[{"_1":2,"_104":-5,"_105":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,84,94],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6279655,"mediaKeyId","2621756-f4aa9697b73d586420751c2b42530574","parentId",2621756,"title","Rural parents, providers and employers urge protection of childcare grants and workforce supports","audioSeconds",3540,"startMs",2050000,"endMs",5590000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621756-f4aa9697b73d586420751c2b42530574&start=2050&end=5590","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6279655/Alaska/Rural-parents-providers-and-employers-urge-protection-of-childcare-grants-and-workforce-supports","mediaUrl","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-03-13T00:00:00Z","article","Several Alaskans testified March 13 that the operating budget’s proposed childcare grants are vital to keep daycare providers open and to allow parents to work. Wanda Baltazar of Kotzebue asked the committee to “protect the new funding for childcare grants that are in the operating budget,” saying that without reliable childcare grandparents and parents must stay home to care for children.

Sarah Nelson of Fairbanks urged the committee to support $7,725,000 in childcare grants added to the operating budget and said, “My family depends greatly on reliable childcare. I wouldn't be able to stay employed without it.”

Providers and employers described workforce disruptions when caregivers lack child care. Sherry Bassman, director of Client Care at Home Care Assistance Alaska, said her company employs about 70 caregivers across the state and that many call out when childcare is unavailable. “It is such a disruption when they're not able to come in,” Bassman said, and asked the committee to consider grants or other steps to increase childcare availability so in‑home care for seniors and other services remain stable.

Witnesses also emphasized the importance of funding for early‑childhood access: Wanda and other speakers described how limited childcare options force grandparents to become primary daytime caregivers in some rural villages. Multiple testifiers tied childcare stability to larger workforce retention and economic participation in remote communities.

Why this matters: Testimony linked expanded childcare grants in the operating budget to workforce stability, especially in rural areas where travel and provider scarcity make care less available. Committee deliberations on the operating budget will weigh these requests alongside other service priorities.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","03/13/2025 04:30 PM House FINANCE","oneSentenceSummary","Parents, grandparents and employers told the House Finance Committee that recent additions to childcare grants are crucial for rural families and for workforce continuity, and that caregiver shortages are driven in part by lack of reliable childcare.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":50,"_51":81,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":82,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":83,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6279662,"Rural education programs ANSEP and Alaska Excel draw broad support in House Finance testimony",0,875000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621756-f4aa9697b73d586420751c2b42530574&start=875&end=875","/articles/6279662/Alaska/Rural-education-programs-ANSEP-and-Alaska-Excel-draw-broad-support-in-House-Finance-testimony","A string of students, parents and educators from rural Alaska told the House Finance Committee on March 13 that programs such as ANSEP/ANSIP and Alaska Excel provide rare career, college and certification opportunities and that state funding is essential to keep them running.

Wayne Woodgate, federal programs director for the Yupiit School District, described Alaska Excel’s role in rural communities. “Out of the 186 eligible students that attend the YSD, 66 attended Alaska Excel last year, completing 121 different learning sessions. That’s 34% of our eligible student population,” Woodgate said, and added the district’s students had a 95 percent pass rate. He asked the committee to support Alaska Excel as part of House Bill 53.

Speakers from Bethel and other regions gave similar accounts for ANSEP/ANSIP. Alex Bernard, acceleration director for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program in Bethel, said ANSEP began with 17 students and has grown to about 50 in his component, maintaining a college GPA average of 3.4 and a 98 percent completion rate. Multiple ANSEP students and alumni — including Drini Palumbi, Maya LaValle and others — described graduating high school with dozens of college credits and said the program materially changed their post‑secondary prospects.

Supporters argued these programs keep talent in Alaska and create career pathways in fields such as engineering, health care and skilled trades. John Lavelle, a long‑time rural teacher in Bethel, said ANSEP helps students transition to college and return to serve rural communities: “They take college classes in a more structured environment with the supports so that when they do go to college, they are successful.”

Program advocates also described operational pressures: travel costs to send rural students to centralized sessions, the importance of continued state base funding, and concerns that cuts to program budgets would reduce access for remote students.

Why this matters: Supporters said ANSEP/ANSIP and Alaska Excel deliver measurable academic outcomes — dual credits, industry certificates and high completion rates — and argued that funding such programs helps Alaska produce a home‑grown workforce. The House Finance Committee will consider these requests along with other education and workforce items in the operating budget.","Students, parents, teachers and district officials from Bethel, Kotzebue and other rural communities asked the committee to fully fund Alaska Native Science and Engineering programs (ANSEP/ANSIP) and Alaska Excel, citing high completion rates, dual‑credit attainment and workforce benefits.",{"_33":85,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":86,"_41":87,"_43":88,"_45":89,"_47":90,"_49":50,"_51":91,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":92,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":93,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6279665,"Parents, students and educators press House Finance to fully fund $1,000 Base Student Allocation increase",5783,600000,6383000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621756-f4aa9697b73d586420751c2b42530574&start=600&end=6383","/articles/6279665/Alaska/Parents-students-and-educators-press-House-Finance-to-fully-fund-1000-Base-Student-Allocation-increase","Caroline Storm of House District 10 told the committee that Article VII, Section 1 of Alaska’s constitution requires the legislature to establish and maintain a public‑school system and urged support for a $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA). “I encourage you to find ways to raise revenue to pay for that increase,” Storm said during public testimony on March 13.

