Anchorage School Board passes budget relying on uncertain state funding

And: Gov. Dunleavy says he will veto education package unless lawmakers adopt his priorities ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Email not displaying correctly? [View the web version]( Today's sponsor: [Today's sponsor: Matson]( Good afternoon. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 28. In today's newsletter: - Gov. Mike Dunleavy [said he would veto]( an education funding package approved by the Legislature unless lawmakers adopt his top education priorities by the middle of March. - The Anchorage School Board[approved a roughly $630 million budget]( for the coming year that included minimal cuts to classroom instruction by betting on an increase in state funding that is not guaranteed. - An Anchorage Superior Court judge has [dismissed an extremely unusual criminal charge]( against a retired judge that came out of a broad investigation by a Kenai grand jury. The start of this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is just a few days away. Whether you want to see the mushers off at the ceremonial start in Anchorage or just want to follow along with their progress on the trail, we have the guide to all things Iditarod. [Here's what you need to know]( about race details, the top contenders and more. Anchorage weather It's sunny today with a high near 18 degrees. We'll see partly sunny skies on Thursday, and clear skies should persist through the end of the week. Temperatures will dip down into the low teens as Southcentral Alaska experiences a [brief cold snap]( that will bring subzero wind chills. Here’s what else is making headlines in Alaska today. — Megan Pacer, mpacer@adn.com [Gov. Dunleavy says he will veto education package unless lawmakers adopt his priorities →]( The governor said that to earn his support for increasing the state's per-student school funding formula, he wanted lawmakers to advance provisions to pay teacher bonuses and pave the way for more charter schools. ADVERTISEMENT [Anchorage School Board passes budget avoiding some painful cuts but reliant on uncertain state funding →]( Board members and school administrators said they were taking the unusual step of passing a budget that relies on money they don’t have in order to keep popular programs and avoid increasing class sizes for the second year in a row. [Superior Court judge scraps Kenai grand jury’s perjury charge against retired Alaska judge →]( The indictment against former judge Margaret Murphy was exceptional for a number of reasons, and grew out of an activist push to empower grand juries. [Ballot measures on ranked choice repeal, minimum wage increase likely to go before Alaska voters →]( Two citizen-backed initiatives will likely appear on the general election ballot in November: one seeking to repeal Alaska’s voting system and one that would increase the state’s minimum wage. [Trial begins for man accused of killing his father, former Alaska lawmaker Dean Westlake →]( Tallon Westlake is charged with four counts including murder and tampering with evidence in the 2022 death of his father, former Democratic state representative Dean Westlake. [Anchorage Assembly votes down resolution on Israel-Gaza ceasefire →]( The Assembly rejected a proposed symbolic resolution calling for an “immediate bilateral ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict” in a 9-3 vote. ADVERTISEMENT More from the ADN [Over 20 Alaska villages on tap for $125M in federal funds for solar and hydroelectric projects →]( [Man sentenced to over 300 years for 2017 arson and murder in Anchorage →]( [Mitch McConnell will step down as Senate Republican leader in November after record run →]( [2 wounded in shooting at Anchorage apartment complex →]( [Wasilla girls basketball pulls off season sweep of Mountain City Christian Academy with 55-51 victory →]( [Over 100,000 Michigan primary votes were ‘uncommitted.’ What does that mean? →]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Click here to unsubscribe and manage your email subscriptions.]( Anchorage Daily News, 300 W 31st Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503, United States