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Douglas Fire Station, Arts Funding survive as Juneau Assembly tightens budget ahead of final passage

Juneau’s Assembly Finance Committee is staring down a major budget deficit for fiscal year 2027.

They inched their way through a long night of budget cutting at a work session last night, trimming around the edges while sparing some of the city’s most debated programs.

Finance Director Angie Flick warned the city cannot afford to end the year in the red.

“You should be projected to be at zero at worst case scenario,”
Flick told the committee, “I think my predecessor and the prior city manager had some conversations with the assembly at the time and suggested $5 or $7 million as a fund balance, and that was based on the spending and the projects that the assembly liked to do. When I went back and looked over the last three years, I would, if I were making a recommendation based on your past to predict your future, I would say you would want $11 to $12 million in your fund balance. There were some significant general fund dollars that went to support the school district when it was in need, there’s been significant one-time dollars that have gone to flood fighting, and then there have been other community priorities that the body has decided to fund, and so you know, based on how the body has approached spending in the past, that would be the kind of fund balance that I would suggest. I think the real pressing concern that’s going to be hard to get around, would be flood fighting as we move forward, and that’s just going to be a tricky one to deal with.”

The current draft budget uses about $8 million in fund balance to cover operating costs, leaving Juneau projected at negative $1.7 million in unrestricted fund balance. Even if a package of fast‑tracked sales tax changes passes, that only improves the outlook modestly.

Members were split over strategy.

Some pushed for deeper cuts now and said they were aiming to leave roughly $5 million in fund balance. Others favored relying more on one‑time project cuts until they know whether new revenue measures or fall ballot initiatives will pass.

In terms of action taken, prior to the June 8 public hearing, members voted 5-4 to cut $75,000 a year from the city’s landscape budget.

Assembly member Neil Steininger was one of those who objected to the cuts saying, “I feel like when we just call this the landscaping budget, it’s kind of a misnomer, because so many other things fit in there. This is a parks maintenance budget, it’s not the flowers downtown, it is not beautification landscape, it is safety considerations, it is cleanliness, it is all of those things. I don’t think when people hear landscape budget they think about trail maintenance. I think it’s an important thing that we spend money on to keep Juneau safe.”

Supporters, said the cut will make residents more aware of what those services cost.

The Assembly also approved a $261,000 recurring cut to the Juneau City Museum, staff said this will mean two layoffs and reduced public access.

Members also voted 5-4 for a one‑time $300,000 cut to the city’s grant for the Juneau Economic Development Council.

A $300,000 cut to staff travel and training was rejected.

Assembly members rejected a deeper, one‑time $250,000 cut to the Affordable Housing Fund, but later agreed to a smaller $150,000 reduction. Several members argued this is the wrong time to pull back on housing dollars.

“It is very hard for me to look at our actions and look at our process and look at where we are trying to go, and the things that people have said no to for cuts, speaking to the importance of their value to the community, and then turn around and say that we can afford a cut like this to the affordable housing fund.” Said Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs, “It does not make sense to me that rationale.”

The Assembly also kept a subsidy in place for Bartlett Regional Hospital’s home health and hospice program, while directing Bartlett to cover a separate, one‑time $247,000 substance use treatment grant for Gastineau Human Services.

They also approved a $20,000 one‑time cut to the city’s accessory dwelling unit grant program and voted to eliminate general fund support for the Jensen‑Olson Arboretum.

The Assembly declined to reduce funding for the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council or the Small Business Development Center.

A proposal to lease out the Douglas Fire Station failed after the fire chief warned it would worsen the island’s insurance rating and emergency response.

Committee members repeatedly emphasized that none of the reductions are final.

“These are not final decisions, what we are trying to do tonight is come to a holistic budget that we can pass to the full Assembly so that the public can get one more opportunity to give us feedback on it.” Said Finance Director Christine Woll, “Nothing is set in stone until we vote as a full Assembly on June 8.”

A complete budget, including any service cuts and use of savings is expected to go to the full Assembly and the public for a final vote June 8.

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Alaska Legislature considers bill mandating paid leave for many new parents, starting in 2030

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Rep. Carolyn Hall, D-Anchorage, listens to a speaker at a March 12, 2025, hearing of the House Labor and Commerce Committee, which she co-chairs. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

New parents in Alaska would be eligible for up to 12 weeks of state-paid leave starting in 2030 under a bill approved Saturday by the Alaska House of Representatives.

If signed into law, House Bill 193 would require the state to pay certain working parents up to $524 per week for up to 12 weeks starting in 2030 after a birth or adoption in the state. 

Money for the benefit would come from the state’s existing unemployment insurance fund.

Despite widespread support in the House, the bill on Monday appeared unlikely to pass through the Capitol before the end of the regular legislative session on Wednesday. An initial hearing in the Senate Finance Committee, necessary before a vote in the Senate, was canceled as lawmakers instead devoted their time to a proposed tax break for the planned trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. 

“I cannot stress the importance of creating a paid parental leave program for Alaskans. It is a massive step in the right direction and a tremendous opportunity for our working families in Alaska,” said Rep. Carolyn Hall, D-Anchorage and the bill’s sponsor. 

The bill would also increase the state’s maximum unemployment benefit from $370 to $524 per week starting in 2028 and adjust the figure for inflation afterward. Money from the state’s unemployment tax would also be designated for vocational training.

The bill does not increase the unemployment tax to pay for these changes — fund administrators say the unemployment fund is currently overfunded and can support the changes through at least 2040. 

The Alaska House of Representatives voted 36-4 on Saturday to approve HB 193 and send it to the Senate for consideration. 

A late amendment to HB 193 also would immediately eliminate paid sick leave — installed via a 2024 ballot measure — for many state workers. 

Hall, speaking before the House passed the bill, said “a number of compromises” were needed to pass the bill. 

“A previous version of the bill had up to 26 weeks of paid leave contemplated. And as a conservative measure, that was reduced down to between eight and 12 weeks,” Hall said. “We also reduced the weekly benefit in a previous version of this bill. The weekly benefit was going to be $817 a week. That has now been reduced to $524 a week. And that applies for (unemployment insurance) and for paid parental leave,” Hall said.

Supporters said the bill is necessary to make Alaska an attractive place for young workers and parents to live.

Though the parental benefits envisioned in Alaska are far less than those in other states and other developed countries, legislators said they still represented a step forward.

“​​We’ll never be Norway. … we’re not going to give three years’ salary to both parents so that they can stay with that child and give them the nurturing that they need. But we are going to give this little bit,” said Rep. Alyse Galvin, I-Anchorage.

If HB 193 is adopted, parental leave would be available to workers who have been at their employer for at least 13 weeks. Seasonal employees would not be eligible. Parents would have to use the leave before their child turns one year old, or within one year of an adoption.

Foster parents would not be eligible for the benefit, and benefits do not stack — if an employer offers something similar or better, the worker could not receive the state benefit.

The number of weeks of parental leave would be subject to the amount of money available in the parental leave fund. The state could offer as few as eight weeks or as many as 12.

Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River voted against the bill, saying the state “would be better served pushing for a voluntary framework: Tax incentives for employers who offer leave or a much narrower and fiscally bounded program, rather than this broad expansion of the state’s payroll tax and benefit apparatus.”

Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen and another opponent, said she believes the leave plan will burden small businesses.

Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage, voted in favor of the bill. She said she remembers having to go back to work within three weeks of having a child.

“I cried all the way there and all the way back,” she said. 

“Maybe (the benefits are) not as long as other states’, but I think this is a step in the right direction,” Coulombe said.

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Alaska House votes to immediately eliminate sick leave for many workers in the state

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

The Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Apr. 24, 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Less than two years after Alaskans approved a ballot measure creating a mandatory sick leave law, the Alaska House of Representatives has voted to partially repeal it.

By a 22-18 vote on Saturday, the House approved an amendment that would cancel the law’s application for seasonal workers and for workers employed by a business with nine or fewer employees. The cancellation would take effect immediately, if the bill is signed into law.

Seasonal workers are defined as those who work at a specific job for less than six months per year.

All of the House’s Republican members voted for the amendment, including Reps. Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, and Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, who are members of the House’s predominantly Democratic majority caucus. Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, also voted for the amendment.

All of the House’s Democratic members and its remaining independents opposed the amendment.

The amendment was to House Bill 193, which would create a mandatory paid leave program for new parents, starting in 2030. That bill advanced from the House on a 36-4 vote and was scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Monday afternoon.

The four opposition votes all came from Republican lawmakers in the House’s minority caucus. 

It was not immediately clear whether the bill had the necessary support to pass the Senate before the end of the legislative session on Wednesday night. 

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage, was largely identical to House Bill 161, a rollback measure that failed to advance in the Capitol this year despite significant lobbying efforts from business groups.

The state’s fishing industry, tourism industry, construction industry, the state chamber of commerce and several local chambers of commerce all have advocated HB 161. 

Speaking ahead of the vote, several Republican lawmakers said they were heeding that call and voting yes on the amendment to HB 193.

“It’s actually been my number one priority since I got back here this year,” said Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, speaking about the rollback.

Much of the desire for the rollback, Stapp explained, is because during its first year, seasonal employees saved their sick leave until the end of their term, then used it right before their departure, leaving employers short-staffed.

“That is creating a workforce crisis at the end of the season that is going to progressively get worse and worse and worse for our fishing industry, for our tourist industry, for our construction industry,” he said. 

Speaking on the floor ahead of the vote, Coulombe said she had hoped to cancel sick leave for all workers at businesses with fewer than 50 employees, but she received a legal memo indicating that doing so would be illegal because Alaska’s constitution prohibits the Legislature from repealing a ballot measure within its first two years, and such a large exemption would have covered roughly half of the state’s workers. 

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, said the sick leave law is “gutting the small businesses in my community.” 

“We need to be listening to our business community right now, that so many of them (came to us) and said, ‘We need help,’” she said.

Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, was among the lawmakers who urged the House to reject the amendment.

“I think it’s very problematic to substantially gut a ballot initiative less than two years after it was passed by voters,” he said.

Exempting seasonal workers means exempting multinational tourism and fishing businesses that operate in Alaska, he noted.

“Do we really need to exempt all the employees of massive multinational businesses like Holland America Princess?” he asked.

During the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, fish processing plants and cruise ships were hotspots of infection and disease. Outside the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism occasionally brings waves of influenza and norovirus to coastal communities.

“When we have a tourism dependent economy, it is not in our interest to push sick people to come to work when they’re serving food, when they’re doing hospitality,” Fields said.

In 2024, Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, was one of the key organizers behind the sick leave ballot measure. Like her Democratic colleagues, she opposed the sick leave rollback but ultimately voted for the underlying bill even though it contained the rollback.

