:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/5GA3QK74YVCXHML5HDZSHM7MZA.jpg "Fate of Alaska education bill unknown with hours remaining until Gov. Dunleavy’s deadline")
JUNEAU â With just hours remaining before Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavyâs deadline to either veto a broadly supported education bill or allow it to become law, the governor did not say Thursday how he would act on the measure.
Dunleavy had issued an ultimatum last month after lawmakers overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 140, which includes a $175 million boost to Alaskaâs $1.2 billion education budget, along with increases to spending on home-schooled students and funding for eligible schools to increase their internet speeds.
State Capitol hallways were rife with rumors on what Dunleavy would do Thursday. On Feb. 27, he said heâd veto the bill if there wasnât the promise of further action from lawmakers to pass his education priorities, which include pathways to increase the number of charter schools in Alaska and a three-year teacher bonus program costing an estimated $58 million annually.
Attempts to negotiate a deal to satisfy Dunleavyâs demands ahead of the deadline had not yielded agreement, lawmakers said this week. By late Thursday afternoon, there were no signs of any breakthrough â or indications from Dunleavy about his intentions.
âAs far as any kind of a veto on SB140, I donât have any information about that,â House Speaker Cathy Tilton, a Wasilla Republican, told reporters during a news conference shortly before 4 p.m. âWhat I have been told by the governorâs office is that they have until midnight tonight, so we may not know anything for quite some time.â
Tilton went on to say that if Dunleavy vetoes the bill, lawmakers would likely convene Monday to consider overriding the veto. That would require 40 of Alaskaâs 60 lawmakers voting in favor of the override. Though more than two-thirds of lawmakers voted in favor of the original measure in February, it remains unclear if they could clear that threshold again.
If Dunleavy chooses to allow the bill to become law, he can either sign it by midnight or permit it to become law without his signature. Since the governorâs Feb. 27 press conference, he has not communicated publicly about the measure or the conversations he has had with lawmakers about it.
Dunleavy also hinted last month that even if the bill â which increases the stateâs $5,960 Base Student Allocation by $680 â were to become law, he could veto part of the education funding from the budget once the budget is passed. If that were to happen, it would likely occur after the legislative session has ended.
The spending increase passed the House on a 38-2 vote and the Senate on an 18-1 vote. What passed is roughly half of the increase education advocates have said is needed to make up for seven years with no significant increases to the Base Student Allocation, which determines per-student funding. Several school districts faced multimillion-dollar deficits this year.
The House Education Committee introduced legislation on Thursday with the governorâs proposal to allow a state board he appoints to authorize new charter schools. Eagle River Republican Rep. Jamie Allard, co-chair of the education committee, said the bill was introduced at the request of the governor.
âI think the governor is very supportive of charter schools, so weâre going to move this bill as quick as possible,â she said. When asked whether the bill was introduced as a deal with the governor to avoid a veto of SB 140, Allard said, âI canât speak for the executive branch, sorry.â
A first hearing on the governorâs charter school bill has been scheduled in the House Education Committee on Wednesday.
House Education Co-Chair Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican, said a big topic of discussion will likely focus on concerns that the governorâs plan could curtail the power of local school boards. Ruffridge said he thinks for the bill to advance, âYou have to establish that local control is still a primary concern.â
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Reporter Sean Maguire reported from Juneau and Iris Samuels reported from Anchorage.
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