Kohring touts six-part solution

MAT-SU -- When Rep. Vic Kohring was in the Valley over the weekend, he took the opportunity to discuss with local residents a six-part plan to address funding needs for K-12 education.

Although those who attended his town hall meeting, held Saturday afternoon at Mat-Su College, spoke both in favor of and against some portions of his plan, such as a voucher system, other parts of the plan garnered little comment. He added that, although he's discussed parts of the plan with legislators in Juneau before, the full plan has not yet been presented to other legislators.

The first suggestion in the plan would set aside five million acres of "buildable, suitable land," Kohring said, aside as an education endowment. As the land is sold, the profits generated would go into an endowment program, the earnings of which could be used to fund education.

"The idea is to kind of set up a mini permanent fund," Kohring said, adding that although it's an idea that has not been widely discussed yet in Juneau, he believes it may be supported. "I think the concept is a good one."

The second point of the plan, which garnered some support among attendees, was an infusion of $40 million in addition to the state's foundation funding formula, to help offset a growing funding crisis. A secondary part of that point, Kohring said, would be to increase the foundation funding formula.

"We haven't really added to the funding formula for 20 years now," Kohring said. "I think an initial infusion of money would be strongly supported by my colleagues, and I predict we'll get more money in the foundation formula."

An idea not quite as strongly supported, Kohring acknowledged, is the suggestion to cut several areas in the state's operating budget -- eliminating funding to so-called special interests such as fisheries marketing, tourism marketing, agriculture, public radio and television, the state arts council and municipal grants, for example -- and placing the savings into the state's education budget. That portion of the plan also advocates for reducing legislative sessions from 120 to 90 days and contracting out the prisoners now held within the state to private prisons in the Lower 48.

"On cutting the budget, they're roughly split," Kohring said of his colleagues in Juneau. Another part of the plan has garnered even less support.

"On the issue of adjusting for inflation, the support is not very strong," Kohring said. "They feel it's too costly."

Kohring, in his plan, proposes to increase the foundation funding formula every year by 2 percent, or the amount of increase according to the Consumer Price Index.

Kohring predicted more support for increasing efficiencies within the state education administration. In his plan, he suggests consolidating school districts of fewer than 500 students. That alone, he said, would save the state about $5 million -- money he suggests be placed in an education endowment.

Several people at Saturday's town hall meeting supported finding and enacting such efficiencies. Teachers who had spent time in schools in the Bush discussed how such consolidation might benefit schools in the consolidated area.

"One of the problems we have in the Bush is a high teacher turnover and high superintendent turnover," said teacher Carol Boquard. "There's a complete change of values from one to the next."

Kohring said he'd take back the suggestions and opinions gathered at the town hall meeting, and continue to work on his six-part plan.

"I want people to feel I'm accessible and concerned about their issues," Kohring said, in discussing his reasons behind holding the town-hall meetings. "I'm serious about trying to help on education."