Legislature(2013 - 2014)SENATE FINANCE 532
04/10/2014 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB278 | |
| Public Testimony | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 278 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 278(FIN) am
"An Act increasing the base student allocation used in
the formula for state funding of public education;
relating to the exemption from jury service for
certain teachers; relating to the powers of the
Department of Education and Early Development;
relating to high school course credit earned through
assessment; relating to school performance reports;
relating to assessments; establishing a public school
and school district grading system; relating to
charter schools and student transportation; relating
to residential school applications; relating to tenure
of public school teachers; relating to unemployment
contributions for the Alaska technical and vocational
education program; relating to earning high school
credit for completion of vocational education courses
offered by institutions receiving technical and
vocational education program funding; relating to
schools operated by a federal agency; relating to a
grant for school districts; relating to education tax
credits; establishing an optional municipal tax
exemption for privately owned real property rented or
leased for use as a charter school; requiring the
Department of Administration to provide a proposal for
a salary and benefits schedule for school districts;
making conforming amendments; and providing for an
effective date."
9:11:01 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough asked that the testifiers speak to
specific aspects of the bill. She shared that she had
received many letters opposing the entire bill, but
specifically addressed tenure. She hoped that the
testifiers would speak about specific parts of the bill,
rather than the entire bill.
^PUBLIC TESTIMONY
9:12:53 AM
KENNY POWERS, PARENT, ANCHORAGE, felt that he was
representing all of Alaska. He remarked that investing in
education was very importing. He felt that funding was
extremely important for education. He stressed the
importance of educating children. He felt that the
committee should exceed the funding requests from the
Anchorage School District. He encouraged attendance for the
Alaska Folk Festival.
Co-Chair Kelly asked what instrument Mr. Powers played. Mr.
Powers responded that he came to Juneau to dance at the
Alaska Folk Festival.
Co-Chair Meyer remarked that he looked forward to attending
the Alaska Folk Festival. Mr. Powers restated his
testimony, reiterating the importance of education funding.
9:17:40 AM
DEENA MITCHELL, CO-FOUNDER, GREAT ALASKA SCHOOLS,
ANCHORAGE, testified in support increasing the Base Student
Allocation (BSA). She shared that there was a petition from
Great Alaska Schools (copy on file). She stressed that
Alaska was a great state, and felt that increasing
education funding. She felt that the schools must be fully
funded and fully-staffed, otherwise lace of improvement
will be blamed on lack of funding. She urged a BSA increase
of $400 and $100 each year for the next two years.
Senator Dunleavy requested a copy of Ms. Mitchell's
testimony.
9:21:03 AM
ALYSE GADVIN, LEADER, GREAT ALASKA SCHOOLS, ANCHORAGE, felt
that education funding should not be lacking, because of
the fear of fiscal crisis. She urged secure funding, and
understood that it was difficult to obtain accurate
information.
Co-Chair Meyer appreciated Ms. Gadvin's participation in
the process.
9:24:59 AM
RON FUHRER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
ALASKA, JUNEAU, stated that the National Education
Association (NEA) of Alaska had six principles: make every
educator a great educator; create opportunities for
innovative practices; increase the amount of time the
students spend learning; create a quality teacher
evaluation system; reinforce effective family school
partnering; and deliver a rich and varied curriculum. The
goal of NEA Alaska was to work with anyone who wanted to
cooperate in improving student achievement. He stated that
the NEA supported Section 1, jury service exemption. The
NEA supported the governor's version of Section 2. The NEA
supported the star evaluation in Section 8. The NEA
supported Sections 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The NEA supported
Section 18. The NEA supported Section 19. The NEA supported
the direction of Sections 20, 21, and 22. He looked at
Sections 23 and 24, and announced that the NEA supported
the current state statutes. The NEA supported Sections 26
and 27. The NEA supported Section 29, lease by a charter
school. He looked at Sections 30 through 41, and remarked
that the NEA supported investment in education, but some
questioned the constitutionality of expanding tax credits
to K-12 for public or private non-profit agencies or
schools. The NEA supported Sections 43, 45, and 46. He
looked at Section 44, and stated that the NEA supported the
current state statutes. He looked at Section 47, and
announced that the NEA supported using the money to study
the foundation formula, not a statewide salary and benefits
study. The NEA supported Section 48.
Senator Dunleavy requested a copy of Mr. Fuhrer's
testimony.
