Senators Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage), Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) and Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel) discuss key priorities for the Senate majority caucus on Tuesday morning at the Alaska State Capitol. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Senators Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage), Bert Stedman (R-Sitka) and Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel) discuss key priorities for the Senate majority caucus on Tuesday morning at the Alaska State Capitol. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Alaska senators outline key priorities in the opening day of the 34th Legislature

An increase to the Base Student Allocation and in resource development among coming proposals.

Money’s going to be tight, but a permanent education funding increase rather than another one-time increase is among the essential achievements needed this session, state Senate leaders said as the 34th Alaska State Legislature gaveled in Tuesday.

Energy and development issues also dominated conversations with lawmakers during the first day of the session, which came the day after President Donald Trump issued an executive order seeking to vastly expand oil and other resource extraction in the state.

However, legislators made it clear that while they support many of Trump’s conceptual goals – especially with lower oil prices and thus state revenue expected in coming years – they’re not willing to embrace an unchecked “drill baby drill” mentality.

“I think it’s important for us to think about the fact that we’re not a colony to be pillaged,” Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, an Anchorage Republican, said during a press conference of majority caucus leaders shortly before the opening Senate floor session Tuesday.

Education and energy are the top two declared priorities of the 14-member Senate majority caucus, which consists of nine Democrats and five Republicans. As such, Senate Rules Chair Bill Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat, said there will absolutely be a proposed Base Student Allocation (BSA) increase this legislative session, instead of the one-time-funding attempted last year.

“And the reason is, the one-time funding is very difficult for the schools,” he said. “They don’t typically find that funding out until May or June, and by that time, their budget’s already developed. And so, we’ve heard the one-time funding presents a real challenge. So, the BSA has not been increased since 2017. By increasing the BSA, you give school districts predictability, and that’s really what we’re hearing from the school districts that they need.”

The current BSA in state statute is $5,960 – a mere $30 higher than 2017 – with one-time increases of $340 approved two years ago and $680 a year ago after efforts to pass a permanent increase were rejected by Republicans at the Capitol. The battle got particularly heated last year when the Legislature fell one vote short of overriding a veto by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy to a bill implementing a permanent $680 increase.

Dunleavy’s proposed budget for next year contains no increase to the BSA – meaning districts would receive less money than during the current fiscal year that ends June 30. However, he has said he is open to an increase in funding if other education policy goals of his are passed such as more support for charter and homeschooling.

Wielechowski said he expects a Senate education funding bill within the next week, with feedback on how to improve it sought from school districts, teachers, parents and students across Alaska.

Along with the funding of education, the Senate majority’s priorities include recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers and public employees, affordable and reliable energy, election reform, and passing a responsible budget despite the drop in revenue.

Wielechowski said a bill will address voter roll issues, such as the slowness of results seen this past election cycle, and witness signatures that are not being verified. Most of the signatures not being verified are members of the military or voters in rural Alaska, according to Wielechowski. He said there are also issues with special needs ballots and deep-fake political campaigns. The bill is expected to be introduced Wednesday.

Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) speaks during a Senate majority caucus press conference at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) speaks during a Senate majority caucus press conference at the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Giessel said when it comes to energy in the state it’s great that Alaska will be open to resource development following President Donald Trump’s executive orders signed on Monday. However, she stressed the importance of the state managing its own resources.

“By throwing open all of the regulations related to resource development we could be jeopardizing our lands and waters,” she said. “This is the time for us to look at managing our own land and water.”

There is also a special committee on Arctic affairs that will review security, defense and sustainability of Alaska, and the role the state plays in making the U.S. an Arctic nation.

The Senate Finance Committee will be working on a budget that minimizes deficit spending, with low oil prices cited as a challenge by Sen. Bert Stedman, a Sitka Republican, who co-chairs the committee.

“The hole is significant that the Finance Committee will attempt to balance – and let’s not forget that we have some constraints on our balance of the (Constitutional Budget Reserve), the main savings account,” he said. “Saving a little less than $3 billion and we need a billion for cash flow. So we need to be prudent in how we act on the amount that we access. That needs to be recognized that it may be a several-year need if the oil prices do drop and stay down in the $60-range for a couple years. That $3 billion might sound like a big number, but it can be vaporized in minutes in the Legislature.”

Sen. Mike Shower (R-Wasilla) answers questions during a press conference for the Senate minority caucus on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Sen. Mike Shower (R-Wasilla) answers questions during a press conference for the Senate minority caucus on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Senate Republican Minority Caucus

The Senate’s minority caucus – comprised of six Republicans, up from the three they had the past two years – said education, economics and energy are what they’re focused on in a press conference that followed the majority’s on Tuesday afternoon. Senate Minority Leader Mike Shower, a Wasilla Republican, responded to Giessel’s comment about Alaska not being “pillaged” by declaring that his caucus also believes in responsible resource development.

“I don’t think that the intent of the administration, as I read it, with our new Congressman Begich and Senator Sullivan – in discussions with both of them – everybody agrees, I think, that we want resource development, but I’ve never heard anything other than responsible resource development,” Shower said. “There’s not one person sitting up here on this table or in this building that doesn’t want to see responsible development, because that means clean water, that means good jobs, it means a clean environment for our kids and our grandkids. We would accept nothing less than that…However, at the same time, we are a resource rich state.”

As for education, minority caucus members said policy should come before funding.

“We can’t keep kicking our problems down the road,” said Sen. Mike Cronk, a Tok/Northway Republican who is a retired teacher and member of the Senate Education Committee. “It’s time to solve problems one at a time and get them out of the way so we can keep working on the other issues that affect the state.”

It is not just about the amount of money in education funding, but how it is getting spent, said Sen. Robert Myers, a North Pole Republican.

“If all we do is increase the BSA and move on, we’re going to be back in the same position in three, four years again,” he said, pointing toward a bill last session by Sen. Shelley Hughes, a Palmer Republican, regarding health insurance in schools that could bring costs down. He also spoke about an amendment he brought forward that considered school size factors, which he said, “effectively punishes districts for doing the responsible thing and consolidating buildings when that means that we can now put more resources into teachers and classrooms.”

• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.

Sen. Donny Olson (D-Golovin) has a flower pinned to his suit following a Senate majority caucus press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

Sen. Donny Olson (D-Golovin) has a flower pinned to his suit following a Senate majority caucus press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)

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