By SUZANNE DOWNING
A new joint resolution introduced by Democrat Loki Tobin would place before Alaska voters a constitutional amendment prohibiting any public funds from benefiting religious or other private schools.
Senate Joint Resolution 22 proposes changes to Article VII, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution, which governs public education. The resolution would be placed on the ballot at the next general election if approved by the Legislature by a two-thirds vote.
The first section of the proposal largely restates existing constitutional language, declaring that public schools must be “free from sectarian control” and adding a more explicit prohibition: “No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.”
That language already exists in Alaska’s constitution and has long been understood as the state’s version of a Blaine Amendment — a category of state constitutional provisions that restrict public funding of religious schools.
Alaska’s version is often described as narrower than those in some other states because it targets “direct” aid and applies to all private schools.
Voters rejected an effort to repeal or modify the provision in 1976, and the clause has been repeatedly cited in Alaska Supreme Court rulings and legislative debates over school choice, vouchers, and education savings accounts.
While recent US Supreme Court decisions have limited how states may enforce Blaine-style provisions, particularly when neutral aid programs benefit students or families rather than institutions , Alaska’s restriction remains part of the state constitution and continues to shape education policy.
The other controversial portion of Tobin’s resolution is a newly proposed subsection that would constitutionally recognize “the distinct and unique cultural heritages of American Indians and Alaska Natives” and commit the state to preserving that cultural integrity when establishing and maintaining public schools.
The language does not acknowledge or reference other cultural communities that make up Alaska’s population, including European, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, or other immigrant and heritage groups. The provision elevates one set of cultural identities over others in the state constitution, without defining limits or clarifying how such recognition would be applied in curriculum, governance, or funding decisions.
Tobin is seeking to embed preferential cultural recognition into the education clause and exclude other communities, while politicizing curriculum decisions.
It’s unclear why Legislative Legal signed off on wording that would add an item to the Alaska Constitution that is already in it.
If approved by two-thirds of both legislative chambers, the proposed amendment would go before voters statewide. Any constitutional change would require a simple majority vote at the general election to take effect.
The resolution has been pre-filed in advance of the Jan. 20 start of the Alaska legislative session.
7 thoughts on “Virtue-signaling resolution would ask voters to change AK constitution with a redundant clause”
This woman is a curse. If it is God’s will, may He move on her. Amen.
If Kevin McCabe had sponsored this bill, you’d be throwing a block party. But Tobin is a woman and she is – shh – Black, so by definition, she is Satan’s Swiss Army knife. You, Micah, are ever at the ready to bring forth your fictional christian super hero to fight the curse. In this case, you ask for your god person to “move on her”, a curious phrase given Trump’s famous quote that, in a country of sensible patriots, would have ended his political career. The quote is: “I did try and fuck her. She was married,” Trump said. Trump added that he “MOVED ON HER like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there.”
What would the moron crowd do if I walked around with a shirt that says “Elect White Women”?
Vote! Voter apathy is what allows idiots like this (people who promote racism and ignorance) to office. Show up in April and November and change your future!
I have a feeling that only dumb Alaska voters will show up to vote.
Hey, yeah. THAT’S where I know you from!
“…newly proposed subsection that would constitutionally recognize “the distinct and unique cultural heritages of American Indians and Alaska Natives” and commit the state to preserving that cultural integrity when establishing and maintaining public schools.”
1. It’s a racial preference and racist on its face.
2. Why should the State—we the people—pay for what is already funded in the private sector: AK Native Heritage Center. And why enshrine it in our constitution? Besides, some of the Native Corporations have more money than Croesus.
3. My parents came here in the 1950s; I was born here. I grew up and worked in AK my whole life, contributing greatly to quality of life for thousands in large cities and small remote villages. Am I a second class citizen because a) I’m only one generation and b) I’m white?
If this makes it through the legislature and the people pass it, you can write Alaska off as a lost cause. And I will be voting against Ms. Tobin in November.