Investing in education benefits everyone
Insights from an early childhood education summit and meeting focused on higher education in the Western states. Plus, Tom Begich is honored by the Alaska Legislature.
Last week, I attended the Hunt Institute’s Early Childhood Education Leadership Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. The Hunt Institute was established in 2001 to educate policymakers about early education issues so they can make good policy decision on how best to support evidence-based childhood development. I found the summit incredibly useful in broadening how I think about how those critical early years in a young person’s life.
The summit pairs well with my service on the Governor’s Task Force on Childcare, where I represent the Alaska State Senate. Task Force meetings are public and the final report is due by July 2024. You can find more information and watch past meetings on the Task Force website.
Last week, I also attended the Legislative Advisory Committee meeting for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, which I serve on with Representative Justin Ruffridge from Soldotna. During the meeting, Rep. Ruffridge and I spent a lot of time talking with other western state legislators and higher education policy experts on what we can do to best prepare our young people for their future endeavors.
I came away from the Early Childhood Education Leadership Summit and the Legislative Advisory Committee meeting more convinced than ever that it is time to significantly increase the State of Alaska’s commitment to ensuring our next generation has all the resources and tools they need to lead us into a better and brighter future. Right now, we are shortchanging the future academic and economic success of Alaska’s children.
When the 2024 session gets underway in January, the members of the Alaska State Legislature will hopefully get an opportunity to quickly pass a pre-K through 12th grade education funding bill that puts substantial resources into our classrooms. We can get that chance if the House acts quickly and passes Senate Bill 140, which was amended in the waning days of this year’s legislative session to include a $680 increase to the Bases Student Allocation. Unfortunately, the leadership in the House didn’t take up the bill before the end of the 2023 session. However, the bill is well-placed to pass very quickly when the 2024 session gets underway in January. Our public education system needs immediate help, which means we do not have time to wait until the end of the legislative session to act.
Tom Begich is honored by the 33rd Alaska State Legislature
Last month, it was my great honor to present former State Senator Tom Begich with an official legislative citation honoring his lifetime of work on behalf of what I have been calling Team Good Guys.
Tom Begich is my dear friend and I consider him my mentor. When I worked for then Senator Begich, I always admired his commitment to good public policy and good government over good politics. Now, after eight months in his seat in the Alaska State Senate, I marvel at his patience and ability to see through the spin and identify partisan political motives that often go unnoticed.
On August 31, a small group of those on Team Begich gathered in Downtown Anchorage for a citation presentation. Not unexpectedly, we all sat around telling stories about Tom Begich and listening to him talk about how much he’s enjoying his time away from politics. I’m not sure I fully believe him because he still likes to talk about how to get people in positions of power to do big things and make big changes. It was my honor to sponsor the official legislative citation for Tom Begich and to present it to him, among friends.
“Despite choosing to forego politics early in life, Tom felt called to act when Alaska experienced unprecedented fiscal uncertainty due to the crash in oil prices in 2014. In 2016, he was elected to the Alaska State Senate. While serving in the Senate Minority, Senator Begich’s direct honesty and understanding of the issues quickly resulted in a reputation for bipartisanship. In 2019, Tom was chosen to serve as the Minority Leader in the State Senate. In 2022, Senator Begich achieved his crowning legislative achievement by passing the Alaska Reads Act, which expanded Pre-K across the state. He chose not to run for reelection in 2022 and retired from the Alaska State Legislature. The members of the Thirty-Third Alaska State Legislature salute Tom Begich for a lifetime of work on behalf of Alaska and Alaskans.” - Legislative citation honoring Tom Begich
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month
I am convinced my love language is book recommendations - a love language taught to me by my mother. I love libraries because they are safe places to learn and enjoy print books, ebooks, audiobooks, games, movies, and much more. I love libraries because they unlock unknown mysteries and house adventures beyond any person’s wildest dreams. I love libraries because my mother is a librarian.
If you don’t have a library card, you can change that by visiting your local library during Library Card Sign-Up Month. Anchorage residents can fill out a registration form and show a photo ID at the front desk of any Anchorage Public Library location. Remember to bring a postmarked piece of mail to confirm your address. Learn more about getting a library card on the Anchorage Public Library website.
"With a library card and duct tape, you can fix 99.9% of your problems!" - Alaskan Wisdom
Head to your local community council meeting
After a summer break, many community councils in Anchorage have restarted their monthly meetings and now is the time to log-on, show up, or stop by and meet your neighbors.
Community councils are a great way to learn about what is going on in your neighborhood and get involved. Find out when your community council meets and introduce yourself to your local leadership at communitycouncils.org.
