Protesters At Alaska Capitol Call For More Education Funding

The AP (3/26) reports, "a large crowd of protesters gathered on the steps of the state Capitol Tuesday to call for additional funding for public education in Alaska," noting that a number of Democrats in the state legislature criticized "Gov. Sean Parnell and other Republicans for not moving to inflation-proof the per-student cost of education, known as the base student allocation, or BSA."

KTOO-TV Juneau, AK (3/27) reports that many demonstrators were critical of plans to lower oil corporation taxes even as education funding remains stagnant. "The per-student funding amount has been held at the same level for three years now. And across Alaska, school districts are considering budget cuts."

State Senator: Multi-Year Funding Package In Development.The Fairbanks (AK) News-Miner (3/28, Buxton) reports that Alaska state Sen. Pete Kelly (R) "said the Senate has a multi-year education funding package in the works," and that "the package hasn't been finalized but it's aimed at bridging the funding gap until a long-term solution can be found."