Gov. Mike Dunleavy mentioned a recent Rutgers study that found that Alaska has the second most adequately funded school system in the US during his March 15 press conference. It’s probably worthy of discussing that study in greater detail, since very few in the media seem curious enough to ask a follow-up question on the subject.
The study, that was a combined effort from Rutgers University in New Jersey and The University of Miami, didn’t look at how much states were spending but at how adequately different state school systems were funded, based on 125 different factors including cost of living difference between states and the wealth of a state. Here’s an excerpt from the study’s executive summary:
“Good school finance systems compensate for factors states cannot control (e.g., student poverty, labor costs) using levers that they can control (e.g., driving funding to districts that need it most). We have devised a framework that evaluates states based largely on how well they accomplish this balance. We assess each state’s funding while accounting directly for the students and communities served by its public schools.
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“This is important because how much a given district or state spends on its schools, by itself, is a rather blunt measure of how well those schools are funded. For example, high-poverty districts require more resources to achieve a given outcome goal—e.g., a particular average score on a standardized test—than do more affluent districts. In other words, education costs vary depending on student populations, labor markets, and other factors. That is a fundamental principle of school finance.”
In the study, states were ranked and were assigned a score on a scale of 1 to 100 for funding adequacy. Alaska scored 95 out of 100, slightly behind Wyoming (97 points) and ahead of New Hampshire (86 points), Maine (85 points) and New York (83points).
The least adequately funded states were Florida with a score of 12 out of 100. Next were North Carolina (13 points) and Nevada (14 points).
It’s interesting that despite being dead last in funding adequacy, Florida produces some of the best student outcomes in the US: In 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores Florida was #1 in the US for both reading and math scores for low-income 4th grade kids. Florida was also 3rd in 4th grade reading and 7th in 4th grade math for kids from upper/middle income families. Alaska was 51st, 48th, 50th and 49th respectively in the same categories.
But who cares about 4th grade scores? What really matters is the quality of the high school graduates a system produces, right? Probably the best indicator of the quality of kids graduating a system is the percentage of students who graduate who have passed and Advanced Placement (AP) test with a score of 3 or higher. In 2022, 28.8% of Florida high school graduates passed at least one AP test with a 3 or higher – the 3rd highest rate in the nation. Alaska was 45th in the US in that statistic, with just 11.9%.
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One limitation of the Rutgers study is that only includes state and local funding of K-12. Alaska is #1 by a wide margin in the amount of federal funding we receive at $3,343 per student. That’s 85% above the US average of $1,808 and 16% above the #2 state (North Dakota). Florida was 28th in the nation in per student funding from the federal government at $1,681, despite having a much higher poverty rate and much higher percentage of students who speak English less the “very well” than Alaska.
According to the Rutgers study, Alaskans generously commit a larger part of our overall economy to K12 education than the vast majority of states — on a state and local basis. That’s from researchers in New Jesey and Florida who have no agenda to make Alaska look good or bad in this regard.
Some will say that the governor cherry picked that particular study. I don’t think so. I’ve searched for nationwide adequacy studies that come to a different conclusion than Rutgers — and I can’t find any.
Anchorage School District did pay for a local adequacy funding study from a well-known firm that charges hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to conduct adequacy studies. I’m wondering how much repeat business that firm would get if they didn’t come to the conclusions the clients were looking for before the study was launched.
We’re far overdue to figure out how we refocus our generous contributions to K12 into acceptable outcomes for our kids. Record increases in state K12 funding, without meaningful reform, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Insanity.
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Bob Griffin is a member of the Alaska State Board of Education, and is writing on his own behalf.
Aniak (Amazon River Adventure via Creative Commons)
Alaska State Troopers who were called to the village of Aniak on Thursday for reports of gunfire found a home engulfed by flames and later found human remains inside, they said.
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Several people in the village had reported hearing random gunshots, although there were no reports of threats or anyone being shot at, said troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel. Aniak-based troopers and wildlife troopers were patrolling the village near the slough around 11:30 a.m. to try to find the source of the sporadic gunfire when they saw a house fully engulfed by flames, McDaniel said.
