Two school districts sue Alaska over alleged failure to fund public education

Two school districts in Alaska have filed a lawsuit accusing the state of failing to meet its constitutional obligation to adequately fund public education, arguing that years of underinvestment have damaged learning conditions and student outcomes.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and the Kuspuk School District filed the case in Anchorage Superior Court this week, naming the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, its commissioner Deena Bishop, and Governor Mike Dunleavy as defendants.

According to The 74, the districts argue that state funding levels are no longer sufficient to maintain a functioning public education system, leading to teacher losses, overcrowded classrooms and unsafe school facilities.

Districts say funding has not kept pace with costs

The lawsuit seeks a court declaration that Alaska is violating the education clause of its constitution and asks the state to take corrective action. The districts also want the court to order an adequacy study to determine the actual cost of delivering education across the state.

Plaintiffs argue that the base student allocation, the state’s per student funding formula, has increased by just 2.2% since 2015, while inflation has risen by an estimated 37%, a gap they say has steadily eroded school budgets. These figures were reported by The 74.

Caroline Storm, executive director of the Coalition for Education Equity, said the state has never conducted a comprehensive study to assess whether current funding levels are adequate.

“Funding decisions are made based on what is affordable, not on what it actually costs to educate students,” Storm told The 74.

Schools face closures, staffing losses and building failures

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District superintendent Luke Meinert said the district has lost around 300 teachers and staff since 2019 and has closed seven schools over the past five years.

“These closures have created instability for families and communities,” Meinert said, according to The 74.

In the Kuspuk School District, superintendent Madeline Aguillard said funding shortfalls have led to the elimination of after-school programmes, arts education and career and technical education. The district has increasingly relied on online classes due to teacher shortages.

Aguillard was speaking while overseeing the evacuation of about 50 students from Aniak Junior Senior High School after a roof failure forced the building to be closed.

“The engineer told us we had to get people out immediately,” she said.

State says funding decisions belong to lawmakers

The Alaska Department of Law declined to comment directly on the lawsuit’s claims. A department spokesperson said education funding decisions should be made by the Legislature, not the courts.

State officials also argued that the Alaska Constitution does not specify a funding amount for education and assigns budget authority to elected branches of government.

Student outcomes cited as evidence

The lawsuit points to low proficiency rates in statewide assessments as evidence that current funding levels are failing students, particularly in rural and high-need areas.

According to the filing, more than two thirds of Alaska students did not meet grade-level standards in English language arts and mathematics last year. In the Kuspuk School District, between 93 and 97% of students fell below grade-level benchmarks in core subjects.

Storm said the case is also intended to push lawmakers to act.
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