Co-Chair Kelly wondered if the NEA encouraged local members
to lobby assemblies and councils to move the funding near
the cap. Mr. Fuhrer replied that the NEA encouraged
participation. He stated that the public wanted and
expected improved student performance.
Co-Chair Kelly remarked that he attended a pot-luck at a
PTA meeting, and felt that many in attendance did not know
that they could go to the district to ask for funding.
9:31:23 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough wanted to understand the thought
process of the other body when they decided to extend the
time for tenure. She queried the importance and need for
tenure. She wondered if there were current state laws that
made tenure unnecessary, because of their due process for
everyone. She stressed that the bills in the schools
related to various costs including energy made it difficult
to determine exactly how much money should be used in the
classroom. The state has continually increased the budget
for education, but the costs are rising. She stated that
the NEA website was difficult to navigate, and she was even
rejected from the website because she was not given
authorization. She queried the basis and references of the
literature that NEA advocacy group was distributing. Mr.
Fuhrer replied that he was unaware of her inquiry. He
encouraged her to contact him directly.
9:34:51 AM
Senator Dunleavy queried the position of the NEA regarding
the common core issues. Mr. Fuhrer replied that NEA Alaska
supported the Alaska state standards. He was concerned
about the difficulties of implementation.
Senator Dunleavy wondered if any other education
associations in the state differed from NEA Alaska. Mr.
Fuhrer replied that there was local participation, and many
smaller organizations contributed to the guidelines of NEA.
He felt that most of the local NEA affiliates supported the
Alaska state standards.
Senator Dunleavy specifically wondered if the NEA
affiliates supported the NEA analysis of the bill. Mr.
Fuhrer responded that he was speaking for the state
organization, and stated that he would share if any
affiliates agreed with his assessment.
Co-Chair Meyer expressed concern regarding the work at the
state level to relieve the communities of financial
burdens.
9:40:23 AM
MARY HAKALA, SELF, JUNEAU, shared that ten years prior
there was an educational funding crisis. She felt that
there had been an annual ritual of cutting the budget. She
stated that the pressure regarding budget cuts forced many
parents to come together to ensure that the students had
proper funding for proper education. She felt that the work
that parents paid off with only modest budget cuts, and she
stressed that more work was imperative to ensure that the
schools had proper funding.
9:44:25 AM
CHRIS MERSHOOF, TEACHER, GLACIER HIGH SCHOOL, FAIRBANKS,
testified against tenure portion of the legislation. He
stated that for public K-12 teachers, tenure did not
guarantee lifelong employment. He felt that tenure was
merely a guarantee of due process. He shared that he had
been a teacher for six years, and was a tenured teachers.
If he suddenly stopped doing his job well, his supervisor
could terminate his employment by following two key steps:
1) the supervisor must inform him of what he was doing
incorrectly; and 2) if he was not able or willing to
change, it would be possible for the supervisor to
terminate him within 60 days. He felt that the current
system was effective, and did not protect bad teachers.
9:46:37 AM
BILL BJORK, RETIRED TEACHER, FAIRBANKS, felt that there
were some important aspects of the legislation, but felt
that changing the tenure requirement to the 5-year tenure
made Alaska less competitive in the market for talented
teachers. He remarked that most of the western states had
3-year tenure. He stressed that without the reasonable
tenure requirement, talented, capable, and good teachers
could have their employment terminated for no reason beyond
budgetary restrictions. He stressed that those individuals
face major financial stresses, and are kept from moving
forward with their lives. Therefore, it disrupts the
economy. He felt that there were no compelling arguments to
make the change in tenure.
9:50:44 AM
SANDY TRAINI, TEACHER, ANCHORAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT,
ANCHORAGE, urged increasing the funding for education. She
shared some anecdotes regarding the importance of special
education funding. She remarked that teaching was a very
difficult career, and the first few years of teaching
helped teachers to adapt. She felt that adjusting tenure
was a bad choice.
9:55:23 AM
AT EASE
10:04:51 AM
RECONVENED
10:05:40 AM
KIKI ABRAHAMSON, PRINCIPAL, FIREWEED ACADEMY SCHOOL, HOMER
(via teleconference), testified in support of increasing
the BSA. She urged support of Section 29 of the bill, she
hoped that the language in the section would also include
municipality and boroughs, and change the word, "may" to
"will." She expressed concern regarding the change in from
150 to 75 for charter schools. She felt that the clause
inhibited the ability for existing small schools to
survive, and did not create an environment for new schools.
