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Who represents you? Find your legislators here.

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Tips for Testifying at Alaska legislative public hearings
Talking Points for Education Allies
Sample Letters
What moves legislators most is hearing from you. Sharing your stories and concerns about our schools with your legislators is one of the most powerful things you can do to help increase school funding.

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Between 2011 and 2026, per-student funding has risen 17% - while inflation has risen 45%.

“Our schools are doing good things. We do need to do things better. But, you know, starving them to death doesn’t do that for us.”

-Sen. Mike Cronk (R-Tok), August 2025 (Alaska Beacon)

What is The BSA and Why Does it Matter?

The Base Student Allocation, or BSA, is an important part of Alaska’s school funding formula. It is the number used to determine how much funding schools receive. Much like a wage or salary, when the Base Student Allocation stays the same year after year, it feels like a pay cut to our schools.

In 2025, the Legislature put into law the first significant increase to the BSA in more than a decade. Even when Governor Dunleavy vetoed that budget line item, the legislature overrode his decision with an astounding three-fourths majority vote. This was an incredible victory and a meaningful step towards adequate state support of public education.

However, our fight is far from over. 2025’s historic BSA increase of $700 was in fact only a $20 increase over the year before. How on earth is that possible? Keep reading to get into the weeds of the wacky, complicated ways education is funded in Alaska.

The BSA is a set number written into law. While the BSA itself had not meaningfully increased in over 10 years, during that time the legislature did sometimes approve “one-time funding”: not a change to the BSA, which would carry over to all future years; but instead a lump sum given for that year only. Relying on one-time funding not only means that the BSA remains unchanged in the law, it also means that funding has to be debated from scratch every single year. Over time, we saw the gap between the law’s set BSA and the actual amount needed to run our schools continue to widen.

In 2024, the legislature chose not to increase the BSA in the law, but did approve one-time funds equivalent to a BSA increase of $680 - for the following school year only. This is why the 2025 increase of $700 to the BSA is in fact only a $20 increase from the year before.

How Are Public Schools in Alaska Funded?

Alaska’s constitution says: “The legislature shall by general law establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the State, and may provide for other public educational institutions. Schools and institutions so established shall be free from sectarian control. No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.”