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Education commissioner disputes feds' claim that Alaska didn’t fund schools equitably during the pandemic

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Education commissioner disputes feds' claim that Alaska didn’t fund schools equitably during the pandemic


A group of first grade students play on the playground at Sayéik Gastineau Community School on Jan. 14, 2021, in Juneau, Alaska. (Rashah McChesney/KTOO)

State education officials continue to dispute the federal government’s claim that Alaska didn’t fund schools equitably during the pandemic.

In December, federal education officials said Alaska failed to meet conditions attached to COVID relief funding for schools. The rule, called “maintenance of equity,” said states couldn’t disproportionately reduce state funding to its highest need districts when it gave out pandemic relief.

The U.S. Department of Education says Alaska did that in four school districts: the Juneau School District, Anchorage School District, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

But during a press call on Friday, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop said Alaska followed its funding formula as usual during the pandemic.

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“This equalized funding approach did not change during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bishop said. “Alaska did not reduce per-pupil spending on education in any of our school districts in order to take advantage of federal funds.”

Bishop said districts lost students during those years. Since state funding is based on enrollment in a district, a drop in enrollment means a drop in state funding.

“This is not a reduction or cut, it’s simply how the state formula works,” Bishop said.

Alaska’s school funding formula starts with a base amount per student — called the base student allocation — and then makes adjustments for things like school size, the number of students with intensive special needs and other factors specific to each district. The goal is to recognize the wide range of students’ needs across the state and provide the funding to meet them.

The state also has a provision called “hold harmless,” which helps districts who’ve lost students by gradually reducing the amount of state funding they receive over the course of three years instead of immediately.

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All those factors mean state funding varies from year to year. During the pandemic, as some students dropped out of brick and mortar schools and enrolled in homeschool programs, the amount of funding they generated for districts changed.

Bishop stressed that the maintenance of equity requirement was the first of its kind.

“For states with an equalized per-pupil funding formula like ours, there was no way to know how to comply, if simply maintaining your funding and distribution in the same historical manner was insufficient,” she said.

And she said the state’s passage of the disparity test — a separate federal rule that allows the state to count some federal aid as state education funding — shows that the state fairly funds all districts.

Last week, federal policy advisor Austin Reid told the Alaska Senate Education Committee that more than 40 states were initially deemed out of compliance with the maintenance of equity requirements. 

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“To date, I’m aware of at least seven states that have made supplemental appropriations to demonstrate compliance for fiscal year 2022, with payments ranging from several hundred thousands of dollars, up to nearly $100 million,” he said.

Last month, the Department of Education said Alaska could resolve its non-compliance by sending nearly $30 million to the four school districts. The department did not respond to a request for comment on Bishop’s claim that Alaska did fund schools equitably by following the formula.

Bishop said it’s too early to say whether supplemental payments are the only solution. She said she hoped to meet with federal education officials sometime this week.



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Alaska

Lavrov Challenges Rubio: Kremlin Says Trump-Putin Reached Deal as Moscow Questions Washington’s Neutrality

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Lavrov Challenges Rubio: Kremlin Says Trump-Putin Reached Deal as Moscow Questions Washington’s Neutrality


The Kremlin has pushed back against US claims that no agreement was reached between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin during the August 2025 Anchorage summit in Alaska.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Washington presented proposals to settle the war in Ukraine during the talks and that Moscow accepted them.

Lavrov was responding to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has publicly rejected Russian claims that Washington and Moscow reached an agreement on Ukraine during the Alaska summit, saying no deal was ever finalized.

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As reported by DRM News, Rubio said the summit produced only a proposal, not a binding agreement.

He added that the US remains ready to play a constructive role in bringing the parties together and helping end the war, but stressed that while proposals were discussed in Alaska, “there was no agreement.”

Lavrov struck back by calling the response “not very elegant.”

“When my colleague says that in Alaska there were only proposals and no agreement, I wonder what we mean by agreement,” Lavrov said.

“If one side, in this case the US, put proposals on the table, and the other side expressed agreement, then saying there was no agreement is somehow not very elegant,” he added.

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According to Lavrov, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow days before the summit and delivered the same US settlement plan.

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“Already in Anchorage, when the two presidents sat down for talks, Putin began listing the American proposals point by point. After each point, in the presence of Trump and Rubio, he asked Witkoff whether he had correctly described the ideas brought to Moscow. Witkoff answered affirmatively to each question,” Lavrov said.

He called for clarification from Washington, adding that recent US statements about playing a constructive role in ending the war sounded like an attempt to position itself as a mediator.

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Previous claims

In early June, Lavrov claimed Russia had accepted what he described as US proposals presented at the Alaska summit.

Lavrov alleged that Washington initially acted as a mediator but later stepped back from the process after failing to pressure Ukraine to accept the proposed terms.

This week, he also suggested that the Alaska summit may have been used to “buy time” for Ukraine to rearm itself, further arguing that Russia no longer views the West as a credible broker amid sanctions pressure.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov also said Moscow remained committed to implementing the understandings reached in Alaska, while accusing Washington of “apparently [failing] to complete its part of the process.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued that Washington cannot be considered fully neutral in the war because of its military support for Ukraine.

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“If we’re talking about absolute neutrality, then, of course, the term is probably inapplicable, because the United States supplies the majority of weapons to Ukraine and provides other forms of assistance,” Peskov said.

At the same time, he said Moscow highly values Washington’s willingness to help resolve the war, as well as its influence over European allies and Kyiv.

Peskov also dismissed remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently said at the G7 Summit that Washington had abandoned neutrality and was now openly backing Ukraine’s territorial integrity, continued aid, and sanctions against Russia.

“Regarding President Macron’s statements, it is difficult to judge. I don’t think President Macron can in any way claim to be Washington’s lawyer or press secretary,” Peskov added.



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Alaska

Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines expand free Wi-Fi on flights

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Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines expand free Wi-Fi on flights


HONOLULU (KHON2) — Free Wi-Fi is available on more Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines planes.

The company said that 150 aircraft are now equipped with Starlink.

“For years, T-Mobile has played a key role in keeping our guests connected, and we’re proud to now offer Starlink, the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky, to Atmos members for free, made possible through our work with T-Mobile,” said Shane Jones, Senior Vice President of Fleet, Products and Guest Experience. “We’ve seen an overwhelmingly positive response from our guests, and we couldn’t have done it without T-Mobile as we continue to raise the bar for the experience across Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.”

Passengers must now be Atmos Rewards members to take advantage of the free service. The company said a new onboarding portal started in June, with the experience to become standard by mid-July.

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Existing Atmos Rewards members will connect automatically, and new guests can sign up in just a few steps.

“Our relationship with Alaska Airlines has helped redefine what travelers can expect from inflight connectivity, and today’s milestone is another important step forward, said Mike Belcher, Head of Partnerships and Business Development at T-Mobile. “Bringing complimentary inflight Wi-Fi to more travelers across both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines makes it easier to stay connected throughout their journey. The new, streamlined experience for accessing Wi-Fi reflects our shared commitment to delivering a better, more seamless travel experience.”

The airline expects to finish installing Starlink across its remaining mainline fleet by 2027.



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Pilot’s quick thinking averts disaster in Alaska emergency landing

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Pilot’s quick thinking averts disaster in Alaska emergency landing


A small plane made an emergency landing in Alaska after a loud noise was heard about 20 minutes into the flight, according to one of the nine passengers on board. The pilot reported engine trouble and began searching for a place to land. Helicopters later rescued everyone. Passengers praised the pilot’s experience and quick thinking, crediting him with saving their lives. The FAA and NTSB are investigating.



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