Senate Bill 182 ensures Alaskan schools aren't forced to choose between classroom needs and getting kids to school

JUNEAU-The Alaska State Senate yesterday unanimously passed Senate Bill 182, sponsored by the Senate Education Committee, which would provide additional funding to help schools districts across the state cope with rising transportation costs.

Senate Bill 182 recalibrates the funding for pupil transportation based on the most recent audits by the Department of Education and Early Development. The amounts will be adjusted annually according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Anchorage. This change allows the funding to match the amounts agreed to in their most recent contract negotiations, providing a more realistic figure for the actual cost of pupil transportation.

“Right now, most of Alaska’s school districts are being forced to use money intended for learning to cover these rising transportation costs,” said Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair of the Senate Education Committee. “It is not acceptable to put school officials in a position to make this impossible decision. We want to make sure the money the Legislature designates for learning makes it into the classroom, not into a gas tank.”

During public testimony and in letters of support for Senate Bill 182, school districts from across the state testified that they were considering cuts to bus routes and other services due to the rising transportation costs.

“Although pupil transportation is an indirect cost of education, it is extremely important in Alaska,” said Senator Joe Thomas, Co-Chair of the Senate Education Committee. “Road conditions are often dangerous, daylight during the school year is minimal, and sometimes the distance of transporting students is immense. If we cannot get the students to school, we cannot give them the education they need to be productive members of society.”

Senate Bill 182 is an important piece of the Senate Bipartisan Working Group’s comprehensive plan to improve education for Alaska’s children and increase the state’s graduation rate. Other important pieces of that plan include: Senate Bill 171, which would establish a three-year plan of modest increases in the Base Student Allocation which give school districts the ability to craft responsible and conservative budget, as well Senate Bill 170 andSenate Bill 199, which expand Vocational Education in Alaska’s Schools by paving the way for career counseling and training starting in Middle School. SB171, SB170, and SB199 are all currently awaiting action in the House.

Senate Bill 182 now heads to the House for further consideration.

For more information, please contact or Edra Morledge at 907-465-4945 orMurray Richmond at 907-465-2327.

Source: Senate Bipartisan Working Group News