Gov. Mike Dunleavy has called a special session to take place in August with the topics of addressing education funding and his executive order to create a Department of Agriculture.
The timing is interesting: It comes the same week that many legislators are scheduled to head to Boston for the National Conference of State Legislatures, which meets Aug. 4-6 and is where legislators from all over the country will be attending. Many Alaska legislators already have booked their tickets and rooms in Boston, with some even booking days early and later to allow them to have some vacation time on the state dime.
Special sessions run for 30-days. This one will begin Aug. 2 at 10 am in Juneau. There’s no secret that the governor would probably prefer that many legislators didn’t attend the first five days, but do the work on his call for the remaining 25 days.
“Enacting a few necessary reforms to our public education system can elevate those children struggling in Alaska’s school system,” Dunleavy said. “As elected officials we must do all we can to put the next generation on the path to a successful and prosperous future, and that starts with a solid public education. Splitting the Division of Agriculture away from DNR into a department will elevate food security and support our hard-working farmers while growing the agricultural sector.”
The agriculture department EO and the education reform bill from the governor will be available on the first day of the special session.
The special session also give the Legislature an opportunity to take a vote on overriding the governor’s partial veto of the Legislature’s appropriation for education union demands.
Dunleavy was a failure as superintendent in North West Arctic, boosted his salary and then ran away. He down played the cheating on the HSGQE by his buddy. Test scores were low. His whole goal is to audition for some higher position job, he has no desire to improve public education, but wants to undermine it.
STOP IT! I trust our Governor, and if he says it is administrative bloat and not inflation that is bankrupting school districts around the State, I am certain he wouldn’t have given himself a raise as an administrator, he would’ve saved the extra money or returned the unnecessary excess funding to the State. And he says schools have enough money now, so surely the students in HIS school district when HE was the executive were all achieving amazing test scores WITHOUT cheating. Anything else would be grossly hypocritical, and my man Mike is no hypocrite.
I’m also sure the Department of Agriculture will totally cut down on wasteful state spending; it is basically Alaska DOGE, and couldn’t possibly lead to us throwing money at any kind of boondogle – it absolutely won’t ever offer socialist subsidies to “farmers” like the Gattis family. In fact, I bet we won’t be able to afford to meet our statutory or constitutional obligations to education funding UNLESS we create this new department and hire another of his friends to a six figure commissioner salary!
Don’t be dumb Alaska, give the tall man what he wants!
Mike Dunleavy is also the most tone-deaf Governor ever elected. Bill Walker held that crown before this dim-witted guy assumed office. His mistakes pile on, one after another. This one is a great example. Through the entire legislative session, his political engagement on this important topic was virtually absent, and now he calls a special session over it?? And he does this AFTER he vetoed funding for it??
Expecting more funding without significant reforms is ludicrous.
I thought Rs were generally eager to have LESS government so why is he insisting on a Dept of Ag???
Why is increasing the size and scope of government Dunleavy’s top objective?
This isn’t creating a new department out of whole cloth. As the quote in the article says “Splitting the Division of Agriculture away from DNR into a department will elevate food security and support our hard-working farmers while growing the agricultural sector.” Does splitting a division out of a department increase the size and scope or does it limit and narrow it to do the intended purpose? Since one of the core powers of government is to regulate commerce, it sure seems like having a government that is responsive to the basic needs and benefit of its citizens while promoting commerce isn’t the big government issue here. This is similar to what he did when he split the Department of Health and Social Services and like he said then “The two departments will be able to manage their programs more efficiently and more responsibly to the constituents they serve.” Making two smaller departments out of one larger department is limiting the size and scope of an individual centralized government institution.
So if replacing the Division of Agriculture, in DNR, with an Alaska Department of Agriculture, adding a commissioner, deputies, directors, legislative liaison, spokesbabe, etc. will create the agricultural industry Alaskans have wanted for 60 years or more then why not replace the Division of Oil and Gas, in DNR, with a Department of Oil and Gas? Oil production has dropped 80 percent, so could a new department, especially if the spokesbabe is outstandingly cute, get us back to at least one million barrels a day?
Governor Dunleavy has already created one entire department by splitting the health and food stamp department in two. Ever since then the state has not been able to keep up with new SNAP enrollments (despite all the job vacancies), so clearly a new department brings lots of new activity.
I support of Department of Agriculture, but Bryan Scoresby and his immediate “leadership” circle are definitely not the people who should be in charge and given greater responsibilities at a new Department. At present, Scoresby is not doing at the Division level what is statutorily required. As long as nobody asks him hard questions about his continuing dereliction of duties, he has no interest in doing all that he is required to do.
If you were to play a game of ‘which of these things don’t belong here’ with the divisions in thw Department of Natural Resources, which one would you pick?
Division of Forestry and Fire Protection
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
Division of Mining, Land & Water
Division of Agriculture
Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
Division of Oil and Gas
Since only one of those deals with the production of food on private land while the others deal with public land use and how we as humans interact with the natural environment, I know which one I’d pick.
There is an argument to be made that the Division of Mining, Land & Water and the Division of Oil and Gas could be merged or spun off into their own department but they fit into the core mission of DNR which is “to develop, conserve and maximize the use of Alaska’s natural resources consistent with the public interest.” I’m not sure plowing and sowing a field or running heads of cattle really fit that mission statement.
How about addressing absenteeism in AK? Attendance at many schools is horrendous. How can a student learn if they are not at school and have big gaps in learning? There needs to be some kind of state policy.
“… and that starts with a solid public education.”
Public education? Call it what it is, Government education, government schools not public schools!
One last chance to Stand Tall. He will end up standing Small. In 4 months it will be not at all. Governor WHO? What did he DO? Just a big waste of our time and money—as in tiny PFD checks for the last 8 years. Stood in AWE while the State Employees Union ran the State for the last 8 years, as he handed all power and Purse Strings to them. We don’t need a Governor’s Election, we have a State Employee’s Union form of Government. Put in control, while Dunlevey held The Big Red Veto Pen between his upper lip and nose for 8 years. We Alaskan Citizens are worse off because of you Mike Tiny Bear.
The governor’s call for a special session says: “Under the authority of Article II, Section 9, and Article III, Section 17, Constitution of the State of Alaska, and in the public interest, I call the Thirty-Fourth Legislature of the State of Alaska into its first special session in Juneau, Alaska, in the legislative chambers on August 2, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., to consider the following subjects: The creation of a Department of Agriculture and Education Reform.
Article II, Section 9 of the Alaska Constitution specifies that legislation at special sessions called by the governor is limited to subjects designated in his proclamation. Contrary to the first sentence in SD’s article, the governor’s call did NOT mention “education funding.” He was very specific in that only education REFORM would be addressed, along with creating the Dept of Agriculture.
Although at least two of the legislators who were interviewed today mentioned using the special session as a way to consider overriding Dunleavy’s latest veto of education funding, it will be interesting to see if they are constitutionally allowed to stray from the governor’s specifications of what can constitutionally be considered.
Article II, Section 16 of the Alaska Constitution says, in part
“Bills vetoed after adjournment of the first regular session of the legislature shall be reconsidered by the legislature sitting as one body no later than the fifth day of the next regular or special session of that legislature.” That’s why Suzanne mentions the timing of this special session in the article.
Also Article II, Section 9 of the Alaska Constitution says
“Special sessions may be called by the governor or by vote of two-thirds of the legislators. The vote may be conducted by the legislative council or as prescribed by law. At special sessions called by the governor, legislation shall be limited to subjects designated in his proclamation calling the session, to subjects presented by him, and the reconsideration of bills vetoed by him after adjournment of the last regular session. Special sessions are limited to thirty days.”
Specifically to your concerns
“and the reconsideration of bills vetoed by him after adjournment of the last regular session.”