Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As you all know, I am a state senator and serve in Juneau, not Washington, D.C. At the same time, we here at home at the state level want our leaders in our nation’s capital to realize a thing or two about Alaska. This is one of those times.
I posted yesterday on my legislative Facebook page what I’d like our national leaders – those who before this past week never really grasped the full extent of our strategic location on the globe – to know:
I am thankful for the readiness and capabilities of our military here in Alaska. They are the gatekeepers for the United States, and in many ways, for North America, as we’ve observed in recent days. I am proud of their leadership: protecting our airpace each time one of these objects was near or over Alaska, developing the plans that assisted in the first take-down of the object over the Atlantic, and twice in the last few days executing the take-down of two more objects.
Whether the concern is China, Russia, or North Korea, Alaska’s position on the globe cannot be diminished or dismissed. If a decision is made for more military personnel, aircraft, and other resources (perhaps a naval base?) to be allocated to Alaska, I believe our residents would welcome and embrace an increased presence. I know I would.
Just like there’s never a dull moment when Alaska is connected to national and international happenings, there’s never a dull moment in your state capital where I focus on connecting what happens here to you.
The tempo has certainly picked up regarding the call for increased K-12 school dollars. As the Senate Minority is the voice of common sense, we are weighing in and have begun a discussion the legislature must not neglect – and so far, it doesn’t seem to be. Senator Shower and I both testified before the Senate Education Committee. He helped define the problem and provided the data. I proposed solutions backed up by research. We did the same on the Senate floor.
Our children are our future and this is serious, folks. The achievement gap in our schools in Alaska has reached a crisis point. We are at the bottom of the barrel nationally compared to the other 49 states. State assessments show too few students are proficient in subject areas in the various grade levels. We should not even think about increasing funding unless we are ready to couple it with accountability measures tied to student learning improvements.
This reminds me of another Facebook post I made.
Scroll down to watch my floor speech and to read my article “A Silver Platter and a Golden Opportunity” that outlines my proposed solution to help ensure our children statewide have a better opportunity for an excellent K-12 education.
And while you’re scrolling, note that various bill hearings are scheduled this week like every week; be sure to check out the bill alerts and “Hearings That May Interest You” section to see if there’s something that’s relevant to you. By the way, this is a weekly feature we regularly update.
Please note that there are a multitude of ways to weigh in on the bills being heard or other issues: from social media to email, or by simply picking up the phone and calling my office. My staff and I work hard to review all the input and respond to as many of you as we can. However, with the volume of connections I receive daily, the best way to ensure you get an answer to a question, the feedback you need, or assistance addressing a problem is to call my office (see the number below before my sign-off).
My responsibility to you has been and will continue to be at the forefront of the work I do, on and off the Senate floor. I want to be as available to you as possible, from sunup to sundown, so please continue to reach out; I’m listening!
Lots of great info awaits you below – not only articles and photos but hot tips, staff and office contact information, the senate floor chart, bill tracking instructions, bills I’ve filed, and more. Be sure to click on “view entire message” at the bottom, so you don’t miss out on photos and more.
I look forward to meeting more of you in the following months at future Coffee Chats and Town Hall meetings as well as here in Juneau if you come for a visit. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at AKShelleyHughes. You can also email me at [email protected] or call my office (907)465-3743. Let’s stay in touch!
Working on your behalf,
