Parents, teachers and former educators urge $1,000 increase to Base Student Allocation

Parents, former teachers, faith leaders and school board members called on the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 26 to increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA) by $1,000 or more in the FY26 operating budget to recover purchasing power lost to inflation.

Rebecca Braun, a Juneau parent and former teacher, urged a “significant and sustained boost” equal to $1,000 per student, saying staffing shortages and vacancies have grown. “This year, there were 598 vacant teacher positions when school started, the highest number ever recorded and up 230% since fall of 2020,” she said.

School board members and parents from Cordova, Homer and the Kenai Peninsula told senators that district budgets face deficits, program cuts and school closures. Cordova school board member Pete Heffner said his district faces a $1.5 million deficit and that prior increases have not kept pace with rising costs.

Faith leader Andy Bartel and former teachers framed the increase as a long‑term economic investment. “All children have the right to quality education,” Bartel said, and urged lawmakers to ensure schools retain experienced educators.

Several witnesses recommended targeted interim measures: Christina Terman of Fairbanks proposed a dedicated state transportation bill to help districts that subsidize school transportation, saying Fairbanks faces an additional $4–5 million need to maintain current bus routes and extend service to charter or magnet schools.

Why it matters: witnesses said years of flat BSA combined with rising inflation have forced districts to reduce staff and close schools. Many called the BSA increase a constitutional and economic imperative to retain teachers and keep schools open.