Representative Dibert Digs Into the 34th Legislative Session
By Colin A. Warren
Fairbanks Representative Maxine Dibert
Photo courtesy of the offices of Maxine Dibert
The 34th Alaska State Legislature kicked off on January 21 in Juneau. Downtown Fairbanks Representative Maxine Dibert is a Koyukon Athabascan born and raised in District 31, which she now represents. Representative Dibert spoke with The Sun Star to discuss her hopes and aspirations for the session. “We are at this historic spot in our Alaska state legislature…” Dibert began.
Dibert co-sponsored a bill for the University of Alaska system, filed another bill that provides universal food for kids in public schools, and plans to support reviving pension state workers and funding education.
Dibert was a teacher at Denali Elementary in Fairbanks for over 20 years. She explained how she first understood the state of affairs by serving in the teacher’s union’s political action committee, in which she interviewed many elected officials as part of her job. This background aided in her pivot to politics. She left her teaching position when she was first elected to office in 2022.
For the current session, two moderate Republicans joined 14 Democrats – Dibert included – and five independents to form a moderate, bipartisan coalition in the House. The Senate also has a primarily Democratic coalition this year.
Dibert’s history gives her a clear perspective on educational needs. Before each session began, the leading coalitions in the Senate and the House announced that funding education was a priority. Despite massive inflation, the state has not seen a rise in the Base Student Allocation, or BSA – how many dollars each school gets per student – since 2017.
Schools across the state are feeling the pinch, including here in the Fairbanks Northstar Borough, where they recently announced the potential closing of five more local elementary schools due to lack of funding. The Borough already closed three other schools last year.
Dibert shared with The Sun Star that she thinks around a $1,800 increase to the BSA would be “ideal.”
Last year, after Governor Dunleavy vetoed a permanent boost to the BSA, the state agreed on a one-time increase of approximately $680.
“Superintendents are telling us they need a BSA of $1,800, and that would most definitely keep our schools open,” Dibert said.
But that isn’t Dibert’s sole focus regarding education. Last session, she co-sponsored Senate Bill 13, known as the Textbook Cost Transparency Act, with Ashley Carrick. This bill passed into law and will become effective in 2026. It requires that the cost of all textbooks and other course materials be clearly listed in the online catalog.
As a UAF graduate, Dibert explained that she understands the financial strains of being a student and wants to help. She also remembered being shocked by the prices of some textbooks and labs.
Dibert sponsored House Bill 12 this session, which provides free breakfast and lunch in public schools.
“Being an educator for over two decades, I’ve seen firsthand why it’s important to feed our kids,” Dibert told The Sun Star. “As a teacher, I loved going into the cafeteria during that time, visiting with the students and the kids, and just sitting down while they’re eating breakfast, asking them about their evening or their weekend, and checking in with them. And you know, when you sit down for a meal, it just sets a really good tone for the day.”
She also noted how essential calories can be in our subarctic environment when kids go to recess in -20-degree temperatures.
Dibert explained that she hopes they can hammer out a deal in Juneau where they distribute the cost of the food program with federal funds, state funds, and boroughs sharing the cost. She estimates that it will cost around $3 million per year.
The last priority that Dibert discussed with The Sun Star was reinstating a pension for state workers, which was removed in 2006. She said she “wholeheartedly” will support the pension bill put forth by Republican Senator Giessel. Dilbert expressed how such a plan would solidify worker retention.
“We need some kind of nugget for educators to stay here…It’s detrimental to students when you can’t have an educator stay in a district for at least eight or ten years; 15 would be ideal. Because I taught a lot of my students and their siblings, I got to know families really well. That’s so cool. And I want that for the next generation of families and students. And the same with police and firefighters.”
When the session began Dibert offered a brand new bill to be fast tracked through the House Rules Committee asking President Trump to reconsider the renaming of Alaska’s tallest mountain. The bill reads: “Denali is the traditional Koyukon Athabaskan name for the tallest mountain in North America; and…the name Denali is deeply ingrained in the state’s culture and identity.”