03/30/2011 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Superintendent Lower Yukon School District | |
| HB15 | |
| HB5 | |
| HB199 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 199 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 198 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 15 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 5 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 30, 2011
8:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Alan Dick, Chair
Representative Lance Pruitt, Vice Chair
Representative Eric Feige
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Sharon Cissna (via teleconference)
Representative Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): SUPERINTENDENT LOWER YUKON SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 15
"An Act relating to prevention and evaluation of and liability
for traumatic brain injuries in student athletes."
- MOVED CSHB 15(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 5
"An Act requiring a standardized statewide history of American
constitutionalism curriculum and a secondary school history of
American constitutionalism examination in public schools in the
state; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED CSHB 5(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 199
"An Act amending the funding for statewide residential
educational programs."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 198
"An Act relating to the special education service agency."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 15
SHORT TITLE: STUDENT ATHLETE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) DOOGAN
01/18/11 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/7/11
01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/11 (H) EDC, HSS
03/16/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/16/11 (H) Heard & Held
03/16/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/30/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 5
SHORT TITLE: CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY CURRICULUM
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KELLER
01/18/11 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/7/11
01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/11 (H) EDC, FIN
02/09/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/09/11 (H) Heard & Held
02/09/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/18/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/18/11 (H) -- CANCELED - Rescheduled to 02/21/11
02/21/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/21/11 (H) Heard & Held
02/21/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/25/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/25/11 (H) Heard & Held
02/25/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/07/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/07/11 (H) Heard & Held
03/07/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/30/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 199
SHORT TITLE: FUNDING FOR STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS
SPONSOR(s): EDUCATION
03/16/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/16/11 (H) EDC, FIN
03/23/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/23/11 (H) Heard & Held
03/23/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/30/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
JOHN LAMONT, Superintendent
Lower Yukon School District
Mountain Village, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint entitled "Lower
Yukon School District Our Communities."
FRANK AMEDURI, Staff
Representative Mike Doogan
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 15, on behalf of the bill
sponsor, Representative Doogan.
GARY MATTHEWS, Executive Director
Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 15.
REPRESENTATIVE WES KELLER
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions on HB 5,
as the sponsor of the bill.
SHEILA PETERSON, Staff
Representative Alan Dick
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during
discussion of HB 199.
ELIZABETH SWEENEY NUDELMAN, Director
School Finance and Facilities Section
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during
discussion of HB 199.
JERRY COVEY, Educational Consultant
JSC Consulting LLC
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 199.
ERIC GEBHART, Superintendent
Nenana City School District
Nenana, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 199.
TERESA MAYRAND, President
Nenana City School Board
Nenana, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 199.
DORENE LORENZ
Friends of the Jesse Lee Home
Seward, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 199.
BOB CRUMLEY, Superintendent
Chugiak School District
Chugiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 199.
JIM SMITH, Superintendent
Galena City School District
Galena, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 199.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:05:25 AM
CHAIR ALAN DICK called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. Representatives Dick, Kawasaki,
Pruitt, Feige, Seaton, P. Wilson, and Cissna (via
teleconference) were present at the call to order.
^PRESENTATION(S): Superintendent Lower Yukon School District
PRESENTATION(S): Superintendent Lower Yukon School District
8:05:59 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the first order of business would be a
presentation by the superintendent of the Lower Yukon School
District.
8:06:22 AM
JOHN LAMONT, Superintendent, shared that he was born and raised
in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and that this was his sixth year
with the district. He reported that there were 11 villages in
the school district, with 10 schools that were K-12, 1 school
that was K-8, and a total enrollment of 2,000 students. He
noted that 99 percent of the district was Yupik Eskimo. He read
the district purpose statement: "The purpose of our community is
to ensure tradition, culture, and a quality education for all
our children." He stated that the district was in intervention,
as it was a low performance district. He pointed out that,
since 2002, the district performance gains were higher than the
state average, with a 14 percent increase in language arts, and
a 13 percent increase in mathematics, compared to a state wide 5
percent increase in both of these areas. He stated that
attendance was a challenge for the school district. He detailed
some of the work within the community to keep the students
interested in school, which included locals working with the
home school coordinators and the counselors.
8:11:46 AM
MR. LAMONT pointed out that both vocational education and
current technology education were very important elements for
keeping students in school. He reported that past teacher
retention had been at 50 percent, but that it had now increased
to almost 75 percent. New schools, quality technology,
professional development, and better teacher housing were all
successful ways to decrease the teacher attrition. He spoke
about the special intervention programs implemented in six of
the lowest performing schools. He reviewed the new schools that
had opened since 2002, and the time lines for educational
changes. He announced his long term commitment to the school
district.
8:17:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON congratulated the superintendent on the
improvements that had been made. She asked if the biggest
changes had occurred within or outside of the schools.
MR. LAMONT replied that the changes had been equal. He opined
that the hiring process had focused more on teachers coming to
the bush for the love of the children, and not for the outdoor
recreational opportunities.
8:18:46 AM
CHAIR DICK emphasized that today's students would be competing
for jobs on a global basis.
8:19:47 AM
MR. LAMONT, in response, agreed that students were aware of the
world competition and that the technology did exist in the
classrooms.
8:20:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if the communities were working on
"growing their own" instructors.
MR. LAMONT, in response to Representative Cissna, said that the
teacher education programs in the state were active, and that
almost 20 percent of his district teachers were from the
villages. He said that he would like to see this percentage
increased.
