Education funding numbers don’t add up

Last week Rep. Sarah Vance made an argument that the State of Alaska already spends a lot of money on education. She gave us figures for 2024-2025, placing us high among other states for total money spent per student.

Here is the problem with that: her 2024-5 education numbers include COVID grant money from the U.S. Government (remember that $17.5 million that was delayed for our noncompliance with the COVID grant requirements and which arrived last December? Governor Dunleavy, by the way, refused to give to the Kenai Peninsula over $8 million of that grant that the feds earmarked for the peninsula).

The feds gave Alaska a lot of other non-COVID money as well (including, among other monies, $15.5 million in grants to support educational programs for Alaska Natives) that will be at risk in the future. Representative Vance also included the one-time bump in state funding that Juneau finally approved last year.

In 2024-2025, Alaska led the nation with the percentage of education money that it received from the feds. More than 14% of last year’s money that Alaska spent on education was from the U.S. Government. We won’t be seeing COVID money again, and it’s now likely that other federal education money will be eliminated.

Representative Vance told us how much total money was spent on education last year. It would have been far more candid to tell us for instance how much money the state spent each of the last five years on education. That would show Juneau’s anemic support of schools. Her numbers simply do not apply to funding this year. And she should know this.

Andy Haas

Homer

Film showing sparks community discussion

I would like to thank West Homer Elementary School and The Porcupine Theater for sponsoring a free showing of “Screenagers” on Feb. 18 and the rich community discussion that followed.

Unbridled use of screens and technology affects all of us. There are many benefits, of course, to having the world at our fingertips via smart phones and tablets, but research demonstrates that, especially for children (whose young brains are still developing), too much screen time impacts concentration, impedes quality sleep, cuts into face-to-face time with friends and family, and replaces time spent outdoors, reading, completing chores, problem solving, playing games and imagining other worlds — all important elements of childhood and healthy development.

Like all of us, children are drawn to the dazzle and non-stop movement of media available on smart phones. But even more than adults, children and teenagers are susceptible to damaging effects of the pace and saturation of the media content. It’s extra hard for kids to put down their phones — the attraction and pull of devices is bigger than willpower alone!

I’m new to Homer and I was heartened to see the parents, grandparents, teachers, students, and local leaders who showed up to see the film and talk together after. It is my understanding that West Homer Elementary will use the film and its teaching tools to help students and their families deal with the reality — both the benefits and the pit falls — of the screens that are ever-present in our lives. What I learned this week: too much screen time is not just an individual issue, it is a community challenge, and I’m grateful Homer is coming together as a community to tackle it.

Tracy Nordstrom

Homer

Thank you for investing in CACS

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) sincerely thanks the City of Homer for its ongoing support through the City of Homer Grants Program, administered by the Homer Foundation. We are especially grateful for the $3,000 in operational funding we received in 2024.

These funds help sustain free and reduced-cost programs, including our long-standing CoastWalk initiative. In 2024, 443 volunteers—including community members and eight schools—removed over 2,500 pounds of debris from Kachemak Bay. Since 1984, CoastWalk has been a cornerstone of local stewardship with statewide impact. Additionally, CACS manages four recycling stations, diverting glass, aluminum, and over 30 cubic meters of plastic from landfills.

Funding also supports our free after-school Science and Art Action Club (SAAC), which provides transportation, food, and hands-on environmental education. So far this school year, students have attended SAAC over 130 times, ensuring accessibility regardless of financial circumstances.

Operational support is critical yet often difficult to secure. While many grants fund specific projects, it is unrestricted funding that keeps nonprofits running effectively. We appreciate the City of Homer’s recognition of this need and its investment in local organizations.

Collaboration is central to our work. CACS partners with local schools, libraries, nonprofits, and agencies to expand environmental education and conservation efforts. Together, we strengthen our community and ensure a healthier future.

We deeply appreciate the City of Homer’s commitment to local nonprofits and the collective impact they have on our environment and community.

Elizabeth Trowbridge

Executive director

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies

Contact your representatives

I’ve been writing my two Republican Senators and the one Representative.

I’ve been asking why they’ve abdicated their responsibilities as members of Congress. I’ve asked why they have failed to protect the rule of law, asked why they do little more than pay lip service to their oaths of office.

