:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/WCKCSYL4QFHPTP5ZB4MFACRGX4.jpg)
Alaskans across the state, regardless of their political leanings, have expressed alarm at the outmigration trend among working-age Alaskans (see Alex DeMarban’s article published in the ADN Jan. 16). Families who have children or adult’s hopeful of being parents are leaving the state because they are tired of the decade long underfunding of our public education system. Continued cuts and lack of stable public education funding is making it harder and harder for parents to justify living here, as much as we love our community. We have a simple request to the Legislature: “Please adequately fund our schools and override any veto necessary so that Alaska’s economy and population can grow again.” We ask this not just for our children’s sake, but also for our economy.
We live in a global economy, and skilled parents can live and raise their kids in communities large or small across the country. Growth in remote work has given skilled parents even more flexibility. Our business community recognizes this, and for years has been urging policymakers to invest in quality of life and quality of place. The past economic model was to attract businesses, and workers would follow. Today, jobs follow workers, and workers follow quality of life. Alaska can’t grow with underfunded schools, and kids can’t learn in overcrowded classrooms.
As parents and grandparents, we simply want great schools for our kids that provide the same opportunities for them as they did for us.
Chugach Elementary lost another teacher last year, so the size of each class by increased several seats.
Denali Elementary students spent the first half of the school year in a 43-student reading group, and the ratios in first through third grades are currently 30 students to 1 teacher, which is well above the evidence-based target pupil-teacher ratio of 25:1.
Nikiski North Star Elementary also has a 30:1 pupil-teacher ration in third grade.
Klatt Elementary was on the list for closure at the end of the 2022-2023 school year but was spared, unlike Abbott Loop Elementary, a Title I school that has been shuttered. Klatt eliminated one teaching position for the 2023-2024 school year.
One of the top predictors for better student outcomes is teacher contact time and the ability of a student to have a relationship with their teacher. Smaller class sizes are a way to increase contact time.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy has repeatedly told legislators and business groups that he wants more young families in Alaska and more robust economic growth. We agree with this goal. We ask the governor to put himself in the shoes of parents with young children, because Alaska will not reach the governor’s own goal of recruiting and retaining a talented and motivated workforce if we don’t provide our kids with an exceptional public education. We are calling on all legislators and the governor to restore adequate funding to our public schools, or they can expect our best and brightest to continue their exodus from our great state.
Melissa Branch is a parent of a Kincaid Elementary student in Anchorage.
Nicole Eisman is a grandparent of Anne Wien Elementary students in Fairbanks.
Rachel Lord is a parent of a Paul Banks and West Homer Elementary student in Homer.
Eva Gardner is a parent of a Denali Elementary student in Anchorage.
Kristi Wood is a parent of a West High student in Anchorage.
Jessica Louwerse is a parent of a Klatt Elementary student in Anchorage.
Jen Ireland is a parent of a Chugach Elementary student in Anchorage.
Calisa and Andrew Kastning are parents of Winterberry students in Anchorage.
Mercedes Harness is a parent of a West Homer Elementary student in Homer.
Lisa Asselin is a parent of a West Homer Elementary student in Homer.
Rachel Blakeslee is a parent of a future ASD student in Anchorage.
Rachael McPherson is a parent of Sand Lake Elementary Japanese Immersion students in Anchorage.
Holly Brooks and Rob Whitney are parents of O’Malley Elementary French Immersion students in Anchorage.
Sarah McWilliams is a parent of O’Malley Elementary students in Anchorage.
April Rochford is a parent of O’Malley Elementary students in Anchorage.
Ahnie Litecky is a parent of Paul Banks and West Homer Elementary students in Homer.
The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here.