The Alaska House is poised to take a final vote on a school funding bill later this week, after a marathon debate Monday on dozens of amendments to the proposal.

House Bill 69 would increase the state's annual $1.2 billion education budget by more than $250 million per year. The measure is intended to compensate for almost a decade of virtually flat funding for Alaska's public schools.

Members of the Democrat-dominated majority said HB 69 is intended as a compromise with Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who demanded that any education funding increase be paired with policy proposals meant to improve Alaska students' math and reading scores, which are among the lowest in the nation. Last year, Dunleavy vetoed a sweeping education measure that did not contain his policy priorities.

Educators have long contended that Alaska schools are in crisis and that more funding would allow for reduced class sizes and improved teacher retention. But Republican lawmakers, including Dunleavy and House minority members, argue that funding alone will not improve students' outcomes.

To improve outcomes — and appease Dunleavy — House majority members agreed to pair the funding increase with several new policy provisions, including financial incentives for reading improvement; a provision to make it easier for students to attend the public school of their choice, regardless of where they live; and a mechanism for charter schools to maintain their charter if they face being terminated by local school boards that oversee them — among other changes.

The House majority also agreed to reduce the planned funding increase for schools, as the state faces a tight fiscal outlook. Originally, Sitka independent Rep. Rebecca Himschoot had proposed increasing the $5,960 Base Student Allocation by $1,808, spread over three years. The bill also would have pegged the BSA to inflation, promising further increases if the cost of living goes up.

House majority members last week voted to amend the bill in committee to increase the BSA by $1,000, with no inflation-proofing provision. The bill also orders the creation of a task force to "analyze the state of public education funding."

The original education bill was expected to cost well over $500 million per year. The amended measure was anticipated to cost roughly $275 million annually.

House Republicans prepared dozens of amendments for Monday's floor session, but not all were introduced. Most amendments narrowly failed along caucus lines.

Anchorage GOP Rep. Mia Costello, the House minority leader, said after the floor session ended that there had been "vigorous debate," and that hopefully more minority amendments would be approved.

"However, there still is concern over the size of the BSA and the affordability of it, and so I think that's going to be the major sticking point," she said about the bill in general.

The minority sought a funding boost for homeschooled students; proposals to expand or support charter schools; and additional reporting requirements for school district spending — among other proposals.

Wasilla Republican Rep. Cathy Tilton said school choice must be supported, "So that all students in Alaska have the education that they deserve."

In response, Juneau Democrat Rep. Andi Story said that "when we raise the Base Student Allocation, the intent is we raise it for all of the kids."

House majority members said the Republican charter school proposals prioritized those students over those in neighborhood schools, and that the added reporting requirements were redundant.

The Legislature is facing a $536 million deficit over two fiscal years based on legislators approving the same $175 million school funding boost as last year. Lawmakers have broadly questioned the affordability of HB 69.

Leading members of the bipartisan Senate majority have favored a smaller school funding increase — closer to the $680 BSA boost approved by lawmakers last year on a one-time basis.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Andy Josephson on Monday said that the $1,000 BSA boost was the maximum amount the Legislature could afford this year to keep schools "afloat."

House Republicans have asked how the education measure would be funded with diminishing oil revenue. In the Senate, majority members have proposed measures that would boost oil revenue. However, the closely divided House has not taken up revenue discussions this year.

Big Lake Republican Rep. Kevin McCabe on Monday said the majority's original $1,808 BSA boost could see Permanent Fund dividends disappear. He suggested school administrators need to cut spending.

"Unacceptable. Our school districts need to do better," he said.

Shortly after the House majority added the new policy provisions to the bill last week, Dunleavy signaled his support. In a social media post, Dunleavy said Friday that "there has been positive movement" on the education funding bill.

"Policies such as the literacy initiatives have been added, as well as positive movement on open enrollment. When the bill goes to the Senate, there is an opportunity to continue making improvements, both in cost and policy," Dunleavy wrote.

"To me, it signifies that the negotiations are probably somewhere on the right track," said Dillingham independent House Speaker Bryce Edgmon.

But the Republican House minority appeared less-than-thrilled during Monday's floor session. Over more than seven hours of testy debate, Republicans prepared dozens of amendments — most were shot down by the bipartisan majority along caucus lines.

Dunleavy in February called for a small group of lawmakers to negotiate a consensus education agreement behind closed doors. The working group was composed of members from the House and Senate majorities and minorities.

Soldotna Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a member of the education working group, said minority members met with the governor's staff for a few days. But House Republicans had been shut out of negotiations since then, he said.

House Republicans on Monday unsuccessfully tried to strip out the policy provisions added by the majority — while trying to add their own.

Edgmon said last week that it was "categorically untrue" that the minority's priorities were not reflected in the amended education bill.

Three minority amendments were adopted by the House. One would allow charter schools to appeal terminations by school boards; another would measure student performance over time, instead of with a single test; and a third stripped out non-binding language that emphasized the Alaska Constitution's prohibition on creating a "voucher system" for education.

Amendment debates concluded shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Monday. More amendments are set to be heard Tuesday before the House is expected to hold a final vote on the education measure itself.

If approved by the House, HB 69 would then advance to the Senate for its consideration.

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(Sean Maguire reported from Juneau and Iris Samuels from Anchorage.)

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