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The override may be the first of several; two of the bill’s funding mechanisms could be vetoed by the governor

By: James Brooks and Corinne Smith – May 20, 2025 9:33 a.m.

Alaska Beacon

Alaska’s public schools may see the largest permanent funding boost in well over a decade, after the Alaska Legislature voted for the first time since 2002 to override a sitting governor’s veto.

With a 46-14 vote, lawmakers significantly increased Alaska’s per-student public funding formula, overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to reject House Bill 57. Forty votes were needed for an override.

“This was a truly bipartisan vote reflective of everyone in Alaska,” said Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham.

While the new law changes state policy on school funding, whether Alaska schools actually see an increase for the coming school year depends on the outcome of the budget process.

It was the third time in two years that the governor vetoed a significant education funding bill; lawmakers failed by a single vote to override the governor last year. A second veto earlier this year was sustained by a larger margin.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, said, “I had heard that we would be at 46, and that was just perfect. … I sort of hoped there wouldn’t be a lot of discussion. There wasn’t any. Everyone knew how they wanted to vote.”

The override means a permanent increase of $700 in the base student allocation, core of the state’s per-student funding formula.

That’s a small year-over-year increase for public schools, which received bonus funding last year equivalent to a $680 BSA increase.

In addition, the bill changes the charter school application process, directs school districts to develop policies to restrict students’ cellphone use, creates a grant program designed to improve students’ reading performance, and expands career and technical training programs.

It also sets up a legislative task force to recommend further changes to education policy.

Asked whether the 46-vote threshold would hold up in subsequent vetoes, the leaders of the House and Senate said they weren’t sure.

“We don’t know, but the vote today is going to influence the political dynamic around doing what’s right for our schools,” Edgmon said.

Stevens offered similar thoughts.

“I think there’s a good, solid message to the governor that we need to move ahead on education,” he said.

Regardless of how they stood on HB 57, legislators said that Tuesday’s action was significant. The Legislature hasn’t overridden a governor’s veto since 2009, when it voted to overturn Gov. Sarah Palin’s rejection of some federal aid during the Great Recession.

Alaska Beacon is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations.