March 25, 2014 Voice Your Opinions! Letters to the editor make a difference. You can send a 175-word letter to the Anchorage Daily News by e-mail (letters@adn.com); or by fax or mail (call them at 257-4308). Send letters to the Anchorage Press via e-mail editor@anchoragepress.com or by mail to 540 E. Fifth Ave, Anchorage, 99501. Feel free to call us if you need factual information to help you write a letter. Contact the Governor. The Governor can be reached at 269-7450; sean.parnell@alaska.gov; or www.alaska.gov. Contact us. My office can be reached at: 716 W. 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501; by phone: 269-0106; visit my website at http://gara.akdemocrats.org; or email: Rep.Les.Gara@akleg.gov

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

I am in the middle of working on the Legislature’s education bill – which is looking grim after a marathon House Finance Committee debate last night.  With the help of thousands of great, vocal, active students and parents, I think we can still fix this bill together.

I and Rep. David Guttenberg (D-Fbx) proposed funding to cover school deficits, and reverse a good portion of the prior three years’ staff cuts.  We should move schools forward again and increase, rather than stifle, opportunity.  That means restoring teacher, career counselor, and other educator cuts, not making them worse.

As we know from a non-partisan Legislative Research Division report, Alaska schools have lost over 600 teachers, career counselors, nurses and staff since 2011.  While we fixed a few things in the bill, our amendment to reverse these cuts did not pass.  Unless we keep pushing, and make progress – which is my plan – you’ll see more cuts for another three years. This will be six years in a row of teacher and staff cuts by 2017.

The per-student funding formula was “increased” by $185 per student in the current bill.  BUT the Finance Committee Co-Chair and other GOP members have said that $25 million included in last year’s budget, and that’s in the early version of this year’s budget, will be cut.  That’s the equivalent of losing $100 in per student funding.  So the net per-student increase is $85, with even smaller increases in years two and three. 

What does this bill mean in real terms?  School district shortfalls won’t be covered next year, or in the future – for a fourth, fifth and sixth year in a row. This means there will be three more years of teacher and other school cuts.

In Anchorage, only $15 million of our $23 million shortfall (needed just to keep the same level of services and staff) for next year will be covered.   Fairbanks will receive $3.9 million towards their $8 million deficit.  The Yukon/Koyukuk School District will be left with 2/3 of its deficit for next year.  Juneau will be left with $3.3 million of their projected $4.5 million deficit.  See the chart HERE (with numbers from school districts, the Division of Legislative Research and the Legislative Finance Division’s school budget calculation model).

We’ll keep fighting.  But it’s time to prioritize.  Ironically, at the same time some said we didn’t have the money to reverse the Governor’s three-year course of staff cuts, the Senate Finance Committee passed a funding plan for the Knik Arm Bridge.  That will cost $1 billion, and when you add the approach highways, and likely cost overruns – for a bridge that doesn’t cut the commute to either Palmer or Wasilla – we’re probably talking closer to $2 billion.

We can’t afford to spend on everything.  Not on a new Legislative office building in Anchorage, a $1+ billion bridge, and on moving schools forward.  Alaska has a $2 billion deficit and dwindling savings. 

My priority would be to reduce class sizes and increase educational opportunity first. 

The debate and work will continue.  As always, call with any questions you may have. 

Best Regards,