Borough Budget: Teachers speak up for education funding

PALMER — As lawmakers in Juneau creep closer and closer to the end of their mandated 121-day session, they continue to put added stress on the local lawmakers who must also pass budgets that are heavily reliant on the state portion of those funds. While the gnashing of teeth was reserved for the budget hearing on April 29 when one constituent brought and used a bull horn, on May 1 at the Mat-Su Borough Assembly chambers, concerned citizens of all ages came out to voice their concerns to the Borough Assembly.

The Assembly is faced with coming up with $19 million in school bond debt reimbursement, should the budget pass as it is currently under Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposal. The Borough has until the end of this month to print the ballots and finalize their budget, which may be well before the passage of the operating and capital budgets across Governor Dunleavy’s desk in Juneau. In the meantime, the Borough is proposing shifting the $19 million in costs related to the school bond debt reimbursement to the school district itself, which cannot exactly raise it’s own revenue. Academy Charter School principal Barbara Gerard began her public testimony with the intro music to Game of Thrones. Gerard then played the Star Wars theme and quoted the great Master Yoda.

“The road ahead seems perilous, the solution is within,” said Gerard. “I believe that you, our assembly members will protect students from the battles and plots that abound in the political arena.”

Gerard compared the plots of the two epics and praised the Assembly for being champions of education with 6.3 mills of school funding in a unanimous vote last year.

“It will take all of us to stand strong to make sure that winter is never coming,” Gerard said.

Gerard was joined at the podium by Academy Charter School student Madeline Ortiz, who asked for the Borough support for education, stating that she was the future. Colony sophomore Simeon Ramirez turned the tables and began to ask Mayor Vern Halter questions of his own.

“Would you be able to have this job if you didn’t have a good primary education?” Ramirez asked. “How are the children of this borough going to become productive if they do not obtain a good education?”

Ramirez suggested that Halter tell Governor Dunleavy to come up with a new budget and asked if Halter had ever attempted to teach 35 second graders to reach all at the same time.

“When teaching children to read, personal 1 on 1 coaching is essential to success. When class size rises the quality of education plummets,” Ramirez said.

Halter briefly allowed for the rules to be bent as the room full of adults applauded the teenager. Halter suggested he run for Governor. With schools on the chopping block, many have been quick to point fingers at who is and is not efficient with their state money.

“Thank you so much for demonstrating your commitment to support public education in our community, but now we’re discouraged and disheartened and helpless in another dilemma over the school bond debt reimbursement,” said Finger Lake Elementary School principal Susan Steel.

Steel noted that her school along with Willow Elementary were two of the only schools in the only schools in the state to be nationally distinguished in January, and that the only schools in the state invited to apply were from the Mat-Su Borough School District. Steel thanked the Assembly for their commitment to 6.3 mills to fund education last May as well as the controversially amended resolution to support education funding passed by the Assembly and sent to the legislature. Steel said that she stands to lose eight teachers, two of whom already work a second job and three of whom have an infant child.

Palmer High School principal Paul Reid was one in a long line of principals to show pride in the school on Tuesday night, but one of the only principals that invoked an audible gasp from the crowd of gathered educators.

“We do have a 90% graduation rate and I do believe that will continue to grow this year; it’s been in a growing trend. Last year our students earned an astounding $5 million in scholarship opportunities just at Palmer High School. All of these are examples of the support that you guys have given to allow these things to happen so I want to thank you for the support that you have provided,” Reid said. I take a great deal of pride in being the principal at Palmer High. As many of you know in the community, we serve a very diverse population of students we also have a wide variety of programs to offer those students. One example of that, our IB program is known to be one of the top academic programs known around the world.”