Today the Senate Finance Committee passed out Senate Bill 171 which would establish a three year increase in funding for schools through the Base Student Allocation (BSA) funding formula. The BSA increased by less than 2% per year from FY09-FY11 which didn’t keep up with the rate of inflation.
Most of Alaska’s schools districts are projecting budget cuts and significant layoffs this year if the Legislature doesn’t act. They are all facing the rising cost of energy, transportation and keeping pace with technology. Failure to increase the BSA will lead to increasingly tighter budgets in school districts around the state, program and curriculum reductions, or result in more education costs being borne by local taxpayers. Forcing districts to rely on unpredictable one year bumps in funding undercuts their ability to do long range, responsible financial and programmatic planning. This bill provides districts with a three-year financial plan. Districts will know well in advance how to plan for the education of our children, how to staff the schools, and how to maintain fiscal security over time.
Last year the Senate passed a bill that provided for an increase in the BSA as well as a new funding stream to strengthen vocational education programs in schools around the state, but the BSA funding was removed by the House Finance Committee. SB 171 now moves to the Senate Floor for a vote.
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