Lawmakers agree on general K-12 funding boost
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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Stumble It!JUNEAU — State lawmakers promised Tuesday to give school districts another $20 million for K-12 education this year on top of the increases already approved.
But it’s still unclear how the extra money will be divvied up. And the difference between various proposals is significant for school districts.
Under one proposal, the Fairbanks district would get another $2.3 million. Under another, it would get just $1.6 million, a difference of more than a half-million dollars.
The Legislature approved a broad education funding package three weeks ago that increases the base student allocation by $100 in each of the next three years and provides additional funding for high cost districts and students with intensive needs. But recently lawmakers have been talking about adding more money on a one-time basis this year.
Sen. Gary Wilken, R-Fairbanks, tried to add $20 million in funding Monday with an amendment to the state’s operating budget, but the amendment failed.
On Tuesday, members of the bipartisan Senate majority said about $20 million would be provided in the capital budget.
“It’s just something we came to as we kept reviewing all the dollars and all the split-outs for the various districts,” Senate President Lyda Green, R-Wasilla, said at a news conference. “It became obvious that we needed some more money.
“It will all be included by the time we’re adjourned.”
House Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, said the Republican majority in the House would probably support adding some money, too.
But it’s still unclear how the money will be distributed.
Wilken’s proposal on the Senate floor was to bring back $20 million in grants that were given to school districts last year but won’t be this year under the new funding package.
Another proposal, pushed by Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, would provide roughly the same amount of money, but would divide it based on school districts’ fuel costs.
A third idea is to distribute the money through the state’s funding formula as if lawmakers had added another $100 to the base student allocation on top of the $100 increase already approved.
Each proposal would impact school districts differently.
In general, increasing the base student allocation and bringing back the grants given last year would favor urban school districts, while offering fuel grants would favor rural districts. Because the fuel grants would cover a fraction of actual fuel costs based on 2007 usage, school districts where fuel was a higher percentage of the overall budget would do better.
According to figures compiled for Hoffman by the state’s Department of Education, some rural districts would get more than twice as much money with the fuel grants as they would with a $100 increase to the base student allocation.
On the other hand, the Anchorage school district would get $2.9 million more with the increase to the BSA than it would with the fuel grants.
The increase to the BSA would cost the state slightly more overall, at $22.3 million compared to $20.8 million for the fuel grants.
At the news conference, Green said she didn’t think the money would be distributed through fuel grants. But Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, said the school funding was still “a work in progress.”
All three proposals would provide roughly $20 million more for schools, but only for the coming year.
That’s different from the proposal backed by Gov. Sarah Palin, Wilken, and other lawmakers to increase the base student allocation by a total of $200 next year. That proposal would have provided an extra $22 million boost on a permanent basis.
Palin said Tuesday a one-time grant like those being considered wouldn’t give school districts the predictability that a permanent, $200 increase would have.
“Districts are going to be back here next year (asking for more money),” she said.
Lawmakers could still provide a permanent increase through legislation, but Senate leaders said Tuesday the additional money would be provided on a one-time basis.
Mike Fisher, chief financial officer for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, said he would have liked a permanent increase but added that any of the one-time proposals is better than nothing.
“Any mechanism that provides additional funding would be helpful,” he said.
Community Discussion
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They need to give the extra funding to make up for the loss of the grants. Support Energy grants, replace last years grants...just SOMETHING!!! To get what amounts to an $11 dollar increase for school funding on top of increasing energy costs that push budgets upwards of 12% is not even close to closing that gap. They could and should support Rep. Ladouxe's HB 386 that pays for a portion of energy costs for school districts.
Next year they need to bring back to the floor that education funding bill they were so proud of and make it right by putting in the $200 annual increase to the Student Base Allotment at the very LEAST!!!
Let me be very clear on that...it means that it should be the least amount discussed...not the maximum amount.
To hear we did not know what we were doing when school districts and superintendents around the state were down in Juneau telling them they needed the $200 increase is just baloney. Thank you to those who tried, although in vain, to make that correction on the floor.
First we should be very clear, these "lawmakers" Lyman Hoffman in particular are the ones that first double talked everyone in the first place. Now he is the savior of the school districts by putting in a supplement bill to restore the money that he first held hostage. I for one am not impressed by his ability to redirect the energy of the other lawmakers into fixing what he has mucked up. My real beef is he has the gall to hold out children hostage in the form of their education.
Lets be clear, there are certain things in this world one does not mess with and a child's education is one of them. My bet is if he goes for re-election he will paint himself as a social reformer one that supports the people when in reality he screws them every chance he gets.
The grants should not be a fuel grant that is basic funding, a grant should be above and beyond what the basic funding is going to be. The govenor has requested $200.00 per student that is what the we should fund as a budget and be done with it. It is not something that is aurgued over we have a surplus funds, let's fund the schools properly and be proud of them.
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