Multiple speakers described the local consequences of failing to boost the BSA. Anna Rose MacArthur of Nome said, “The Nome Public School District will have to cut 10 teachers and 1 assistant principal,” and warned that travel funds and teacher‑housing money would be slashed without the increase. Brie Swanson, a mother of four, said her district faced a projected $10,000,000 deficit if the BSA is not fully funded and described the loss of extracurriculars, art and music when cuts occur.

Supporters argued the BSA increase would stabilize staffing and student services and reduce teacher turnover. Several speakers — including school board members and classroom staff — described rising local costs for health insurance and utilities and said education funding has lagged inflation and other agency growth. Peter Heffner, Cordova school board member, told the committee his district faces a $1,500,000 gap equaling 17 percent of its budget and said local increases in insurance and energy costs have forced cuts.

Not all witnesses supported increasing the BSA without additional revenue. Kelly Nash said that higher state education allocations can force higher required local contributions and property assessments; she urged caution and said “more money isn’t gonna fix abuse” or all student problems. Willie Keppel of the Bering Sea region and other witnesses urged fiscal restraint, citing a reduced revenue forecast.

Why this matters: The BSA is the primary per‑student state funding metric; witnesses said a $1,000 increase would help districts maintain teachers, extracurriculars and student services in the 2025‑26 school year. Lawmakers must weigh where to source the revenue during operating‑budget negotiations.

The committee will hear a final public testimony session on March 14 before advancing the operating budget.","Multiple Alaskans told the House Finance Committee that a $1,000 rise to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) in HB 69 is needed to prevent teacher cuts, increased class sizes and eliminated programs; witnesses described local budget shortfalls and asked lawmakers to find revenue to pay for the increase.",{"_33":95,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":96,"_41":97,"_43":98,"_45":99,"_47":100,"_49":50,"_51":101,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":102,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":103,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6279673,"Testifiers urge House Finance to restore funding for child advocacy centers and victim services",3521,308000,3829000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2621756-f4aa9697b73d586420751c2b42530574&start=308&end=3829","/articles/6279673/Alaska/Testifiers-urge-House-Finance-to-restore-funding-for-child-advocacy-centers-and-victim-services","Verna Stanfield, executive director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, told the House Finance Committee on March 13 that child advocacy centers (CACs) around the state need more money to serve children who have experienced abuse. “Having a welcoming, child-friendly space with the proper supports to serve children impacted by physical and sexual abuse and their non‑offending caregiver is a core component of our state's response,” Stanfield said during public testimony.

Stanfield and other witnesses warned the committee that several victim‑support funding streams have shrunk or are at risk. Stanfield said the operating budget includes a $5,500,000 increment for CACs through the Department of Family and Community Services. She also told the committee the Victims of Crime Compensation Board (VCCB) has “continued to experience cuts” and that the board is now expected to have less than $1,000,000 to distribute statewide this year, down from $3,300,000 in FY24.

Eileen Arnold, executive director of the Tundra Women’s Coalition in Bethel, said shelters and emergency programs rely on a patchwork of funding, including the Homeless Assistance Program and the Supported Needs Housing (SNUG) grant administered through the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. Arnold said her program uses homeless assistance funds “to pay for a portion of their operations” and described difficulty hiring for specialized CAC positions, including forensic interviewers, because current pay cannot attract qualified candidates.

Lee Bollin, executive director of the Resource Center for Parents and Children and president of the board of the Alaska Children’s Alliance, described CACs’ role in multidisciplinary criminal investigations. “Alaska CACs are statutorily mandated to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to include law enforcement, the Office of Children’s Services, and the District Attorney’s Office to respond in cases of child sexual abuse,” Bollin said, and added that Alaska’s CACs “face imminent funding cuts that would severely impact our ability to continue providing 24/7 responses to child maltreatment.”

Committee members asked clarifying questions about how some victim funds are financed. Stanfield explained that the VCCB is funded through the restorative justice account, which receives a share of Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) forfeiture or felony‑related funds; when that revenue falls, VCCB allocation falls as well. “The way that it is funded is through the restorative justice account, which is the PFD felon dollars,” Stanfield said. “If the dividend goes down, then we would expect that it would go down, and then there would have to be a decision made whether there would be general funds put in its place or not.”

Several witnesses thanked the committee for prior aid: Arnold noted the committee’s work to maintain a $3,700,000 appropriation to the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault last year and asked lawmakers to anticipate additional requests next year when some federal funding sunsets. Stanfield said her network would likely return to request a roughly $4,200,000 state solution next year to replace expiring federal dollars.

Why this matters: CACs, forensic interviewers, shelters, and victim compensation funds provide immediate services to children and adult victims after violent crimes; providers said cuts would reduce timely interviews, housing assistance and other services that also support criminal investigations and longer‑term recovery. Providers urged the committee to protect the $5.5 million CAC increment in the operating budget and to consider state backstops when federal or formula revenues decline.

The House Finance Committee accepted public testimony and will consider these requests as it completes operating budget work this week. The committee’s next public hearing was scheduled for March 14.","Survivor-service providers and law enforcement told the House Finance Committee that child advocacy centers and victims’ compensation funds face steep cuts and urged lawmakers to protect or boost state support, citing a $5.5 million request for CACs and a sharp projected drop in Victims of Crime Compensation Board dollars.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Rural parents, providers and employers urge protection of childcare grants and workforce supports

Rural education programs ANSEP and Alaska Excel draw broad support in House Finance testimony

Parents, students and educators press House Finance to fully fund $1,000 Base Student Allocation increase

Testifiers urge House Finance to restore funding for child advocacy centers and victim services