“The bill is a great bill, and you can just see the strong bipartisan support,” she said. “This whole building is an area of trying to figure out compromises and figuring out the ways where we can do good things that are supportive for families and can really address these issues about migration that our state has been facing. It’s not over for the bill or for paid sick (leave), so we’ll just see what happens on the Senate side.”

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Alaska legislators approve $2.5 billion for new construction and renovation projects

By: James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

House lawmakers watch the voting board Friday, May 15, 2026, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives as they vote for the state’s capital budget. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)

Days before the end of their regular legislative session, the Alaska Legislature has almost finalized the state’s annual capital budget, one of four regular budget bills that pass through the Capitol annually.

Passed by the state House in a 24-16 vote on Friday, the capital budget contains $2.5 billion in spending, including $323 million for drinking water projects, $148.3 million for K-12 public school repairs and construction and $42.5 million for the University of Alaska. 

Various federal programs are expected to pay for the bulk of the bill — $1.8 billion in total. State accounts would be used to pay for the remainder.

The amount of state money in this year’s capital budget is almost double what it was last year, when spending was near a record low.

Even with the increase, spending remains short of what’s needed to cover deferred maintenance. Two years ago, the statewide deferred maintenance backlog was estimated at $2.4 billion, with $180 million per year needed to keep that figure from increasing. 

The part of this year’s budget devoted to deferred maintenance is near that amount — it does not significantly reduce the backlog.

The capital budget covers spending in fiscal year 2027, which starts July 1. If oil prices are higher than predicted during the first half of that year, the state would earn millions of dollars in extra revenue, and the bill calls for diverting that money to a variety of maintenance and construction projects statewide.

Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage and co-chair of the House Finance Committee, speaks Friday, May 15, 2026, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)
Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage and co-chair of the House Finance Committee, speaks Friday, May 15, 2026, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)

“This capital budget, to be honest, is in some ways a huge step forward over last year,” said Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage and co-chair of the House Finance Committee in charge of the capital budget. 

“We see a much larger investment in being able to address some of our key areas in the state, but it also, I will recognize, does not go far enough, given the levels of deferred maintenance and other needs throughout our state,” he said.

Before the final vote, House lawmakers spent two days considering possible amendments to the bill but adopted only two. The most substantial restored some federal funding for the West Susitna Access Project, a proposal to build a road into the western Matanuska-Susitna Borough in order to support mining projects.

Members of the House Finance Committee had eliminated the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority’s ability to accept federal money for the project. On the House floor, lawmakers restored half of the receipt authority.

Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake and a booster of the project, thanked his colleagues for restoring that money but said he couldn’t vote for the bill because it didn’t contain full funding for the access project.

Even then, “It’s a decent bill. It’s got things in there for just about everybody,” McCabe said.

The House’s vote sends the capital budget back to the Senate, which approved an earlier version of the bill by a 19-0 vote on April 21. 

Before that vote, House and Senate leaders negotiated an agreement that would allow the House to add no more than $100 million in projects funded by general-purpose state dollars to the capital budget.

The House-passed version abides by that agreement, and Senate aides familiar with both the budget and the agreement said they do not expect senators to object to the House’s additions.

House and Senate lawmakers are negotiating a compromise operating budget and a compromise mental health budget; those are expected to pass from the Capitol on Wednesday, the last day of the regular session. Legislators and Dunleavy previously approved the supplemental budget, the first of the four regular budget bills.

After being transmitted to the governor, all budget bills are subject to his line-item veto powers. Dunleavy may eliminate or reduce specific items in the budget but cannot add any or increase their amounts.

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Alaska House passes bill aimed at stabilizing budgets for school districts

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives convene on the first day of the second session of the 34th Alaska State Legislature on Jan. 20, 2026 (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)


Lawmakers in the Alaska House passed a bill that aims to stabilize budgets for Alaska school districts by redefining how they calculate their student counts. The student count makes up the base of the state’s education funding formula. 

Lawmakers passed House Bill 261 by a 31 to 9 vote, with bipartisan support, on Tuesday. Under the new calculation of the student count, the bill would provide an additional $143 million in state funding to school districts next year. 

But with competing education funding and policy proposals in the Legislature — and just seven days left in the legislative session — the bill heads to the Alaska Senate for consideration and its future is uncertain.

Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, speaks on the House floor on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, speaks on the House floor on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, would allow school districts to make their student counts and budget estimates earlier in the year. Currently, schools make an estimated student count in October, and revise it in the spring. Under the proposed legislation, districts would use the previous three-year average of their student count — or the previous year’s count, if it is more than 5% higher. 

Story described the change as a way for school districts to get off a budgeting “rollercoaster” and allow districts to have firmer budget estimates, including more certainty in offering contracts to teachers and staff in the spring.  

“This is such a policy change that would so help Alaska stabilize education and get more relief and more certainty, and less stress for our families,” she said Tuesday, after the vote. 

Alaska school districts are grappling with major budget deficits and rising costs, which have them planning cuts and teacher and staff layoffs across the state — at least 11 schools are slated for closure — amid years of ongoing debates among legislators and Gov. Mike Dunleavy on how much the state should fund education. 

School districts currently estimate their student counts in October and draft budget estimates in the spring, and sometimes up to the first day of school in the fall. But with declining enrollment and other changes among student populations, those budget estimates can change, leaving districts uncertain about what staff or programs will be offered in the fall — as well as how much state funding they will receive. Under the new legislation, districts would instead have a solid student count number to budget off of in the year ahead. 

Additionally, the bill would change how districts count students who receive intensive special education services. Districts could use the previous year’s count, or the current year’s count in October or in February. 

