Anchorage Daily News

Newly released documents justifying the hundreds of earmarks in the proposed $2.3 billion state capital budget describe Anchorage school grounds fraught with peril for children.

Bushes at a South Anchorage elementary school: "The risk of a child impaling themselves is substantial."

The stage floor at another school: "Unsafe for performers who may trip on loose or torn sections of the stage floor."

The football field at Service High: "A significant safety risk for student athletes."

Sidewalks at an East Anchorage school: "Deteriorating and ... unsafe."

Furniture in another school: "Old and unsafe."

But school officials now say that the lawmakers' paperwork supporting the proposed spending for many of these projects is exaggerated and that in some cases they were surprised the language they submitted for funding was rewritten to make the need seem more critical.

"I would not say it's not safe for our kids," said principal Mary Johnstone at Rabbit Creek Elementary, which requested the new stage floor carpeting. "I think the language was put in there to get it through (the approval process)."

The proposed state capital budget, passed by lawmakers last month and now sitting on Gov. Sarah Palin's desk, is a hodgepodge of hundreds of projects statewide, from road repairs and fire stations to new fish hatcheries, shipyard improvements and equipment for hospitals and Little Leagues. The governor and state agencies request some items, and constituents ask their legislators for others.

What was different this year was guidance from Palin on the kinds of earmarks that could survive her veto: funding that addresses "life, health and safety." Lawmakers had criticized her last year for being unclear on her priorities before she cut $231 million from their $1.9 billion capital budget.

A key legislative budget writer, Rep. Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, co-chair of the House Finance Committee, said many lawmakers tailored their earmark requests to Palin's criteria.

"You are going to use whatever angle to promote your project," he said. Legislators tried "to spin their projects to meet her guidelines."

'DANGEROUS' SHRUBS

That may have been what occurred with some of the 140 Anchorage school projects worth a total of $13 million in the budget. The governor's office is now parsing all the capital requests and will decide which merit state money and which should be vetoed out.

Among them is $43,000 for landscaping at Klatt Elementary in South Anchorage. The newly released paperwork supporting the request says:

"The shrubbery bordering the building has died. Aside from being unattractive (as well as depressing), the landscaping poses a safety hazard due to the fact that there are bare sticks protruding out of the ground. The risk of a child impaling themselves is substantial."

George Vakalis, assistant superintendent for support services for Anchorage public schools, said that's not true.

He sent his safety inspector to the site last week after learning of the description and found no danger to children. He didn't even know there was a problem with the shrubs. The school has not filed a work request for them since at least 2006, which is as far back as the district's records go. The school district did not have the landscaping on the list it submitted to Juneau for funding.

The shrubs in question are dying mugho pine bushes along the sides of the school. The pines stick up like upside-down tree branches coming from the ground. But no children play near them during recess.

The project was requested last year by parents of kids in the school. The words in the paperwork justifying the Klatt legislative funding were lifted from a PTA letter to state Rep. Craig Johnson, whose district includes the school. The writer, Klatt PTA Treasurer Bert Mattingly, when reached last week, said he would not comment.

Johnson did not return phone calls. An aide, Jeanne Ostnes, said Johnson thought the school looked shabby and needed a spruce-up.

STUBBING A TOE

The capital budget also proposes $12,000 for Rabbit Creek Elementary to replace the carpet and curtains for its drama stage. The justification says: "It is not only unsanitary but is also unsafe for performers who may trip on loose or torn sections of the stage floor. Safety is the priority #1 reason for Rabbit Creek Elementary School's request for funding."

When Rabbit Creek principal Johnstone heard this, she said the description was overstated.

"I would not (say) it's unsafe for our kids on our stage. ... That wasn't the way I presented it."

Unlike the Klatt landscaping money, the School District did request the Rabbit Creek money. It said simply that the carpet and curtains had "exceeded useful life."

Dirk Moffatt, an aide to Republican Bob Lynn, said he wrote the description in the official justification. When told the principal thought the description was exaggerated, he said, "It's probably not as big a safety concern, but if you have a stage floor that's got holes in it, you can always have some kid catch their toe when they are dancing around or something."

Moffatt said safety is a helpful selling point when pitching a project. "Of course it makes it more of a priority to get it done, rather than something that just needs to get replaced."

