School Lobbying
Dear Editor: Several members of Sitka High School’s Student Council visited Juneau on the weekend of March 25 to lobby members of the House and Senate on the importance of increasing the Base Student Allocation by $50 this session. Within hours of our arrival at the legislature, we were shocked to learn that the Alaska Performance Scholarship was being targeting for termination.
Senate Bill No. 208 is “An Act eliminating the Alaska education grant program and the Alaska Performance Scholarship Program; and providing for and effective date.” If approved, this bill will only allow merit scholarships to be available to current graduating seniors and to college students who currently receive scholarships.
This is an enormous crisis for students planning to stay in Alaska, especially those who have built their school schedules and maintained their grades to remain eligible for this merit scholarship program. During their March 29 meeting, members of the Senate majority explained that SB 208 is necessary due to our current financial crisis. They defend their plan to cut the APS by arguing that with our $4 billion deficit everything is on the chopping block, and that programs like the $460 million APS foundation (established by the Parnell Administration) will just have to be sacrificed.
From the perspective of students who have been working hard to qualify for the Alaska Performance Scholarship, we don’t understand the rush to raid such an important program without first trying to generate alternative sources of revenue.
We know that when compared with the rest of the world, U.S. taxes rates rank among the bottom 25 percent. We also know that Alaskans pay the lowest taxes of all states in the U.S. So why is Gov. Walker’s request to increase state revenue through tax reform such a taboo topic in Juneau? Creating new state sales or income tax would not only protect the Alaska Performance Scholarship Foundation, but it would also keep Alaska on solid footing for dealing with this fiscal disaster.
Senate Bill 208 had its first reading on the Senate floor last Tuesday the 27th, and it was introduced in the Senate Finance committee the same day. Once the committee schedules a hearing for public comment, we strongly urge all students, parents, and future parents to testify in support of the Alaska Performance Scholarship program. Without it, students who plan to stay in Alaska will have instantly lost access to nearly $20,000 of State support for their postsecondary education. More than 3,000 Alaska students received merit scholarships in 2015, and we sincerely hope that thousands more will receive them in the future.
Mitchell Edwards,
ASB Parliamentarian
Misha Bekeris, ASB President
Savvas Matiatos,
ASB Publicity Manager
Debbie Yearwood,
ASB Vice President
Julia Middleton,
Junior Class President
Sitka High School
Honoring Veterans
Dear Editor: Thank you all the wonderful people of Sitka. On Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, you hosted an honoring dinner for eight living World War II veterans. I was one of the eight. This dinner was hatched, planned and executed by the Sitka Veterans Association at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Community House. It was a standing-room-only affair.
So many were involved. STA Chairman Michael Baines, ANB President Wilbur Brown, ANS President Paulette Moreno, Sitka Mayor Mim McConnell, Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Sen. Bert Stedman, city Administrator Mark Gorman and SEARHC representatives.
The keynote speaker was the commanding officer Cmdr. Mark Vislay, USCG Air Station Sitka.
The dinner was hosted by the Sitka Emblem Club. Servers were MEHS students. We were entertained by Native community dancers. Presentations were given by Verdie Bowman, Alaska Veterans Affairs.
My greatest moment was I was presented a Native beaded sealskin pouch. In the thrill of the moment, I did not get your name but I will find you and give my thanks.
The following are the eight living survivors in Sitka of World War II.
Ralph Kenneth Ash, Army Air Forces/USAF, Robert D. Baker, USN; Walter Dangel, Army; Martin Johnson, Army; Frank Ockert, AAF; Michael Perensovich Jr., AAF; Doris Ruth Smith, Army Nurse; and Hal Taylor, USN.
Ralph Ash, Sitka
White E Award
Dear Editor: The Sitka Babies and Books Committee would like to thank the White Elephant Shop for their continued support of our non-profit organization. Sitka Babies and Books serves to encourage the children of Sitka to become lifelong readers by providing books, education, and support to children and their parents in the first three years of life. The generous donation from the White Elephant will be used to purchase board books and provide literacy-based programs for Sitka’s children, ages birth to 3.
We are so grateful for the White Elephant and the important role they play in our community by regularly giving to organizations like ours. We most earnestly thank the White Elephant Shop for their loyal support.
Sitka Babies and Books
Committee Members
