Legislature(1999 - 2000)
04/13/2000 03:13 PM House HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 103 - NATIVE LANGUAGE EDUCATION Number 1675 CHAIRMAN DYSON announced the next order of business as Senate Bill No. 103, "An Act relating to a curriculum for Native language education; and providing for an effective date." Number 1678 SENATOR GEORGIANNA LINCOLN, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor, came forward to present SB 103. She pointed out that the bill needed a technical amendment to change the effective date to 2000. She showed a map of the languages she is talking about. There are 20 languages in Alaska, and of those 20, if nothing is done, 15 to possibly 18 languages will become extinct. Furthermore, only Central and Siberian Yupik Native languages are healthy right now. The other languages are in peril. SENATOR LINCOLN explained that several years ago she visited a classroom in Nulato where the students were watching the television and learning Japanese from a woman teaching in Seattle. She asked the teacher if Koyukon Athabaskan was also taught in Nulato, and the response was no. However, the children still have a choice of Russian, Spanish, Japanese or German. Although it is [appropriate] for students to have choices in languages, and she is not suggesting otherwise, she firmly believes that the Native language must be one that can be chosen in the communities. SENATOR LINCOLN referred to page 3, line 10: A school board shall establish a local Native language curriculum advisory board ... in which a majority of the students are Alaska Natives ... SENATOR LINCOLN said once that advisory board is established, if the advisory board then recommends the establishment of the Native language curriculum in the educational system, the board "may," so it still is permissive. The Senate had added an amendment on page 3, line 13, that any school district "with Alaska Native students may establish a local Native language curriculum", because some urban areas in Alaska want to be able to establish a Native language curriculum. SENATOR LINCOLN commented that her mother spoke and read Koyukon Athabaskan fluently, but was punished for speaking the language. Consequently, her mother was not able to pass the language on to her seven children. For those people who say the language has got to start in the home, that might be true and could have been true for her mother, but it is no longer true in most of the villages because people like herself cannot pass it on to their children because they themselves don't know the language. SENATOR LINCOLN indicated there was a zero fiscal note, and there are many letters of support. The committee has received a letter of support from the superintendent of the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Other school districts called to say they were trying to get letters of support sent down but hadn't. A number of other school districts support SB 103. The Department of Education & Early Development support it. Number 1991 REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL asked Senator Lincoln if there could be a problem deciding which dialect of a language would be taught. SENATOR LINCOLN answered she didn't envision that happening. Number 2015 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN referred to page 3, line 26, (B) audio- visual, computer, and satellite technology. He wondered if "where available" should be added because there might be school districts that don't have those particular abilities. SENATOR LINCOLN referred to page 3, line 23, where it says "to the maximum extent possible." REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked if that could be interpreted such that if school A doesn't have the equipment that it would, therefore, need a higher amount of state support to get that. He is concerned that when this bill is passed, it will force additional funding to certain rural schools. SENATOR LINCOLN said she does not envision that because right now the schools have the choices of the other languages, and the same technology would be used for the Native language. Number 2086 REPRESENTATIVE KEMPLEN referred to page 3, line 29, and wondered if "Alaskan Indian, Eskimo or Aleut" represents all the Alaska Natives. SENATOR LINCOLN answered that is correct. REPRESENTATIVE BRICE clarified to Representative Green that to alleviate the potential of a possible fiscal note, the school districts are able to use the technology to bring in the distance delivery rather than having to bring in a teacher. SENATOR LINCOLN said she knows it's impossible to bring in teachers so the technology will have to be used in order to get it out to a number of the schools. REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL asked how this would be applied in a larger school district. SENATOR LINCOLN said the language allowing the urban centers to offer a Native language was added in the Senate and thus she doesn't know exactly how that would work. CHAIRMAN DYSON noted that this could work even better with the possibility that charter schools could form in the larger areas that are specific to some of the language groups. Number 2221 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE made a motion to adopt Amendment 1, which read: Page 3, line 31, strike "1999" and insert "2000." CHAIRMAN DYSON asked whether there was any objection. There being none, Amendment 1 was adopted. REPRESENTATIVE MORGAN made a motion to move SB 103, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and zero fiscal note. There being no objection, HCS SB 103(HES) moved from the House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee.
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