03/27/2017 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB102 | |
| HB52 | |
| HB146 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 102 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 52 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 146 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 27, 2017
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Harriet Drummond, Chair
Representative Justin Parish, Vice Chair
Representative Zach Fansler
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative Chuck Kopp
Representative David Talerico
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jennifer Johnston
Representative Lora Reinbold (alternate)
Representative Geran Tarr (alternate)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 102
"An Act relating to instruction in a language other than
English; and relating to limited teacher certificates."
- MOVED CSHB 102(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 52
"An Act relating to providing a pre-elementary program within a
school district; and providing for the certification of early
childhood education plans."
- HEARD & HELD
SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 146
"An Act imposing a school tax on certain income of residents,
part-year residents, and nonresidents; relating to a payment
against the school tax from the permanent fund dividend
disbursement; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED SSHB 146 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 102
SHORT TITLE: LIMITED TEACHER CERTIFICATES; LANGUAGES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KREISS-TOMKINS
02/03/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/03/17 (H) EDC
03/01/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/01/17 (H) Heard & Held
03/01/17 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/15/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/15/17 (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>
03/20/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/20/17 (H) Heard & Held
03/20/17 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/27/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 52
SHORT TITLE: PRE-ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS/PLANS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KAWASAKI
01/18/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/17 (H) EDC, FIN
02/08/17 (H) EDC AT 9:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/08/17 (H) Heard & Held
02/08/17 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/27/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 146
SHORT TITLE: SCHOOL TAX; PFD PAYMENT FOR SCHOOL TAX
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) CLAMAN
02/24/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/24/17 (H) EDC, FIN
02/27/17 (H) SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE INTRODUCED-REFERRALS
02/27/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/27/17 (H) EDC, FIN
03/22/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/22/17 (H) Heard & Held
03/22/17 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/27/17 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN KREISS-TOMPKINS
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Speaking as the sponsor, offered to answer
questions during the hearing of HB 102.
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT KAWASAKI
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Speaking as the sponsor, reviewed HB 52.
SAMANTHA ADAMS, Licensed Childcare and Preschool Teacher
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support during the hearing of
HB 52.
TREVOR STORRS, Executive Director
Alaska Children's Trust
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support during the hearing of
HB 52.
STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO
thread
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support during the hearing of
HB 52.
KARLI LOPEZ
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support during the hearing of
HB 52.
ALLEN MCCARTY, Spokesperson
Citizens Alliance Protecting School Lands
Seward, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition during the hearing
of HB 146.
OWEN PHILLIPS, Staff
Representative Matt Claman
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to a question on behalf of
Representative Claman during the hearing of SSHB 146.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:51 AM
CHAIR HARRIET DRUMMOND called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives
Drummond, Parish, Spohnholz, Fansler, Kopp, and Talerico were
present at the call to order.
HB 102-LIMITED TEACHER CERTIFICATES; LANGUAGES
8:05:55 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 102, "An Act relating to instruction in a
language other than English; and relating to limited teacher
certificates."
REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN KREISS-TOMPKINS, Alaska State
Legislature, sponsor of HB 102, offered to answer questions.
8:07:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH moved to report HB 102, as amended, out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 102(EDC) was
reported out of the House Education Standing Committee.
The committee took an at-ease from 8:07 a.m. to 8:10 a.m.
HB 52-PRE-ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAMS/PLANS
8:10:53 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the next order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 52, "An Act relating to providing a pre-
elementary program within a school district; and providing for
the certification of early childhood education plans."
8:11:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT KAWASAKI, Alaska State Legislature,
reminded the committee HB 52 would provide voluntary statewide
universal pre-elementary (Pre-K) programs by request to
interested school districts. He advised children who take a
Pre-K program perform better on tests, graduate in higher
numbers, are more successful as adults, and are more likely to
attend college. Through school districts' existing Pre-K, [U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services] Head Start, and other
early education programs, the bill creates a means in which
early education can be offered to all children aged three to
five years.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ concurred that studies indicate the
benefits of Pre-K education and exposure to caring adult models
include better health and social skills, self-confidence,
problem-solving skills, and resilience. She asked whether the
voluntary structure of the bill was that the programs are
voluntary to individuals, or voluntary to school districts.
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI said school districts would decide
whether to offer Pre-K programs, and parents would choose
whether to enroll their children in a Pre-K program. He pointed
out compulsory school attendance in Alaska is not required until
a child attains the age of six.
CHAIR DRUMMOND opened public testimony on HB 52.
8:15:12 AM
SAMANTHA ADAMS, Licensed Childcare and Preschool Teacher, said
she has been a licensed childcare and preschool teacher for ten
and one-half years. From her experience networking with
colleagues in early childhood education, and other teachers, she
related young children need school readiness which is defined as
cumulative gains across developmental domains from birth to age
five. For example, fine motor skills and literacy are two
important developmental areas that can be learned in the home
prior to entering school if the home setting can provide
appropriate resources. However, other areas of development,
such as social and emotional competency, take place best in
group settings. Ms. Adams explained young children need the
opportunity to work in a social setting with their peers to
problem-solve, self-regulate, and to prepare for social
settings; with this foundation, children are ready for academics
in kindergarten and first grade. Furthermore, a preschool class
of twelve students to one teacher is the ideal group size in
which children can develop social and emotional competency and
prepare for larger classrooms in kindergarten. Finally, she
said "fadeout" of the skills learned in early childhood learning
is a myth; in fact, early skills are learned for life.
