Alaska lawmakers fail to override the governor’s education package veto

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers on Monday failed to override Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of an education package, just weeks after the bill that sought to boost spending on public schools overwhelmingly passed the Legislature.

Monday’s vote during a joint session of the House and Senate was 39-20, falling just short of the 40 votes needed for an override.

Dunleavy, a former educator, had complained the package did not include his proposal to offer teachers bonuses as a way to retain them and changes to the application process for charter schools aimed at promoting them. But both those concepts struggled to gain broad support among lawmakers.

Alaska schools — particularly in remote, rural communities — have long struggled with teacher turnover, but during legislative hearings, questions were raised about how effective bonus programs are, and members of the Senate’s bipartisan majority raised concerns with the roughly $55 million a year cost of Dunleavy’s proposed three-year program of paying teachers bonuses of up to $15,000 a year.

Senate leaders also opposed allowing the state education board, whose members are appointed by the governor, to directly approve charters, casting it as an erosion of local control, and said broader issues around charter schools, such as facility and transportation issues, merited further analysis.

The measure passed last month included a $175-million increase in aid to districts through a school funding formula — far less than the roughly $360 million boost school officials sought to counter the toll of inflation and high energy and insurance costs, but education leaders nonetheless saw passage of the bill as a positive step. It also aimed to help school districts boost internet download speeds.

The bill additionally included language encouraging districts to use some of the extra funding for teacher salary and retention bonuses; a state education department position dedicated to supporting charter schools and additional funding for K-3 students who need reading help.

But Dunleavy argued that wasn’t enough.

He vetoed the bill late Thursday, and the next day — during a news conference in which he largely reiterated his support of those ideas — he declared he was moving on to other issues this session, such as energy.

But several conservative Republicans on Monday, in voting to sustain the veto, said they want a conversation on education to continue.

Republican Rep. Ben Carpenter of Nikiski said he voted in favor of the bill last month “to get this to the governor and have him veto it as quickly as possible so that we can go back to the drawing board. … We still have time to have conversations about good policy.”

Dunleavy, in a statement on social media, thanked lawmakers “for their hard work and commitment to implementing new education reforms that put Alaska families first.”

Lawmakers faced pressure on both sides ahead of the vote.

Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge of Soldotna, who voted to override the veto, said he “did not run for office to represent one person or party or special interest group — and I know we’ve heard a lot from a lot of those different sources for the last few days.” He said he was voting in line with the wishes of his constituents.

The Republican-led House majority includes two Democrats and an independent. The Senate is led by a coalition of nine Democrats and eight Republicans. Most of the Legislature’s 60 members face reelection this year.

Last year, lawmakers as part of the budget approved a one-time boost of $175 million in state aid to K-12 schools, but Dunleavy vetoed half that. After lawmakers convened a new session in January, they agreed to consider a veto override but fell short. At the time of the failed override, some lawmakers said they were looking forward and focused on crafting an education package for this session instead.

Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press