I attended the town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Sarah Vance on Saturday, April 12. It was held at Kenai Peninsula College in Homer, attended largely by proponents of the stripped-down version of the education bill returned to the House by the Senate.

The Senate is recommending an increase of the base student allocation of $1,000, with no accountability measures. Alaska scholastic performance is among the lowest in the nation. Our students’ test results ranked 49th in the nation for fourth grade reading and math, and eighth grade reading. The ranking was 46th for eighth grade math proficiency. These are the results of the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, a biennial standardized test. In contrast, our per pupil spending is the sixth highest in the nation.

It was quite remarkable to me that the majority of the folks present were in favor of the increased spending without any accountability, willing to forgo their Alaska Permanent Fund dividend, and accept statewide income tax and/or sales tax.

Clearly, the school system is failing and it appears drastic measures must be undertaken to reverse the trend. It does not follow that the immediate answer is just more money. I have lived in Alaska for 42-plus years, and have seen numerous sign-waving pleas for more money for education.

I recall one such effort in the early ‘80s and did some investigation regarding school funding. At that time, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District was one of the most expensive in the nation, and they wanted more money. The usual response to any challenge is that teachers have to spend their own money for supplies, there aren’t enough teachers, they don’t have the resources to do their jobs.

I applaud their generosity and concern, but it seems clear that there is something rotten in Denmark. There’s something wrong with the system when the money doesn’t get to the purported target — the student. But then it has been clear to me for a long time that the primary purpose of any bureaucracy is to perpetuate itself, and its stated mission is secondary.

The 2024 Legislature approved the single largest allocation for education — $350 million — in state history. Our own school district at that time had an $11 million budget deficit. That deficit has grown to $17 million, in spite of the increased funding. It seems that some investigation into that situation would be warranted. Clearly, more money didn’t solve the problem.

The politicization of the education issue demonstrates that the majority party isn’t really interested in the quality of education. According to Regina Wright of Americans For Prosperity, “Republican legislators came to the table with ideas: open enrollment, stronger accountability, classroom transparency and support for great teachers. But Democrat leadership chose to ignore them. They’ve shown little interest in compromise — even when it could help students across the state. This wasn’t a serious effort to improve Alaska’s schools. It was a performative play to protect the status quo. And unfortunately, our kids lose when politics comes before progress.”

I want to thank Rep. Vance for her organized and respectful presentation, and her graceful responses to a largely hostile crowd. I applaud her dedication to keeping her promises, even if I don’t always agree with her stance (I mostly do). She was elected in part because of the values she espouses, and she is a hard worker for our district.

A friend who attended the meeting had this comment: “I wanted to stand up and say they should each give me $100, just because — no explanation, no guarantees. What do you think the response would be?” And that is exactly what the Senate revision of HB 69 is demanding.

To those of you who support such an irresponsible piece of legislation, be careful what you wish for because you’ll probably get it — in this case a more costly failure of a system that is supposed to benefit our children and prepare them for the future, but instead sends them off unable to read or do math proficiently. And ask yourself, what is the real goal?

Gayle Claus is a Fritz Creek resident.