Alaska governor vetoes education package overwhelming passed by lawmakers

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy late Thursday vetoed an education funding package overwhelming passed by lawmakers and urged action on teacher bonuses and charter school provisions that have been divisive among legislators.

Dunleavy, a Republican and former educator, announced his decision hours ahead of a deadline he faced to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature. School districts have struggled with teacher shortages and, in some cases, multimillion-dollar deficits, and education leaders had urged the governor to let the package become law.

In late February, Dunleavy threatened to veto the measure, complaining it lacked provisions he favors, including a three-year program offering annual bonuses of up to $15,000 as a way to attract and keep teachers and changes to the application process for charter schools aimed at promoting such schools. He cited those again in the veto message he sent legislative leaders.

Both provisions struggled to gain traction with lawmakers. During a recent Senate Education Committee hearing, questions were raised about the effectiveness of such bonuses, and members of the Senate’s bipartisan majority have also raised concerns with the estimated cost of around $55 million a year. Senate leaders also cited reservations with allowing the state education board — whose members are appointed by the governor — to directly approve charters, casting it as an erosion of local control, and said broader issues around charter schools, such as facility and transportation issues, need to be analyzed further.

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