Now it's time for legislators to walk the walk

Frontiersman editorial board

Election campaigns are often times of promise and hope — promises from candidates and hope on the part of voters that the winners will keep those promises.

Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposed education spending increase offers Alaska's winning candidates an excellent opportunity to follow through on campaign rhetoric. The governor has proposed a $208-million increase over two years, and the Legislature will have to consider his plan during the next session, beginning in January.

Every legislative candidate we spoke to during the campaign placed education as either their top, or near-top, priority. The incumbents all made hay on the fact that they approved a large appropriation last year, when schools around the state were struggling mightily.

In fact, the Mat-Su Borough School District had a list of draconian cuts on the block, and the ax was being sharpened as the Legislature made the decision. That money came when it was needed desperately, and it was something like sweet salvation for many schools and students. What the governor is proposing will likely relieve the stresses that made that emergency appropriation necessary. But, it's not a slam-dunk.

Alaska statutes state that no Legislature can pass education funding for which another Legislature will have to pay. That has resulted in the current practice of approving school funding one year at a time.

Last year, that approval came late, and resulted in many open teaching positions in the Mat-Su. By the time the district was able to determine whether it could afford new teachers, many of the qualified applicants had already signed on with other districts.

Murkowski's proposal would allow districts to -- perish the thought -- plan ahead. The governor is convinced the two-year budget will clear the legal hurdle, and we hope he's right.

Now it's time for our legislators to put our money where their mouths are.

The governor's proposal would do much to bring our schools back to where they should be. Due to inflation, rising salaries and other cost increases, Alaska schools have lost ground for several years.

Our lawmakers have always said our children are our most precious resource and that education is a priority. We hope they'll jump at this opportunity to back that up. By offering our districts the ability to plan, and by granting them some financial security, the Legislature can prove that education is truly its number-one priority.