WHAT DOES SAFETY MEAN?

Similarly, Service High School asked its representative, Meyer, for a new football field. While it justified the project to "improve (the) school instructional program," the description written by the lawmakers was different. The playing conditions on the current field, the legislative justification says, "pose a significant safety risk for student athletes."

Vakalis, head of the School District's maintenance and safety, said the description is untrue. "We would shut the field right down if we thought there was a safety concern," he said.

But his boss, superintendent Carol Comeau, agreed with the language in the legislative document. She said it is a risk and that every year the field is getting worse and worse.

The difference may be in their subjective definitions of what safety means, Meyer said. "Nonetheless, they are both advocating the work get done."

FREE MONEY

Public schools for years have regularly benefited from state legislators earmarking funds for projects. It has become a way many schools get funding for one-time expenses, from purchasing library books to redoing gym floors. It is free money for the projects they can't, or don't want to, pay for with their own annual budgets.

This year, the Anchorage School District approved much of the requested spending for schools before the requests went to legislators. But not all. Of the 140 projects, a fifth of them are projects the district did not request, such as the Klatt Elementary school landscaping.

Meyer said there would have likely been less spin if Palin's "life, health and safety" guidelines didn't exist.

An example he pointed to is the $2 million budgeted for Anchorage pools, located in the high schools and used by the public.

"We know that Parks and Rec items aren't real high on the governor's list," he said. "So we aren't going to promote the swimming pools as a Parks and Rec activity, we are going to promote that as 'Life, health, safety.' "

In the project justification paperwork written by Meyer's staff, it touts the hours spent at the pool by people learning "water safety skills."

It says, "Water related fatalities are high in Alaska and adequate pools are critical life/safety resources in the community."

Meyer said if the governor hadn't put forward the priorities, lawmakers might have been more straightforward. On his pool request, he would have preferred to be able to write: "'It's a Parks and Rec type project, and I think it's important.' "

Palin has already complained about the largesse in the new capital budget. She has until May 23 to trim, according to the governor's office.

Find Megan Holland online at adn.com/contact/mholland or call 257-4343.

ASD's language vs. Legislature's language

Rabbit Creek Elementary School

STAGE RENOVATION

School District: "Replace existing stage floor carpet and curtains; exceeded useful life."

Legislature: "Currently, the existing gold curtains are in a very unsanitary condition and both the curtains and the carpet on the stage are worn, torn, stained and very old. Because of the torn and generally poor condition of the carpet on the stage it is not only unsanitary but is also unsafe for performers whom may trip on loose or torn sections of the stage floor. Safety is the priority #1 reason for Rabbit Creek Elementary School's request. ..."

Service High School

FOOTBALL FIELD TURF DESIGN

School district: "Install Artificial Turf field; improve school instructional program."

Legislature: "With Alaska's harsh conditions, field conditions for athletes can deteriorate significantly in the fall. With both men's and women's football programs at Service High, the poor field conditions pose a significant safety hazard for student athletes. Upgrading to Astroturf will improve playing conditions. Athletics is an important component of our education system and ensuring safe playing conditions is critical to the success of any athletic program."

Mountain View Elementary School

SECURITY SYSTEM UPGRADE

SCHOOL DISTRICT: "Install CCTV system to district standards; improve school safety."

Legislature: "Install CCTV system to district standards; improve school safety. Mountain View Elementary School is in a high crime area. There have been incidents at the school where a teacher was stabbed. Safety for our children while in school is a must have."

* Note: There is no record of a teacher being stabbed at the school but children have been injured. In 2001, Jason Pritchard, then 33, brought a knife onto school grounds, slashing and seriously injuring four young boys.

Creekside Park Elementary

SIDEWALK REPAIRS

School District: "Remove and replace deteriorating sidewalk surfaces; improve school safety."

Legislature: "Current sidewalk and asphalt surfaces are deteriorating and are unsafe. These funds would replace the most dangerous problems. This has been designated a top priority for Creekside Park Elementary by the Anchorage School District."

Airport Heights Elementary School

FURNITURE REPLACEMENT

School District: "Purchase new classroom furniture; exceeded useful life."

Legislature: "...Much of the current furniture has exceeded its useful life. New tables and chairs are necessary to ensure that students have a safe and comfortable learning environment."

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