NEWS: Democratic Amendments: Invest in Education Now, Proven Payoff Later

Even with amendments, total budget would still be less than governor’s

JUNEAU – Today on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives, Democratic legislators offered a series of amendments to the state operating budget to save Alaska money by investing wisely in its human resources today. If each amendment passed, the total budget would still be smaller than that proposed by the governor.

NEWS: Democrats Move to Restore Education Opportunities for Alaska Students

Budget amendments would stave off teacher layoffs, pre-K cuts, and University class wait-lists

JUNEAU – Today, House Democrats offered a series of amendments to the state operating budget to stave off teacher layoffs, restore preschool funding, and help the University of Alaska meet the demand for its most popular classes.

Democrats on Education Proposal: Fair Compromise, Schools Still Deserve Better

Lots of good for schools, but not enough to prevent cuts this year or in the future

JUNEAU – Today, House Democrats claimed a partial victory in the debate over school funding as the House passed a bill that provides far more resources to Alaska’s schools than what the governor proposed. The governor flat funded education and later proposed what was effectively a $10 million one-time increase, far short of keeping up with inflation.

House Bill 93 “School Gardens”

House Bill 93 creates a grant program for non-profits who operate school gardens at public schools and have raised operation funding in their communities. It would allow the state to provide an additional ½ of one percent of state aide to a school for the purposes of supporting a non-profit run school garden, farm or greenhouse…

Democrats Propose Student Loan Relief; Measure to cut interest rates for Alaskans who put their training to work in Alaska

JUNEAU – Today, Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and Representative David Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks) announced that they have pre-filed a bill to reduce the cost of student loans for Alaskans who put their training to work in Alaska.

“For Alaska to be competitive, we need to make sure our workforce gets the training it needs and that our students put their skills to work in Alaska,” said Rep. Guttenberg. “This bill makes it easier for Alaskans to stay here or return to help build our state.”