Following a special legislative session that overrode the governor´s second veto on education funding, a group of lawmakers convened Monday in Anchorage to launch a task force to tackle the ongoing education funding crisis.
This newly formed committee, begins a 16-month timeline to develop recommendations for the next legislature to consider. The task force includes six members and is co-chaired by Sen. Löki Tobin (D-Anchorage) and Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (N/A-Sitka). The other members are Rep. Andi Story (D-Juneau), Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, Sen. Mike Cronk (R-Tok/Northway), and Sen. Jesse Kiehl (D-Juneau).
Several additional legislators from across the state also attended the two-and-a-half-hour meeting. Tobin explained that the group aims to gather insights from research and experts to identify key issues for deeper examination.
The initial meeting focused on setting goals for the task force and assessing the state of public education in Alaska. Tobin noted that the next meeting scheduled for October will include presentations from the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development on school funding.
The task force also plans to visit schools across the state, including Anchorage, Juneau, Galena, Kuspuk, Yukon Kuskokwim and Skagway, to better understand regional disparities. The special session remains technically open, though little activity is expected.
The governor introduced three bills related to charter schools, tribal compact schools, and funding incentives awaiting further consideration. While some lawmakers hope the bills will be addressed in the regular session, legislative leaders say certain executive orders from the governor remain contentious and may end up in court.
