Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Alaskans making decisions about things like their healthcare and children's education, rather than bureaucrats making those decisions.

All options must continue to be available to parents, including traditional public schools, optional school programs, private schools and home school. Home school in Alaska must continue to be parent-driven.

State oversight of education should be minimal. Control of schools needs to be at the local community level. Standardized, one-size-fits-all programs do not make sense.

Our high school graduation rates are around 67%. We are failing to engage too many of our young people with the existing approach to education. I believe that career and technical education opportunities must be made more available for both our high school students as well as adults seeking a change in careers.

Education assistance for Alaska's students

I support the concept of assisting students who attend Alaska colleges and technical schools. The goal is to develop and retain a well-prepared workforce for Alaska.

To assure a return on this workforce investment, I would advocate for a state loan program that would include a provision for loan forgiveness, up to 50%, for at least 5 years employment in Alaska after graduation.

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