Mayor LaFrance leads coalition of 24 Alaska mayors calling for increased education funding

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance spearheaded a letter with 23 other mayors from across the state, strongly urging the Alaska Legislature to address the deepening fiscal crisis in Alaska's public schools.

The mayors are calling for the Legislature to pass a meaningful inflationary adjustment to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) and increase funding for school maintenance and operations.

The joint letter highlights how stagnant state funding and rising costs for energy, healthcare, and transportation have left districts with structural deficits that threaten the quality of education for Alaska children.

"Public education is foundational to Alaska's economic future and the strength of our communities. Our schools prepare the workforce that powers every sector of our economy," the mayors wrote. "Continued erosion of school funding weakens our competitiveness, discourages families and employers, and undermines the stability of our communities. Families vote with their feet and are choosing to live elsewhere."

Key issues highlighted in the letter:

• Eroded purchasing power: Despite last year's $700 BSA increase, the funding shortfall continues to worsen due to inflation.
• Core service cuts: Districts are closing schools, increasing class sizes, and eliminating career and technical education programs.
• Increasing local taxpayer burden: Local taxpayers must pay more each year due to the local contribution requirements under the current school funding formula, even while state funding has stagnated - resulting in no net funding benefit for schools.

The group of 24 mayors that signed the letter represents a diverse geographic range of Alaska communities, from the Far North to the Southeast.

"As mayors, we see firsthand how the stability of our communities is tied to the strength of our schools," said Mayor LaFrance. "This is about giving Alaska families a reason to stay here and build their lives. We are standing together to tell the Legislature that the time for stop-gap measures is over. Our schools need sustained, predictable funding, now."

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Contact: Emily Goodykoontz [email protected] 1 (907) 205-6683 ​

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