Parents, educators and districts urge Senate finance committee to raise Base Student Allocation

At a Senate Finance Committee public testimony session on Feb. 7, 2025, callers from across Alaska urged the panel to increase the Base Student Allocation, saying the funding shortfall is forcing staff cuts, program eliminations and deferred maintenance in school districts.

Speakers told senators an increase to the BSA would stem layoffs, preserve extracurriculars and allow districts to address long‑deferred building maintenance. ‘‘We need an increase to our education funding,’’ said Caroline Storm, executive director of the Coalition for Education Equity. ‘‘The legislature shall, by general law, establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state,’’ she said, reading Article 7, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution to underscore her point.

Parents and practitioners described immediate consequences. Julie Truskowski, a retired public school teacher who coordinates middle‑school cross‑country ski races in Anchorage, said the Anchorage School District announced it will eliminate all middle school sports next year unless funding is restored. ‘‘This is devastating news,’’ she told the committee. Francis McLaughlin, a parent, said cuts to immersion programs and teacher layoffs have already pushed teachers out of the district and threatened his family’s ability to stay in Alaska.

Craig Purdine, a mechanical engineer who testified on operations and maintenance, framed the BSA shortfall as a long‑term cost driver: ‘‘$1 in preventive maintenance will offset $3 of emergency or premature replacement of equipment,’’ he said, arguing that flat funding has forced districts to slash facilities budgets and that deferred maintenance could produce higher costs for the state in future capital outlays.

Special education and related services were raised separately but within the same funding plea. Olivia Yancey, executive director of the Special Education Service Agency (SESA), said her agency’s programs reach remote districts and asked the committee to ‘‘consider increasing [the] current funding formula’’ tied to average daily membership; she noted SESA has reached maximum capacity and serves hundreds of students statewide.

Several callers urged a phased, sustained increase to the BSA. Ellen Heinez, a parent in Anchorage, said she supported the increases approved last year and proposed again this year: ‘‘increase the BSA by a thousand dollars followed by $400 increases in the next two years and annual inflation adjustments thereafter,’’ she said. Terry Walker, calling from Kotzebue and speaking on behalf of school districts, said a projected FY26 deficit and an unknown BSA would force program and staff cuts that ‘‘directly impact our student learning.’’

Why it matters: witnesses tied classroom impacts to broader economic and constitutional arguments. Caroline Storm cited the state constitution and revenue prospects; Craig Purdine warned that spending federal pandemic funds without addressing operations and maintenance would waste a ‘‘once in a generation influx of money.’’ Several speakers said predictable, multi‑year funding would help districts retain teachers and maintain programs.

The committee did not take votes during the testimony session. The hearing concluded with the chair saying the panel would continue taking testimony at a later scheduled hearing. The Senate Finance Committee continues work on Senate Bill 56 (operating budget) and related FY26 proposals.