10:08:15 AM
Vice-Chair Fairclough asked that Ms. Abrahamson submit her
testimony in writing. She felt that Ms. Abrahamson may not
be speaking to the current version of the bill.
Co-Chair Meyer stated that the current version was H.A
dated 4/7/14. He restated that the Homer LIO probably had
the address that written testimony could be submitted.
Vice-Chair Fairclough shared that the NEA Anchorage
Association would not provide her office with a password to
access their website.
10:10:02 AM
XANDER KULHANEK, STUDENT, FIREWEED ACADEMY SCHOOL, HOMER
(via teleconference), urged support of funding charter
schools. He stated that his school was facing extreme
budgetary problems.
10:10:45 AM
JOE BOYLE, PRESIDENT, MAT-SU EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, MAT-SU
(via teleconference), testified in opposition to extending
the tenure requirement. He also spoke in support of a BSA
increase of $400 or more. He stated that flat funding the
BSA made it difficult for people to do their jobs. He
stated that elementary teachers were forced to take on many
alternative duties with the lack of funding. He suggested
that the teaching careers were less appealing.
Co-Chair Meyer restated that there would be invited
testimony regarding some deeper issues.
10:13:43 AM
GREG REYNOLDS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SOUTHEAST CAREER
CONSORTIUM, SITKA (via teleconference), addressed Section
25 of the legislation, and spoke against that section. He
stated that TVEP had been created to support education;
however the consortium was still underfunded. He stressed
that students in Southeast Alaska deserved the same
resources and quality education as the rest of the state.
He shared that the consortium was the only group in the
region with a plan and had extensive training experience
with high schools and communities.
10:15:24 AM
TAMMY SMITH, PRESIDENT, FAIRBANKS EDUCATION ASSOCIATION,
FAIRBANKS (via teleconference), addressed two issues in the
legislation. She addressed the issue of changing the way
that elementary school students were graded. She expressed
concern about Section 47 regarding a statewide salary
schedule and benefits. She felt that the salary should be
left to local control. She testified against the change in
tenure requirements.
10:20:00 AM
TAMMI GANGULI, SELF, FAIRBANKS (via teleconference), urged
a substantial increase to operating funds for school
districts in order to provide a quality education and
reduce class sizes. She stressed that the funds would allow
the school districts to continue to provide quality
education, and keep classroom sizes to a minimum. She
requested an increase to the BSA to between $250 to $400.
She remarked that the BSA increase would only make up the
difference from the recent previous years of flat funding.
She stressed that the state provided quality education. She
spoke to Co-Chair Kelly's comments regarding the
legislative pot-luck. She announced that many parents
attended that function to bring their concerns to the
legislators.
Co-Chair Kelly commented that the committee put $100
million into the operating budget for a BSA increase for
two years. Ms. Ganguli asked Co-Chair Kelly to repeat his
statement, because she has been receiving conflicting
information.
Co-Chair Kelly stated that the Senate Finance Committee
inserted $100 million to increase the BSA for two years.
Ms. Ganguli asked for an outline of how much of the funds
would directly impact the classroom. Co-Chair Kelly replied
that $75 million was intended to go to the district, and
the district could distribute the funds as they see fit.
Co-Chair Meyer asked Co-Chair Kelly to work with the PTA in
Fairbanks.
10:28:02 AM
ALISON ARIANS, COALITION OF PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS,
ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), spoke in support of an
increase of the BSA at a minimum of $400 and for forward
funding by at least three years. She spoke to estimates for
high classroom sizes. She was not alone in her concerns.
She was unhappy with cuts to teachers and counselors. She
testified that all types of individuals were upset by the
cuts. She spoke to parents' involvement in the issue. She
spoke to different ways parents were working to be
involved. Education was the primary issue for many voters
in the current year.
10:31:43 AM
DAVID BOYLE, ALASKA POLICY FORUM, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), stressed that the focus should be on
educating students, so they can focus on future career
endeavors. He stressed that education was a "job program"
for students. He remarked that there were many complex
issues related to the foundation formula funding for public
schools. He stated that the BSA had increased 36 percent,
while inflation only increased 27.2 percent, so the BSA had
outpaced inflation over the previous decade. In Anchorage,
the BSA was $377 more than needed to keep up with the past
ten years of inflation. He remarked that the media did not
report that issue. He looked at Sections 30 through 40 of
the bill. He felt that there were some questionable
programs that might be unconstitutional, and felt that the
sections should be included in the bill.
