Letters to the Editor

Letter: Education funding is suffering

Due to political motivation, the Alaska Legislature, led by Republican Gov. Sean Parnell, has for the last four years "flat funded" public school districts across the state; the base student allocation (BSA) rate has not been raised despite increases in energy costs, health care costs and the inevitable rate of inflation.

Meanwhile, we have witnessed efforts by Republican lawmakers to pass legislation directing state money to private schools, amounting to a cynical ploy to undercut a constitutional guarantee that Alaska schools and institutions "be free from sectarian control."

As a parent of a child in the Anchorage School District, my view is that Sean Parnell and his ilk aim to wreck, sabotage or thwart the promise of my child's education in the public school system. To voice our outrage at looming cuts to education in Anchorage and elsewhere, it's time for Alaskans to demand that legislators increase the purchasing power of the student dollar by raising and inflation-proofing the BSA, so that once again Alaska can aspire toward a world class educational system.

— David Vano

Anchorage

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