School district officials are hoping residents will support a three-year school funding bill recently introduced in the Alaska Legislature.
A teleconference on the bill will be held 8 to 10 a.m. Monday. To participate, phone toll-free, 855-463-5009.
Superintendent Michael Byer said Senate bill 84 would incrementally increase the base student allocation from $5,680 to $6,025, maintain special education funding at 13 times the base student rate, and lower the threshold for a state funding buffer during years of declining enrollment, from 10 percent to 5 percent.
It also increases funding for vocational education, a study area the local district is trying to strengthen.
“Forward funding” of education, as opposed to funding that comes at the end of the legislative session, allows the school to budget and plan its curriculum in advance, Byer said.
“The legislature needs to hear from parents on this, not just from people working at the school,” Byer said.
The school board scheduled a special meeting this week to vote on a resolution endorsing the bill.