Alaskan lawmakers have fallen short 39-20 in overriding a veto from the governor on an education package that sought to increase spending in public schools.
Alaska lawmakers on Monday failed to override Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy's veto of an education package, just weeks after the bill that sought to boost spending on public schools overwhelmingly passed the Legislature. Monday's vote during a joint session of the House and Senate was 39-20, falling just short of the 40 votes needed for an override.
Alaska schools — particularly in remote, rural communities — have long struggled with teacher turnover, but during legislative hearings, questions were raised about how effective bonus programs are, and members of the Senate’s bipartisan majority raised concerns with the roughly $55 million a year cost of Dunleavy's proposed three-year program of paying teachers bonuses of up to $15,000 a year.
Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge of Soldotna, who voted to override the veto, said he 'did not run for office to represent one person or party or special interest group — and I know we've heard a lot from a lot of those different sources for the last few days.' He said he was voting in line with the wishes of his constituents. The Republican-led House majority includes two Democrats and an independent. The Senate is led by a coalition of nine Democrats and eight Republicans.
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