Dear Neighbors,

CSSB 35 was brought up for a vote in the Senate today. I did vote to support it. However, five senators voted “No” to fund the $82 million increase to K-12 education funding and the $5.8 million increase to the University of Alaska.

In order for the increases to have passed, a three-quarters vote was required. Only 11 of the necessary 15 senators voted “Yes.”

The effects for the Anchorage School District if these increases had been approved in both the House and Senate were:

• Class sizes would not increase.
• Middle schools teachers would be able to continue collaborating on assisting their students.
• Teachers, librarians, nurses and teacher aides would not be laid off.
• Sports programs and other activities would continue.
• Services for at-risk students would continue.
• The Community Schools programs would continue.
• Many other services would continue.

Similar effects would have been seen in our other Senate District P schools – the Hope School in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and the Whittier School in the Chugach School District.

We will keep trying to provide these necessary increases to our K-12 and University education system.

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