Head of Alaska education no longer supports boosting school funding formula

Plus: Anchorage Assembly member Kevin Cross announces resignation ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Sylvan Learning]( Support independent reporting on what Alaskans care about most. [Subscribe today.]( Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, Dec. 20. In today's newsletter: - As Anchorage School District superintendent, Deena Bishop repeatedly advocated to increase the public school funding formula. As state education commissioner, [her position has changed](. - Anchorage Assembly member Kevin Cross, who represents Chugiak/Eagle River, announced during an Assembly meeting late last night that [he will resign](. - Funding increases proposed in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s spending plan would not solve[crisis-level public guardianship caseloads]( at the state's Office of Public Advocacy, according to the agency's director. It may feel like a long Alaska winter is still stretching out before us, but there's some good news on the horizon. Thursday marks the winter solstice: the shortest day of the year, after which we will slowly but steadily start regaining sunlight. The solstice is the perfect time to celebrate the returning light and reflect on the past year. [Here are six ways]( to mark that celebration in Anchorage. Anchorage weather It's mostly cloudy today with patchy fog and a high near 23 degrees. There's a slight chance of isolated snow showers today and tonight, and the forecast calls for partly sunny skies on Thursday. Daytime temperatures will dip into the mid-teens over the next few days before rising to the low 30s by this weekend. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Alaska education commissioner says she no longer supports boost to school funding formula →]( Deena Bishop’s opposition to increasing the Base Student Allocation is in line with the governor’s view. But the position is out of step with that of her successor, Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt, along with organizations representing the state’s school boards, school administrators and teachers. ADVERTISEMENT [Anchorage Assembly member Kevin Cross announces resignation →]( Cross, a real estate broker and self-described conservative, quickly became seen by others on the Assembly as a conscientious decision-maker and somewhat of a political maverick. He said he will leave no later than the end of April. [Spending proposal offers new positions, but won’t be enough to resolve Alaska’s public guardian shortage →]( The Office of Public Advocacy's guardians oversee nearly 1,700 Alaskans — many of whom are disabled or otherwise incapacitated. The governor has proposed a staffing boost, but that wouldn’t be enough to substantially reduce the public guardians’ caseloads, the agency's director said. [Alaska Air flight attendants again picket at Anchorage airport as union plans strike vote →]( Several dozen Alaska Airlines flight attendants marched in protest outside Anchorage's airport this week threatening to authorize unannounced strikes that, if approved early next year, could shut flights down across the company. [Northwest Alaska residents keep up push for hunting limits to protect Western Arctic caribou →]( Northwest Arctic hunters, game managers and conservationists in the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group voted last week to reinforce their proposals to limit caribou hunting. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Former Alaska Senate president Lyda Green dies at 85 →]( [The Constitution’s insurrection clause threatens Trump’s campaign. Here is how that is playing out. →]( [Native American translations are being added to more U.S. road signs →]( [The checkered history of the poinsettia’s namesake and the flower’s origins get new attention →]( [States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire →]( The ADN relies on readers like you. [Get digital access to the ADN for as low as $1.99 for the first month]( and help us cover the news that matters most here in Alaska. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States