House Democratic Leader Beth Kerttula said education is too low on Parnell's list of priorities. Parnell has dismissed that criticism as pure politics.
The debate at the forefront is whether to increase the Base Student Allocation, which gives school districts a set amount of money for each student enrolled, and by how much.
The Education Committee was considering S.B. 171, which would increase the amount each year from the current $5,680 to $6,070 starting July 1, 2014. It is sponsored by co-chairs Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, and Joe Thomas, D-Fairbanks.
The idea is to provide budgets of more than a year and to keep funding increases on pace with inflation. Parnell has said he's open to discussing ways to help school districts meet costs but has problems with increases in formula programs.
Meanwhile, Rep. Pete Petersen outlined H.B. 143, which would automatically adjust state funding based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, a federal measure of changes in the cost of goods and services.
Petersen cited the state's budget surplus and the merit-based scholarship program Parnell signed into law last year, which rewards students for completing a tougher curriculum.
"How are the school districts going to offer that curriculum if they don't have the funding and the resources to do it?" he said.
Rep. Les Gara touted a bill Friday that would reduce interest rates by 3 percent on student loans if graduates of college and vocational programs remain in or return to Alaska. Money is too often a barrier to college and success in Alaska and H.B. 272 would halt the "brain drain" of college graduates from the state, Gara said.
"If you want to bring your jobs skills back, which we need for our economy, we will help you and we will reduce your (Alaska student) loan rate," he said.
Another bill discussed was Rep. Chris Tuck's "Parents as Teachers" legislation, H.B. 49, which would provide training to parents modeled after a service provided on military bases in Alaska.
"Parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children," Tuck said. "Unfortunately, right now our children are entering into kindergarten two years behind in literacy and reading."
He said the plan was voluntary but would help bridge that gap and set Alaska children on a track for success.
Other proposals under consideration would provide state funding for children from low-income and lower-middle-class backgrounds to attend preschool. A hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee highlighted a range of correlations between preschool attendance and crime rates, future income and teenage pregnancy.
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