Deena Bishop, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, speaks at a news conference on March 15, 2024, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. ( Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
Deena Bishop, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, speaks at a news conference on March 15, 2024, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. ( Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

Consequences are mounting for Alaska as a dispute continues between the state’s education officials and their federal counterparts over whether the state spent pandemic relief equitably.

The U.S. Department of Education has said it will withhold $17.5 million in federal grant funds from the state until…