JUNIAU, Alaska — Cory Hughes moved to a remote Alaskan village to teach and would happily stay there and retire if he could afford it – despite the dark winters and the fact that the bathroom of his housing unit in the school’s kindergarten building has a sink has one that reaches his knees.
But Alaska is the only U.S. state that does not offer pensions to teachers, and researchers say teacher salaries and benefits have not kept pace with those in other states. Hughes has bought a house in Ohio and he wonders how long he can stay in Nunapitchuk, the southwestern Alaska village of 525 that he has come to love.
“I taught for seven years, and retirement wasn’t even a few months away,” says 28-year-old Hughes. “So I know my time here will have to come to an end at some point. period, probably sooner rather than later.”
School funding dominates the Legislature as lawmakers meet nearly 1,000 miles away in Juneau. Districts are facing teacher shortages and, in some cases, multimillion-dollar shortages. They say unpredictable levels of state aid, tied in part to Alaska’s fluctuating oil wealth, make long-term planning virtually impossible.
Schools have had to shorten programs, increase class sizes or have teachers and administrators take on additional duties. Hughes was asked to help coach basketball, a sport he had not yet played.
Employee turnover is nothing new, and Alaska isn’t alone in struggling to fill vacancies. But the consequences can be acute in expensive, hard-to-reach communities that rely on ships or planes for supplies; places so remote that there are sometimes polar bear patrols to protect residents. Eggs can cost more than $9 per dozen in some areas.
Alaska’s Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy, a former educator, is promoting charter schools and a three-year program that would test whether paying teachers annual bonuses of $5,000 to $15,000 keeps them employed — with higher amounts going to those in the most remote districts.
Dunleavy wonders whether simply boosting state support for K-12 schools will change Alaska’s dismal performance in reading and math. Alaska led the nation in the share of students who missed at least 10% of the 2021-2022 school year, and the number of children being homeschooled has increased since the pandemic.
School officials aren’t necessarily opposed to the bonus idea, but say districts simply don’t have the resources they need. They are seeking a large, permanent increase in the state’s per-student funding formula to counter the toll of inflation and high energy and insurance costs.
“We can’t improve things if we’re always looking for crumbs,” said Erica Kludt-Painter, superintendent of the Petersburg fishing community. Her district’s budget has been increased with federal funds and grants, but is now “at the breaking point,” she said.
Alaska residents receive an annual check from the state oil fund, and there is no personal income tax. These are often billed as perks, but lawmakers have struggled over the past decade with budget shortfalls tied to oil price volatility. They have been reluctant to consider new taxes as the state has continued to tap savings and rely on revenue from oil funds to help pay bills.
Even some lawmakers sympathetic to school officials’ pleas are questioning whether the roughly $360 million extra they seek is politically realistic. The state provided approximately $1.3 billion to K-12 school districts for the current budget year. Lawmakers approved a one-time increase of $175 million, but Dunleavy vetoed half of that.
Some districts, including Alaska’s largest in Anchorage, have recruited teachers from abroad. A group involved in previous lawsuits against the state over the adequacy of school funding is considering a new lawsuit.
The Senate has passed a bill to restore pensions — nearly two decades after lawmakers shuttered the system — but its prospects are unclear. House Republicans have proposed legislation that would include Dunleavy’s bonus plan, charter provisions and an increase in formula aid. The bill could come to a vote this week amid objections. The proposed funding is not sufficient.
“It’s not rocket science in the sense that it’s a combination of compensation and working conditions that attracts and keeps teachers in schools,” said Dayna DeFeo, director of the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research. “We can’t just buy our way out, but that will certainly have to be part of it.”
Hughes was looking for adventure and a “different view of the world” when he became a social studies teacher at an elementary school in Nunapitchuk about seven years ago. He saw the central role schools play in such small communities when he was invited to a funeral at the school the day after his arrival.
He immersed himself in the culture of the predominantly Native Alaskan village to avoid feeling isolated, especially during what he described as a first year in rural Alaska. He enjoys the hunting and fishing lifestyle.
There are challenges: The school is near the top of the state’s list for major rebuilding needs. The village faces threats due to climate change. Thawing permafrost undermines infrastructure.
It is unclear whether the proposed bonuses for full-time teachers would also apply to Hughes. While he supervises some online classes, he is currently dean of students. He does not have an administrator’s degree and is paid as a teacher, he said.
Independent Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, a retired teacher from Sitka in southeast Alaska, said lawmakers need to figure out how to pay for what districts say they need. Otherwise, schools may not be able to offer athletics, the arts, theater, or other aspects of a well-rounded education.
“What is the school system we want?” Himschoot said. “Because we are quickly moving towards a school system that does not offer the opportunities that people of my generation had.”