So many people showed up to the Loussac Library auditorium Saturday morning that dozens of people pressed their backs against the wall.
Some sprawled out on the floor, forming groups and holding signs, while late arrivers waited in the corridor hoping that a sliver of space would open up.
The reason a few hundred people woke up early on the weekend was to sign up for a three-minute slot to sound off to state lawmakers who represent the Anchorage area.
Whether or not to fund construction of this bridge or that building, how to deal with impending budget deficits, what the controversial water-rights bill H.B. 77 means for rural Alaska communities: constituents hit on dozens of issues that will play out in full detail when legislative session kicks off Jan. 21 in Juneau.
What came up most, though, is the issue of school funding and potential shortfalls faced by the Anchorage School District.
To deal with a looming budget deficit, ASD said it may need to lay off classroom teachers and enact a policy that shortens class times and gives teachers a heavier workload.
“Teachers won’t give us as much help as we need,” said Maeva Ordaz, a West High School junior in attendance. She was among the many parents and students were in the crowd.
State and local teachers unions encouraged attendance in an effort to sway lawmakers, and some teachers recommended their students attend the discussion.
At the center of the controversy is that schools have received the same amount for each student enrolled for the past three years: $5,680, multiplied in rural areas to account for higher cost of living. The allotment is known as the base student allocation.
Critics of the funding process, like Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowsi, who represents East Anchorage, call it “flat-funding education” and argue an increase is long overdue.
Gov. Sean Parnell and some of his Republican colleagues in the Legislature have opposed efforts to increase the BSA for the past three years.
“You can sense there's growing anger in the community over education cuts,” Wielechowski said, and the anger on Saturday was obvious.
“This is a pretty stunning turnout,” said Andy Holleman, president of the Anchorage Education Association. “The question is: Is this enough people, is this really enough of an outcry from the public that they realize this is a priority?’”
Republican Sen. Kevin Meyer said the debate will likely remain front and center throughout the 90-day legislative session, but he pointed out that the Legislature has provided additional school funding while keeping the BSA stagnant.
In recent years, lawmakers helped schools pay for rising energy costs, the cost of pupil transportation and improvement to school safety programs.
Meyer said he believes that approach should and likely will continue, even with enthusiastic opposition.
“Just coming down to Juneau and saying, ‘Give us more money,’ probably isn't going to be as valuable as if somebody can offer some concrete ideas on how to maximize the limited resources we have,” Meyer said, before a meeting with his constituents at a South Anchorage restaurant.
In a state that has grown used to budget surpluses, the Legislature will be tasked with handling a projected $1.1 billion budget deficit this year.
"That's going to be our challenge this year," Meyer said. "It's just a matter of how much do you go into deficit spending."