Raise the BSA! January Senate Education Testimony

This week, KPEA and KPESA have come out strong for a permanent increase in the Base Student Allocation (BSA) to address the major challenges facing our schools. KPEA President Nathan Erfurth provided testimony to the Senate Education Committee on Monday, and KPESA President Susanna Litwiniak also spoke to the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, highlighting the losses that our students have already faced as the district has been forced to shrink and offer less and less.

Our members believe that the future of our state depends on public schools that take all students as they come and help them grow into the young adults that they have the potential to be. With increased demands on the school system and a shortage of aspiring educators nationwide, KPEA and KPESA believe that it is now time for a permanent increase to the BSA to finally catch up and provide what our students need.

Here are some of the challenges that KPEA and KPESA advocated to address with a BSA increase:

• Lack of competitive wages and benefits for educators, leading to positions going unfilled and programs being cut
• Deferred maintenance and inadequate facilities, such as a partially displaced library with water damage
• Overstretched distance education programs and overworked teachers and staff
• A bare bones approach that sacrifices important programs like the arts, music, and extracurriculars in favor of the budget

Why it Matters:

• A permanent increase to the BSA is crucial to ensuring that all students have access to the education and opportunities they deserve
• By raising the BSA, the district can attract and retain quality educators and provide them with competitive wages and benefits
• Adequate funding for schools will improve facilities and resources for students, leading to a more well-rounded education experience

Unions like KPEA  and KPESA play an important role in advocating for the needs of educators and students. Through collective action with our colleagues across the state, we are working to ensure that public schools receive the funding they need to provide a quality education for all students.

It is crucial that our unions and our communities support efforts to raise the BSA and improve our schools. The future of our students and our state depends on it.