8:18:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked about the potential impact of the
bill.
MS. ADAMS described a variety of preschool education programs:
programs not offered through school districts but certified by
the Department of Education and Early Development (EED); family
childcare providing preschool and fulltime childcare; part-time
religious programs. For the legislation to broadly impact
communities, the funding must address other programs that are
not part of the public school system, because the programs need
to be "positive and sustained."
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked for the cost to place a child in a private
preschool program in Juneau.
MS. ADAMS advised her preschool sessions are Monday through
Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and cost $415.00 per month.
When preschool and fulltime childcare services are not
consolidated, families must take children to multiple programs.
In further response to Chair Drummond, she said the Juneau
School District offers a peer-integrated preschool program which
takes place in a classroom of twelve children, six of which have
special needs. Ms. Adams further explained preschool programs
help identify special needs children at a very early age, from
birth to five years.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked for the percentage of children who
are identified with special needs.
MS. ADAMS said during her ten and one-half years of teaching she
has referred three or four children. High quality [Pre-K]
programs are qualified to make referrals based on indicators
that the families may be reluctant to acknowledge. She offered
anecdotal stories of the families that she has helped address
their child's special needs.
8:25:46 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether pediatricians in Juneau are making
referrals and identifying needs.
MS. ADAMS pointed out a pediatrician may only see a child for a
brief visit, whereas consolidated preschool and daycare allows
the teacher/caregiver to observe the child for seven to eight
hours a day. She directed attention to her written comments
submitted to the committee containing additional testimony.
8:27:38 AM
TREVOR STORRS, Executive Director, Alaska Children's Trust,
informed the committee the Alaska Children's Trust (ACT) is a
statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse
and neglect. Mr. Storrs observed the legislature has an
opportunity to invest in the wellbeing of young children. [HB
52] would provide school districts and communities the
opportunity to invest in children so children are ready to
succeed in school and in life. Providing Pre-K is not about
[higher] test scores, but puts children in position to be
successful, contributing adults. In order for the state to
avoid high Medicaid costs, building more jails, concerns about
law enforcement and homelessness, and other ills, the state
needs to create a new system based on the proven changes brought
by early childhood education that will - over time - address the
state's [budget] deficit. Mr. Storrs said ACT highly urges the
committee to support HB 52.
8:30:24 AM
STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO, thread, said thread is Alaska's
childcare resource and referral network. Ms. Berglund stated
strong support for HB 52, and any expansion of Pre-K in Alaska.
Decades of research has shown Pre-K makes a difference to
children not only in school readiness, but for a lifetime. The
most formative years of brain development come well before a
child goes to kindergarten; further, the state needs a workforce
of individuals who achieve education beyond high school and who
have advanced technical skills. Ms. Berglund acknowledged the
state's budget situation; however, the budget situation will
improve if the state invests more of its resources to productive
endeavors rather than in remediation, incarceration, and
welfare. She pointed out the budget benefits of Pre-K education
come from cost savings in education, grade retention, and the
criminal justice system; and from cost increases in greater
economic productivity. She closed, observing that every $10,000
invested in a child increases his/her future earnings by 10
percent. Ms. Berglund restated thread's support of HB 52 and
programs to expand voluntary Pre-K to all four-year-old children
in Alaska in a mixed delivery setting.
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked about the shortage of available space [to
place young children] in preschools.
MS. BERGLUND clarified thread estimates - although children need
care through the age of twelve - families with the highest need
for quality childhood programs are for children between the ages
of zero and six, so it is estimated that there are about 40,000
children, under the age of six, in families with all the adults
working, and there are less than 18,000 quality early care and
learning spaces in Alaska.
CHAIR DRUMMOND concluded then less than one in two children have
quality space available.
8:34:58 AM
KARLI LOPEZ stated her support for HB 52 and said she is the
parent of two preschoolers, one of whom is in his third year
attending special education preschool in the Anchorage School
District. She said the bill is missing one component: The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) directs that
whenever possible her son is to be educated in the least
restrictive environment and in a classroom with his peers, which
is not possible due to the lack of a public preschool program.
The preschool program attended by her son is only available to
children who qualify for special education, and thus is not a
fully inclusive setting. In an inclusive setting, her son's
classmates understand his different needs and he is welcomed.
Ms. Lopez provided examples of how peer modeling is tremendously
beneficial to the understanding and participation of children
with disabilities. She urged the committee to recognize the
long-term benefits of early childhood education and to invest in
Alaska's future.
