Tuesday, February 14, 2012

It's time to lend my support

So, I've been following the discussion at the Haines School surrounding "forward funding" for public schools in Alaska.  Every year, it seems, our school questions whether we'll have the budget to keep the staff and programs going in our K-12 school.  The Alaska Legislature can help by passing school funding bills early in the session, which takes out the guesswork and allows schools to work on planning for the coming year before the summer- when teachers are actually present to make valuable contributions.  They can also help by ensuring that the funding formula (they call it "base student allocation") for schools keeps up with inflation.

The Alaska State Senate did their part by passing a bill last week- SB 171- that includes modest increases for three consecutive years.  It makes sense because schools will be able to make accurate predictions about their budgets and actually make long-term plans.  As a parent with two kids currently in the school (Dylan is in 4th and Sally is in 1st) and another (Lucia) entering Kindergarten next year, I want my teachers and administrators to have the best possible resources available to them.  At the very least, I expect the state to help us keep up with rising costs- otherwise it's our kids who pay the price.

I've never blogged before, but most people that know me also know that I have plenty of opinions.  I feel like it's time for me to put my opinions to better use- if these posts convince a few more parents to contact their representatives in Juneau and let them know that we're paying attention, then we'll be one step closer to ensuring that our children throughout Alaska get the chances they deserve.


Dylan, Sally and Lucia enjoy a bright winter day!

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