The State of Alaska announced Wednesday that it will appeal a final ruling by Superior Court Judge William Carey in favor of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s long-held argument that the state’s required local contribution for public education violates Alaska’s Constitution.
Kathryn Vogel is an Assistant Attorney General with the state Department of Law. She said, simply, that Judge Carey’s decision was wrong.
“The state believes that Alaska’s tradition of joint state and local school cooperation over public schools is constitutional,” she said.
In his decision, the judge ruled that municipalities should not be required to pay for public education because the required local contribution is essentially a tax earmarked for a special purpose. Carey said that is a violation of the Constitution.
Vogel said the state disagrees with Carey’s conclusion, because it’s not a state tax.
“Instead, it is locally raised money that goes directly to local schools,” she said. “The dedicated funds prohibition applies directly to state revenue, and that’s the biggest point of contention that the state has.”
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