They worked with community members to suppress the fire, and later the remains of the homeowner were found inside, troopers said.
During the investigation, troopers identified the homeowner as the person suspected to be firing a gun, McDaniel said. The remains will be sent to the State Medical Examiner Office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, McDaniel said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the cause and origin of the fire.
Aniak is situated along the Kuskokwim River roughly 90 air miles northeast of Bethel.
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This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Tourism is an important part of life in Alaska. In fact, last year, tourism brought in nearly $158 million in revenue for the state.
As someone who’s lived in Alaska for over 35 years, it’s easy to see why tourists love traveling here. From the beautiful national parks to opportunities to see the northern lights, Alaska has something for everyone.
However, every year, I see many visitors make the same mistakes over and over. From expecting to drive everywhere to forgetting that some activities are seasonal, these are the six most common mistakes I’ve seen tourists make when visiting my home state.
Thinking Alaska is small and drivable
Alaska has a limited road network.
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Lisa Maloney
I’m always surprised by how many visitors think Alaska is small — but I guess if you’re used to seeing us tucked into a map inset right next to Hawaii, that makes sense.
In truth, Alaska is so big that if you split it into two states, both halves would be bigger than Texas. You can easily spend four to six hours — or more — just driving from one large community to the next.
However, Alaska has a shockingly limited road network for such a huge state. If we say a community is “off the road system,” it means you can’t drive there. Instead, you’ll have to catch a plane or, in some limited cases, a boat to get there.
Not learning the local vocabulary
In Alaska, we have lots of local lingo that can be helpful to know. For example, if someone says they’re going outside, they’re not just leaving the building — they’re leaving the state. To us, outside means anywhere that’s not Alaska.
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Another thing to remember is that we don’t typically use road numbers for our highways (no matter what your GPS tries to tell you). Instead, we use the names of highways.
Forgetting that some attractions and activities are seasonal
In Alaska, the northern lights can typically be seen between late August and late April.
biletskiyevgeniy.com/Shutterstock
Here in Alaska, some of our biggest attractions are only available for a few months of the year.
Two big ones to keep in mind are bear viewing season, which typically peaks with the salmon runs in July and August, and aurora viewing season, which runs from roughly late August to late April.
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Missing out on Alaska Native culture
The umbrella term for Alaska’s Indigenous people is Alaska Native. Most towns have at least one cultural center where visitors can learn about the Alaska Native traditions in that region.
These facilities are part visitor center and part museum, and offer a celebration of Native traditions and culture. I always recommend that tourists take the time to explore these centers.
Expecting the wildlife — or the weather — to be predictable
You never know where you might find wildlife in Alaska.
Lisa Maloney
Every year, Alaska tour guides field sincere questions like “When are the moose scheduled to show up?” That makes perfect sense in a controlled environment like a zoo, but Alaska’s wildlife are … well, wild … and come and go whenever they like.
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Our weather does pretty much the same thing, so if you’re determined to hide inside until the rain and wind stop or the sun comes out, you’ll miss out on a lot.
Dressing in layers can help visitors stay comfortable, no matter what the weather is doing. I recommend lighter layers in the summer and heavier layers in winter, but some sort of weatherproof outer layer is always a must.
Trying to do too much in one trip
When traveling to a new location, there’s a lot of pressure to visit as many destinations as possible. But if you never take a minute to enjoy just being here, you’re missing out on a big chunk of the Alaska experience.
Plus, having a little flex time in your schedule helps to accommodate inevitable weather days when excessive wind, rain, or rough seas keep you from doing planned activities. I recommend giving yourself two or three days in a community before moving on.
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:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/B4HY456RDFCC7NNPF7EGXSCF5E.jpg "Troopers responding to reported gunfire in Southwest Alaska village find a house fire and human remains")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25547838/YAKZA_3840_2160_A_Elogo.jpg "Here’s your first look at Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza")
