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