The views expressed here are my own and do not reflect the policy or opinions of KPBSD or Nikolaevsk School.
Hello, I am Billeen Carlson, a 6th-12th grade language arts and social studies teacher at Nikolaevsk School. I was born and raised in Anchor Point, Alaska. I have an AA with an English Literature focus from the Kachemak Bay Branch of the Kenai Peninsula College, a BA in History from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and an MAT with a social studies endorsement from UAA’s formerly accredited College of Education. I am the single mom of two children, 8 & 10, who attend Nikolaevsk School. I support my children & pay my bills (and taxes) primarily with the salary I earn teaching. Education is a pretty big deal to me. I worked waiting tables and gutting fish to help put myself through school. I finished my degrees with a baby (or two) on my hip while juggling a teen & building a home. I’ve been a driven and active member of my community for most of my life while pursuing my career as an educator. I’ve worked hard because I know that a solid education can improve the lives of children living in poverty. I know that a healthy school can reduce crime, increase property values, and make a community a safer and healthier place to live. Excellent public education is the key to a stable and productive workforce. I do not want to live in a community of undereducated, desperate people. I do not want my children growing up in that community.
I’ve been hearing a lot of “common sense” talk from people who support cutting education and other infrastructure in the state. The talk likens balancing the budget with managing a household. I propose that those “common sense” people do not have a great grasp of metaphor. The governor isn’t choosing to forgo brie & steak in order to save his wallet. He’s choosing to board up his children in their bedrooms. And light the bedrooms on fire.
Here’s a different dea, to extend the metaphor, get a freaking job!
Alaska, as a state, has subsisted off the royalties obtained from the oil industry since 1980. When, in our infinite wisdom (sarcasm), we decided to lower taxes on the oil companies in 2013, we set the stage for our current fiscal situation.
So, getting back to the metaphor, instead of murdering our children, how about we start colllecting rent from our deadbeat buddies again (reinstate appropriate taxes on the oil companies)?
We might also choose a state lottery, although 2016 lotteries in Wyoming & North Dakota netted their states only $2 million and $7 million, respectively. Only a drop in the bucket in our current economic crisis and possibly not worth the hassle in the short term but it is worth considering, particularly in light of the jobs the industry would create.
Colorado generated $247 million in tax revenue on marijuana in 2017. Alaska, with our much smaller population, could not hope to reach that number but, knowing our state, I have faith many would give it their best shot.
Other ideas might include “collecting rent,” (income tax) on everyone who is living and working in our state. Non-resident workers made $2.5 billion, $2.5 BILLION, in our state in 2017. Non-resident workers make up 20% of our workforce! They extract our resources, benefit from our infrastructure, take their earnings, and leave.
The actions proposed by our current governor is gutting Alaska’s ability to create and maintain safe and healthy communities for our population. I believe that it is the governor’s intention to drive out as many of us, his constituents, as he can; forcing us to relocate for employment or out of concern for our children. I believe that he, and those in his camp, are in the pockets of outside interests who would return Alaska to a gold rush territory, unable and/or unwilling to regulate and protect itself from the predations of those who would extract its resources and leave behind a depleted mess.
We became a state partly to stave off this very thing. We wanted to protect our salmon from over harvesting by outside corporations. History repeats itself.
I would encourage you to spend some time with my message. Follow the links. I’ve done my research. Make an educated decision for education and for our communities.
Thank you for your consideration.
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