Skagway High School students took part in the statewide walkout last Thursday. As KHNS reporter Melinda Munson tells us, the last minute event was a learning opportunity for younger students.

 

Skagway School’s fourth and fifth graders got an unexpected lesson in civics on April 4 when they witnessed the high schoolers participate in a walkout. Two dozen high school students left class at 11 a.m. and congregated at the flagpole. The protesters listened to speeches and discussed Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of the education funding bill – Senate Bill 140. 

The bill would have raised the base student allocation by $680. The formula is used to determine how much money the state gives schools per pupil. It has not seen a significant increase since 2017. The legislature failed to override the governor’s veto by one vote.

Skagway’s fourth and fifth graders weren’t allowed to participate in the protest, but they watched from their classroom windows. The fourth graders spoke, sometimes all at the same time, about what they were witnessing.

Reporter: “Why are you guys at your window? Let’s do one voice.” 

Student 1: “We’re cheering on the high schoolers.”

Reporter: “What’s going on with the high school?”

Student 2: “They’re protesting for more money for our school.”

Student 3: Because the president, because the governor, vetoed the laws to give the schools more money per each student.” 

Student 4: “And we’re fighting for education, our education rights.”  

Student 5: “And we don’t think that we’re getting enough money for our school and students.” 

Tenth grader Lina Hischer helped lead the protest and spoke to the crowd first. Her speech outlined the history of base student allocation and expressed her disappointment that the veto wasn’t overturned.

“Every dollar invested in our education system is an investment in every student’s well-being and well-being of our state,” she said. “Yet, Gov. Dunleavy’s actions send a clear message that education is not a priority for his administration. Therefore, although most of us cannot vote, involving ourselves in protests like this hopefully gets the attention of our legislators and our governor – who continuously prove that education is not their priority. And hopefully, this will change their minds. So when similar bills come up in the future, legislators will vote in favor of the students since that is who they should be serving.”

The protest was organized via social media by the Alaska Association of Student Government. Many students wore “red for ed.” It was not a school sanctioned event. No staff or teachers were present and one parent attended. Students who participated received an absence for that period and could not participate in after school activities.

Junior Calvin Miller reminded his fellow students that the walkout extended beyond Skagway.

“And I don’t know if we made this point clear, but yeah, it’s happening statewide,” he said. “Hundreds of kids are right now standing outside in colder weather than this, even up in Utqiag˙vik, where it’s one degree right now. So, you know, we’re trying to make a difference statewide.”

Senior Charles Deach said he was protesting for school districts that aren’t as well funded as Skagway.

“And this isn’t just, you know, for us,” he said. “We’re showing our support for the bigger schools who really, really, really need the money like Juneau, and, you know, up north, the rural communities. That we support them, and we want to see their funding increase and their education should be a priority for the state.” 

In a written statement, Dunleavy said he vetoed the bill, “due to its absence of educational reforms.”

Before returning inside, the students filled up on goldfish crackers and fruit snacks.