Alaska governor threatens to veto education package that he says doesn’t go far enough

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Republican Gov. The House last week voted 38-2 to support a compromise package that included a $175-million increase in aid to districts through a school funding formula; language encouraging districts to use some of the extra funding for teacher salary and retention bonuses; a state education department position dedicated to supporting charter schools and additional funding for K-3 students who need reading help. After the bill passed the House, Republican Speaker Cathy Tilton said that while the compromise “fell short” of the earlier proposal, “I’d still call it a ‘qualified’ success.” School officials had sought a roughly $360 million increase in funding, citing the impact of inflation and high energy and insurance costs. The language in the education package encouraging districts to use some of the funds for bonuses “does not ensure the desired ends are realized,” Dunleavy spokesperson Grant Robinson said by email Thursday. Tom Klaameyer, president of NEA-Alaska, a teachers’ union, said if Dunleavy vetoes the education package, “then our schools remain in crisis.” The measure “was simply a life preserver that was being thrown or could have been thrown to schools to stem the crisis,” he said.