Enrolled SCR 11: Establishing and relating to the Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force.
00Enrolled SCR 11 01 Establishing and relating to the Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force. 02 _______________ 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS Alaskans clearly believe in the value of the quality of education for our 05 children; and 06 WHEREAS, under art. VII, sec. 1, Constitution of the State of Alaska, a system of 07 public schools is required to be established and maintained; and 08 WHEREAS the legislature finds that the present system of providing assistance to the 09 public school system is a complex matter and should be studied for possible modification and 10 improvement; and 11 WHEREAS, during the period of study, an alternative mechanism to the existing 12 system of financial support for public schools may be desirable; and 13 WHEREAS a study conducted in the state in 2004 by the Institute of Social and 14 Economic Research recommended that the school district cost factors under AS 14.17.460(a) 15 be increased to more accurately reflect the cost differentials in rural school districts; 16 BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Joint Legislative 17 Education Funding Task Force is established for the purpose of examining school district cost
01 differentials and the existing formula for distributing state aid for education; and be it 02 FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the task force include 03 (1) evaluating proposals that are based on available facts and conclusions 04 pertaining to school district cost factors and the foundation formula; 05 (2) recommending improvements or additions to the laws providing for 06 education funding; and 07 (3) taking public comments on education funding and school district cost 08 factors; and be it 09 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force consists of 11 members as follows: 10 (1) five shall be from the senate appointed by the president of the senate; 11 (2) five shall be from the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of 12 the house of representatives; and 13 (3) one shall be appointed by the governor; and be it 14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the president of the senate and the speaker of the house 15 of representatives shall jointly appoint the chair and vice-chair of the task force; and be it 16 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet during the interim between 17 sessions; and be it 18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a report of its findings and 19 proposed legislative changes to the governor and the legislature by September 1, 2007, and 20 may make any additional reports it considers advisable; and be it 21 FURTHER RESOLVED that, if the task force is not able to propose a solution for 22 school funding, including the treatment of school district cost factors, the governor is 23 encouraged to call the legislature into a special session before the date the Second Regular 24 Session of the Twenty-Fifth Legislature convenes in order to address school funding; and be it 25 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force is 26 terminated on October 15, 2007.