Governor Parnell has decided to submit an amendment to the House and Senate Finance committees which will include one time funding for K through 12 to cover school energy and transportation costs for the Fiscal Year 2013.

Governor Parnell said in a statement, “I have been clear that rather than automatically increasing budgets, Alaskans deserve to have a public discussion about cost increases and what their money is buying on an annual basis,” Governor Parnell said. “I support funding for energy and pupil transportation cost increases based on the information that has been presented from parents, students, educators and districts through the legislative committee process.”

Energy costs for energy are projected to cost around $91 million for the fiscal year 2013. These costs are up from the energy costs for schools in 2011, they were $71 million that year.

Data from school districts shows that transportation costs will increase another $10 million this next school year. These extra costs take away from the districts monies needed for education purposes.

Senator Joe Thomas Fairbanks-D, released a statement from Juneau, saying, “$30 million will certainly help our schools, and I welcome the governor’s commitment to adequate education funding. Under his proposal, schools will get help this year, but a one-time appropriation is a short term approach. Our schools, students and local taxpayers need a long-term commitment from the state so they can provide the best education possible for our children.”

The Senator said that one time allocations place severe restrictions on the schools, he went on to say, In the Senate, we are trying to the give schools the ability to do long-term financial planning. A three-year increase gives schools the opportunity to make effective changes to achieve sustainable results. Things are getting better in our schools, and we want to make sure they have the resources to continue these positive trends.

Representative Pete Petersen also released a statement to the press yesterday on the subject, saying, “It is encouraging to see that the governor recognizes his proposed budget wasn’t enough to give our schools the resources they need, but unfortunately this additional one-time funding won’t even cover the costs of inflation and will only leave our schools with even more ground to make up next year. One-time funding is not a commitment to education. It keeps schools from falling farther behind this year, but it leaves schools wondering whether they’ll have the same resources and opportunities next year that they had the last. We forward fund education to avoid this problem, but if we don’t keep up with inflation or give long-term commitments to our schools, local school districts still end up waiting each year to see if the state will meet their basic needs. That’s short-sighted, and if we don’t give our schools the resources they need to excel, our children and our economy will pay the price. In short, relying on one-time funding forces schools to consider where to cut, not where to improve, and Alaska’s children deserve better.”