Written Testimony in Support of HB69

Greetings,

My name is Margo Bellamy, and I am a member of the Anchorage School Board and the Board of Directors of the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB). Thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony in support of HB 69.

I write to you with a heightened sense of urgency, asking for your thoughtful consideration and immediate action to increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA)—not just for students in the Anchorage School District, but for every Alaskan student. Each child deserves access to the best education possible, provided by highly qualified teachers, in schools that are safe, clean, physically and emotionally supportive, academically engaging, and rich in opportunities.

Years of underfunding public education, compounded by years of unaddressed inflation, have led to a critical and dire education funding crisis for Alaska’s public schools. For ASD, this means we are facing a $111 million structural deficit for FY2026. To address this shortfall, ASD is once again faced with draining its emergency reserves and implementing significant cuts to programs, services, and staff—decisions that will directly impact student outcomes and undermine our ongoing efforts to achieve our goals and uphold our guardrails.

The looming cuts to staffing, programs, and services will have devastating consequences for our students and staff. We cannot maintain high-quality education if we lose educators and support staff, increase class sizes, or scale back essential programs like Gifted Education, Language Immersion, and Art.

I urge you to act swiftly. Pass and fully fund a permanent increase to the BSA. Please pass HB 69.

Sincerely,

Margo Bellamy
Member, Anchorage School Board
Member, AASB Board of Directors
Member, CGCS Executive Boar