The state budget plan adopted by the House earlier this month includes an additional $263,000 in one-time funding for the Petersburg School District, an almost 5% boost from a state aid formula that has not increased since 2017.

The one-time appropriation for a total of $57 million may be the political compromise to help Alaska's 54 school districts this next year as lawmakers continue to debate a change to the formula in state statute.

Superintendent Erica Kludt-Painter discussed House Bill 272 and 273, which would both increase the base student allocation (BSA), during last week's school boa...