04/10/2009 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

HB 215-STUDENT COUNTS/TEACHERS' SALARIES                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  215,  "An  Act relating  to  student counts  for                                                               
school  funding purposes;  and  repealing  school experience  for                                                               
salary scales provisions."                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:27:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON   opened  public  testimony,  and   seeing  no  one                                                               
presenting  themselves   to  the  committee,  he   closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:27:38 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WILSON moved  to  adopt  Conceptual Amendment  1,                                                               
which states:                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Delete Sections:  1, 2, 3, 4, 6.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Retain:  Section 5                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON objected for discussion.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:28:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WILSON  provided  an update  for  the  committee,                                                               
paraphrasing  from  a  prepared  statement and  the  new  sponsor                                                               
statement,   which   read   as  follows   [original   punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     To refresh  the committee's memory, HB  215 will repeal                                                                    
     salary scale  limitations for hiring  new out  of state                                                                    
     teachers.  Additionally it  will average student counts                                                                    
     in  the spring  and  fall to  determine school  funding                                                                    
     numbers for the following school year.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     With this bill to we  are trying to proactively address                                                                    
     the  issues   of  high  drop  out   rates  and  teacher                                                                    
     recruitment.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     HB 215 repeals salary  scale limitations for hiring new                                                                    
     out of  state teachers,  allowing for  more competitive                                                                    
     recruitment efforts.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     HB 215 will help school  districts hire staff for hard-                                                                    
     to-fill  positions.     Specialty  positions,  such  as                                                                    
     therapists  and  special  needs teachers  are  in  high                                                                    
     demand in  school districts across the  country, and we                                                                    
     have a shortage here in Alaska.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Current  statutes  limit the  amount  of  out of  state                                                                    
     professional experience  that may be used  to establish                                                                    
     a teacher's  position on the  salary scale.   No matter                                                                    
     how  long  they  have  been   teaching,  out  of  state                                                                    
     teachers  with  a  bachelors degree  can  only  receive                                                                    
     credit for six years of  out of state experience.  With                                                                    
     a masters degree that is increased to eight years.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     By  repealing this  antiquated statute,  districts will                                                                    
     be able to negotiate salaries  on a case by case basis,                                                                    
     this will  help keep  Alaska competitive with  the rest                                                                    
     of  the  country  when  vying  for  needed  educational                                                                    
     professionals.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:29:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON  acknowledged that the  original bill  addressed two                                                               
issues,  and Amendment  1 effectively  rectifies that  situation.                                                               
The different  topics will be  appropriately served  through this                                                               
action, he said, and expressed appreciation to the sponsor.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:31:26 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARDNER stated  her  interest  in supporting  the                                                               
aspects that are being amended out of the bill.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON maintained  the importance  for keeping  the issues                                                               
separate,  and  indicated  that  the  deleted  sections  will  be                                                               
continuing  topics during  the interim,  and brought  back before                                                               
the committee next session.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  BUCH  noted that  the  amendment  will require  a                                                               
title change, as well.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:32:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ asked for an  explanation of the term school                                                               
experience, when applied to the salary scale.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON explained that a  new teacher to the Alaska                                                               
system,  who has  taught elsewhere,  should expect  to receive  a                                                               
monetary increment credit for each year of experience.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:33:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON removed  his objection  to conceptual  Amendment 1.                                                               
There being no  further objection, conceptual Amendment  1, to HB
, was adopted.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:33:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ moved  to report HB 215,  26-LS0456\T out of                                                               
committee, as  amended, with  individual recommendations  and the                                                               
accompanying  fiscal note.    There being  no  objection, HB  215                                                               
(EDC), Version T, was reported  from the House Education Standing                                                               
Committee.