State pre-K slated for elimination in governor’s budget plan

Students at St. Mary’s preschool prepare to go outside. (Photo by Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage)
The governor’s proposed budget calls for the elimination of a $2 million pre-kindergarten program, which serves six school districts in Anchorage, Juneau, and Western Alaska.
Alaska was one of just 12 states in the U.S. without state-funded pre-kindergarten when it started a pilot program in 2009.
The pre-K program is free to qualifying low-income families and, according to