Anchorage Daily News

The union that represents more than 13,000 teachers, librarians, custodians and other school workers across Alaska decided Saturday not to endorse a candidate in this year's governor race.

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Bjork

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The three major candidates -- Democrat Tony Knowles, Republican Sarah Palin and independent Andrew Halcro -- are all good apples, the Alaska chapter of the National Education Association concluded after interviewing the trio Saturday morning.

The union decided rather than get behind one candidate, it would push its education platform in the coming campaign.

NEA-Alaska president Bill Bjork said that as the three addressed a crowded meeting of the union's political action committee, they seemed well versed in topics the group cares about most, such as school funding, smaller class sizes and a better retirement system. Plus, their answers to the union's questions weren't all that different.

For example, all three wrote in a questionnaire that public employees should get 66 percent to 75 percent of their salary when they retire. Such benefits are a particularly big deal to the union this year, because of a recent overhaul of the state's retirement system -- from more traditional pension plans to accounts that are similar to 401(k) plans.

The Legislature made the change in 2005, saying the old system was too expensive and faced big shortfalls in the future.

Knowles said that as governor he'd go back to the old, defined-benefits system, and conduct an independent analysis to see if any tweaks need to be made to stave off shortfalls.

Halcro wrote in the questionnaire that he would support returning to a defined-benefits plan -- depending on the specifics of the plan -- as a way to try and entice better teachers to work in Alaska.

Palin wrote that both the old retirement system and a 401(k)-type retirement system have their benefits, and should be studied to decide if a better, third approach could combine the two.

Saturday, all three said they believe Alaska's teachers are underpaid.

"The good ones are," said Palin, who says that her parents came to Skagway to teach school in the 1960s and that she would be the first "PTA mom" to become Alaska's governor.

Halcro -- who laid out an education plan Friday that includes laptop computers for all middle school students and a higher minimum age for dropping out of school -- says the weakened retirement package makes teachers' overall pay less appealing. Starting pay is OK, he said, but teachers will soon leave to find better retirement benefits.

Knowles has called for a state trust fund to help pay for education, and said Saturday that attracting good teachers means the state not only has to have competitive pay, but a safe work environment and an attractive retirement deal.

The union's policy is not to endorse a candidate unless he or she convinced nearly 700 union members from across the state to pledge to help in his or her campaign.

None of the three got enough union members to sign up. A motion to suspend the rules and endorse Knowles -- who collected the most signatures from union members -- failed to get the necessary three-quarters vote, Bjork said.

The NEA-Alaska also didn't endorse a candidate in 2002, when Knowles' former lieutenant governor, Fran Ulmer, was running against eventual winner Frank Murkowski. The union's president at the time, Rich Kronberg, said in 2002 that the committee preferred Ulmer but was most interested in getting out its pro-education message.

Bjork said the union didn't have a clear preference this time.

The NEA endorsed Democrat Steve McAlpine for governor in 1994, according to Daily News archives, but hasn't endorsed a gubernatorial candidate since. It backed Knowles in his 2004 U.S. Senate race against the eventual winner, Lisa Murkowski.

Daily News reporter Kyle Hopkins can be reached at khopkins@adn.com.