“And what’s great about smoothing is it can help them plan for their educational programs when they are in a climate of declining enrollment,” Story said. “Other states are doing this, and they don’t have the volatility that we do. Because our process, our funding process timeline, is messed up, it really is.”

Alaska has seen a steady decline in enrollment in public schools in recent years, with more students and families opting to enroll in homeschool programs and private schools, or leaving the state altogether. When student numbers decline sharply, the state has a “hold harmless” provision which protects districts from funding dropping dramatically, and phases funding down over three years. Proponents of the legislation say the more predictable student counts and budgeting will help districts with long term stability, their ability to retain teachers and attract new students.

The adjusted student count would have varying effects on school districts statewide — a state fiscal analysis projects the Anchorage School District would receive $31 million more next year. Sitka would see $2 million more, and Yukon-Koyukuk would see $3.8 million in additional funding. But several districts would see less funding under the new calculation, like the state-run boarding school Mt. Edgecumbe High School. 

Members of the Alaska House debated and passed an amendment to the bill which would also change the calculation for local municipalities’ contribution to school districts in the state’s complex funding formula, known as the local contribution. 

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, sponsored the amendment that would cap municipalities’ contribution at a fixed increase of 2% annually, which would relieve boroughs seeing rapidly rising property assessments — those assessments inform how much they contribute to their local schools. Ruffridge said large boroughs like the Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna and Anchorage, which are seeing rising property values, are shouldering education funding that should be placed on the state. The adjustment is estimated to cost the state $30 million next year.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks on the House floor on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks on the House floor on May 11, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

“What you’re seeing in a lot of districts with high increases to property assessment values is their required local contribution is going up and up,” Ruffridge said in an interview on Wednesday. “As a result, they’re being required to pay a significantly higher portion, so to the state it looks like the state funding to schools is going down. That’s what it looks like. And on the municipal side they’re being asked to pay more and more and more.”

The amendment passed by a 24 to 16 vote, with Story among those opposing. After the vote she called it a “significant change” and said she had concerns about capping funding for education. 

The prospects of the bill are uncertain. Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, who chairs the Senate Education committee said Tuesday the policy changes will need to be vetted by the Senate with just days left in the session.

Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, speaks in support of a new state pension plan on Apr. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)
Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, speaks in support of a new state pension plan on Apr. 28, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

“Bringing everybody along while we are also trying to deal with property tax bills and sales tax proposals and a Rural Health Transformation Fund and all these different healthcare compacts, along with the omnibus crime bill, and of course, the budgets, it might just be too much for us to take that large of a bite,” Tobin said. “But I do believe that components of House Bill 261 will end up in the final package.”

“I’m not trying to be a future teller by saying what is and is not going to continue to be considered by this body,” she added, and said that it’s likely the policy changes will be taken up by the Task Force on Education Funding. “This could be a part of that overall package you see introduced in the 35th Legislature.”

The draft bill redefining districts’ student counts would cost an estimated $113 million, plus additional provisions, for a total of roughly $143 million. 

Meanwhile, the Senate is in the process of considering another “mini-bus” education bill, also originally authored by Story, which would fund an additional $82 million for schools, including targeted funding for transportation, energy relief, reading instruction and career and technical education programs. 

A draft budget passed by the Senate includes up to $100 million in one-time funding for schools, if oil prices remain high. The House drafted a budget with nearly $158 million in one-time education funding — the two proposals are currently being negotiated and compiled by a conference committee of three senators and three representatives over the next few days.

The bill is subject to a reconsideration vote on Wednesday at the request of House Minority Leader Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer, which delays the bill’s transmittal to the Senate.

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What’s on the docket in the final week of the legislative session, will it end on time?

The Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Apr. 24, 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

NOTN- With just over a week left before Alaska lawmakers adjourn on May 20, the Legislature is entering its busiest stretch of the year as lawmakers scramble to pass budgets, major policy bills and a contentious natural gas tax proposal that lawmaker’s say has become the Governor’s biggest priority this session.

Alaska Public Media conjectured the final days of the session will likely center on three major areas: the state budget, the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline project and a flood of remaining legislation that must pass before the end of the two-year legislative cycle. Bills that don’t pass by adjournment will die and have to be reintroduced in a future session.

Negotiations are now underway between the House and Senate on the state operating budget. The House version includes a $1,500 Permanent Fund dividend, one-time school funding and expanded spending on child care and social programs. The Senate’s proposal is more conservative, with a $1,150 payment that includes an energy relief component and less education funding overall. Final negotiations may depend heavily on oil prices, which have recently remained above forecast levels.

Lawmakers are also debating how much tax relief should be offered to support the proposed Alaska LNG gasline project. Governor Mike Dunleavy has proposed replacing the state’s existing property tax on oil and gas infrastructure with a lower tax tied to pipeline throughput.

At the same time dozens of other bills are moving quickly through committees and floor votes, including a broad crime package, which includes bills targeting AI generated Child Sexual Abuse content, Sexual Assault kit tracking and raising the State’s age of consent.

There is a pension bill for state employees, a long time win for the legislature, that many expect Governor Dunleavy to veto before lawmakers leave Juneau.

But, the big question remains- will legislators pass these bills by the scheduled end of the session?

Juneau Senator Jesse Kiehl says it’s unclear pointing to that massive gas line bill that could push work into overtime.

