A group of Alaska’s rural school districts — including Wrangell — are asking for help after the federal government failed to renew a program that sends grant money to previously logging-dependent areas.
On May 12, the Alaska Legislature joined the call for help by passing House Joint Resolution 5, which asks Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act of 2000.
That program sent $12.6 million to Alaska schools in federal fiscal year 2023, Congress failed to reauthorize the program last year when the legislation passed the Senate but died in the Republican-controlled House.
Wrangell had been expecting about $800,000 from the federal program. The borough had planned to use the annual appropriation to help fund school district operations, major maintenance at the schools and road projects.
The state Senate passed HJR 5 by a 19-1 vote on May 9 after modifying a version originally written by Ketchikan Rep. Jeremy Bynum, who also represents Wrangell and Metlakatla. The House agreed with the changes, 37-3, on May 12.
The votes against the resolution came from conservative Republicans who generally oppose federal spending.
The Secure Rural Schools Act was designed to compensate rural school districts for tax revenue lost as the federal government began to restrict logging in the 1990s.
In 2023, the law provided more than $250 million to districts nationwide, with about 5% of the funding going to Alaska.
For some of Southeast Alaska’s rural school districts, the money was a big part of the local budget. Yakutat, for example, received more than $6,500 per student. Ketchikan lost about $1.2 million when the program ended last year.
HJR 5, which will be sent to every member of Congress, asks for retroactive payments and a permanent funding source to pay for the program.
The Legislature often adopts resolutions to express its opinion on national and congressional issues.
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