1. United States
2. Alaska
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent and as a member of the University of Alaska Anchorage community. I am asking you to fully fund the UA operating budget this year and to close the gap in employee compensation funding. The Board of Regents has made full funding for the proposed 3 percent raise the top priority. The Governor’s budget only partially funds that request, leaving roughly 9 million dollars unfunded. If the legislature does not close that gap, the university will once again have to cut positions, delay maintenance, or reduce services to cover raises. That is not sustainable. We cannot recruit and retain strong faculty and staff if salaries continue to fall behind inflation. When we lose good people, students lose support, programs shrink, and Alaska’s workforce pipeline weakens. UA is central to our state’s economy, food security, public safety training, and research. None of that happens without the people who do the work. Please fully fund the university and ensure all employees receive the proposed raise. Stability matters. Our students and our state depend on it. Thank you for your consideration.