02/21/2011 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION

        SB   9-RAISE COMP. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AGE/TRUANCY                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
8:05:23 AM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced the consideration of SB 9.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:06:26 AM                                                                                                                    
THOMAS OBERMEYER,  Staff to  Senator Bettye  Davis, sponsor  of SB
,  said statistics  indicate that  staying in  school for  longer                                                              
and graduating are  tremendous for personal growth  and income. He                                                              
turned to the report "Building a Grad Nation" which states:                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Since  2002,  12  states  have   raised  the  compulsory                                                                   
     school age  from 16  to 17 or  18. Currently, 21  states                                                                   
     have a  compulsory school age  of 18 and 32  states have                                                                   
     a  compulsory school  age of  17 or 18.  In some  states                                                                   
     that  have a  compulsory school  attendance  age of  17,                                                                   
     like Tennessee  and West Virginia, students  must remain                                                                   
     in  school until  they  are 18  to  keep their  driver's                                                                   
     license.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
[This report can be located in the document packet].                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He  said that  every  state  is different  in  the  way that  they                                                              
handle raising  the compulsory school  age, but, in  general, this                                                              
has become a major trend.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:08:55 AM                                                                                                                    
PATRICIA  GEORGE,   Advocacy  Co-Chair,   Alaska  State   Literacy                                                              
Association (ASLA),  testified in support of SB 9.  She said while                                                              
most children  are in school  by the age  of 6, this  doesn't mean                                                              
that these students  are in school regularly or on  time. No Child                                                              
Left  Behind has  mandated  that  all children  must  read by  the                                                              
third grade. She  questioned how this can be  enforced if children                                                              
are not  required to  be in  school until  age 7.  SB 9 will  give                                                              
schools  the   legal  means  to   enforce  regular   and  punctual                                                              
attendance for beginning learners.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  STEVENS said  he understands  the need  for reducing  the                                                              
mandatory  age  from  7  to  6.  He  asked  if  she  has  had  any                                                              
reflections on increasing the age to 18.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. GEORGE  answered that  ASLA has  not taken  a position  on the                                                              
age increase.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:11:36 AM                                                                                                                    
JOHN  ALCANTRA,   Lobbyist,  National  Education   Association  of                                                              
Alaska (NEA-Alaska),  testified in support of SB 9.  He said, on a                                                              
personal note,  as a parent  of four children  and an uncle  of 61                                                              
nieces and nephews  in Alaska, he understands how  important it is                                                              
to  have a  "hammer to  keep kids  in school."  He explained  that                                                              
this  is one  tool  that  can be  used  to encourage  students  to                                                              
attend school on a regular basis.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMAS  clarified for  the committee  that a  student, on                                                              
their 18th birthday, could leave school.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:14:38 AM                                                                                                                    
LES  MORSE,  Deputy  Commissioner,  Department  of  Education  and                                                              
Early Development (DEED), introduced himself.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR THOMAS  asked if he could  review some of  the exemptions                                                              
to SB 9.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MORSE answered  that  there are  several  exemption and  this                                                              
bill would  not change those. Some  of these exemptions  include a                                                              
student:  in  a  private school  with  certified  teachers;  being                                                              
tutored   privately   by   certified   personnel;   attending   an                                                              
educational program  sponsored by  a religious or  private school;                                                              
in  a federally  operated school;  who  has a  physical or  mental                                                              
condition   where  a   medical   authority   has  indicated   that                                                              
attendance  would be impractical;  in the  custody of  the courts;                                                              
ill  or injured  for a  period time;  who has  been suspended  and                                                              
denied  attendance; or  who has  graduated  from secondary  school                                                              
regardless of age.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
He  said in  regards to  violating the  compulsory attendance  law                                                              
the  implications are  addressed  towards the  parent. Every  five                                                              
days  of  unlawful  absence  is considered  a  violation,  with  a                                                              
maximum financial penalty of $500 per violation.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS  thanked Mr.  Morse for his  work during  his time                                                              
as acting commissioner for DEED.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  MEYER  said  lowering   the  age  makes  perfect  sense,                                                              
however he  is unsure  about increasing  the mandatory  compulsory                                                              
age from  16- to 18-years-old.  If students  are in school  at the                                                              
age  of 16  who  do  not want  to  be there,  it  is  going to  be                                                              
disruptive.  He said  he  would like  to  see a  plan  for how  to                                                              
motivate students who do not want to be there.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
He said  his second  concern is  that there  is no  representation                                                              
from  the  rural  areas.  He questioned  whether  there  might  be                                                              
issues in  rural areas where,  at a certain  age, the boys  may be                                                              
expected  to go  out hunting  for long  periods of  time. He  said                                                              
that, despite  these concerns, he  does not have a  problem moving                                                              
SB  9  out  of committee;  especially  because  he  believes  that                                                              
lowering the age is very important.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  STEVENS concurred.  He said  he hopes  that if this  bill                                                              
does  pass  DEED should  follow  it  very carefully  to  determine                                                              
whether it is working.  He said the bill is better  than what they                                                              
have now and he is in favor of moving SB 9.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:22:44 AM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR  MEYER moved  to  report  SB 9  from  the committee  with                                                              
individual recommendations  and attached  zero fiscal  note. There                                                              
being  no  objections,  SB  9  moved  from  the  Senate  Education                                                              
Standing Committee.