10:35:37 AM
ERIC CROFT, MEMBER, ANCHORAGE SCHOOL BOARD, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), testified in support of funding for an
increase to the BSA over two years. He stated that the
Anchorage School Board and the Anchorage School District
had never taken an official position regarding tenure. He
personally felt that five-year tenure was a poor idea. He
stated that the Anchorage School Board encouraged the
school district to have guidelines that supported
competitive retention. If the legislature decided to change
tenure from three years to five years, the Anchorage School
District may decide to keep their tenure requirement at
three years, in order to recruit the best possible
teachers.
10:40:02 AM
KATHY TODD, MEMBER, VALDEZ SCHOOL BOARD, VALDEZ (via
teleconference), testified in support of increasing the
BSA. She addressed some of the aspects of the legislation.
She spoke against tax credits for private schools. She felt
that funds should not be taken away from public schools.
She did not understand how moving public funds to private
organizations would enhance education.
10:44:33 AM
RICK KNIAZIOWSKI, VICE-PRESIDENT, KODIAK SCHOOL BOARD,
KODIAK (via teleconference), spoke in support of an
increase to the BSA. He shared that there had been a 20
percent decrease in teachers in Kodiak, because of a
reduction in funds and a reduction in students. He felt
that the schools in Kodiak met and exceeded greater
requirements that the legislature had continually enacted.
He shared that the current funding in the legislation would
leave Kodiak with a $1.16 million deficit, which would
result in cutting six teachers, eleven support staff, and
about $200,000 in curriculum and instruction reduction.
Co-Chair Meyer handed the gavel to Co-Chair Kelly.
10:47:50 AM
HANNAH MARX, STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, JUNEAU DOUGLAS HIGH
SCHOOL, JUNEAU, testified in support of increasing the BSA.
She remarked that she wanted quality education, and had
experienced first-hand the benefits of proper education
funding.
10:49:50 AM
ZACH GIANOTTI, STUDENT BODY VICE-PRESIDENT, JUNEAU DOUGLAS
HIGH SCHOOL, JUNEAU, echoed the remarks of Ms. Marx.
10:50:20 AM
MARY SAGE, MEMBER, BARROW SCHOOL BOARD, BARROW (via
teleconference), testified in support of the change in
teacher tenure from three to five years. She spoke in
support of the increase to the BSA for three years to
assist the school district in budget planning, and to meet
the rising cost of inflation. She testified in support of
the additional $30 million outside of the foundation
formula. She spoke against the school grading system of A
through F, because it created a community feeling of
finality, rather than encouraging continuous improvement.
10:52:11 AM
ANDY HOLLEMAN, PRESIDENT, ANCHORAGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION,
ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), echoed the remarks of Mr.
Fuhrer, and the points that he outlined. He stated that
there was widespread agreement among the members of the
Anchorage Education Association regarding those remarks,
and the aspects of the bill. He stressed that teachers
faced a fear of unreasonable non-retention during the first
three years of employment. He agreed with the testimony of
Mr. Boyle. He stressed that a tenured teacher was given
grounds to argue the expectations placed on them to conduct
non-classroom related activities.
10:56:00 AM
DAVID NEES, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), reported
that inflation adjusted numbers were less than the numbers
provided. He stated that funds for the BSA that were
allocated for teachers. State and local funding was $11
million. He appreciated the word direct in front of
education. He supported the governor's model of the BSA
increases.
10:58:54 AM
KITTY LOGAN, PRINCIPAL, EAGLE RIVER ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL,
EAGLE RIVER (via teleconference), testified in support of
facilities funding for charter schools. She shared that the
facilities cost made up 20 percent of Eagle Academy's
budget. She encouraged the addition of a mandate that
earmarked funds, such as energy money, be directed toward
schools. She felt that the money should not be left to the
discretion of the sponsoring school. She testified in
support of the 4 percent cap on indirect fees, and the
right of first refusal on existing district buildings and
waiving property tax options would positively impact Eagle
Academy currently and in the near future.
Co-Chair Kelly handed the gavel to Co-Chair Meyer.
Vice-Chair Fairclough queried Eagle Academy's rank on the
area wide school ranking. Ms. Logan replied that Eagle
Academy ranked second in the district.
11:00:46 AM
BOB KRUMLEY, SUPERINTENDENT, CHUGACH SCHOOL DISTRICT,
CHUGACH (via teleconference), encouraged the addition of
the residential school stipend into the legislation. He
shared that the Chugach School District operated a
successful variable term residential school for eighteen
years, without any regular support from the state. He felt
that the funding should be the amount of the original
request from the year prior. He felt that the funding would
enhance the ability for students to be college and career
ready. He announced that Alaska needed innovative programs,
like technical and vocational training, in order to
participate in Alaska's workforce and economy.
