Legislature(2019 - 2020)CAPITOL 106
05/10/2019 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB109 | |
| Presentation(s): State Career & Technical Education Plan; Reauthorization, Carl Perkins Act | |
| HB67 | |
| HB155 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 109 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 67 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 155 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 155-AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
9:45:34 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 155, "An Act relating to eligibility for
the Alaska performance scholarship program."
9:45:55 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY, as the sponsor of HB 155, introduced the bill.
She explained that the goal of the bill is to give students the
opportunity to take career technical education courses that
count toward eligibility for the Alaska Performance Scholarship
(APS). She offered her belief that students who are interested
in this field need to have the opportunities to take advantage
of the Alaska Performance Scholarship. All too often students
who desire CTE classes do not have room in their schedules to
simultaneously take individual CTE classes or follow a CTE track
while still meeting APS eligibility. This is especially true
with limited course offerings in small to medium schools and
scheduling challenges. The bill would offer greater flexibility
for students as they choose courses and would recognize the
importance of CTE in student preparation for college, career,
apprenticeships, and other postsecondary training opportunities.
Financial assistance by APS is vital to many young Alaskans and
it is important that students who choose a path that includes
CTE have access to these resources. All students can benefit
from CTE. Whether college bound or not, CTE offers valuable
skills and a pathway to certification and jobs.
9:47:34 AM
MARY HAKALA, Staff, Representative Andi Story, Alaska State
Legislature, reviewed the provisions of HB 155 on behalf of
Representative Story, sponsor. She drew attention to the chart
in the committee packet titled "Alaska Performance Scholarship"
and noted that the proposals in HB 155 are printed in green.
She explained that under the math and science curriculum, HB 155
proposes to offer one credit of CTE under the social studies
option. Under the social studies and language curriculum, HB
155 proposes to replace two credits of world language, which is
two years or four semesters, with two credits of CTE. This
would therefore focus a little more on the concentrators and it
would require that one year be sequentially more rigorous within
a career cluster.
MS. HAKALA brought attention to a graph in the committee packet
provided by DEED, which compares the graduation rates of CTE
concentrators, students who take three or more classes in CTE,
to non CTE concentrators. She said she interprets this chart as
clearly indicating that CTE can play a role in motivating
students.
MS. HAKALA then directed attention to two pages in the committee
packet regarding the 16 career clusters. Lastly, she drew
attention to the document from [Thunder Mountain High School] in
Juneau. She said career and technical education today looks
much different than when she was a kid in high school. Now,
there is a whole array of new 21st Century career technical
education opportunity.
CO-CHAIR STORY pointed out that the opportunities provided at
Thunder Mountain High School include marine biology, digital
arts, finance and investing, AP computer science, human anatomy,
outdoor biology, woods, robotics, and work readiness. She said
these are all excellent courses that she believes students
should be able to get credit for.
MS. HAKALA pointed out that the sponsor does not yet have a
fiscal note for HB 155, but it has been requested and will be
forthcoming.
9:50:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK thanked the sponsor for bringing forth HB
155. He recounted that during debate of the Alaska Performance
Scholarship in about 2012 or 2013, he was concerned about not
having equal opportunities for rural Alaskans to be able to have
the classes and ability to apply for and receive the Alaska
Performance Scholarship, which could result in a legal
challenge. He related that while serving on the school board an
attorney called him to share that had it not been for shop
classes, he would never have taken the other courses and
graduated from high school. Although this person never did
enter the trades, he related further, this person went on to
higher education and become an attorney and now those skills
developed in shop class save all kinds of money because this
person can do these things himself.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK pointed out that these days even shop
mechanics must have many computer skills to be able to perform
their jobs. He further pointed out that home economics is
science because it deals with measurements, chemical reactions,
diets, and how diet affects the body. He offered his belief
that it is the career and technical education components of
things that make education relevant, engaging, and inspiring,
because people want to be able to apply what they are learning
immediately to the things that they are doing.
9:53:26 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND held over HB 155.