Would raising the legal mandatory school attendance age to 18 improve graduation rates and reduce truancy, juvenile crime, pregnancy and other at-risk behaviors? State Senator Bettye Davis thinks so.

Like China, Alaska has its own examples using state policy to chase the fairy tale of the perfectly planned economy.

The Governor wants suggestions. Here’s one: Continue to require that departments prioritize their programs.

If you come across a candidate who says they are fiscally Conservative, ask them if they are in favor of stopping the irresponsible practice of pension obligation bonding.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or the recent health care law, was rushed through the political process and touted as deficit neutral legislation.

In 2008, the Alaska Legislature passed House Bill 13, which authorized the selling of bonds (debt) for investment to fill the $10 billion pension gap in PERS/TRS.

The Federal Health Care law, known inside the beltway as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), contains a morass of new complicated laws, and gives unelected bureaucracies broad powers to create regulations to implement the law (and new bureaucracies to implement those regulations). In this tangled jungle of rules is a requirement that businesses will have to do more reporting using the IRS form 1099. A lot more.

Just recently, the Anchorage School Board approved a contract for the Anchorage Education Association (AEA) for the period 2010-13. We expressed concern at the School Board meeting (May 24th) that the board may not have been informed of the total costs of this contract.

Earlier this year, the Alaska Policy Forum submitted public records requests to local governments and school districts looking for any sole-source contracts they may have, asking for the name of the vendor, date of the contract, and the value of the contract.

ASD is getting ready to spend $300 million on West Romig renewal. But how will it affect student achievement?