Alaska education commissioner urged superintendents to lobby legislators for Dunleavy or risk a veto

Alaska Education Commissioner Deena Bishop sent a letter to superintendents statewide urging them to lobby legislators for the governor’s education policy items – or risk Dunleavy again vetoing an increase to school funding.

On Wednesday, some superintendents from districts across the state shared reactions to the commissioner’s veto threat, calling it “surprising,” “concerning” and “disappointing,” and called for state support for Alaska schools.

“We are at a make-or-break point,” said Roy Getchell, superintendent of the Haines School District in a phone interview, referring to many districts facing steep deficits, program cuts and school closures. “It’s not a game. It’s a reality. It’s something that all sides have worked hard and spent a lot of time on. It’s a nonpartisan issue.”

Bishop’s letter sent on Monday, as first reported by the Anchorage Daily News, came ahead of an Alaska Legislature vote on House Bill 57, which would permanently increase the base student allocation, core of the state’s per-student funding formula, by $183 million per year. The bill also added policy changes that many lawmakers saw as a compromise with Dunleavy after he vetoed a larger education boost on Apr 17 citing a lack of policy changes. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 17-3 and the House voted 31-8 in favor of the bill, sending it to Dunleavy.

In the letter, Bishop listed Dunleavy’s policy priorities she said superintendents should speak for, including grants for districts showing student reading improvements, open enrollment for students across districts, and increased funding for homeschool programs.

“​​If these critical reforms are not included, we risk repeating the challenges of previous years when the education bill — and its funding components — were vetoed. We also face the possibility that the funding element of the bill could be reduced or vetoed, as it was for FY24,” Bishop said, referring to Dunleavy cutting $87 million, half of on-time funding, approved by the Legislature in 2023.

“Please prioritize reaching out to your House and Senate members as soon as possible,” she wrote. “A personal call or email stressing the importance of these reforms and their direct impact on your district will be highly effective.”

Madeline Aguillard, superintendent of the Kuspuk School District in the middle Kuskokwim River region, expressed her concern in an email on Wednesday.

“For a sitting commissioner to send a politically charged message that appears to threaten a gubernatorial veto, particularly one directed at local education leaders working tirelessly on behalf of their communities, was surprising and concerning to receive,” she said.

She said Dunleavy’s policies are focused on urban and Railbelt districts, while rural districts like Kuspuk are in desperate need of a basic funding increase. “In Kuspuk, there are no charter or private schools—and there is no community interest in creating them. Our families want safe, fully staffed brick-and-mortar public schools. They deserve that,” she said.

“Kuspuk families experience some of the highest poverty rates in the state. Our buildings are crumbling, our curriculum is over a decade old, and we are struggling to retain staff due to uncompetitive wages. Yet we continue to be an afterthought in these policy discussions,” she said. “Where do districts like ours fit into the state’s long-term vision for education?”

Aguillard emphasized that while districts support the current legislation and funding increase, the proposal is still insufficient for schools grappling with almost a decade of flat funding, rising costs, inflation and deferred maintenance accumulating at schools.

“This feels like the futures of our students are being used as bargaining chips in a game that overlooks the vast and varied realities of education across Alaska,” she said.

Shannon Harvilla, superintendent of the Bristol Bay Borough School District, also urged bipartisan support for the education funding bill.

“While I was surprised by Commissioner Bishop’s letter—particularly its tone and timing—I remain focused on what matters most: stability and opportunity for Alaska’s students,” Harvilla said in an email. “I’ve witnessed firsthand how a decade without meaningful BSA increases has strained our ability to recruit staff, balance budgets, and meet the needs of students. A bipartisan solution has been passed, and I believe now is the time for support—not political pressure.”

Harvilla also noted the advocacy efforts of the Alaska Superintendents’ Association, which “actively engaged in good-faith dialogue with both the Governor’s Office and the Legislature throughout this session,” he said. “Their goal, which I support, has been to advocate for a responsible compromise that reflects the realities we face at the local level.”

Getchell, with the Haines Borough School District, expressed frustration with the ongoing political debate, and state leaders leaving schools without financial certainty almost at the end of the school year. “I don’t know on May 1 what my budget is going to be,” he said. “This isn’t about emails, it’s not about superintendents or governors or commissioners. It’s about 5 year olds and their futures. And I think they deserve better than this.”

Dunleavy’s office declined to comment on the letter or effort to pressure lawmakers.

After legislators passed the funding bill, several members of the multipartisan House majority caucus expressed their concern at the letter.

Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, told reporters after the Legislature’s vote on Wednesday that she had a call from one superintendent that spoke in support of Dunleavy’s policy items, but declined to say who.

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, also commented on Bishop’s message.

“I don’t think her letter had any material effect,” he said. “I don’t remember, at least as a legislator, ever seeing an agency head or a department official attempting to get outside entities, such as school districts in this case, to actively work to persuade the Legislature to take the position. I don’t remember that happening.”

He added: “It surprised me to see that.”

The education funding measure, House Bill 57, is expected to be transmitted to Dunleavy on Thursday. He has until May 17 to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.

If Dunleavy again vetoes the legislation, this time legislators said they may have the 40 votes to override it.

It’s less clear whether the Alaska Legislature could override the threat in Bishop’s letter. If Dunleavy were to veto money needed to fully fund the new BSA, overriding that veto would require 45 votes, just three votes fewer than the combined number of House members and senators who voted for HB 57.

In addition, lawmakers would have to call themselves into a special session or wait until the Legislature reconvenes in January. A special session wouldn’t be an easy ask, Edgmon said.