Opinion: Public education is essential to sustaining Alaska’s workforce.

Has been updated: 57 few minutes ago release date: 1 1 hour ago

Alaskans across the state, regardless of their political leanings, are expressing alarm at the trend of an exodus of working-age Alaskans (see Alex DeMurban’s article published Jan. 16 in ADN). Families with children and prospective parents are leaving the state, fed up with a decade of underfunding the public education system. As much as we love our community, continued cuts and a lack of stable public education funding are making it increasingly difficult for parents to justify living here. Our simple request to Congress is to fully fund our schools and override the necessary vetoes so Alaska’s economy and population can grow again. We ask this not only for our children, but also for our economy.

We live in a global economy, and skilled parents can live and raise their children in communities large and small across the country. The rise of remote work has given seasoned parents even more flexibility. Our business community knows this and has been urging policymakers for years to invest in quality of life and quality of place. Until now, the economic model was to attract businesses and workers to follow. Today, work follows workers, and workers follow quality of life. Alaska cannot thrive in underfunded schools and children cannot learn in overcrowded classrooms.

As parents and grandparents, we want our children to have great schools that provide the same opportunities that they have given us.

Chugach Elementary School added a few more seats to each class last year after another teacher died.

Students at Denali Elementary School spent the first half of the school year in a reading group of 43 students. Currently, the ratio from first grade to her third grade is 30 students to one teacher, far exceeding the evidence-based target student-to-teacher ratio of 25. :1.

Nikiski North Star Elementary School also has a 30-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio in third grade.

Klatt Elementary School was on the list for closure at the end of the 2022-2023 school year but was spared, unlike Abbott Loop Elementary School, a Title I school that closed. Klatt eliminated one teaching position for the 2023-2024 school year.

One of the main predictors for improving student achievement is teacher contact time and the student’s ability to develop a relationship with the teacher. By reducing class size, you can increase contact time.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has repeatedly told lawmakers and business groups that he wants Alaska to have more young families and stronger economic growth. We agree with this goal. We ask the governor to put himself in the shoes of parents of young children. Because without providing our children with a great public education, Alaska will not be able to meet the Governor’s own goals of recruiting and retaining a talented and motivated workforce. We are calling on all legislators and the governor to restore adequate funding to public schools. Otherwise, we can count on them to continue the exodus of talent from our great state.

melissa branch I am a parent of a student at Kincaid Elementary School in Anchorage.

nicole iceman They are the grandparents of students at Ann Wien Elementary School in Fairbanks.

rachel lord Paul Banks is a parent of a student at West Homer Elementary School in Homer.

Ava Gardner I am a parent of a student at Denali Elementary School in Anchorage.

Christy Wood I am a parent of a student at West High School in Anchorage.

Jessica Rowworth I am a parent of a student at Klatt Elementary School in Anchorage.

jen ireland I am a parent of a student at Chugach Elementary School in Anchorage.

Karisa and Andrew Kasning I am a parent of a Winterberry student in Anchorage.

mercedes harness I am a parent of a student at West Homer Elementary School in Homer.

Lisa Asselin I am a parent of a student at West Homer Elementary School in Homer.

Rachel Blakeslee I am a prospective parent of an ASD student living in Anchorage.

Rachel McPherson I am a parent of a Japanese immersion student at Sand Lake Elementary School in Anchorage.

Holly Brooks and Rob Whitney I am a parent of a French immersion student at O’Malley Elementary School in Anchorage.

sarah mcwilliams I am a parent of a student at O’Malley Elementary School in Anchorage.

april rotchford I am a parent of a student at O’Malley Elementary School in Anchorage.

Ernie Litecky Paul Banks is the parent of a student at West Homer Elementary School in Homer.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a wide range of viewpoints.To submit your work for consideration, please send an email Commentary(at)adn.com. Submissions of less than 200 words should be sent to: [email protected] or Click here to submit from any web browser.Read all guidelines for letters and comments here.