Hello and thank you for tuning in. I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you with a message from Juneau. Today I will speak about the Conference of Alaskans and Education Funding.

This weekend I returned to the MatSu valley to attend meetings. I was literally bombarded with questions about the reason for the Conference of Alaskans meeting and comments about how quickly the delegates got off point and locked in on the idea of taxes.

Because the Conference of Alaskans occurred during the time the Legislature was in session, it greatly impacted the amount of business that could be conducted in the capitol because many from Juneau felt compelled to be present in Fairbanks for one reason or another. A second delay of legislative time will occur when the Legislature sets aside time to exclusively consider the recommendations of the delegates forwarded to us by the governor.

However, important value can be derived from the attention the Conference drew. Namely, it was an opportunity to stimulate conversation on statewide issues that need to be addressed. Whether the views of the presenters, the delegates or the public back home writing editorials resonated with citizens, if the Conference prompted more people to have a personal stake in their government, then I consider it a success.

The other issue many of my constituents wanted to talk about this weekend is funding for education.

As a former teacher who watched her children go through the public education system, a grandparent with 5 school-aged grandchildren, and the Co-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, I know that conversations about education funding are serious and timely. I believe many Alaskans believe there are problems with the public education system and its funding needs.

This year we are finally getting into the details of the problem. Education is a continuous discussion and funding is part of every discussion. There are many ways to address the problem but no one solution will result in the problem disappearing permanently. The challenge is in not only funding education this year but in the knowledge that it is an ever increasing need with decreasing sources of funding. Right now education consumes one third of the entire state general fund budget but still there is demand for an even greater share of the budget. The key is in finding new sources of money instead of merely taking funds from some other program to supplement the funds already earmarked for education. I believe sources of funding will be found because this is a priority for many legislators but my belief is we will always want the system to be better.

I am working diligently to address the funding needs of school districts. I am committed to developing short term solutions and long term plans to address the needs of Alaska's school districts. Currently, there are a number of proposals being discussed in the capitol as to where money should be allocated. At the same time we are attempting to locate additional money or reduce other programs.

However, it is important for the public to realize that specific cuts to areas of the school district's budget are out of the control of the Legislature. While the state joins the Federal and local governments in providing money to help pay for education, the decision makers at the local level determine how those funds are allocated. This system makes sense because it allows those most directly impacted (local residents) to deal directly with the individuals making the decisions. I encourage the public to get involved in the local decision making process so that their priorities are taken into account when decisions on how to allocate dollars to specific educational components are made.

I would love to hear from you on any of these topics or anything else we are working on in the capitol.

For information on legislation I am working on, to read district updates, or to send me an email, please find my office on the internet at www.akrepublicans.org
You can also call the office directly, 907-465-6600 or toll free in state 1-877-465-6601. Please let me know if you would like to be included on my email distribution list for updates from the office.

Thank you for listening.

# # #