News from The Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
716 West 4th Avenue, Suite 510
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Phone: 907/258-8184
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: (800) 478-6540

Town Meeting Series on School Funding Reform Concludes in Fairbanks, December 2

For Immediate Release: November 26, 1997 Contact: Sheila Peterson at (907) 465-3709

Fairbanks -- Members of the Senate Finance Committee and the Health, Education and Social Services (HESS) Committee will conclude their series of six statewide town meetings on school funding reform in Fairbanks, Tuesday, December 2, at the Borough Assembly Chamber from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Lawmakers and participants will review Alaska’s current education funding program and discuss ways to make it more fair and less complex.

“The formula is broken,” said Senator Gary Wilken (R-Fairbanks), Chair of the Senate HESS Committee. “It is overly complicated and generally unfair to people of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The formula needs to be fixed so all Alaska students receive an equal share of state education dollars.”

“Our meetings held in Ketchikan, Bethel, the Mat-Su, Anchorage and Kenai were well attended by people willing to earnestly talk about our school funding problems. Participants offered a variety of ideas that will help lawmakers craft a solution to ensure we get the best product for Alaska’s children today and in the future,” Wilken said.

The meeting format will include presentations from Senators John Torgerson (R-Kasilof) and Gary Wilken. Torgerson will provide a brief summary of bills relating to funding currently in the legislative process. Wilken will provide a more detailed discussion of current funding problems and present some ideas to foster discussion. Following the presentations there will be a question and answer session with the audience and testimony from the public.

The Fairbanks meeting will be teleconferenced on a listen-only basis. For more information please call Sheila Peterson at (907) 465-3709.

###

Broadcast Note: Radio actualities are available from Senator Gary Wilken by calling 800/478-6540.
= Gary Wilken, 50 K
= Gary Wilken, 41 K