Alaska education chief says school maintenance ranking system flawed

Commissioner Deena Bishop says the current process disadvantages small, rural districts

Mar. 22, 2026 at 10:06pm

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Alaska's education commissioner Deena Bishop says the state's system for ranking school maintenance and construction projects is biased against small, rural school districts, including those with predominantly Alaska Native students. The ranking process favors districts that can afford detailed assessments and planning, leaving poorer districts lower on the priority list despite urgent needs.

Why it matters

The current ranking system has led to a backlog of needed repairs and renovations, with only a small fraction of requested projects receiving state funding each year. This disproportionately impacts rural and Native communities, raising concerns about equity in education infrastructure.

The details

The Alaska education department approves an annual list of maintenance and construction projects ranked by a committee, with only the top-ranked projects receiving limited state funding. But officials say the ranking process favors districts that can afford comprehensive facility assessments and planning, often leaving smaller, cash-strapped districts lower on the list despite pressing needs. This year's ranked list includes $401 million in requested state funding for 103 projects, but lawmakers have only allocated around $29 million.

  • The current year's budget includes less than $29 million for capital renewal of school facilities across Alaska.
  • Alaska last met the recommended 3% annual spending benchmark for school facility maintenance in 2014.

The players

Deena Bishop

Alaska Commissioner of Education who says the current ranking system is flawed and disadvantages small, rural school districts.

Lyman Hoffman

A Bethel Democrat senator who is concerned the second-highest ranked project, a $34 million renovation in Galena, is "drowning out" other urgent needs.

Bert Stedman

A Sitka Republican senator who co-chairs the Senate Finance Committee and says they may choose not to fund the Galena project in order to address more small-scale projects.

Michael Butikofer

The Alaska education department's Facilities Manager who submitted a proposal to change the ranking process to better support small, rural districts.

Jason Johnson

Superintendent of the Galena City School District, which received high ranking for a $34 million renovation project.

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What they’re saying

“The system isn't working. When you have a district that doesn't have cash flow, who can't get the assessments, they're going to struggle forever.”

— Deena Bishop, Alaska Commissioner of Education

“There's a lot of concerns that we have smaller schools that have health and safety issues that aren't going to get addressed.”

— Bert Stedman, Senator

What’s next

The Senate Finance Committee has requested that the education department submit a reworked ranking of maintenance projects for their consideration as they assemble the state's capital budget.

The takeaway

The current school facility maintenance ranking system in Alaska is biased against small, rural, and predominantly Native school districts that lack the resources to conduct comprehensive assessments. This raises concerns about equity in education infrastructure funding and the ability of these districts to address urgent health, safety, and maintenance needs.