It is so frustrating watching Alaska make the same mistakes that have been made in so many other states. The problem starts usually with a massive tax cut to businesses to "promote growth." Then something happens so that those businesses not only do not provide the jobs that such an incentive was supposed to bring, they then claim losses based off of the more generous taxes. The state then claims that it needs to make "tough decisions" in this new economic crisis. Those tough decisions are usually a cover for taking apart public education, attacking teacher pensions (not that many states have much of pension plans for incoming teachers any more) and blaming everything on unions that are "holding the state hostage." Seriously, it's a script that has been read in state after state.
Please press your representatives to fully fund education. Personally, I think we're long overdue for a massive funding increase. We aren't going to get better by continually doing more with less.