We have to look seriously at education in Alaska. We rank at the bottom of all the states for reading at the fourth grade level, and yet we rank at the top for funding levels. Alaska’s education spending has been increasing based on the numbers, yet our results don’t show it. David Boyles of the Alaska Policy Forum explains the details well and argues that our children deserve accountability from the our educators, not requests for more money.
It has been claimed by many that the state of Alaska is not funding public education adequately and some are trying to destroy the system. These claims are just that — claims. They are not backed up by data and thus are anecdotal and opinions.
So, let’s look at the facts. Let’s look at how much the state of Alaska alone funds our public schools and then decide if we pay enough. Few Alaskans know that we spend more per capita on our schools than the 49 other states. Adjusted for the cost of living, we spend $2,591 per every person in the state, according to the National Education Association. As a matter of fact, in a statewide poll conducted by Braun Research Inc in 2011, it was found only 7 percent of Alaskans could estimate the spending range. Even more surprising, nearly a quarter of those surveyed thought the state spent less than 25 percent of actual costs.
One part of state funding public schools is known as the foundation formula, which includes the Base Student Allocation. For the past 10 years, this foundation formula has increased by 42 percent while inflation has only increased by 22 percent. With nearly 2,700 fewer students enrolled in Alaska’s public schools, funding has actually increased by $360 million since 2006.
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