04/25/2001 08:40 AM House EDU

HB 218-BOARDING SCHOOL FUNDING                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BUNDE  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  218,  "An  Act relating  to  funding for  school                                                               
districts  operating  secondary  school  boarding  programs;  and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHN  COGHILL,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  came                                                               
forth as  sponsor of HB  218.  He  explained that HB  218 expands                                                               
what can  be done with boarding  schools.  He said  his hometown,                                                               
Nenana, is putting  together a boarding school  program, there is                                                               
also one  in Bethel, Galena,  Iditarod, and Saint  Paul (Pribilof                                                               
Islands).   House Bill 218  will expand the stipend  for students                                                               
who actually  can attend  their own  school.   At this  point the                                                               
boarding school  dollars will go  with the  student if he  or she                                                               
can't go to a school in his or  her own district.  He stated that                                                               
if anybody  tries to  expand the "menu"  of education,  he thinks                                                               
[the legislature] should try to make accommodations for that.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL  stated that  with boarding  schools there                                                               
is  a kind  of camaraderie  in  education, which  allows for  the                                                               
combining of  resources.  There  are two issues  in HB 218:   the                                                               
costs  that can  be  claimed for  district  reimbursement on  one                                                               
round trip [ticket] per student  per year, and a student stipend.                                                               
He stated that  the big difference between this bill  and what is                                                               
practiced right now  is allowing a student [to  attend a boarding                                                               
school] who does have a school in  his or her district.  He added                                                               
that  his intention  is not  to rob  other school  districts, and                                                               
that he has been  trying to figure out a way  to include a waiver                                                               
that  holds the  original district  from being  penalized on  the                                                               
student count.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 1866                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE  asked if there  have been  discussions with                                                               
surrounding school districts that might  be affected, and if they                                                               
support this.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COGHILL answered  that he  hasn't gone  through a                                                               
lot of discussions.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WILSON   stated  that   there  is   another  bill                                                               
circulating that  is trying  to correct  the problem  that occurs                                                               
when  school  districts  drop [students],  making  a  significant                                                               
difference in the funding.  She  said in that bill, if the amount                                                               
of students  is dropped  drastically, the  first year  the school                                                               
still gets  75 percent of its  funding, the next year  it gets 50                                                               
percent, and the next it gets 25 percent.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL responded that  he doesn't know that bill,                                                               
but his  intention would be that  if a school is  actually losing                                                               
students to  the degree  that it can't  be supported,  he doesn't                                                               
want this  to keep them from  going down that road.   However, he                                                               
said, he  doesn't want the  lack of student attendance  there, if                                                               
they are getting further education, to penalize that.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Number 1959                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GUESS  stated that she  has seen a trend  with the                                                               
bills and  that maybe [the  legislature] needs to take  some time                                                               
to discuss its role in funding alternative programs.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COGHILL  responded  that   he  is  open  to  that                                                               
discussion,  but  told her  to  be  aware  that many  people  are                                                               
already putting  these boarding  schools together  with community                                                               
funding.  He  stated that one of the things  he has thought about                                                               
is how to  allow some flexibility in the student  count and still                                                               
keep the primary grades solid within that base allocation.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS stated  that he would like  to explore how                                                               
this fits in to the foundation  formula and perhaps talk with the                                                               
EED to see if that should be involved in the formula.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL  responded that  he would  probably resist                                                               
that because the formula follows the student, for the most part.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 2157                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
TERRY  BENTLEY,  Superintendent,  Nenana  City  School  District,                                                               
testified via teleconference.  He stated:                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     This  bill, [HB]  218,  gives  other school  districts,                                                                    
     including  ourselves, the  same boarding  monies that's                                                                    
     received for travel, room and  board (indisc.) that you                                                                    
     already fund  in the state.   And educationally,  it is                                                                    
       our belief that the students should receive a well-                                                                      
     rounded [technological-preparation] education so that                                                                      
      they can go on into [the] world of work, or into the                                                                      
     world  of college  and  then into  the  world of  work.                                                                    
     Educationally,   we're  trying   to   expand  our   ...                                                                    
     technological-prep areas to  include boiler maintenance                                                                    
     and   refrigeration,  but   without   this  bill,   the                                                                    
     expansion into  some of  the areas  of the  legal field                                                                    
     and the  health care fields makes  it rather difficult.                                                                    
     And we're  trying to allow parents  another educational                                                                    
     choice for their children.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  BUNDE announced  that the  committee would  set this  bill                                                               
aside for further consideration.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
[HB 218 was held over.]