00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 8                                                                    
01 Designating September 1 - 7, 2015, as Quality Pre-Kindergarten through High School                                      
02 Week.                                                                                                                   
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the state needs to work to improve access to voluntary pre-kindergarten                                 
05 programs because pre-kindergarten programs increase graduation rates, college attendance,                               
06 and earnings, and reduce costs associated with crime and welfare; and                                                   
07       WHEREAS every student in the state should have access to an effective education;                                
08 and                                                                                                                     
09       WHEREAS citizens across the state agree that continuing to improve the quality of                               
10 education from voluntary pre-kindergarten through high school is an issue of importance to                              
11 the state's leaders; and                                                                                                
12       WHEREAS the state recognizes the critical role that an effective and accountable                                
13 system of education plays in preparing children in the state to be successful adults; and                               
14       WHEREAS the state has a multitude of high quality traditional public schools, public                            
15 charter schools, public statewide and district correspondence programs, home schooling                                  
16 support programs, and nonpublic schools; and                                                                            

01       WHEREAS the state has many high quality, dedicated teaching professionals in all                                
02 types of educational environments; and                                                                                  
03       WHEREAS it is important for parents in the state to explore and identify the best                               
04 educational options available to their children; and                                                                    
05       WHEREAS the Constitution of the State of Alaska prohibits the diversion of public                               
06 school funding for use by private educational institutions; and                                                         
07       WHEREAS the state should seek ways to reduce class sizes in public schools that                                 
08 have class sizes that are too large;                                                                                    
09       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates September 1 - 7,                                    
10 2015, as Quality Pre-Kindergarten through High School Week.