Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, speaks in support of an amendment to a sweeping education bill that is intended to expand charter schools in Alaska, on Monday, March 10, 2025 in Juneau. (Sean Maguire / ADN)
JUNEAU — The Alaska House is poised to take a final vote on a school funding bill later this week, after a marathon debate Monday on dozens of amendments to the proposal.
House Bill 69 would increase the state’s annual $1.2 billion education budget by more than $250 million per year. The measure is intended to compensate for almost a decade of virtually flat funding for Alaska’s public schools.
Members of the Democrat-dominated majority said HB 69 is intended as a compromise with Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who demanded that any education funding increase be paired with policy proposals meant to improve Alaska students’ math and reading scores, which are among the lowest in the nation. Last year, Dunleavy vetoed a sweeping education measure that did not contain his policy priorities.
Educators have long contended that Alaska schools are in crisis and that more funding would allow for reduced class sizes and improved teacher retention. But Republican lawmakers, including Dunleavy and House minority members, argue that funding alone will not improve students’ outcomes.
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To improve outcomes — and appease Dunleavy — House majority members agreed to pair the funding increase with several new policy provisions, including financial incentives for reading improvement; a provision to make it easier for students to attend the public school of their choice, regardless of where they live; and a mechanism for charter schools to maintain their charter if they face being terminated by local school boards that oversee them — among other changes.
The House majority also agreed to reduce the planned funding increase for schools, as the state faces a tight fiscal outlook. Originally, Sitka independent Rep. Rebecca Himschoot had proposed increasing the $5,960 Base Student Allocation by $1,808, spread over three years. The bill also would have pegged the BSA to inflation, promising further increases if the cost of living goes up.
House majority members last week voted to amend the bill in committee to increase the BSA by $1,000, with no inflation-proofing provision. The bill also orders the creation of a task force to “analyze the state of public education funding.”
The original education bill was expected to cost well over $500 million per year. The amended measure was anticipated to cost roughly $275 million annually.
House Republicans prepared dozens of amendments for Monday’s floor session, but not all were introduced. Most amendments narrowly failed along caucus lines.
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Anchorage GOP Rep. Mia Costello, the House minority leader, said after the floor session ended that there had been “vigorous debate,” and that hopefully more minority amendments would be approved.
“However, there still is concern over the size of the BSA and the affordability of it, and so I think that’s going to be the major sticking point,” she said about the bill in general.
The minority sought a $75 million funding boost for homeschooled students; proposals to expand or support charter schools; and additional reporting requirements for school district spending — among other proposals.
Wasilla Republican Rep. Cathy Tilton said school choice must be supported, “So that all students in Alaska have the education that they deserve.”
In response, Juneau Democrat Rep. Andi Story said that “when we raise the Base Student Allocation, the intent is we raise it for all of the kids.”
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House majority members said the Republican charter school proposals prioritized those students over those in neighborhood schools, and that the added reporting requirements were redundant.
The Legislature is facing a $536 million deficit over two fiscal years based on legislators approving the same $175 million school funding boost as last year. Lawmakers have broadly questioned the affordability of HB 69.
The Alaska House debates amendments to a sweeping education package that would substantially boost public school funding, on Monday, March 10, 2025 in Juneau. (Sean Maguire / ADN)
Leading members of the bipartisan Senate majority have favored a smaller school funding increase — closer to the $680 BSA boost approved by lawmakers last year on a one-time basis.
Anchorage Democratic Rep. Andy Josephson on Monday said that the $1,000 BSA boost was the maximum amount the Legislature could afford this year to keep schools “afloat.”
House Republicans have asked how the education measure would be funded with diminishing oil revenue. In the Senate, majority members have proposed measures that would boost oil revenue. However, the closely divided House has not taken up revenue discussions this year.
Big Lake Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe on Monday said the majority’s original $1,808 BSA boost could see Permanent Fund dividends disappear. He suggested school administrators need to cut spending.
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“Unacceptable. Our school districts need to do better,” he said.
Shortly after the House majority added the new policy provisions to the bill last week, Dunleavy signaled his support. In a social media post, Dunleavy said Friday that “there has been positive movement” on the education funding bill.
“Policies such as the literacy initiatives have been added, as well as positive movement on open enrollment. When the bill goes to the Senate, there is an opportunity to continue making improvements, both in cost and policy,” Dunleavy wrote.
“To me, it signifies that the negotiations are probably somewhere on the right track,” said Dillingham independent House Speaker Bryce Edgmon.
