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Alaska lawmakers hear wide support for reauthorizing Secure Rural Schools funding
Summary
The House Education Committee heard testimony from borough officials, school leaders and the Association of Alaska School Boards urging the Legislature to back a resolution asking Congress to reinstate and make permanent the Secure Rural Schools program to avoid local tax increases and school budget cuts.
Juneau — The Alaska House Education Committee on Feb. 12 heard multiple witnesses urge lawmakers to support House Joint Resolution 5, which asks Congress and the president to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program.
The resolution’s sponsor, Representative Justin Bynum, told the committee that SRS “is very important for our rural communities and our schools” and urged a unified legislative voice in support. Committee co-chairs and members then took public testimony from local officials and education leaders describing the program as a critical revenue source for districts with large amounts of non-taxable federal land.
Why it matters: Several Southeast Alaska communities rely on SRS payments to offset the revenue they cannot collect from national forest lands. Rodney Dial, mayor of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, told the committee that the borough has “benefited from and advocated for federal Secure Rural Schools funding” since its founding and called the funding “a lifeline” that helps ensure students access to education without large tax increases for residents.
Officials cited examples showing the potential local impact if SRS payments disappear. Trevor Shaw, an aide to the sponsor, said one comparison shows Yakutat would face the equivalent of an approximately 48% property-tax increase to replace lost SRS revenue. Seneca Battano, assistant borough manager for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, said the borough has more than 3,000,000 acres of federal land—over 96% of its area—and estimated that without SRS the borough would need a roughly 14% property-tax increase (about 0.65 mills) to replace the funding.
Lon Garrison, executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, said the association “urges the permanent reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools” and noted a longstanding association resolution supporting reauthorization. Bill Burr, superintendent of Wrangell Public Schools, told the committee his district faces a projected fiscal-year 2026 deficit of about $840,000 and that losing SRS revenue would add roughly $800,000–$900,000 more to that shortfall.
Committee action and next steps: The committee closed public testimony and set an amendment deadline for HJR 5 of Friday, Feb. 14 at noon; the committee then held the resolution for later consideration (no final vote at this meeting).
The record of testimony and local examples provided the committee with multiple fiscal estimates and local perspectives the members said they will consider as they decide whether to endorse HJR 5 and press for federal reauthorization.
Ending: Committee members said they will circulate the materials provided and expected to consider amendments before acting on the resolution.
