Education funding could increase

JUNEAU -- House Bill 471 regarding student allocation of the foundation formula has been moved out of the House Education Committee. The next step is usually a review by the Health, Education and Social Services Committee, but Rep. Carl Gatto has turned in a waiver that will hopefully skip the HES Committee and send the bill directly to the Finance Committee, since most HES Committee members are also on the Education Committee. The bill, if passed, would increase the base student allocation by $210 per student, bringing it up to $4,379 per student for the 2004-2005 school year. Valley Voices for Children, a grassroots group dedicated to finding funding for education, took a moment Thursday to celebrate the initial success.

"We should consider our work to date a success, and take time to pat ourselves on the back," said VVC spokesperson Kris Moore. "Your time and effort has been well spent. However, we still have a long way to go."

If HB471 passes, it would not only increase the amount of funding from the Legislature, it would also increase the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly education spending cap by $996,000. Because the borough's ordinance is based on other factors outside of the approved spending limit by the state, there is no guarantee that the borough's contribution could increase the total $996,000.

VVC says currently they are faced with a lot of "ifs:" If HB471 passes, if the bill, yet to be introduced, that would allocate $35.8 million to pay the TRS/PERS debt in the state passes, and if the borough funds education at 100 percent of the cap, it is possible that the $8 million proposed cuts in the Mat-Su Borough School District would no longer be necessary. Moore suggested that this first win in the legislation is only the bottom rung in a very large ladder; and that the continued support for education funding via letters, e-mails and phone calls to legislators is needed now more than ever.

"At the conclusion of today's teleconference, there was a comment made for the committee members to say how many e-mails, postcards, etc. they have received on this issue, and they could not come up with a number," wrote Moore in a press release for VVC. "Rep. Gatto said it has to be thousands."

School district spokesperson Kim Floyd said the district is also pleased with the work the legislation has done so far.

"We appreciate Rep. Carl Gatto's work on this, and we also appreciate the support of the house education committee," Floyd said.

VVC is holding an organization meeting Monday at 10 a.m. at the Windbreak Caf/ in Wasilla. Moore encourages anyone interested in joining the fight to save education in the state to attend.