Opinion: Alaska education competition does not ‘raise the bar’

In his recent article (”Alaska’s charter schools are leading the nation. It’s time to expand their reach.”), Alaska’s governor claimed competition between schools and school districts will “raise the bar for the entire public education system.” That statement ignores reality. Districts are already in competition with each other. Rather than raising the bar, competition has quite the opposite effect. A former superintendent should know the reality.

The governor’s argument is based on two false assumptions. First, he assumes parents are shopping for “the best opportunities for their children.” Second, he assumes schools will “raise the bar” by increasing expectations to attract more students. This is not how the system works.

A majority of parents don’t shop for the most rigorous or challenging educational option. Like groceries, parents shop for the most convenient and least expensive option. They go to Wal-Mart. The dramatic increase in students enrolled in correspondence programs is not an example of parents seeking the “best opportunity.” They are seeking the convenient easy option.

Here in Delta Junction, the local high school has lost 34% of its enrollment since 2020. Most have transferred to our district’s Alaska Homeschool, which now boasts more high school students than the physical school. They don’t worry about being late to school or being ineligible. Many finish courses in hours instead of semesters and finish high school in three years or less. This is not because the education is better.

There is no evidence correspondence schools offer a better education. The governor faults neighborhood schools’ low test scores and villainizes the NEA as a special interest group, but he won’t support stricter testing requirements for homeschool programs or propose legislation the Home School Legal Defense Association and their very special interests might oppose. He won’t level the playing field.

Competition between schools isn’t about education; it’s about revenue. Schools lower expectations in the hope of raising revenue. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District is lowering graduation requirements to the bare minimum specifically in order to increase enrollment and revenue. Raven did that years ago. Their students don’t even need to pass algebra to get a diploma. And every year Raven spends the cost of a full-time teacher (between $65,000 and $100,000) on advertising and marketing to steal students from other districts. Meanwhile, their graduation rate is only 54%.

The governor is simply wrong and his policies are destroying Alaska education. The school closures in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau are merely the beginning. Education in Alaska has been irreparably damaged by the governor, and our children will face the consequences for years to come.

R. Brett Stirling was a teacher and principal in Alaska for 21 years before retiring in 2022.

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