“The Governor’s number one priority this year is the Gas line bill. He waited until two thirds of the way through the session to give us that.” He said, “The Resources Committees have been working like crazy, meeting multiple times a day. This is billions and billions of dollars worth of decisions, the kinds of things that will have impacts for 30 years to come. We’re working as hard and as fast as we can. Boy, it’s tough to see that passing before the end of the regular session. This time of year, it always looks like it’ll be overtime. Sometimes it is. Sometimes we can avoid it. But when I look at the issues that are pretty big, and may result in extra innings, we got that gas line bill on day 80 out of 121.”

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Alaska lawmakers raise education lawsuit conflict concern for attorney general designee

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

 Attorney General designee Stephen Cox answers questions from the House Judiciary Committee during a confirmation hearing on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

As Alaska state lawmakers consider Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s pick for attorney general, several have questioned a potential conflict between his involvement with a private, religious school and his role in the state’s top legal office.

Stephen Cox currently leads the Alaska Department of Law, which is defending the state in a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of spending state homeschool funds on religious and private school tuition. 

He is also the treasurer and a founding member of the Thomas More Classical School, a private Christian school for grades Kindergarten through sixth grade, slated to open in Anchorage in the fall, whose website invites the use of state homeschool funding for nonreligious courses.

Cox has served in the role since his appointment in August, and appeared before lawmakers in a series of legislative hearings last week and Monday, ahead of a confirmation vote for attorney general, expected in the next week. 

Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, noted the apparent conflict between the state constitution and the school’s financial plans at a May 1 hearing.

“Our constitution directly says ‘schools and institutions so established shall be free of sectarian control. No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or private education institution,’” she read.

She pointed to his role as treasurer as a direct conflict with the state constitution because the school’s “tuition assistance” web page said it anticipates accepting payment through state allotment funds for courses “that do not use religious-based publishers and/or content.”

The lawsuit that will decide whether that spending is constitutional is currently underway.

Cox said he was not aware of the school’s tuition information. 

“I am on the board of that school. I am not involved in the day-to-day operations,” he said, adding that he was involved in hiring a headmaster and the formation of the school. “I am not aware of that part of the website and I’m also not aware of any decisions with respect to allotment programs.”

He declined to comment further saying the issue was in active litigation.

Each homeschooled student is eligible for up to $4,500 per year, to be spent on curriculum, supplies or other educational resources. But the question on whether that money can go toward religious or private institutions is currently being decided.

A group of parents brought the lawsuit to prohibit state money from going to such institutions against the state in 2023, and a judge ruled the allotment system unconstitutional in 2024, but that ruling was overturned by the Alaska Supreme Court. The case moved back to a lower court — four school districts were named as defendants — and last fall a judge denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, citing need for evidence of how allotments are actually spent. A discovery period for both sides to collect evidence is open until June 1. 

At a Monday hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Ted Eischeid, D-Anchorage, pressed the question.

“Does that mean that under Alaska ethics law, you would recuse yourself about decisions that might benefit your school, financially related to public money going to private schools?”

Cox answered a slightly different question. He told lawmakers, for background, he had already looked into the question of recusal given his three children are homeschooled through the Anchorage School District’s correspondence program, Family Partnership Correspondence School. He said that he was advised it wasn’t necessary.

“The advice that I received back from my ethics supervisor after an analysis was that it was not a reason for recusal, because I think there are, like, 25,000 Alaskan students that benefit from the allotment, and so the fact that my kids benefit in piano class and tutoring and whatnot wasn’t itself a reason to recuse,” he said.

Cox is Catholic, and is a parishioner at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Anchorage, according to the school’s website. 

Cox said he learned that the Thomas More Classical School was anticipating receiving allotment funds during confirmation hearings last week.  He said he was not directly involved with the state’s defense in the lawsuit and that he would seek ethics advice about recusing himself from the case.

“I will say that I’m not involved in any of the day-to-day litigation, or even really any of the supervision of the strategic litigation,” he added. “Recently, last week, I learned for the first time that on the website, there was a reference to the school anticipating becoming a vendor of the correspondent school allotment programs. So I have asked my staff to take another look at that from a recusal perspective.”

On Tuesday, the tuition information on the school’s website had been changed. It now says  that it still anticipates taking allotment money, but only in accordance with state law. 

At the hearing on Monday, Eischeid asked Cox if the school planned to receive public allotment funds. 

Cox said the issue is being litigated in court now, and whether it’s constitutional has yet to be determined. 

“I want to be very careful, because this is in active litigation, and these are the issues that the judge and the judges ultimately will have to grapple with,” he said. “But as I understand it, the school districts and their correspondence schools — so for example, ASD’s correspondent schools, Family Partnership —  the school districts will decide whether or not and to what extent the allotment can be used for private educational or private institutions, and vendors.” 

Cox said when a court rules on the question, the Thomas More Classical School will follow the law. 

Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, noted that the Thomas More Classical school board president is Charles Gartland, who is also  working at the Alaska Department of Law as the civil division director. 

“Would he need to recuse from any cases dealing with allotments and private schools?” Gray asked?

Cox said he has asked the department’s ethics lawyers to research the question.

“I would assume that the same analysis that existed for me would also apply with respect to Mr. Gartland,” he said. “But I do not have an answer on that question yet.”

Officials with Alaska Department of Law did not return a request for comment on Tuesday on how decisions on recusal are made. 

Gray said Monday there appeared to be a conflict of interest. 

“Even if it’s all above board, as a member of the public, I see that, and I think that I would be more comfortable if the chairman of the board of a private school and the treasurer of the board of the private school wouldn’t work on those particular cases,” he said. 

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University of Alaska Board of Regents announce new university president

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

 Matt Cooper, newly appointed to be the University of Alaska president, is seen in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska)

The University of Alaska Board of Regents announced Matt Cooper as the new university president on Friday, after a closed-door, confidential hiring search.

Cooper is a Fairbanks-based attorney, and formerly served as legal representation for the university starting in 2011 and later as general counsel to the university from 2021 to 2024.

He will replace Pat Pitney, who announced her retirement in November, after 30 years of public service and five years as university president. She is planning to step down later this month. The regents said Cooper will begin his term on August 3.

The board appointed Michelle Rizk, vice president of university relations and chief strategy, planning and budget officer, to serve as interim president during the transition period from May 22 to August.

Following an executive session Friday, the board voted unanimously to select Cooper. Board of Regents Chair Scott Jepsen said after the vote that Copper was selected from among 50 candidates.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents and UA President Pat Pitney are seen on a web call, following the announcement of the new UA president, Matt Cooper on May 1, 2026. (Screenshot of web call)
The University of Alaska Board of Regents and UA President Pat Pitney are seen on a web call, following the announcement of the new UA president, Matt Cooper on May 1, 2026. (Screenshot of web call)

“I think he brings a management style to university, which will help us be collaborative and work as a team to achieve the goals that we have set for the university,” Jepsen said. “We have a lot of challenges in front of us, and it’s going to take a skill set that has good interpersonal skills, understands the university, understands Alaska, and has that vision of where we want to go.” 

UA President Pat Pitney told board members she was pleased with the selection.

“I’ve had the pleasure to work with Matt over the years, and he is a genuine leader. He looks for win-win solutions. He’s worked on numerous issues and opportunities for the university at all levels. So he knows he knows our institution, he knows the people he’s just going to bring a really strong energy and strong leadership to our university,” she said. 

Cooper has been practicing law in Alaska since 2003. He is leaving a position with the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP where he focused on real estate and land use issues in Alaska, Washington state and other areas, according to the firm’s website. 

He received a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Puget Sound. 

Cooper will be charged with the chief executive role overseeing the state’s public university system across three university campuses, 13 community campuses and over 500 in-person and online degree programs, as well as a wide range of research initiatives. Currently, roughly 20,000 students are enrolled this year. 

Cooper will continue to live in Fairbanks. He will earn a base salary of $420,000, with a total compensation package of $429,600 excluding benefits, according to the university. 

That’s a slight increase from Pitney’s total compensation package of $427,565, which included a housing stipend and excluded benefits.

In a statement following the announcement, Cooper said he was grateful for the appointment. 

“I’ve seen firsthand how UA empowers our communities and state, and I believe strongly that the future on our horizon is bright,” he said. “I look forward to building on the strong foundation President Pitney has established, and to working with the Board and university leadership and governance to support and advance the university’s long-term vision and goals.”

University changes hiring process

Cooper was one of three finalists for the top university position. Regents and university officials opted to conduct a closed-door, confidential hiring process that began last winter, instead of holding public forums and interviews of finalists.

The change in process was at the recommendation of a Texas-based hiring consultant, Wietkeffer, to protect candidates’ confidentiality and potentially draw from a larger applicant pool, said Jepsen in a Feb. 16 letter. 

“In recent years, highly qualified candidates – especially sitting presidents and chancellors – have declined to participate in searches with a fully public evaluation process for finalists due to concerns about professional risk if they are not selected for the role,” he wrote. “Adopting a representative model helps ensure UA can attract and seriously consider the strongest possible candidates while still incorporating meaningful stakeholder input.”

The university’s hiring committee — made up of three regents, industry leaders, and university, city and education officials — narrowed the list down to six semifinalists, then three finalists.

Finalists made campus visits and met with select  “constituent groups” this spring that included faculty, staff and student representatives from across the university system, according to a presidential search update. Each participant was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.

The groups submitted input to the Board of Regents, who made the final decision to select Cooper.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify Michelle Rizk currently serves as the vice president of relations for the University of Alaska, and to reflect that the university’s candidate search narrowed down to three finalists from six semifinalists.

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Gov. Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan elections reform bill

Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

Gov. Mike Dunleavy discusses proposed education legislation at a news conference on Jan. 31, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bipartisan bill aimed at streamlining the state’s elections process on Thursday, just seven months ahead of high-stakes state and federal elections in November.

Leaders with the multipartisan House Majority caucus said there will be a joint legislative veto override vote within the next few days.

In a prepared statement announcing the veto, Dunleavy said while there are many provisions in the bills he supports, the bill contained “legal and operational challenges and could jeopardize the election process.” He told lawmakers his two main issues with the bill are related to when it would go into effect and voters’ signature verification.

“The Division of Elections warns such changes would be extremely difficult if not impossible, to implement securely and reliably in advance of the 2026 elections,” he wrote in a transmittal letter to the Legislature. He said the Division needs sufficient time to make necessary changes. 

The Alaska House passed the bill in March along caucus lines, following passage by the Senate last year. It contained a variety of changes to the state’s elections system, which supporters say is years overdue and needed to update and strengthen the elections process and expand voter access. 

The governor said that the bill would impose “significant operational hurdles” for the Alaska Division of Elections in administering state and federal elections in November. 

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, who carried the legislation in the Senate, condemned the decision in a written statement following the announcement.

