During a school board meeting March 19, members were dealing with deep cuts to the district budget, including the closing of a high school to save money. Board president Brandy Harty began her remarks by thanking the community.
“Man, did you show up for this budget season. We've had over eight hours of testimony in public meetings. We've had two separate community forums that were extremely well attended. We've had rallies outside both of them. We've had hundreds of emails. We have had hundreds of submissions to the Balancing Act tool. It is so clear that our community cares about our schools,” she said.
On February 26, the legislature had passed Senate Bill 140, an education bill that raised the base student allocation – the per-student state funding amount -- another $640, and also added money for transportation and K-3rd graders with reading needs. The measure would have brought more than $8 million more to the Fairbanks district.
It passed the legislature overwhelmingly, 56 to 3. But the governor vetoed the bill late in the evening, March 14. The following Monday, the legislature held a joint session to override the veto, but it failed by one vote.
In her report to the school board the next day, Harty called out Interior legislators by how they voted.
“In our interior delegation, Representative Carrick, Representative Dibert, Senator Bishop, Senator Kawasaki, and Representative Stapp. And that last name is significant. It's someone who was willing to buck the status quo and stand up for our kids because it was the right thing to do, even with enormous pressure to do otherwise. To Will Stapp, if you're listening, thank you.”
Stapp, who represents East Fairbanks and West North Pole, had written a column in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner encouraging his colleagues to override the governor’s veto. Harty criticized representatives who initially voted for the bill, but flipped when it came to the override.
“To the other representatives, Representative Tomaszewski, Senator Myers, Representative Cronk -- and I slightly give Representative Prax a pass because he didn't vote for it to begin with, so at least you stood by your vote -- I am so utterly disappointed. Fairbanks deserved better. You are part of our community, and we were clear what we needed, and you let us all down. And I've heard rumors -- and mind you, they're rumors, so newspapers in the audience, I’m fully aware, and don't quote me on it -- that you might have sold us down the river for a $70, 000 campaign donation. I hope it was worth it.”
That last part may have come from Anchoarge Rep. Zack Fields who made the allegation in his newsletter. “In pressuring Republicans to flip-flop and oppose a bill they previously supported, Dunleavy threatened to campaign and spend $70,000 per race against any Republicans who voted to override the veto,” Fields wrote.
Now Harty is walking back her remarks, after the named legislators wrote a letter to the Fairbanks school board, saying Harty’s “passing on a rumor …reflects poorly on the leadership” of the District. In their letter, they asked Harty to step down from being president of the board. Yesterday, she sent Interior Alaska legislators a letter of her own, apologizing.
“I am human, and I absolutely make mistakes, but I come by them honestly. And when I make them, I own them. Um, this letter represents me owning up to those mistakes. And I hope that my community can accept that apology, and the best I can hope is for their forgiveness and grace.”
Tonight the school board will meet in executive session to talk about board member conduct. Special meetings can be called by the board president, or by a majority of the members.
The legislators' letter is below as an image and Harty's letter is attached.
