A proposal that would create and fund tribally-run public schools inched closer to reality on Thursday. The House Tribal Affairs Committee moved House Bill 59 over to the Education Committee.
If the Alaska Legislature passes it, five tribes would get close to $17.5 million for the first year to run pilot programs for tribally-compacted schools across the state. Despite the short amount of time left in this year’s legislative session and a nearly $2 billion deficit in the budget, bill authors and supporters are hopeful the program will happen eventually.
Mischa Jackson is a tribal education liaison for the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. She said she hopes public support during the legislative process highlights the importance of kickstarting the program sooner.
“I am really hopeful. I think I’m just so passionate about education,” Jackson said. “I truly believe anything is possible, especially as an educator, we can seem to do anything on a whim’s notice and get it done and do it really well.”
Jackson said Tlingit and Haida will move forward with plans for its own education campus even if the Legislature doesn’t approve tribal compacting this year.
The House Tribal Affairs Committee updated the bill with an amendment to shorten the timeframe of the project from Rep. Rebecca Schwanke, R-Glennallen, and sent it to the House Education Committee for consideration.
Rep. Andi Story, a Juneau Democrat, is on both committees and laid out next steps.
“We’d like to bring in some of the school districts from the area where the tribal schools will be, and just talk about issues, about how it will affect districts and if anything should be done,” she said.
Joel Isaak is a consultant for tribal compacting with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. He said the state and tribes will continue working on the program even if the bill doesn’t pass this year.
“We’re hoping the Legislature will keep this moving forward, and we’re also willing to keep working at this to make it be the bill that it needs to be – which we feel very strongly, that this bill takes us there, and that the Legislature can keep supporting this effort,” he said.
Washington is the only state that has tribally-compacted public schools. The New Mexico Legislature also passed a bill to create education compacts that was vetoed by its governor last month.
House Bill 59 is expected to be heard by the House Education Committee next Wednesday.