11:05:32 AM
ANDREW HALCRO, PRESIDENT, ANCHORAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of
strengthening public school outcomes through additional
funding for vocational programs. He stressed that local
businesses wanted to hire Alaskans. He announced that the
Chamber had partnered with a number of different
organizations to conduct a statewide learning survey, which
was released two months prior. The Chamber wanted to
reconcile the business community's view of the condition of
the students that were emerging from the Anchorage School
District. The Chamber approached the NEA, in order to
access teachers' viewpoints. He stressed that the date
should draw the discussion, and did not focus on funding
for political issues. He stated that the study reflected
certain trends that inhibited learning. He shared that
student population was becoming more complex; and students
who start behind, stay behind.
Co-Chair Meyer appreciated Mr. Halcro's comments, and
agreed that there were complex issues that the legislature
should consider.
11:11:40 AM
MIKE COONS, SELF, PALMER (via teleconference), testified in
opposition to the $185 increase in the BSA. He only
supported the $85 increase that the governor proposed. He
stated that the governor made it clear that the $85
increase to the BSA was based on passage of excellent
education bills that were more focused on performance
rather than spending. He remarked that there were some
important bills that were currently being considered in the
legislature.
11:14:03 AM
AT EASE
11:15:32 AM
RECONVENED
11:16:43 AM
JERRY COVEY, COOK INLET TRIBAL COUNCIL, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), testified in support of the addition of
the residential school stipend into the legislation. He
stated that there were currently over 1000 students
attending residential high schools in Alaska. The audit for
expenditures in the residential high schools demonstrated
that the programs were operating at a deficit. He stated
that the programs produced outstanding value for all
students, by providing both academic and career and
technical education opportunities that students in small
high schools were often unable to access.
11:18:50 AM
CON BUNDY, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified
in opposition to the repeal of the high school exit exam.
He felt that the exit exam was important, and shared that
he had worked as a legislator to enact the legislation
regarding the high school exit exam. He felt that the exam
was important for businesses and the community to
understand what constitutes a high school diploma.
Co-Chair Meyer agreed that the high school exit exam should
be a part of the discussion.
11:25:10 AM
CHRIS REITAN, SUPERINTENDENT, GALENA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT,
ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of
funding for room and board for Alaska boarding schools. He
echoed the comments of Mr. Covey and Mr. Krumley. He felt
that the funding would enhance the ability for students to
be college and career ready. He announced that Alaska
needed innovative programs, like technical and vocational
training, in order to participate in Alaska's workforce and
economy.
11:27:03 AM
ROXY MCDONAGH, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
directed her testimony toward the tenure aspect of the
legislation. She felt that changing the tenure requirement
to the 5-year tenure made Alaska less competitive in the
market for talented teachers. She remarked that most of the
western states had 3-year tenure. She stressed that without
the reasonable tenure requirement, talented, capable, and
good teachers could have their employment terminated for no
reason beyond budgetary restrictions. She stressed that
those individuals face major financial stresses, and are
kept from moving forward with their lives. Therefore, it
disrupts the economy. She felt that there were no
compelling arguments to make the change in tenure.
11:30:08 AM
DOREN LORENZ, CHAIRMAN, BALTO SCHOOL BOARD, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), testified in support of Section 29. She
felt that the money should not be left to the discretion of
the sponsoring school. She testified in support of the 4
percent cap on indirect fees, and the right of first
refusal on existing district buildings and waiving property
tax options would positively impact Eagle Academy currently
and in the near future.
11:32:50 AM
JUAN SAN MIGUEL, PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION ALASKA,
ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified against the A
through F grading system. He felt that parent engagement
was the most important aspect in school. He felt that the
male parents should be involved, because the child would be
more successful if the male parent was involved in their
education. He shared that the PTA had created a program
called "The Schools of Excellence" which allowed
improvement, rather than a set grading system.
11:35:20 AM
PAT HIGGINS, MEMBER, ANCHORAGE SCHOOL BOARD, ANCHORAGE (via
teleconference), testified in support of the increase to
the BSA. He felt that there were some major issues
regarding the formula of the BSA. He stressed that there
should be a focus on outcomes. He understood that there
were continual positive results, and there should be
continued growth. He spoke against the change in tenure
requirements.
CSHB 278(FIN)am was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.