By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has announced that he’s releasing the $20 million appropriated by the Alaska Legislature last year for fiscal year 2019 statewide K-12 school funding.
With the end of FY2019 less than a month away, and the Sitka School district’s $208,838 share of the $20 million already committed, Sitka School District Superintendent Mary Wegner took stock.
“That was for this year, so thank you, that should actually have never been an issue.
“We have been sitting on pins and needles wondering for the entire school year if we were going to be able to have the money that was allocated for us last year or if we would have to dip into our reserves to pay the two teachers that we hired based on the appropriation of getting that money.”
Left unresolved by the Dunleavy administration’s announcement today, is whether the $30 million statewide school funding for FY 2020 that was approved by the Legislature in 2018 will be released. Like school districts throughout the state, Sitka is counting on that for the year starting July 1. But to err on the side of caution, the Sitka School Board has placed only half of the anticipated $310,000 that would be Sitka’s share of the statewide $30 million in its FY2020 budget.
“I think (the release of the FY2019 money) is a step in the right direction, but we still have our whole FY20 funding in question,” Wegner said. “And it shouldn’t be. We actually hired two teachers for this past school year based on (the FY19) appropriation, so if we didn’t get it we would have had to dip into our reserves to cover the costs we had to front all year for those two teachers. Luckily we got it now.”
Wegner said it will be relief to announce the FY 2019 funding milestone to the school board when it meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday June 19.
From Juneau, Sen. Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak), chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the release of the FY 2019 money was a good first step by Dunleavy.
“I sincerely appreciate the governor’s decision to distribute these funds. It’s my hope that we reach quick resolution on the bulk of K-12 education funding for next year, sparing parents, educators and students from further uncertainty.”
The Legislature last year fully funded Alaska’s K-12 schools for two years and provided districts with a $20 million grant for fiscal year 2019 and another $30 million grant for fiscal year 2020.
The co-chairs of the House Education Committee, Reps. Harriet Drummond (D-Anchorage) and Andi Story (D-Juneau), also welcomed the news.
The co-chairs also urged the governor to release the $30 million grant package due to districts when the new fiscal year begins in July.
“I’m glad the governor finally did the right thing and gave up his misguided and illegal efforts to revoke $20 million of previously allocated school funding that districts had budgeted for,” Drummond said. “Alaska already has lost more than 500 teachers and support staff in recent years. The Anchorage School District alone would have lost $6 million, threatening the jobs of 25 teachers and contributing to even larger class sizes.”
The Legislature last year fully funded Alaska schools for two years, and set aside $20 million for the school year that just ended and another $30 million for the budget year about to begin. The administration refused to release the money. The House and Senate have voted to allow the Joint Legislative Council Committee to sue the administration if it continues to withhold the funds.
“Districts budgeted these amounts into their planning for staffing and classrooms,” Story said. “Students, staff, and parents suffer unnecessary turmoil when this type of threat is made. I am hopeful the next round of education funding will be forwarded to districts as soon as possible.”
Earlier this year, Dunleavy sought an opinion from Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson on the legality of the 2018 Legislature in appropriating money for the next two years of k-12 education.
Clarkson’s legal opinion was that “the appropriation violates the constitutional annual budgeting process, the dedicated funds clause, and the Executive Budget Act. . . Absent an appropriation for FY2020 K-12 education in the budget bills passed this legislative session, the only appropriation for education will be one that is unconstitutional in the view of the Department of Law.”
At issue is the governor’s right to make line-item vetoes in budget bills passed by the legislature. The Legislature’s position is that only Gov. Bill Walker had the authority to veto any part of the school funding passed in 2018, and he chose not to.
To prevent Dunleavy from vetoing school funds, the legislators deliberately left K-12 funding out of the operating budget they passed in this session.
Both the Senate and House voted last month to allow the Joint Legislative Council Committee to file a lawsuit against the Dunleavy administration if it attempted to withhold the FY19 and FY20 advance funding for schools approved by the legislature in 2018.
With the FY19 funds released, only the fate of the FY20 funding remains in question, and it remains to be seen whether it will be settled in court.
