JUNEAU, AK – Friday, Governor Mike Dunleavy outlined his education policy package he proposed to the Alaska legislature. Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, issued the following statement in response:

“Public education is a foundation of our economy and it is a right that every young Alaskan has, and if we want to attract the best teachers, educate Alaska’s youth to be the best students in the nation, and encourage young families to come to our state, we have to begin by providing the resources that are so desperately needed inside the classrooms. Years of flat funding and high inflation has pushed our public education system into crisis. Currently, teachers have many classrooms above 40 students which decreases their individual impact on students, schools are closing because of financial distress, and families are leaving this state because of the lack of opportunities and stability.

“The Senate Majority is focused on turning this around by crafting legislation that not only provides schools with the resources they need, but also provides opportunities to improve outcomes. To be at the top of any list, you need high-quality teachers and educational opportunities for students.  Districts have had to eliminate too many opportunities for our youngest Alaskans because the state has not kept up with the basic needs inside the classrooms.

“It’s simple; you cannot improve education if you do not provide classrooms with their most basic needs. As I said earlier this week, removing an elected school board’s local control and giving it to an unelected state board to establish charter schools is a no-go. This level of local control and parental involvement is what makes our charter schools thrive. In addition, tying educational outcomes to funding needs will not turn this crisis around, but only exacerbate it. We have to provide teachers and students with the basic needs first, before we can expect them to do more with less. It is our responsibility to understand this and challenge ourselves to provide the necessary resources to allow our teachers to succeed and students to thrive. We’ve identified those needs and will continue advancing through our legislative process to rebuild Alaska’s high-quality public education system. We look forward to collaborating with our legislative colleagues and the Governor to achieve this.”