Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget cuts and vetoes toward education have been a rather bizarre decision for a state both hemorrhaging existing population and failing to draw new, long-term residents.
Vetoing funding for the University of Alaska forces the education system to reduce facilities and faculty, which results in the system failing to properly educate its students. This failure in education in-state pushes people to seek education and eventually employment out of state.
In the midst of a serious skilled labor shortage in Alaska, why would we push people away from going through an Alaska system that would better prepare our students for the Alaska labor force? Seventy-five percent of students from Alaska who seek out-ofstate degrees will never return to our state. Alaska turning to some debt is a far more affordable outcome compared to losing our next generation of Alaskans to our government’s shortsightedness.
— Bjorn Skinner-Reed
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.