Alaska’s public education system is stronger when all its parts — neighborhood schools, charter schools and correspondence programs — are supported, funded and held to consistent standards. That’s what real public education choice looks like: a range of quality, accessible, public options working together to meet the needs of our diverse state.
Unfortunately, recent rhetoric from Gov. Dunleavy and Education Commissioner Deena Bishop frames this system not as a network of complementary public schools, but as a battleground, one where the administration is picking winners and losers. They say it’s about expanding opportunity. But what it really does is erode public education and undermine the foundational American ideal of keeping public monies out of private institutions.
Let’s be clear: Charter schools and correspondence programs are public schools. They operate under Alaska statutes, are funded by public dollars from the BSA and serve Alaska’s students. But they cannot exist in isolation. They rely on the infrastructure, educator workforce and community support that strong local school districts provide. Undermining local school districts weakens the very alternatives the governor claims to champion.
The governor’s seven years in office have not included a single long-term investment in Alaska’s education system. Instead, we’ve seen repeated vetoes of modest increases to the Base Student Allocation (BSA), flat funding during a decade of inflation and attempts to sideline the role of local governments in supporting their schools.
Now, a new set of proposed regulations would restrict communities from voluntarily increasing their local support for education. The administration continues to pit charter and correspondence schools against neighborhood schools, ignoring the fact that they are part of the same public system.
This debate isn’t about choice — it’s about where public dollars go. And right now, those dollars are being redirected away from the 83% of Alaska students who depend on neighborhood schools, and into private institutions.
The administration also misleads the public about how education is funded. An increase to the BSA is an increase in funding for all public schools — charter schools, correspondence programs and neighborhood schools alike. It’s not a favor to one model over another; it’s a statewide investment in every student.
Earlier this month, Alaska was ranked 50th, dead last, in CNBC’s 2025 list of top states for business. That result should be a wake-up call. A strong economy depends on a strong public education system. When we fail to invest in schools, underpay teachers, and sow distrust in our public institutions, we not only harm students — we also damage our workforce, deter young families, and divert investment elsewhere. Education is economic development. And right now, Alaska is paying the price for failed leadership.
In a recent public statement, the governor and commissioner misrepresented the Alaska Council of School Administrators as a “special interest” group. In reality and practice, ACSA is a private nonprofit dedicated to supporting all of Alaska’s education leaders through professional development, mentorship, and policy advocacy — so they can better serve all of Alaska’s students. ACSA has provided direct service to Alaskan educators and school districts for over 50 years.
We don’t exist to lobby for education funding. We speak up because we must. If, during the governor’s time in office, education funding had kept pace with inflation or reflected the actual cost of running schools in both remote, rural and urban Alaska, we wouldn’t have to sound the alarm year after year. However, as the needs of our students evolve, state support continues to stagnate, that silence would be negligence.
When neighborhood schools are neglected, the entire public school system suffers. Educators leave, class sizes balloon, and families — especially in rural Alaska — are left with shrinking opportunities.
Charter schools and correspondence programs have a role, but they do not replace neighborhood schools. They grow alongside them when we invest in the whole system, not when we devalue one to elevate the other.
Alaska doesn’t need division between public school models. We need a governor who prioritizes all public schools. We need:
• A Base Student Allocation that reflects actual costs.
• Consistent, inflation-adjusted funding to provide stability.
• Respect for the role of local communities in education.
• A commitment to collaborative, educator-informed reform.
Educators across Alaska embrace accountability, innovation and choice when those values are rooted in equity, not ideology. The path forward isn’t to pit schools against each other. It’s to lift the entire system through stable investment, professional respect, and shared responsibility.
Alaska’s children, all of them, deserve that commitment. Our future depends on it.
Lori Rucksdashel is president of the Alaska Council of School Administrators and the Alaska Association of Elementary School Principals.
Clayton Holland is president of Alaska Superintendent Association.
David Nogg is president of the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
Phil Hulett is president of the Alaska Association of School Business Officials.
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