Birchwood ABC Elementary School in Chugiak on November 30, 2022. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Our community has always taken pride in our schools. They are the bedrock of Eagle River and Chugiak, places where our children grow, learn trades and play sports, and our PTAs meet. But right now, that foundation is under direct attack, and the call is coming from inside the house.
Recently, during a House Finance Committee meeting, our own Rep. Jamie Allard introduced an amendment to HB 263 that can only be described as a scorched-earth policy for Alaska schools. While the original bill sought an inflation adjustment to provide a lifeline to struggling districts, Rep. Allard moved to strip every single penny of that funding away. Worst of all, Rep. Allard stated that she believes we should close schools, claiming “this has to happen.”
When Rep. Allard advocates for slashing education funding, she isn’t just balancing a ledger. She is effectively advocating for exploding class sizes that tilt the student-to-teacher ratio toward chaos. Any teacher in Eagle River or Chugiak will tell you that you can’t effectively teach 35 kids at once — it’s not “instruction,” it’s crowd control. This is particularly true in the early formative years of elementary school.
The Anchorage School District is currently being forced to make impossible choices between cutting nurses and mental health counselors or keeping sports programs. We are seeing the slow death of shop class, music programs and elective courses, the very things that keep students engaged and in school.
Perhaps most baffling was Rep. Allard’s closing statement. After voting to strip the funding that pays for educators and activities, she asked why extracurricular activities and teachers were being cut if we are concerned about children’s mental state. It is a fair question, but one she should ask herself. You cannot claim to prioritize teachers and sports while simultaneously leading the charge to delete the $158 million intended to fund them.
We need a long-term increase to the Base Student Allocation, but until then, this funding is the only thing preventing a total collapse of services.
The amendment was ultimately defeated by a razor-thin 5-6 margin. It failed only because representatives like Rep. Alyse Galvin and Rep. Nellie Jimmie listened to the desperate calls from school districts and parents. However, the intent remains clear. If Rep. Allard has her way, more Eagle River and Chugiak schools will face the chopping block, our teachers will face pink slips and our children will be squeezed into overcrowded classrooms.
As parents and educators, we must hold our representatives accountable. We deserve a leader who fights for our schools, not one who views their closure as an inevitability. It’s time to tell Rep. Allard that our children’s education is not a line item to be deleted.
Philip Walters, M.M., Travis Harrington, M.A.T, Jennifer Waisanen, M.Ed, NBCT, Jacob Bera, NBCT, Kayla McDonogh, MAT, MEd, NBCT, Josephine Mattison, MAT, Erica Arnold and Gina Wall are parents and educators in Eagle River/Chugiak.
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