Nome students walk out to advocate for more school funding

Nome-Beltz students walked out of class at 1 p.m. today to advocate for more state funding for schools.

Dozens of students stepped out into the bright cold afternoon wearing “Red for Ed” as they joined Barrow, Bethel, Kotzebue and Juneau school districts in the afternoon walk out, with the goal of getting legislators’ attention.

“We need more money for our teachers, for our students,” Senior Luke Hansen said at the protest. “We’re out here to show our support and put pressure on the legislature to increase the BSA.”

Signs with red and black lettering spelled “Teachers cannot live off apples” and “Are we worth it?”

The group chanted “Red for Ed” in the parking lot of the Nome-Beltz campus. They said a $1,000 increase is necessary, and the one-time $680 that was appropriated last year is not enough.

Organized by the student council, Nome first heard about the event from Barrow students, who reached out to Nome-Beltz’s student run Instagram page.

“They sent us the post about it [the walk out] and we talked about it at our student council meeting and made a plan,” Hansen told the Nugget.

Just before the protest the state Senate passed a bill that would increase the per student funding formula by $1,000, with a narrow margin of 11-9. Multiple amendments were opposed and voted down.

The bill will go on to the House floor before it lands on the desk of Governor Mike Dunleavy, who issued a statement on social media that the education bill is a joke and he will veto it immediately unless it is amended with policies.

Senator Löki Tobin (D-Anchorage) is the Senate Education Committee chair, and a strong advocate for increased funding to schools.

“What is the cost of doing nothing? Of giving our schools less than what they need, less than what they deserve?” Tobin said during the floor session.

This article is edited to reflect that the $680 BSA increase was only a one time increase appropriated last year.