Alaska lawmakers heard a recurring theme during a legislative task force meeting last week: Public schools need more funding to make up for years of static funding.

The task force met on Thursday in Juneau to discuss education funding. It was formed following months of back-and-forth between the Alaska Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office over adequate education funding. The task force is set to examine the state’s education foundation formula and policies such as charter schools and open enrollment.

The Legislature pushed through the first significant boost to education funding in years in May, after approving a $700 increase to the Base Student Allocation, the state’s per-pupil funding formula. The increase added $180 million to the state’s $1.2 billion education funding, but la

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