School districts approach Legislature to bolster budgets MONEY: Superintendents say a flat budget means large cuts.

JUNEAU -- School superintendents are coming to the Legislature asking for money to prevent major cuts, including the elimination of programs and more than 50 jobs in Anchorage. But there isn't a lot of enthusiasm among lawmakers for giving the cash.

Anchorage Superintendent Carol Comeau will be in Juneau from Sunday until Tuesday making her pitch. Comeau has said that with flat state funding, the district is looking at cutting things like summer school for elementary students, interscholastic sports for middle schools and graduation coaches for at-risk high school students. The administration is also recommending fee increases on everything from playing high school sports to renting school facilities.

The Juneau School District is also talking about cuts, including possibly closing schools. Comeau said other districts will be coming out with their budgets soon as well. "I think within the next couple of weeks you'll see the big districts anyway showing substantial budget cuts."

Anchorage district officials say they have rising costs for goods and supplies, as well as for salaries and benefits. They also have $2 million in new expenses shifted from the Municipality of Anchorage.

That includes a requirement the district pay the full cost of police officers in schools and new fees for programs using city trails or the football stadium.

Some Anchorage legislators say the city Assembly, not the Legislature, should be picking up the tab.

"Frankly, my view is that (if) the citizens of Anchorage want the schools funded at a certain level they should talk to their Assembly people, that's the way this has always worked in the past. ... The basic stuff has always gone through the Assembly; the bigger issues they can't fund come to us," said Anchorage Democratic Rep. Mike Doogan.

Anchorage Democratic Rep. Lindsey Holmes agreed.

"The municipalities also need to step up. I understand it's hard all the way around, but when Anchorage is not taxing to the cap and is coming to us and asking us to fill major gaps ... it's a question of who picks up what costs," Holmes said.

Anchorage district officials anticipate a shortfall of $9 million to $12 million in the money to maintain this year's programs through the 2011-2012 school year. That is based on expected flat state funding and a 1.6 percent increase in local tax support.

Many legislators say the state increased school funding every year since 2002, and enough is enough.

"I think we've reached a (funding) level right now that people are fairly comfortable with. ... I have not heard any great movement towards increasing the base student allocation," said Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican.

Gov. Sean Parnell is proposing some additional dollars for schools next year. But that money is mostly to help offset costs in more rural, expensive parts of the state, which doesn't help Anchorage. Parnell said there has been major funding increases in recent years and "still we're producing a product for our students that is less than acceptable." Parnell said he wants a different approach. He brought up his proposed college scholarship program for students who take the right courses and get good enough grades.

Chugiak Republican Rep. Bill Stoltze said he's not inclined to increase school funding at this point.

"I'm just a little skeptical of some of these school administrators and what they consider bare to the bone," said Stoltze, co-chair of the finance committee.

But Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French said he thinks there will be a push to help out the schools. The state has the money to spend, he said.

"No one wants to see wholesale cuts made," he said.

NEA-Alaska teachers union president Barb Angaiak has been in Juneau arguing for more money. She said after Parnell's State of the State speech that his attention to scholarships and new school construction projects "overlooks the funding crisis schools across Alaska are facing."

Anchorage Superintendent Comeau said the district is using $7.6 million in federal jobs bill money in order to help keep class sizes from going up.

"But that's one-year money. So if we don't get an increase this year, or projected for next year, then we will be cutting an equal amount next year. We just are falling further behind of inflation and increased utility cost and so forth," she said.

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