“Governor Dunleavy has said, by his veto, that Alaska’s elections are secure enough,” Wielechowski said. “Unfortunately, they are not, and even his supporters confirm that. Our voter rolls stood at 114% of the voting-age population in 2022. Ballots are being rejected over technical errors. Tampering with a voting machine is not explicitly a crime under current law. This bill addressed every one of those concerns. The Governor had every reason to sign it.”

The bill would have authorized checks to update Alaska’s voter rolls. Officials have said managing an updated voter registration list is a continuous challenge with Alaska’s transitional environment and many residents moving in and out of state, resulting in the number of registered voters currently outnumbering actual eligible voters in state. 

The bill would also have enacted a new ballot tracking system, provided paid postage for all absentee mail-in ballots, strengthened security protocols, and  implemented provisions for faster elections results, among others.

The Legislature has five days to convene in a joint session to consider an override of Dunleavy’s veto. A majority of 40 votes of the Legislature’s 60 members are needed for an override. 

“There will be a veto override vote. I don’t think it will come as a surprise to the governor,” said House Speaker Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, in a call Thursday evening. 

On Thursday afternoon, members of the House Majority caucus slammed the decision Thursday following the announcement, saying in a joint statement the veto is “a significant setback for election integrity and a direct blow to voting access for Alaskans living in rural and off-road communities.”

Edgmon called the decision “deeply disappointing.”

“This was a bipartisan effort to address the real challenges of voting in a state as vast, rural and remote as Alaska. We worked in good faith to improve access, strengthen transparency, and maintain the integrity of our elections,” Edgmon said. “Alaskans deserve a system that reflects our unique geography, not one that ignores it. This veto does exactly that.”

Rep. Nellie Unangiq Jimmie, D-Toksook Bay, said that rural Alaska “is the hardest place in the state” to vote. 

“Everyone who has looked at the data knows that. We passed a bill to clean up our rolls and remove barriers. It will not become law today,” she said.  “My people have been patient with systems that were not built for us, distances that were not considered, delays inevitable in rural areas beyond our control. So today, the problem doesn’t go away. Neither do we.”

Dunleavy also took issue with provisions to establish a ballot tracking system and to allow voters to fix mistakes on their ballot — a process called ballot curing — by requiring the division to contact the voter by phone or email within 24 hours. Under the bill, voters would have been allowed to return a form to correct the ballot with a copy of identification by email or by mail within 10 days of the election for their ballot to be counted.  

“The ballot-tracking and ballot-curing provisions are especially problematic,” Dunleavy wrote. “The ballot-curing provisions create tension with Alaska’s witness requirement by allowing a voter to cure a missing witness signature after the ballot has already been returned, even though Alaska’s absentee-ballot framework requires the voters certificate to be signed in the presence of a qualified attesting official or witness.”

The governor sent a letter following a meeting with presiding officers of the Legislature on Thursday with technical changes he’d like to see in legislation for fixing ballots, evaluating and verifying signatures.

Dunleavy said the potential Alaska gas line is his main priority, but he’s open to continuing negotiations on the elections bill this session.

“While the Alaska gas line bill is the most important bill this session, I am open to a conversation with lawmakers on how we can address the legal and operational issues this session.”

Other provisions in the now vetoed bill would have included:

  • Require all absentee ballots to be received within 10 days of Election Day; 
  • Establish a new rural community liaison position within the Division of Elections to support rural districts, including recruitment and training of poll workers;
  • Require the Permanent Fund Dividend Division to share data to improve the accuracy of the voter rolls’
  • Require the state to develop a cybersecurity program, and notify the public if there is a data breach;
  • Require the division to publish results for all rankings in the precinct results.
  • Require presidential ballots to include a line for write-in votes for president and vice president 
  • Updates crimes of unlawful interference with an election, ballot tampering and election official misconduct

Dunleavy said he applauded the Legislature’s efforts, but said the state needs more time to make changes to the state’s elections system.

“I appreciate the efforts made to improve Alaska’s elections. Going forward, I encourage those who wish to continue this work to use this bill as a starting point; ensure that any proposed changes comply with state and federal law; and pass any election legislation on a timeline that allows the Division of Elections to implement the necessary systems properly,” he said.

Edgmon said that the issues Dunleavy raised were “highly subjective” and lawmakers had heard from the division and the lieutenant governor, who is charged with overseeing state elections, that the timeline for implementing the bill was doable.

Edgmon said it’s unclear if there are the votes to override.

“You never know until the votes are tallied. You just never know,” he said. “And I know there will be plenty of votes. Will there be enough? I’m not going to hazard a guess at this point, because I’ve been proven wrong before.” 

This story has been updated as of 6 p.m.

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Alaska lawmakers consider strengthening civics education requirements for high schoolers

A copy of the Alaska Constitution is seen on Thursday, July 28, 2022. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

By: Corinne Smith, Alaska Beacon

A copy of the Alaska Constitution is seen on Thursday, July 28, 2022. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

A proposal to create civics education requirements for all Alaska high school students is advancing in the Legislature, amid a deepening decline in public trust in government nationwide. 

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, sponsored Senate Bill 23, which would require high school students to take a semester of civics curriculum, pass a civics exam or complete a project-based assessment in order to graduate. The bill is under consideration in House committees after it passed the Senate in March.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, talks to fellow legislators shortly before the Alaska Senate adjourned for the year on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, talks to fellow legislators shortly before the Alaska Senate adjourned for the year on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

Stevens, a longtime legislator and former University of Alaska professor, told House members at a hearing on March 18 the goal is to inspire students to be more engaged with their government and civic affairs. 

