Maxine L. Dibert

Education

Education also means preparing students for life after graduation. That includes college, apprenticeships, vocational and technical training, military service, and direct entry into the workforce. We need to make sure young Alaskans can build a future right here at home. Learn more

Our public schools are facing huge challenges. We have been asking our neighborhood schools to do more and more on less and less. We need to provide dependable and inflation-adjusted funding increases so that schools can keep class sizes moderate and attract and keep the brightest and best teachers. Because of a decade of flat funding, students have been losing their elective choices, sports programs, and we see larger and larger class sizes. I’m hearing of some middle school classrooms with almost 40 kids! We must stop the bleeding now and raise our investment in the future. We must raise the Base Student Allocation, BSA. Learn more

It is well established that excellent public schools help our workforce development issues immensely. We know that excellent schools help promote a thriving business community which in turn requires that we attract and retain excellent public servants like teachers, public safety employees, and public health personnel. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Affordable and reliable energy is the biggest issue facing Fairbanks today. Families are struggling, paying way too much to heat and power their homes. Small businesses are paying too much to operate. Lowering Fairbanks energy costs remains one of my top priorities. We need to diversify our energy sources by expanding power generation and home heating options. This means expanding the availability of natural gas and bringing more alternatives like wind, hydro, and solar online. Learn more

I will continue to advocate for lower energy costs and responsible development that creates jobs and benefits the people who live here. We do need to keep investing in renewable energy, weatherization, and energy efficiency. I realize that no single initiative will solve all of our energy challenges, but I will continue to fight for our working families and local businesses by pursuing an “all of the above” solution to bring affordable energy to Fairbanks. Learn more

Wages / Job Benefits

I continue to work with colleagues and businesses to innovate and problem solve in the areas of workforce development, recruitment, and retention. I wholeheartedly support the work of our trade unions especially in their emphasis on training and hiring Alaskans. Learn more