Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, April 25, 2018

Public schools need to be fully funded to succeed

This year again, "full funding," the legislative euphemism for flat funding, is steadily draining Alaska schools of teaching staff, counselors, support staff, programs, electives, curricular materials and extracurricular activities. Since 2013, Anchorage has seen 394 full-time equivalent positions laid off. This amounts to a 9.26 percent reduction in instructors (teachers and teacher assistants). Classes are fuller, and services to students, including those with the highest needs, and at the greatest risk, are stretched paper-thin. As former AEA President Brinna Langford eloquently explained in her opinion piece of April 18, Alaska's ability to attract and retain excellent personnel to fill even the positions that remain is severely compromised, as talented, dedicated, experienced educators come to the reluctant conclusion that Alaska cannot be where their professional future lies.

Recently, the House has passed legislation (HB 339) that could help make a real difference. I urge the State Senate to take up House Bill 339, which would responsibly increase state funding. With an addition of $100 to the base student allocation, Anchorage would receive a desperately needed additional $7.3 million to invest in the district's classrooms, support programs, staff, and instructors.

Anchorage has always been a good place to live, work and raise a family. Solid public school funding is essential if it is to remain so.

— Barb Clark
Anchorage

Protect fish habitat by backing salmon initiative

I am a University of Alaska student who will be interning at the Tongass National Forest over the summer of 2018, working directly with fish habitats and waterways. As a resident of Alaska, salmon habitats are important to me both for state pride and revenue, as seafood account for about 20 percent of the state's income. There is an initiative called Stand for Salmon that will update and reinforce habitat permitting laws, in an attempt to strengthen the protection of habitats and give Alaskans a voice in what happens in our great state.

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With large projects like the Pebble mine, there are minimal requirements for developers to provide habitat impact analysis and even less oversight. The ecological impact these projects can have on the salmon habitats, which are paramount to Alaska's economy, are incredible and permanent. Stand for Salmon is pushing for ecological impact surveys and defined penalties for ignoring or failing the standards set forth. It also supports different permits for projects of different scales, something the current permitting laws do not provide. It is through this initiative that we Alaskans can protect our marine resources.

By supporting Stand for Salmon, you can help ensure that Alaska's fish habitats are sustainable and protected from encroaching development. There needs to be a change to ensure that we can maintain our status quo, and not see the same negative impacts that the Lower 48 have experienced. We need to learn from their example.

— Charles Cowley
Anchorage

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