‘Massive unpredictability’: Alaskan education leaders react to Governor’s veto

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - In the wake of Governor Dunleavy’s veto of HB 57 - administrators, board members, and educators say many teachers and staff might not be returning next school year.

Many of the school districts in the state are facing a budget deficit next year. Several have already finalized cuts to staff and programs. Some, like the Anchorage School District, have approved measures to reverse the cuts if funding comes through.

The veto on Monday has districts concerned that there is no way out without widespread cuts and layoffs.

“That’s where we are,” said Clayton Holland, Superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

“Just a massive unpredictability, and if things go worse or go bad, we don’t know where we’re going to go for that. We’ll be closing more schools. It would look like our sports aren’t back. We’d have to look at classified staff and then the remainder of our certified staff that have not received contracts.”

In his capacity as president of the Alaska Superintendents Association, he said the feeling is not confined to the Kenai district alone.

“When it’s an every district in the state thing, it’s not about superintendents. It’s not about school boards,” Holland said. “It’s about a bigger issue at the state level, and this is where we are. So what I’m hoping is over the next couple of days, months, the right decisions are made by the governor and by our legislators.”

Moving north from Kenai, the Anchorage School District faces an even larger deficit - and if the veto stands, School Board Member Andy Holleman said there’s no way out.

“It will be as bad as we thought it was going to be before [the veto], and worse, actually,” Holleman said. “We will have fewer options, the changes to people are going to be more dramatic.”

The Anchorage School District was not available for interview on Monday, but released a statement in response to the veto.

“We are deeply disappointed by this decision. HB 57 earned overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature. It reflects a balanced, forward-looking approach to education policy and responsible budgeting,” the statement reads. “Our hope now lies with the Legislature to come together in the same bipartisan spirit that carried HB 57 to passage and override the Governor’s veto. We remain confident in the strength of the coalition behind this bill and in the commitment of lawmakers to deliver meaningful progress for our students, schools, and communities.”

In explaining his veto, Governor Dunleavy said HB 57 “lacked sufficient education policy reform.”

Holleman said he understood the governor’s wish for reform, but added that it’s impossible without sufficient funding.

“We want to do that,” Holleman said. “But when the budget shrinks, you really can’t go out and say, ‘Well, we’re going to expand these things and make these things better.’

Instead, Holleman said a funding increase would increase the quality of Alaskan education, while there is room for further reforms.

“It would help our reading programs in the early grades. It would bring our class sizes down. It gives us the ability to have more specialists for the students that really need that,” Holleman said. “Somehow, [Dunleavy] seems to ignore that the fundamental food for the school district is the base student allocation, and the other policy things really can be discussed at any time.”

Holland said that after meetings with the Governor earlier this month, the veto was not wholly unexpected, but at a recent meeting of the ASA, he said the outlook made for a “depression-type atmosphere.”

“Right now we feel like this is really out of our control, ‘and so we’re guessing, right?” Holland said. “We’re having to take guesses on, really, people’s lives.”

Of course, it’s not just administrators and board members who fear the worst, but those whose employment status might be at stake.

“The underlying problem is that all of the decisions that districts make for next year are being made now,” said Tom Klaameyer, President of the Alaska affiliate of the National Education Association, which represents teachers in the state.

“In fact, because of the uncertainty already caused by the vetoing of the first education bill that was put forth, some districts were able to hold off on those decisions,” Klaameyer said. “Others are doing what they can to mitigate, or reassess what they’re doing. But we’re at the point now where people are going to displaced people are going to start to be laid off.

“We’re going to be issuing those pink slips.”

At this juncture, Klaameyer, Holland and Holleman are hoping the challenging decision to cut so much from Alaska schools might be put off, if the Legislature overrides the Governor’s veto.

“I would call on all of our legislators right now to send a message to the governor with an overwhelming override vote,” Klaameyer said. “So that he knows that the community and our elected officials and parents are tired of his political gamesmanship, and it’s about time that we put Alaska Schools, Alaska Kids, Alaska families first.”

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Copyright 2025 KTUU. All rights reserved.