But the Republican House minority appeared less-than-thrilled during Monday’s floor session. Over more than seven hours of testy debate, Republicans prepared dozens of amendments — most were shot down by the bipartisan majority along caucus lines.
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Dunleavy in February called for a small group of lawmakers to negotiate a consensus education agreement behind closed doors. The working group was composed of members from the House and Senate majorities and minorities.
Soldotna Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a member of the education working group, said minority members met with the governor’s staff for a few days. But House Republicans had been shut out of negotiations since then, he said.
House Republicans on Monday unsuccessfully tried to strip out the policy provisions added by the majority — while trying to add their own.
Edgmon said last week that it was “categorically untrue” that the minority’s priorities were not reflected in the amended education bill.
Three minority amendments were adopted by the House. One would allow charter schools to appeal terminations by school boards; another would measure student performance over time, instead of with a single test; and a third stripped out non-binding language that emphasized the Alaska Constitution’s prohibition on creating a “voucher system” for education.
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Amendment debates concluded shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Monday. More amendments are set to be heard Tuesday before the House is expected to hold a final vote on the education measure itself.
If approved by the House, HB 69 would then advance to the Senate for its consideration.
Sean Maguire reported from Juneau and Iris Samuels from Anchorage.
Picture it: an 800-mile engineering marvel traversing Alaska’s rugged wilderness. An immense zinc mine powering Northwest Alaska’s economy. World-class sustainable harvests feeding global markets with seafood.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System, Red Dog mine, and the Alaska fishing industry: These massive ventures represent high-stakes investments in infrastructure and resources that have transformed Alaska into a powerhouse of global energy, minerals, and food. Today, we call these ventures inspired, but that label masks a fundamental nuance and common misconception: there is a distinction between the risky and the reckless.
That line between bold visionary and reckless gambler is usually written in ink only after the dust settles and the checks clear. Winners are often labeled as geniuses while thousands of leaders who made similar bets but went bust are ignored. When you see any winner in the marketplace, their strategy can look like a guaranteed blueprint for success. This is survivorship bias in action, obsessing over the front-runners while ignoring the graveyard of those who made the same choices. Recklessness is a classic leadership trap, in part, because it is very easy to mistake good luck for repeatable strategy. Our brains are wired to find patterns in chaos, even when they don’t exist, and when a gamble pays off, it is easy to invent a story to explain why it worked. This explains, in part, why high-risk behavior is often rebranded as “visionary” in the business world.
Understanding the mechanics of recklessness can help a leader spot the difference between a smart move and a predictable bad one. It is the contrast between a high-wire artist using a safety net and having practiced the route, versus one who just hopes they don’t fall. The first one is making calculated moves, and the second is wishing for the best.
By U.S. Wildland Fire ServiceonSmoke from the Jade Fire (#285) to west of Ambler as shown on this FAA Weather Camera at 5 p.m. on June 23, 2026.
9:50 p.m. Update, June 23, 2026: Another load of 12 smokejumpers is en route to join the 11 already working on the Jade Fire (#285), which is burning about 3 miles west of Ambler and west of the Kopshesut Fire. Two single‑engine water scoopers — highly effective in calming the Kopshesut Fire in its early days — along with personnel aboard an air attack platform, are working the incident. The air attack platform is used to coordinate airspace and relay information between aircraft and firefighters on the ground.
The larger multi‑engine water scoopers were requested but were unable to respond due to weather at Ladd Airfield on Fort Wainwright.
At about 8:42 p.m., the fire was reported at 10 acres and was torching and active on all sides. It was burning toward the Kopshesut Fire, which stands between it and Ambler
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Use this link for an interactive map to zoom in and out for a closer look at the location of the fire: https://arcg.is/1XLmHm8
8:45 p.m., June 23, 2026: U.S. Wildland Fire Service contracted aircraft and smokejumpers are en route to Ambler after receiving reports of a new fire near the Kobuk River community.
Numberous reports from locals reporting the fire is west of the Kopeshusut Fire (#137) that escaped from the landfill June 4 and threatened the community before being contained last week.
More information will be released when it’s available.
Contact U.S. Wildland Fire Service Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at elizabeth_ipsen@ios.doi.gov or (907)388-2159 for more information.