“What we hope to do is to rekindle the spirit within our education system to help foster citizenship and voting and community engagement, which is really a fundamental purpose, I think, of public education,” Stevens said.

Civics education is the study of how local, state and federal government works in the constitutional democracy of the United States. That includes our government’s laws and history, the rights of citizens and structures of power. 

Stevens said in an interview Wednesday that he sees expanding civics education as a way to combat growing distrust or misunderstanding of government. 

“Certainly, I think there’s just a lack of understanding. I have talked to a lot of kids who just have no idea that there is a state government and there is a federal government. There’s a difference between the two,” he said, adding that each governments’ roles and responsibilities are important to understand. 

Stevens said Alaska’s students should know that, states are responsible for administering public schools and running elections. “I think kids need to know that, and I think they’re interested in it.”

The bill would direct the Alaska State Board of Education to provide open access, no-cost educational resources to districts covering 14 areas of government, politics and public affairs. Those 14 areas include the founding principles of the United States, the Alaska and U.S. Constitutions, federalism, civil liberties and civil rights, political parties, campaigns and elections, comparative systems of government including by Alaska Native tribes, and others.

If enacted, students would have three options to fulfill the graduation requirement: take and pass a semester-long comparative government and civics course, pass a civics exam — with an option e-take the exam if they did not pass — or opt to complete a civics-related project. 

In the second term of the Trump administration, public distrust and political polarization has continued to decline in the U.S. A survey completed in September by the Pew Research Center found public trust in government at one of the lowest points since 1958 — just 17% of respondents said they trust the federal government to do what is right. That’s down from 22% in 2024, and reported trust in government has not been higher than 30% since 2007. 

Another 2025 survey by the center found that 8 in 10 U.S. adults said that on important issues facing the country, Republican and Democrat voters not only disagree on policy and plans, but also can’t agree on basic facts.

Shawn Healy with iCivics, a nonpartisan advocacy organization founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to promote civics learning, testified in support of the bill. He said many states across the country are taking steps to bolster civics education.

“Just since 2021, 33 states have adopted at least 51 policies to strengthen civics education, and just this spring, we’re following 218 bills in 40 states, including Senate Bill 23, that seek to strengthen civic education,” he said.

Healy told lawmakers that often people do not understand where to go to solve problems in their communities. He said supporting civics education in schools and dialogue on public issues — across political divides — can help address polarization.

“What we know actually, is when we have conversations across difference, that that’s actually a moderating force, that brings us close together, at least creates an opportunity for us to compromise and develop consensus. And classrooms are great venues for that.” he said. 

Researchers with iCivics found that young people who experience civics education are more likely to vote, go to college, be confident in public speaking and volunteer and work on community issues. He said the growing interest in advancing civics education is an investment in future generations.

“We’re not sentenced to this current predicament in our country, where there’s widespread civic ignorance, there’s deep distrust of institutions and one another, and toxic levels of political polarization,” he said. “States across the country are embracing civic learning as a means of strengthening and sustaining our constitutional democracy.”

Many Alaska school districts, including Cordova, Haines, Kodiak and the Aleutian Region School District reported they already offer civics education, according to a survey conducted by the Alaska Council of School Administrators on the impacts of the bill. 

Other districts, including Nome, Lower Kuskokwim and Petersburg school districts noted that implementation would require costs for training teachers and purchasing curriculum. As a result, the bill was revised to require Alaska Department of Education and Early Development to develop open, no-cost curriculum resources for districts. 

Susan Nedza, superintendent of Hoonah City School District, testified to lawmakers she was initially concerned about the cost and now supports the revised bill. 

“While there is often much debate about the reason schools exist and what schools should teach, it is my opinion that civics education is vitally important in preparing youth for the future as community members and citizens,” she said. “I have in the past been concerned about cost and about tests creating a barrier for school and students. The version before you offers pathways that eliminate my concerns.”

The revised bill now estimates a state cost of $40,000 for educator stipends to support a working group to evaluate the curriculum and education resources for districts to list on the DEED website. It estimates $12,000 for the initial design, printing and shipping of a civic education seal for all high school graduates, and $5,000 each year going forward. 

Stevens has sponsored previous bills to strengthen civics education that were approved by the Senate in 2024 and 2022, but they were unsuccessful in gaining support and stalled before reaching a vote on the House floor. 

Stevens said some of the past opposition was related to a concern the state would be imposing an unfunded mandate for schools, but that is addressed in the current bill, which requires the state to provide with the open, no-cost educational resources. Other concerns were related to what critics called a “high stakes” test requirement to graduate. He said those are addressed by having three options for meeting the requirement in the bill. 

The civics education bill was advanced by the House Education Committee earlier this month and is now referred to the House Finance Committee for consideration. It has not yet been scheduled. 

Civics curriculum in SB 23 would include: 

  • the founding history of the United States, including foundational documents and the principles of government of the United States;
  • federalism, including the role and operations of local, state, and national governments;     
  •  the institutions of the United States government, including the responsibilities of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches;
  • the rights and responsibilities of United States citizenship;
  • civil liberties and civil rights;
  • the Constitution of the State of Alaska and the Constitution of the United States;
  • political parties and interest groups;
  • campaigns and elections;     
  • the United States Congress;
  • domestic policy; 
  • foreign policy;      
  • comparative systems of governments used globally and by Alaska Natives;                                                              
  • international relations; and  
  • major issues facing local, state, and the United States governments.

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