We congratulate Gov. Mike Dunleavy and our new lieutenant governor, Nancy Dahlstrom, on their election. That provides them, and a brand new Legislature, the correct to craft options to the state’s issues. We want them power as they deal with main training, psychological well being, inexpensive housing and little one care issues folks face throughout this state.
From greater than a 12 months of conversations with folks of all walks of life throughout Alaska, we heard considerations and options we’ll share. Lots of the considerations and issues we heard most loudly are shared throughout the state. That may hopefully construct consensus for motion.
There’s one undebatable fact I hope leaders will acknowledge. These are main issues that may’t be solved free of charge. Since 2014, Alaskans have been pressured to battle for insufficient funds, and to struggle between training help, a powerful Everlasting Fund dividend, public security or help for wanted infrastructure like harbors, roads and the fashionable renewable vitality tasks wanted throughout the state.
Progress will likely be not possible if Alaskans are once more pressured to struggle one another for what they want, whether or not it’s sturdy faculties, a powerful PFD, or wanted infrastructure and erosion prevention tasks necessitated by world warming and more and more violent storms. We are able to’t hold pitting Alaskans in opposition to one another.
Our concepts on income to resolve these issues — ending $1.2 billion in unaffordable oil firm tax subsidies — will not be the one choices. The governor received this election. He and the Legislature have the correct to work on the fiscal plan they really feel is acceptable.
Rural Alaskans have shared issues that don’t get heard loudly in a lot of the state, together with that greater than 50 communities don’t have any police in any respect, in a state with excessive charges of sexual assault. That must be solved.
There’s an training disaster in almost each neighborhood within the state. The issues going through training and public security name for some related coverage responses.
Colleges can not appeal to and hold academics as faculty funding, and subsequently salaries have lagged. That’s compounded when it makes housing unaffordable for educators and their households, particularly in smaller communities with housing crises which might be worse than in bigger communities additionally going through acute inexpensive housing shortages.
Nearly each public security and training official we’ve met says they lose academics and police to states that provide a pension profit Alaska uniquely doesn’t supply. Alaska can’t compete for academics and police anymore.
It’s handy, however generally dishonest, guilty native faculty boards for our training disaster. State faculty funding has lagged by roughly $150 million behind inflation since 2014. Underneath state statute native faculty funding is capped at a proportion of state funding. The extra state funding lags, the much less cash native communities are allowed to contribute to assist their college students and faculties. College students bear the brunt of this in misplaced alternative.
With uncompetitive pay and advantages we get instructor and police tourism. Folks come right here for a couple of years, fish, hunt and hike, after which go away for higher pay and advantages within the Decrease 48.
Alaska’s foster care system is harming youngsters and households worse than ever. The state now begins new Workplace of Kids’s Providers caseworkers at $25 per hour and has lowered job {qualifications}, so employees want no related training or work expertise. That results in damaging errors and extra trauma for youngsters. We perceive this has been an try to economize. Let’s admit it’s not working.
We’re shedding wanted foster mother and father. Foster mother or father recruitment has come to a standstill though it’s required by statute. Many foster youths stay in hospital rooms as a result of there isn’t a obtainable dwelling for them. That’s inhumane.
Low-wage, inexperienced little one and household safety employees can’t be anticipated to know what youngsters and households want. In the present day, roughly 60% of those low-wage employees give up inside a 12 months.
Maybe probably the most silent downside going through Alaskans is the shortage of a wanted psychological well being workforce. That harms youngsters affected by life-damaging issues, and people battling addictions and different life-threatening crises.
Lastly, most Alaskans stay on the street system. From broken fish runs and the injury brought on by Outdoors manufacturing unit trawlers, to colleges and psychological well being, the issues confronted off the street system are in lots of instances extra urgent.
These issues beg for sturdy “develop your individual” options. Police, academics and psychological well being professionals from Nome, Bethel, or Kodiak, for instance, are higher for the neighborhood, and for creating native job alternatives, than searching for Outdoors employees who don’t know these communities.
We want Gov. Dunleavy and Lt. Gov. Dahlstrom nicely in navigating a street forward that will be troublesome regardless of who received this election.
Les Gara and Jessica Prepare dinner had been Democratic candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, within the 2022 Alaska normal election.
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