Legislature(1993 - 1994)
04/06/1993 09:00 AM Senate CRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
The Senate Community & Regional Affairs Committee was called
to order by Chairman Randy Phillips at 9:00 a.m.
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS brought CSSB 62(CRA) before the
committee, which was adopted as a working document by the
committee at its previous meeting. He announced the
committee would be taking testimony from teleconference
sites around the state and that additional testimony would
be taken at a 7:30 p.m. meeting as well.
Number 022
DUANE GUILEY, Director, School Finance, Department of
Education, in response to a request that the department
supply additional information on all revenue sources
available to school districts, directed attention to a
schedule of the general fund revenue sources. He added that
the department is still working on the remaining schedules
of federal fund revenue sources that are supplementary
programs in nature.
Mr. Giley also directed attention to a schedule showing the
wealth available per student at the local level.
Number 095
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS opened the meeting to public
testimony over the teleconference network.
STEVE GIBSON, testifying from Homer, said the change in the
Alaska School Price Idex is fair. However, he is concerned
with the adjustment for gifted and talented students, saying
he is worried that it is the beginning of the phasing out of
this funding. He suggested capping the funding level for
the program at 4.5 to 5 percent of the enrollment. He
noted that in his school district they spend more money on
gifted and talented than they are allocated from the state.
SENATOR PHILLIPS clarified that the Alaska School Price
Index provision and the gifted and talented provision were
not included in the committee substitute.
Number 162
LARRY WIGET, testifying from Anchorage, said rewriting the
school foundation formula is a task that must be undertaken
by the legislators if all students in the state, both urban
and rural, are to be provided with equal access with the
limited financial resources available. He said currently,
the foundation formula is not equitable to the students in
Anchorage, and the Anchorage School Board adopted as one of
its priorities this legislative session the rewriting of the
school foundation formula in a way that is equitable for
Anchorage.
Number 195
DENNIS WETHERELL, President of the Mat-Su Talented and
Gifted Association, testifying from Anchorage, thanked the
committee for the changes made in the gifted and talented
education, saying the original bill would have been a
disaster for these programs. He requested that a paragraph
(c) be added to AS 14.17.045 which would require that any
funds allocated for gifted also be used for gifted
education.
Number 220
FRANK GARRITY, Coordinator with the North Slope Borough
School District, read into the record a letter from Patsy
Aamodt, Superintendent of the North Slope Borough School
District, to Senator Adams. The letter states that if the
committee substitute passes, it would decrease the annual
foundation revenue to the North Slope Borough School
District by over $2 million. Since the North Slope Borough
already provides over 60 percent of the funding for their
current budget, and since their recent FY 94 request has
been cut by $1.4 million, the committee substitute would
cause a substantial reduction in their educational programs
and the loss of many educational opportunities for their
children. The letter urges that the current 35 percent
required local support as specified in the foundation
formula be retained rather than allowing it to be increased
to 50 percent as proposed in the committee substitute.
Number 260
DEBORAH GERMANO, testifying from Homer, said as a parent she
is concerned about the cost differential of the Alaska
School Price Index. She said they are up against the cap in
their district, they continue to add children in their
classrooms and their programs continue to deteriorate.
Number 275
RICHARD SWARNER, Executive Director of Business Management
for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, testifying
from Soldotna, said their district spends all of the money
that they garner under that portion of the program, as well
as subsidizing the gifted and talented program with local
money. He also stated their concern with changing the
Alaska School Price Index. He noted that their school
district has been at the cap under the foundation program
for four years, and they are projected to be there again
next year. He also pointed out that their teacher salaries
are the lowest of any of the large school districts and that
their pupil/teacher ratios are extremely high.
Number 320
CLAUDIA WALTON, testifying from Anchorage, addressed Section
2, which relates to centralized correspondence study. She
said there are nearly 800 students in Alaska who are on the
centralized correspondence program in the public school
program. She supports the program because it offers the
parents and the students an option to the normal school
program.
Number 375
MARTY LASTER, Assistant Superintendent, Mat-Su School
District, testified from Palmer. He said there are elements
of the committee substitute that the district likes and they
have concerns about other areas. Like the Kenai Peninsula
School District, the Mat-Su provides greater funding for
gifted and talented than they receive. They are also
approaching well over 30 students in their secondary
classrooms, as well as high pupil/teacher ratios in their
elementary classrooms. The Mat-Su School District is very
supportive of Section 3 which would provide some relief for
large classrooms. Further, the school district supports the
Alaska School Price Index.
There being no further witnesses wishing to testify on SB
62, SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS stated the committee would
adjourn until 7:30 p.m. at which time more testimony would
be taken over the teleconference network. The meeting was
adjourned at 9:35 a.m.
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