, and smaller class sizes so students can build
meaningful relationships and access opportunities.
4:42:12 PM
MEGAN PELTIER, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, testified
in support of school funding. She urged substantial and
inflation-proof increases to the BSA. She highlighted how
valuable programs like gifted education and language immersion
improve outcomes, but face cuts each year the BSA remains flat.
She noted that even basic safety equipment at her school is
provided by PTA fundraising, underscoring inadequate state
support. She emphasized that increasing the BSA is critical for
Alaska's future.
4:44:05 PM
TAMARA KRUSE ROSELIUS, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska,
testified in support of school funding. She stated that schools
across Alaska are in emergency mode, noting that in Fairbanks,
four schools have closed and five more are proposed for closure,
including Title I schools. She emphasized that cuts to programs
like elementary music and art, along with contracting out
custodial services, still leave a $6 million deficit. She called
for a permanent and meaningful increase to the Base Student
Allocation (BSA), including inflation proofing. She urged
legislators to ensure all public schoolstraditional, charter,
magnet, and correspondencereceive adequate funding and to
override any veto of increased education funding.
4:46:57 PM
JACQUELINE MUEHLBAUER, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska,
testified in support of school funding. She stated that the
education crisis in Fairbanks is severe and only the legislature
has the power to resolve it. She emphasized that even with the
closure of five schools, the district will still face a
multimillion-dollar shortfall. She urged legislators to work
together, regardless of party, and increase the BSA to $1,808 to
match inflation. She asked lawmakers not to use children as
political pawns and to take immediate action.
4:48:30 PM
NICKY EISEMAN, representing self, Ester, Alaska, testified in
support of school funding. She advocated for a permanent
increase to the BSA. She criticized the use of standardized
assessments as a funding benchmark, pointing out that only about
15 percent of correspondence students participated in English
language arts testing, compared to 94 percent of brick-and-
mortar students. She expressed concern that over $100 million
goes to correspondence programs with little data on their
effectiveness, while neighborhood schools remain underfunded.
She urged lawmakers to prioritize sustainable, adequate funding
for all public schools.
4:51:10 PM
CHRISTINE VILLANO, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska,
testified in support of school funding. She stated she has spent
decades serving as a PTA and union leader, teacher, and
community volunteer, repeatedly testifying for increased and
inflation-proofed school funding. She said continued inaction
has led to overcrowded classrooms, underfunded programs, and
school closures, with five more schools now slated to close in
Fairbanks. She emphasized that even with those closures, the
district remains $16 million short. She urged lawmakers to treat
this as a nonpartisan crisis and fully fund education by raising
and inflation-proofing the BSA, warning of consequences for
community health and economic stability.
4:53:56 PM
EVELYNN TREFON, representing self, Newhalan, Alaska, testified
in support of school funding. She said she is the president of
her school's Local Advisory Committee and parent of a sixth
grader. She described severe impacts of underfunding in the Lake
and Peninsula Borough, an area the size of West Virginia. She
stated that the district has cut music, art, shop, one
counselor, 20 school days, school-sponsored sports, and student
meals. Local families now provide food, relying on bingo
proceeds and silent auction for financial support. She said she
is meeting with the Food Bank of Alaska to explore lunch options
for next year and warned that without increased funding, deeper
cuts are inevitable.
4:55:57 PM
ERICA MONAHAN, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, testified
in support of school funding. She urged the legislature to raise
the BSA, inflation-proof it, and override a potential veto. She
emphasized that in times of fiscal constraint, top priority must
be fully funding brick-and-mortar public schools, not choice
programs or vouchers. She supported directing dollars primarily
to classroom instruction and teachers, with lean administrative
support. She concluded by warning that diverting funds to choice
programs undermines public education and society.
4:57:54 PM
MEGHAN REDMOND, representing self, Homer, Alaska, testified in
support of school funding. She said she is a principal at Homer
Middle School and parent of four. She spoke in support of
increased public education funding and equal accountability
expectations for all schools. She highlighted that her school
had a 97.53 percent participation rate in the AK STAR
assessment, while several homeschool programs had rates between
7 and 15 percent, far below the 95 percent requirement. She
emphasized the importance of this data for guiding instruction
and questioned how accountability is applied across different
types of schools. She also noted that rising operational costs
without funding increases force districts to make harmful cuts
that negatively impact students and classrooms.
5:00:14 PM
CHAIR TOBIN closed public testimony on the state of school
funding in Alaska.
5:01:29 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Tobin adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting at 5:01 p.m.
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