8:37:13 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND, after ascertaining no one else wished to
testify, closed public testimony on HB 52. She remarked:
Universal Pre-K is such a big topic, and
Representative Spohnholz and I are working out a joint
Education/Health and Social Services committee
meeting, so we can help to remove the funding silos
for children from birth to age five, that we all know
exist in this state, and that we've heard from several
testifiers today. I know this topic of preschool will
fit in nicely with this discussion, so I'm going to
set this bill aside for now so that we can have that
joint meeting and get a better feel for the big
picture.
8:38:06 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
CHAIR DRUMMOND said a document is being distributed to be
included in the committee packet from the Washington State
Institute for Public Policy, entitled, "Early Childhood
Education for Low-Income Students: A Review of the Evidence and
Benefit-Cost Analysis."
8:38:51 AM
HB 52 was held over.
HB 146-SCHOOL TAX; PFD PAYMENT FOR SCHOOL TAX
8:38:58 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the final order of business would
be SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 146, "An Act imposing a
school tax on certain income of residents, part-year residents,
and nonresidents; relating to a payment against the school tax
from the permanent fund dividend disbursement; and providing for
an effective date."
8:39:23 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND opened public testimony.
8:39:39 AM
ALLEN MCCARTY, Spokesperson, Citizens Alliance Protecting School
Lands, informed the committee Citizens Alliance Protecting
School Lands is a statewide organization formed to protect
school lands and school funds. He said the proposed bill would
attack the 5 percent per year trust fund. Mr. McCarty expressed
his understanding that the school fund is a trust, and is not
state money, but is school money. Each year the earnings from
the trust are deposited into the general fund. The earnings
have reduced from $24 million per year to $10 million per year
due to poor investments by the Department of Revenue (DOR). He
cautioned that at the end of the bill the language of the bill
would attack the trust fund and in 26 years the fund that has
been building since 1915 will be totally gone.
8:41:51 AM
OWEN PHILLIPS, Staff, Representative Matt Claman, Alaska State
Legislature, said he is unware of a 5 percent decrease [in the
school fund]. He further clarified that the bill would garner
approximately $500 million through taxes that would be
designated to "the school fund and then, as I understand it, the
leftover would just stay in undesignated funds and be allocated
elsewhere."
CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether the school tax funds would be
"somehow distinguished."
MR. PHILLIPS said DOR would have authority to adopt regulations
for management of the funds.
8:43:39 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND, after ascertaining no one further wished to
testify, closed public testimony. She remarked:
This bill, SSHB 146, has a lot of working parts. I
believe that with our current fiscal reality, we need
to keep our options open. I feel there are some
things in this bill that need to be clarified, but I
think I want to let [the House Finance Committee] do
that. I don't want to hold this bill up here, so we
can give them time to fully vet this bill in that
committee. ... I know I would like to see a more
progressive tax scale, but I am not sure how that
would look. I'm not sure how I feel about taxing
children who only receive a PFD as income, even though
they would benefit from this tax. But those issues,
to me, are less about education policy and more about
finance, so I would like to move this bill out today
with the understanding that in its current form, I
would not necessarily vote for this bill on the House
floor.
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH opined the bill levies a tax on every
Alaskan and urged for a mechanism to draw revenue from
nonresidents and working adults earning income from other
sources. He agreed the education committee is not the best
committee to address the [financial aspects] of the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO directed attention to the bill on page
2, lines 4-13, which read:
(b) For a taxpayer whose adjusted gross income is
(1) less than $20,000, the tax is $100 a year;
(2) $20,000 or more, but less than $40,000, the
tax is $250 a year;
(3) $40,000 or more, but less than $50,000, the
tax is $500 a year;
(4) $50,000 or more, but less than $75,000, the
tax is $750 a year;
(5) $75,000 or more, but less than $100,000,
the tax is $1,000 a year;
(6) $100,000 or more, but less than $150,000,
the tax is $2,500 a year;
(7) $150,000 or more, but less than $200,000,
the tax is $5,000 a year;
(8) $200,000 or more, but less than $250,000,
the tax is $6,500 a year;
(9) $250,000 or more, the tax is $8,500 a year.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO related the rates for adjusted gross
income are much higher than the previous school tax; also,
aspects of the maximum income limit, the steps between income
limits, and part-time income are questionable. He pointed out
the bill assesses a tax on year-around Alaska residents who live
below the poverty level. Representative Talerico said he could
not support the bill.
8:48:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ stated support for the overall intent
of the bill, which is to find a way to fund public education
based on one's income. She said progressivity in a revenue plan
is appropriate at both ends of the income scale, however, she
expressed her concerns about the structure of the bill and its
disproportionate impact on lower-income taxpayers, with maximum
tax [relief for] higher-income taxpayers. Representative
Spohnholz said she would reluctantly support moving the bill
from committee.
8:51:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH moved to report SSHB 146 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes.
REPRESENTATIVE TALERICO objected.
8:51:47 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Parish, Fansler,
Spohnholz, and Drummond voted in favor of SSHB 146.
Representatives Kopp and Talerico voted against it. Therefore,
SSHB 146 was reported out of the House Education Standing
Committee by a vote of 4-2.
8:52:59 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 8:53 a.m.
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