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A new fire broke out 3 miles west of Ambler Tuesday night. The Jade Fire is also west of the Kopshesut Fire that escaped the Ambler landfill on June 4 and was contained last week. Click on the map for a PDF version.Here’s a closer look at the Jade Fire (#285) burning west of the Kopshesut Fire and about 3 miles west of Ambler. Use this link for an interactive map to zoom in and out for a closer look at the location of the fire.
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U.S. Wildland Fire Service, P.O. Box 35005 1541 Gaffney Road, Fort Wainwright, AK 99703
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Categories: Active Wildland Fire, AK Fire Info, US Wildland Fire Service
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
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The U.S. military has released new details about the massive Fightertown Recapitalization (FTR) program at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), in Anchorage, southeastern Alaska. This is a huge effort valued at approximately $7 billion that would effectively create an entirely new fighter hub to support future Air Force operations in the strategically important Arctic and Pacific regions.
The details emerged in a special notice announcing an upcoming virtual industry day, where government officials plan to brief contractors on the scope of the program and gather feedback on construction risks, industry capabilities, and acquisition strategies before moving toward a formal procurement process.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson flies over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Richardson
While the notice, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is intended primarily as market research, it offers one of the clearest looks yet at the scale and ambition of the Fightertown recapitalization effort.
According to the notice, existing airfield facilities cannot support the program’s requirements, prompting the selection of a new site to expand the current airfield infrastructure. Rather than a collection of isolated projects, the government describes the effort as a “complete campus approach” intended to synchronize facility construction with aircraft procurement, personnel movements, and logistical requirements.
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The envisioned campus would include aircraft hangars, squadron operations facilities, corrosion control facilities, maintenance shops, and other aviation support infrastructure. Extensive airfield improvements are also planned, including new taxiways, aprons, shoulders, and specialized aircraft operating surfaces.
A picture of a so-called “elephant walk” readiness exercise at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson showing 24 of the resident 3rd Wing’s F-22s, as well as a C-17 and an E-3. U.S. Air Force
Highly likely to be included in the recapitalization efforts will be measures to help reduce vulnerability and ensure critical operations could continue in wartime. After all, in a potential fight against China or Russia, JBER would be high on the list of priority targets in the opening phases of a large-scale conflict. As we have repeatedly outlined in the past, aircraft shelters with varying degrees of hardening are suddenly very much back on the agenda in response to growing drone and missile threats.
Beyond flight-line infrastructure, the project encompasses a substantial support ecosystem. Plans call for a munitions complex, petroleum operations facilities, warehousing and supply functions, dining facilities, visitor control infrastructure, firefighting facilities, training centers, simulators, and housing for unaccompanied airmen.
The government also notes that the campus design remains flexible and could ultimately involve modifications to, or demolition of, existing facilities as planning progresses.
Rather than relying solely on traditional military construction contracting approaches, the Army Corps of Engineers says the program intends to leverage authorities provided in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Those authorities could allow the use of Other Transaction Authority (OTA), Progressive Design-Build (PDB), and other alternative execution methods.
The sprawling Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), in Anchorage, southeastern Alaska, as seen in a satellite image from May of this year. Google Earth
The notice explicitly states that the government intends to capitalize on private-sector innovation while avoiding what it describes as costly and time-consuming federal contracting burdens. It also emphasizes that the execution strategy will encourage industry partners to propose novel technical and construction solutions.
The scale of the investment underscores Alaska’s growing importance as a hub for U.S. airpower. JBER already serves as one of the Air Force’s premier fighter installations and occupies a critical geographic position between North America, the Arctic, a part of the world that has only grown in strategic significance in recent years, and the Indo-Pacific theater, where strategic planning is highly focused on a potential future conflict with China.
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Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson hosts the headquarters of the 11th Air Force, the service’s top command in Alaska, and its 3rd Wing, which operates a mix of F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning Control System (AWACS) radar planes, C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, and C-12 light utility aircraft. It is also home to the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing, which has additional C-17s, as well as HC-130 Combat King rescue aircraft and HH-60 rescue helicopters.
HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter aircrew assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, hoist a simulated downed pilot during a full mission profile training exercise at Malemute Drop Zone, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 31, 2026. Alaska National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña
In addition, in 2023, the Air Force announced the creation of the 55th Operations Group, Detachment 1 at the base, as a detachment of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
“The new detachment will… serve as a strategic launch and recovery point for RC-135V/W Rivet Joint operations and exercises in the region,” according to the Air Force.
The move reflected increased demand for RC-135V/W Rivet Joint spy plane sorties in the Pacific, with JBER being well-positioned for these aircraft to gather intelligence on areas of interest in the northern end of the Pacific and the increasingly strategic Arctic region.
