Call to Action: Support the FNSB School District
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD), like many school districts in Alaska, is facing major budgetary issues. The State Legislature is able to help alleviate some of these financial struggles through increasing State funding for public education.
The FNSBSD has released their 2023 Legislative Priorities, which can be found here, and are dissected below. There are two primary priorities noted this year. Our support can help make these goals become reality. A sample letter to legislators and information on who to contact is included near the bottom of this post.
Legislative priorities are set and approved by the school board to guide advocacy efforts for the school district.
1. Improve Education Funding
Education funding currently lags significantly behind the increasing costs school districts across Alaska have faced. The ability of school districts to provide a quality education is in jeopardy as the district faces significant staffing and program cuts. How much education is funded and how education is funded could be improved in the following areas to benefit students throughout Alaska.
Base Student Allocation (from the State): Increase the BSA to $6,800
In the last 7 years, the BSA has increased 0.5% while FNSBSD costs have increased approximately 13% in the same period of time.
$6,800 represents a 14.1% increase to the BSA, reflecting increased costs districts are facing.
In their excellent newsletter The Alaska Memo, Matt Buxton wrote yesterday that:
The House Finance Committee had its turn to look at education funding on Tuesday (28 February) with a hearing that included presentations from the Department of Education and Early Development and the Legislative Finance Division…
…Director Alexei Painter showed off a load of different slides examining the BSA…
…The inflation-adjusted charts show the same general growth from 2005 to 2015 but then the failure to keep up with inflation shows a steep downturn in buying power between 2020 and now.
“Today, the base student allocation is the lowest it’s been in the last 20 years, adjusted for inflation,” he said.
Along with increasing the BSA, the State can help with:
Deferred Maintenance: Fund more than one improvement capital project across the biggest five school districts per year.
Districts with the largest number of students in the state get the lowest number of approved capital improvement projects. Fairbanks essentially receives a capital improvement project once every five years.
FNSBSD currently has $300 million in deferred maintenance.
An Improved Funding Calendar: Adjust how and when students are counted so school districts have a more reliable way to predict and budget for funding.
One option would be to move from the 20-day count in October to an average from the previous year.
2. Improve Staff Recruitment and Retention
This one is very near to my heart. School districts need a better benefits system with shared risk between employer and employee. The State of Alaska needs to be a competitive employer compared to other states, attract employees, and offer security in their retirement.
A strong retirement package helps recruit and retain teachers. The current system does not incentivize teachers to come work in Alaska, or to continue working in Alaska.
There is a teacher shortage across the United States that is expected to continue. It’s more important than ever for Alaska school districts to be competitive employers.
Actions you can take to support public education funding include:
Share a public opinion message with all legislators: https://www.akleg.gov/poms
Email the governor and legislators: gov.alllegislators@alaska.gov
Contact your areas elected representatives: akleg.gov
Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and use the Who Represents Me? tool.You can put everyone on the same email, or split it up.
Sample Letter
Dear Legislators,
I am writing to urge you to take action to increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA) and improve staff recruitment and retention in Alaska's public schools. As you know, the BSA is the primary funding mechanism for K-12 education in our state, and the amount of funding provided through the BSA has a significant impact on the resources available to our students and the quality of education they receive.
I believe that increasing the BSA is essential to improving the quality of education in Alaska. The current level of funding is not sufficient to provide our students with the resources they need. Our schools are struggling to attract and retain qualified educators and staff and this is having a negative impact on student outcomes. This increase must account for inflation and the rising costs districts are facing.
In addition to increasing the BSA, I strongly urge you to find ways to improve staff recruitment and retention through the incorporation of more competitive retirement and benefits plans. Providing better benefits is an important factor in attracting and retaining high-quality educators and staff. Many other states have taken action to improve their benefit packages, and we must do the same if we want to ensure that Alaska's public schools have the talent they need to provide a quality education to our students.
By increasing the BSA and improving our benefits plan, we can help ensure that Alaska's public schools have the resources and staff they need to provide our students with the education they deserve. Investing in education is an investment in our future, and I urge you to take action to support our schools and students.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Kuba Grzeda
Fairbanks, Alaska
I understand (and very much also feel!) that sunshine is beginning to beam down in Fairbanks, and that it’s very much nearly the weekend, and many of these meaty issues can feel like they are both very far away and all happening at once. It can be a lot. I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves!
That said, I know many educators in my life who would appreciate your support at this time. The legislative priorities identified by our district could have a transformational effect on the quality and effectiveness of their passion: please consider sending in an email of support if you are able!
Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!