I’m a realist, I don’t expect them to actually address the questions I ask, they are Republicans. Gaslighting and subterfuge is their habit and their refuge.

I have little hope of breaching their walls, of receiving heartfelt honest answers to my questions, but maybe a staffer or two will reconsider working for someone who fails to protect the rule of law, who fails to protect the checks and balances serve to preserve and underpin our nation’s ideals, who harbor naught but disdain and contempt for their constituents who dare to pose questions they wish to avoid.

Are you writing also? You should if you’re not, our nation’s founders designed things so you would be the final arbiter, not any one man, elected or unelected.

Paul Zimmerman

Kasilof

Dear Editor,

Our heartfelt thanks to the City of Homer grants program which provides local support for Homer arts organizations who work to enrich our community, improve quality of life, provide services, and strengthen the economic, social, and physical fabric of our community.

This past year, Bunnell Street Arts Center celebrated its 30th Anniversary of the Plate Project, a fundraiser that was begun by Ahna Iredale in 1995! Over the past 30+ years, Bunnell Arts has grown into an internationally recognized arts center that brings people to Homer and Homer to the world through residencies, exhibits, touring shows, concerts, talks, performances, concerts, public art, Artist-in-Schools programs, artist development, cross-sector partnerships, and dynamic community engagement.

A few particularly joyful highlights of 2024 include:

The creation of Grubby and other walkable puppets for Homer’s parades

Monthly “Bunnell Arts by Air” concerts in partnership with KBBI

The return of Dinner in the Street! A dinner for 100 that reimagines public space.

Workshops in collage, choreography, composing, pirate radio, yoga, basket weaving, plate painting, puppetry, tango, and flying saucers.

Bunnell serves Homer by creating opportunities for local artists and community members, and connecting people across Alaska. Working with partners from the City of Homer, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Kachemak Bay Campus, Homer Drawdown, and Homer MAPP – to name a few – Bunnell’s vision for Homer is a place where people, citizens, and visitors alike are transformed by the quality of their experiences. We gratefully recognize the City’s investment in Homer’s identity as a vibrant arts community with opportunities for all.

Adele Person,

Executive director

Bunnell Street Arts Center

Charity begins at home, why not Alaska?

The recent negotiations of our president’s efforts in ending the conflict involving Russia and Ukraine appears to be sidetracked by the dispute over the U.S. receiving mineral rights to Ukraine’s rich resources. Currently the issue appears to be our president’s demand for possession of Ukraine’s minerals as well as financial consideration in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Why the administration has chosen mineral rights as a bargaining issue for a final settlement is incredulous.

President Trump and his administration are aware that the state of Alaska has commercial deposits of virtually all the mineral resources, most of which are on federal land consisting of 356 million acres. Over the last several years our development has been held up by issues including access across federal land, and environmental objections. The permitting process and the delays have caused some major corporations to leave our state. In the last few years two major companies exploring oil, BP and Shell, have left our state.

It’s time to look in our own backyard and develop what we need in an expeditious manner, rather than use it as a bargaining tool in the Ukraine/Russia conflict.

Frank Murkowski

Thank you for supporting Homer High School’s DDF program

On behalf of Homer High School’s Drama, Debate, and Forensics (DDF) program, I’m writing to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the businesses and individuals who have generously supported our program through the years.

For the past 21 years, the unwavering support from local businesses and community members has been the backbone of our DDF program. Your continued generosity has made a profound impact on our students and the broader community. The opportunities provided through this program have enriched students’ lives, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and confidence that extends beyond the classroom.

Our program has thrived in no small part due to ongoing community support, allowing us to nurture future leaders and performers. The skills and experiences gained through DDF have empowered our students to excel in diverse fields and have strengthened the sense of community within Homer.

Attached is a list of the generous businesses that supported our recent Silent Auction: Aleyska Tire, Alibi Bar and Grill, April Skorski Pottery, Bagel Shop, Classic Cook, Country Electric, Duncan House, Fireweed Gallery, The Guilded Table, Homer Bookstore, Homer Massage Therapy, In Demand Marine, Kachemak Keller Williams, Michelle Michaud, Moore Music, Ptarmigan Arts, The Art Shop.

Thank you once again for your commitment to helping our students. Together, we continue to make a difference in the lives of our students and in the enrichment of our community.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Daniel Allen

Homer High School DDF coach