In the future, the strategic location of JBER, as well as its current status as one of the few F-22 bases, suggests that it could well eventually host the F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter, the first of which is expected to make its first flight sometime in 2028. The F-47 could therefore well end up as the centerpiece of the Alaskan Fightertown, in keeping with the vision for the jet serving as a critical force multiplier that can bring together other crewed and uncrewed assets. With that in mind, at least some of the Fightertown Recapitalization program may be specifically tailored to the requirements of the F-47.
Importantly, JBER also serves as the focal point for the Red Flag-Alaska and Northern Edge exercises.
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The Red Flag-Alaska exercises can take place up to four times a year and mirror those flown over the Nellis Range Complex in Nevada, with some differences. Namely, the ranges in Alaska, many of which are instrumented, are enormous, and can include a more varied array of assets.
A U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry takes off during exercise Red Flag Alaska 26-1 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 29, 2026. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joseph Miller
From JBER and other bases in the region, Red Flag-Alaska participants have access to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC). Covering an area of more than 67,000 square miles and providing 77,000 square miles of airspace above, JPARC is the “largest instrumented air, ground and electronic combat training range in the world,” according to the Air Force. It is regularly used to provide a realistic training environment for full-spectrum engagements, ranging from individual skills to large-scale joint engagements.
JPARC’s role could grow further in the coming years as the Air Force pushes large-scale exercises further and further out into the broad expanses of the Pacific. Other range complexes further down along the West Coast are seeing increasing use, as well. Even very large overland ranges, such as the sprawling Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) adjacent to Nellis Air Force Base, are increasingly constrained when attempting to replicate modern scenarios based on ever-growing adversary anti-access and aerial denial (A2/AD) bubbles.
Meanwhile, Northern Edge also occurs in and around Alaska every two years, with these large-scale events being used to test and evaluate new systems and capabilities from across the U.S. military.
One of the Air Force’s tiny force of semi-retired F-117 Nighthawk stealth jets, now used for test and evaluation purposes, at Elmendorf during Northern Edge 2023. U.S. Air Force
In the past, the Air Force has described Northern Edge as a demonstration of “the U.S. commitment to the region by building interoperability, advancing common interests and a commitment to our allies and partners in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific,” as well as showcasing U.S. ability to defend the homeland from and throughout Alaska.
As planning advances, we will learn more about what this new Alaskan Fightertown will look like. What is already clear is that the Air Force and the Pentagon are preparing for a long-term expansion and modernization effort on a scale rarely seen at an operational fighter base.
More details could emerge during the industry day scheduled for June 30, when government officials will provide a comprehensive update on the program and solicit feedback from industry partners on how to execute one of the Air Force’s biggest military infrastructure projects.
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Update: 3:45 PM ET –
“We are deliberately investing in Pacific Air Force’s critical infrastructure by replacing and upgrading operations and maintenance facilities in addition to making repairs to existing buildings and funding mission-ready materiel, storage, and sustainment necessary for homeland defense and Agile Combat Employment operations,” a U.S. Air Force official has now told us in response to our queries for more information about the Fightertown plan. “We are also extending the runway and building a Joint Integrated Test and Training Center at JBER.”
“We are in the design stage now and will have a better idea of timelines once we receive an appropriation,” they added.
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A new fire broke out 3 miles west of Ambler Tuesday night. The Jade Fire is also west of the Kopshesut Fire that escaped the Ambler landfill on June 4 and was contained last week. Click on the map for a PDF version. burning west of the Kopshesut Fire and about 3 miles west of Ambler.
” data-large-file=”https://i1.wp.com/akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=700&ssl=1″ width=”700″ height=”540″ fifu-data-src=”https://i1.wp.com/akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=700&ssl=1″ alt=”A red dot marks the spot of the new fire next to a much larger fire as shown in a large pink blob.” class=”wp-image-48634″ srcset=”https://i1.wp.com/akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=700&ssl=1 700w, https://akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=150 150w, https://akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=300 300w, https://akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=768 768w, https://akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png?w=800 800w, https://akfireinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/map_gad_jadefire2_20260623.png 1056w” sizes=”(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px”/><figcaption class=)
Here’s a closer look at the Jade Fire (#285) burning west of the Kopshesut Fire and about 3 miles west of Ambler. Use this link for an interactive map to zoom in and out for a closer look at the location of the fire.
