Governor’s budget will accelerate Alaska’s ‘brain drain’

The biggest winner in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget? The airline industry. The only rush on seats, however, will be on outbound flights from Anchorage. If you thought it was tough to find a seat outside before, just wait. Should Dunleavy’s $6,000 per-person cash grab campaign promise come to fruition, we would all witness the largest brain drain Alaska has ever seen.

To pay for that campaign promise, the governor’s budget slashed close to 20 percent from state K-12 education funding, 41 percent from the state’s university funding, and targeted seniors and health care with even more draconian measures. Supposing this occurs, Alaska will become inhospitable for educating our children or growing old. The choice would then be easy: Get out.

No less than 24 hours after Gov. Dunleavy dropped his bombshell Wednesday, I heard from many friends and colleagues who had been up all night making contingency plans. Longtime teachers in the Anchorage School District, educators who are already underpaid but do fantastic work in our classrooms, have made plans to send their own children out of state for high school. An alternative many will see as better than marching kids into a ravaged Alaskan education system.

And what about those who might be headed off to one of three University of Alaska college campuses? Forget it. Dunleavy proposes to extinguish higher education in Alaska with an unprecedented 41 percent butchering to the UA system not seen in its 100-year history. The communities that may have voted Dunleavy in also voted their most valuable resource out. No longer will the University of Alaska be able to challenge, educate, and prepare our state’s workforce for the important road ahead. This comes at a time when the need for growing a diversified economy is more important than ever.

After learning of the proposed looting of his university budget, UA President Jim Johnsen said, “There will be the University of Alaska here 10 years from now. We may be less of what we are today, but our state absolutely needs us.” True, maybe. That is, if anyone left in Alaska wants to actually attend a dilapidated, underfunded community college.

The Institute for Social and Economic Research — which, by the way, resides at the University of Alaska Anchorage — has forecast a job loss of 1,000 unemployed for every $100 million cut. At $1.6 billion, that directly translates to 16,000 jobs disappearing. Many of those are in education, senior care and health care. These are the Alaskans we need in our communities the most. Dunleavy’s budget sends them, and their families, packing.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We, as Alaskans, can speak up and make our voices heard. A one-time payout that destroys our state’s future, a payout to make good on a campaign promise, will ship our best assets south. While Dunleavy’s budget eviscerates Alaska’s educational infrastructure, oil companies extracting Alaskan natural resources are left untouched. It makes no sense.

We can all tighten our belts somewhat, including oil producers. But Ground Zero is education. You don’t prune a fruit-bearing tree by starting at the roots. We cannot afford to cheat our children, Alaska’s most important resource, and make such drastic reductions to our state’s educational institutions.

I’m not buying my ticket Outside just yet. I have faith that the Alaskans I know will speak up and do what’s right. Regardless of your political affiliation, or whom you may or may not have cast your ballot for, please speak up immediately and make your voice heard. Contact your legislators, friends, teachers, doctors, family and neighbors. Think of Alaska’s youth; our most valuable resource is education. I am not alone on this train of thought. It’s time to get on board with doing the right thing. Act now, before our best minds are left to circle the drain for good.

Sparky Anderson is a longtime alpine ski coach living in Girdwood. He was formerly the director of the Alyeska Ski Club and is currently the head coach of the UAA Ski Team.

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