Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/31/2011 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB3 | |
| SB1 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 3 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 1-BD OF ED./EARLY DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT
8:29:03 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced the consideration of SB 1.
8:29:26 AM
SENATOR DAVIS, sponsor of SB 1, said this piece of legislation
is important because it gives the legislature an opportunity to
meet with the Board of Education at the beginning of every
session.
8:30:11 AM
TOM OBERMEYER, staff to Senator Davis, sponsor of SB 1, read the
following sponsor statement:
This bill requires that the Alaska State Board of
Education shall prepare and present to the State
Legislature not later than the 30th day of each
regular session an annual report that describes
the efforts of the board to develop, maintain,
and continuously improve a comprehensive quality
public education system as provided for under the
bylaws of the Board.
The report to the Legislature must include:
1. a summary of resolves and rationales
provided in support of policy decisions;
2. program and curriculum changes made,
discussed, or recommended in meetings; and
3. additional information relevant to efforts
made to improve and maintain the public
education system.
This bill is intended to create a greater
dialogue among Alaska legislators, the Department
of Education and Early Development (DEED), and
the Board of Education which meets at least
quarterly. Since Alaska legislators appropriate
over $1 billion per year for state public
education which is a significant portion of the
state budget, they must be at the center of the
state's efforts to identify strengths and
weaknesses of the current system, help determine
a public agenda, set clear goals for K-12 and
higher education, and hold institutions
accountable for performance. The only way to
achieve this is through cooperation and
communication with the Board and the Department.
Legislators take great pride and tremendous
amounts of time and effort every session in
trying to provide the best possible education,
scholarships, and funding for Alaska students.
The annual report required by this bill will
assist both DEED and legislators early in each
session in assessing new programs, curriculum
changes, goals and priorities which may require
more information or administrative and
legislative action during session.
8:32:19 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked whether the Board of Education already
presents to the legislature.
SENATOR DAVIS answered no. The University of Alaska (UA) Board
of Regents has annual reports, but the Board of Education does
not.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked for confirmation that SB 1 asks for both an
annual report and a presentation.
SENATOR DAVIS replied yes.
SENATOR STEVENS said he thinks this is a good idea and would be
much better than what currently occurs.
CO-CHAIR MEYER agreed. He said that Esther Cox, the president of
the board, has been very cooperative in the past. However, this
bill would formalize the process.
8:34:01 AM
JOHN ALCANTRA, Lobbyist, National Education Association of
Alaska (NEA-Alaska), testified in support SB 1. He said that in
the nine years he has worked with NEA-Alaska, the board has
always been very forthcoming in answering questions and getting
the organization information. However, SB 1 will assist in
making sure that there is more knowledge of what is happening on
the state board level.
8:36:11 AM
LES MORSE, Acting Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), said the board has a strong interest
in connecting and communicating with the legislature. He
mentioned that the current board chair has requested a joint
meeting with the House and Senate Education Committees in March.
He said that he is always concerned about adding reports and
would like to offer an alternative for the committee's
consideration.
He explained that the board's actions and its rationales are
always laid out in their minutes. Communication could
immediately be improved by including either the co-chairs or the
entire committee on the board's electronic distribution list of
its minutes. The information needed for an annual report would
be lifted directly from these minutes.
He continued that the board meets four times annually, including
a March meeting held intentionally in Juneau so that it has an
opportunity to interact with the legislature. DEED will also do
everything it can to support the board in interacting with the
legislature in that way. He reiterated that the board would also
include the committee on their distribution list for their four
live meetings and two audio meetings.
8:39:12 AM
SENATOR DAVIS said that what the department is offering already
occurs and March is too late to expect to have a meeting with
the committee, especially with a 90-day session. She said that
she wants something that is concrete and will be laid out at the
beginning of the legislative session rather than at the end. She
explained that she has seen the board's minutes and attended
their meetings; however, not all of the committee members
necessarily receive them. The guidelines and regulations for the
report, it seems, would be determined by DEED, as long as it is
completed by the deadline. She explained that the committee does
not need to know everything that takes place, but important
changes and recommendations should be included in a report.
ACTING COMMISSIONER MORSE replied that all of the actions that
she is asking for are contained in those minutes. If the board
had a report it would simply be a restatement of these minutes.
The alternative, he explained, would allow the committee to
receive the board's minutes immediately, rather than waiting
until the session begins.
SENATOR DAVIS said she is interested in more than just a written
report, but also in an oral dialogue. That way, she explained,
the board can share concerns that it might have and would ensure
that oral dialogue would continue in the future.
8:43:42 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS said he wants a general consensus from the board
on issues that the legislature should be looking at in order to
improve education, not minutes from meetings.
He explained that the committee receives a lot of comments about
education in Alaska not improving at a very rapid rate or at
all. The report could be used almost like a consultant report,
which suggests areas that need to be improved or changed. He
explained that he is not an expert in education and does not
want to guess at what needs to be done. Rather, he would like
the experts in education to bring things for the committee's
consideration.
SENATOR STEVENS commended Senator Davis on her bill and that it
compares to the bill the committee passed with the University of
Alaska (UA) Board of Regents. He explained that at the time the
committee was only hearing from the president of the university
and it was felt that the committee should hear from the Board of
Regents as well. For this reason the legislature established a
requirement that the Board of Regents submit an annual report on
teacher preparation. He added that this report and face-to-face
time has been extremely valuable.
He asked if the committee could include something in the bill
that would also allow the legislature to meet with the Board of
Education. He continued that SB 1 will establish better
communication, which is lacking right now.
CO-CHAIR MEYER agreed. He pointed out that the current board
president, Esther Cox, has been very accessible and has
communicated well. But, he said, that is not to say that the
next president will be as accessible and as free with
communication. He suggested that the committee draft an
amendment that would deal with Senator Steven's comments.
SENATOR DAVIS said that would be fine. She continued that she
appreciates the work of Esther Cox but gave an example as to why
more face to face time could be helpful. She explained that a
few years ago a letter was sent by the Board of Education to the
commissioner of DEED which stated that it needed to look at
changing or removing the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam.
This letter, she explained, sat for two or three years. When,
later, she drafted a bill that would eliminate the exam she
asked the board if it was aware of this letter. Ms. Cox, who was
president of the board at the time, was not aware of it. She
emphasized that these are the types of things that can get lost.
8:49:49 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER closed public testimony.
8:50:25 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked if Senator Davis could review the piece of
legislation that was created for the UA Board of Regents. He
said that this might help in drafting the amendment.
SENATOR DAVIS replied yes.
CO-CHAIR MEYER said that if the change to SB 1 is going to be
small, only an amendment is needed.
SENATOR DAVIS concurred.
8:50:48 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER held SB 1 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| AARP Letter.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Druce Letter of Support.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2011 8:00:00 AM |