April 23, 2014

Legislative Leaders Deserve an 'F'

Dear Neighbors,

What Kind of Grade Does This Legislature Earn on the Education Session?

I remember my Lathrop High AP Composition teacher, Ms. Craig, handing out a book report at the beginning of the semester with a definite due date. Unlike most of my eager straight-A, college-focused colleagues, I procrastinated.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t explain why I didn’t finish the job on time; I blamed my frisky dog, my faulty computer and the finite library hours, all to no avail. I got an ‘F’ on that book report. Looking back now though, I realize it was well earned. I did fail to meet the expectations of my teachers, my parents and most of all myself by not finishing the work in time.

Today, we are on day 93 of the voter-mandated 90-day session. What gives?

Conference Committee leadership on the omnibus education bill continue to drag their feet and talk in circles while school boards, students, teachers and parents are waiting on action from the legislature. Pink slips are pending in Fairbanks until we can resolve the stalemate. The Capital Budget which contains road money, energy funds and district priorities is held up until a resolution is finalized. Bad bills that couldn’t pass during the 90-day session are being resurrected while the public waits.

School districts know exactly what it takes to prevent teacher cuts and higher classroom sizes. The House Democratic Caucus has been consistently calling for an increase in the per-student, Base Student Allocation of $400 for the coming year and $125 for each of the next two years.

Contact your members of the House or Senate today and let them know you are watching our performance on education issues. Ms. Craig probably wouldn’t give our legislative leadership very high marks for this education session, I certainly don’t.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,

Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Representative
District 4 - Fairbanks