Alaska Legislature won't cut schools budget this year, but spending boost remains uncertain

Last edited Sun Apr 22, 2018, 05:55 AM - Edit history (1)

JUNEAU — The Alaska Legislature struck a deal Wednesday to guarantee that public schools won't face budget cuts this year.

But an agreement on a budget boost for education, sought by school districts and the state House's largely Democratic majority, remained elusive with lawmakers nearing the end of their first week of extra time in Juneau.

The Legislature was also still trying to negotiate a compromise to use investment earnings from the Permanent Fund as a long-term fix to Alaska's big deficit — a plan pushed by the Senate's mostly Republican majority and Gov. Bill Walker. Legislative leaders, in interviews, said closed-door discussions are continuing about possible long-term fixes.

"Different versions of those are in dialogue between the leadership of the House and Senate and among all the members of the Legislature. But the cooperative atmosphere exists," said Bethel Sen. Lyman Hoffman, the lone Democratic member of his chamber's majority and a member of its leadership.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2018/04/18/alaska-legislature-wont-cut-schools-budget-this-year-but-spending-boost-remains-uncertain/