August 21, 2002
Wednesday - 4:55 pm

Anchorage - Frank Murkowski (R) on Tuesday said his likely Democrat gubernatorial opponent deserves a failing grade for an education plan that calls for guaranteed

"The state spends more on education than any other state service. Rather than look for ways to simply spend even more, I believe the state should find ways to work with local school leaders to improve education, prioritize our resources to focus on the areas we know will help young people prepare for productive lives, and encourage innovative programs that actually do more with less."... Frank Murkowski - Candidate for Governor

spending increases, but is silent on innovation or improvement.

"I'm flattered the lieutenant governor has adopted my campaign theme of building a brighter future for Alaska, but she's really only offering young Alaskans the status quo," said Murkowski. "I'd have to give her education plan a D-minus in originality. She doesn't offer a single new idea about education in Alaska, and she ignores many ideas that hold the prospect of building a better education system."

Murkowski said there was little new in any of Ulmer's "four-point" plan:

Resources: Ulmer's call to inflation-proof the foundation formula simply assumes there's no room for improvement in the formula. The state is already studying ways to make it more accurately reflect the cost of education around the state, and has spent tens of millions of dollars in extra funds each year to address specific needs. "I support full, fair and equitable education funding," Murkowski said. "At about $700 million, education is the single biggest general fund expenditure. We need to ensure we're getting results before locking-in guaranteed spending increases."

Recruitment: The state already gives low-interest loans to college students, and the Legislature has considered forgiving tuition loans to teachers who then work in Alaska. Mentoring is already part of many schools and districts, and the University of Alaska and the state are integrating mentoring into Alaska's teacher education system. A legislative task force has also recommended loan forgiveness, better pay and benefits, merit pay and other innovations to address teacher recruitment and retention. "The solutions are clear, what we lack is the leadership to implement the tools we already have," Murkowski said.

Results: Results-based education is not a fad, but a long-term trend that the state has embraced for years, which includes not only quality school initiatives, but also the high school qualifying exam that the Knowles/Ulmer administration actively resisted. "She totally ignores opportunities for innovation and improvement, both inside and outside the public school system, such as charter schools, cyber schools or home schooling - not to mention the need for increased parental involvement in education," Murkowski said.

Renovation: The need for decent schools is nothing new, and the state has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to improve educational infrastructure. Voters will get the chance to vote this fall on general obligation bond measures that would bring very significant improvements to the state's education system in urban and rural schools.

"All Alaskans support investments in the resources necessary to prepare young Alaskans for rewarding lives and careers," Murkowski said. "The state spends more on education than any other state service. Rather than look for ways to simply spend even more, I believe the state should find ways to work with local school leaders to improve education, prioritize our resources to focus on the areas we know will help young people prepare for productive lives, and encourage innovative programs that actually do more with less."

Murkowski (R) is one of 16 candidates who filed for the office of Governor. The primary election is August 27, 2002.

Source of News Release:

Frank Murkowski For Governor Campaign
Web Site

 

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