For the final episode of season 3, Senator Tobin sits down with Representative Rebecca Himschoot from Sitka for an in-depth conversation about education funding and the successful effort to override Governor Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 57. Rep. Himschoot is the co-chair of the House Education Committee and a retired elementary school teacher. She is a former member of the State Board of Education and the Sitka Assembly. Rep. Himschoot has been awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She has also been recognized as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator and earned a fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Rebecca Himschoot is in her second term in the Alaska House of Representatives, representing District 2. Today’s episode of The Empty Office Podcast was recorded on Wednesday, May 21, which would have been day 121 of the legislative session. However, the members of the House and Senate got their work done a day early, on Tuesday, May 20, which, in the opinion of many political observers, is a remarkable achievement. The main topic of discussion during the podcast is the effort to increase education funding in Alaska, which has been ongoing for over a decade. Failed efforts to raise education funding include: * In 2018, Rep. Les Gara proposed a $100 increase to the BSA. HB 339 passed the House but was ignored by the Republican controlled Senate. (1 hearing) * In 2020, Rep. Andi Story proposed a $225 BSA increase. HB 236 stalled in the House Finance Committee. * In 2022, Rep. Andi Story proposed a $278 BSA increase over 2 years. HB 272 made it as far as House Rules but never advanced to a floor vote in the House. * In 2023, the Senate Education Committee proposed a $680 BSA increase. SB 52 passed the Senate but only received one hearing in the House Finance Committee. * In 2023, Rep. Dan Ortiz proposed an $800 BSA increase spread out over 2 years. HB 65 never advanced out of the House Finance Committee. * In 2024, a compromise education package passed the Alaska State Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. SB 140 included a $680 BSA increase. Governor Dunleavy vetoed the bill, and the effort to override the veto failed by 1 vote. * This year, Rep. Himschoot sponsored House Bill 69, which included a $1,000 BSA increase. The bill passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Dunleavy. The effort to override failed. House Bill 57 - The Compromise Education Bill On May 20, the Alaska State Legislature successfully overrode Governor Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 57. The vote was 46-14. HB 57 began as a bill sponsored by Rep. Zack Fields to ban cellphones in schools. However, after the failed effort to override the gubernatorial veto of House Bill 69, Senator Tobin and Representative Himschoot worked with their colleagues in the House and Senate to turn HB 57 into plan B to increase education funding. HB 57 includes: * $700 BSA increase = $177.2 million * Note: A $700 BSA increase will result in an additional $14.3 million for correspondence programs in FY 2026. * Pupil transportation increase = $6.8 million (10% increase) * HB 57 increases the secondary school vocational and technical instruction funding factor from 1.015 to 1.023. (Estimated cost of $10 million) During today’s conversation, Senator Tobin and Representative Himschoot discuss several of the provisions in HB 57, including the policy requiring each school district in Alaska to adopt a policy to regulate the use of cellphones during school hours. The policy must allow exceptions for students to use a wireless device for medical or translation purposes. The policy must also include an exception for use in the event of an emergency. The bill language specifically prohibits a person from monitoring, collecting, or accessing information related to a student’s use of a wireless telecommunications device. If a school district fails to adopt a policy governing the use of cellphones in schools, then the default policy is that students may not use electronic telecommunication devices during school hours, including lunch periods. Another provision in HB 57 authorizes the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development to gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class in a school district. DEED will work with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to gather information on what students do once they leave high school. The genesis for this provision in the bill came from a 2023 article in the Alaska Economic Trends magazine that examined the progress after high school of the class of 2005. Final Episode of The Empty Office Podcast for Season 3 - Season 4 begins in January. This is the final episode of The Empty Office Podcast for season 3. The podcast is produced to coincide with the legislative session in Juneau. However, there is always the possibility of special or emergency podcasts during the interim, depending on events and circumstances. Season 4 will begin in January 2026. A huge thank you to all the guests this season for showing up ready to talk about real issues and the important work of the Alaska State Legislature. Finally, thank you for listening and subscribing to The Empty Office Podcast. This is a labor of love, and we cannot wait for the start of season 4 in January of next year. If you have ideas for guests or topics for season 4, please email Michael.Mason@akleg.gov. Until then, be safe out there. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lgtobin.substack.com