8:22:05 AM
HB 15-STUDENT ATHLETE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES
CHAIR DICK announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 15, "An Act relating to prevention and evaluation
of and liability for traumatic brain injuries in student
athletes." [In front of the committee was Version M.]
8:23:11 AM
FRANK AMEDURI, Staff, Representative Mike Doogan, Alaska State
Legislature, recapped the purpose of HB 15, which was to reduce
the possibility for a second concussion to occur before recovery
from a first concussion. He pointed out that the proposed bill
was modeled after the Zackery Lystedt Law in Washington State.
He explained the three parts of HB 15: the education of
parents, coaches, and students for the causes, signs, and
responses to concussion; a requirement to remove a student from
practice or a game if a concussion was suspected; and a
requirement for a qualified medical professional to clear the
player prior to their return to play. He declared that
concussions will occur, but that the danger was increased when
appropriate steps to prevent a recurrence were not taken. He
noted that the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) had
already declared it would adhere to this practice, regardless of
passage of the bill, and he expressed optimism that other youth
levels not covered by HB 15 would also adhere to these
guidelines. He shared that district superintendents had
indicated that these guidelines would be extended to the middle
schools, as well, and that school nurses would lobby for these
guidelines to be included for playgrounds. He acknowledged that
the challenge for access to a "qualified medical or licensed
medical professional is quite a bit more difficult" for rural
communities in Alaska. He pointed to Version M, page 3, line 2,
and shared that "a person who is acting at the direction and
under the supervision of a licensed physician" had been added to
the original version. He said that community health aides would
be included if they worked under the direction of a physician.
He declared the importance "to err on the side of health" and to
offer no less protection in rural Alaska.
8:30:06 AM
MR. AMEDURI, in response to an earlier question from
Representative Feige, said that the liability language had been
scrutinized to ensure that coverage would include an injury that
did not occur on school property. He noted that an amendment
would be proposed to address this issue. He reiterated that
there was no prevention to a concussion, but that the proposed
bill would prevent further injury from "the stacking of
concussions, one on top of the other."
8:33:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE moved to adopt Amendment 1, labeled 27-
LS0130\M.1, Mischel, 3/29/11, which read:
Page 3, line 12:
Delete "on school property"
8:34:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI objected for discussion.
8:34:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked if this proposed amendment would
cover transportation to and from an event.
8:34:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON, reading the proposed bill with the
proposed Amendment 1 included, offered her belief that it could
include an activity, such as track, with participation both on
and off the school grounds.
8:34:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE opined that inclusion of proposed Amendment
1 recognized that facilities other than school property,
especially in rural Alaska, were utilized.
8:35:14 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI withdrew his objection. There being no
further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
8:35:53 AM
GARY MATTHEWS, Executive Director, Alaska School Activities
Association (ASAA), stated that ASAA, and its membership of more
than 200 high schools, supported HB 15. He stated the desire of
ASAA to implement procedures and logical processes to minimize
injury and maximize safety. He said that ASAA worked with the
national organizations "to develop rules and tactics to limit
and reduce the potential of head injuries in contact sports."
He referred to the issue of a "qualified person" and made three
points: the State of Alaska did not have a registry that listed
health care providers who had received training and were
currently certified in the evaluation and management of
concussions; the health care provider was the only person to
know if he or she was qualified under the statute; the students,
the school district, and ASAA had placed the burden of proof on
the health care provider. He suggested a conceptual amendment
to Version M, page 2, line 30, after "management of
concussions," to add "as verified in writing by the qualified
person." He offered his belief that coaches and administrators
did not know the qualifications of the "qualified person."
8:39:38 AM
MR. AMEDURI suggested that, as ASAA was already moving in this
direction, this stipulation could be addressed in the by-laws.
He surmised that it could be implemented differently in each
school district, and that it was important that the statute not
specify every detail that may need to be addressed. He offered
his understanding that a written release by a medical provider
would indicate qualification.
8:41:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON suggested that it was important to have
a trained person at each school to attend to any injured
students.
8:42:29 AM
CHAIR DICK asked if a conceptual amendment should be added to
proposed HB 15.
8:42:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE offered his belief that the proposed bill
should give "adequate direction" and that micromanagement was
not necessary.
8:43:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON pointed out that some health care
professionals were exempt from state licensing in Alaska, and he
asked if this had been addressed in the proposed bill.
8:44:14 AM
MR. AMEDURI offered his belief that a conceptual amendment
addressing this had been passed.
The committee took a brief at-ease.
8:45:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 2
which stated:
Page 3, line 2,
Insert "(2) a health care professional who is
exempt from occupational licensing by the state."
[This was adopted as Conceptual Amendment 1 by the House
Education Standing Committee on 3/16/11.]
8:46:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON objected for discussion.
8:46:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON explained that a number of health care
professionals working with the Indian Health Service (IHS) were
not required to have the same state occupational licensing. He
pointed out that IHS physicians in rural Alaska should be
included in the proposed bill.
8:47:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON removed her objection. There being no
further objection, Conceptual Amendment 2 was adopted.
8:48:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT moved to report CSHB 15, Version 27-
LS0130\M, Mischel, 2/17/11, as amended, out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal
note.
8:48:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI objected. He stated that both the
liability and immunity issues were still in question, and he
pointed out that the proposed bill had not being referred to
House Judiciary Standing Committee.
8:48:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI withdrew his objection. There being no
further objection, CSHB 15(EDC) was reported from the House
Education Standing Committee.
8:49:14 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
8:49:28 AM
CHAIR DICK asked the committee to concur on a request to the
Speaker of the House to have HB 15 referred to the House
Judiciary Standing Committee, and the committee agreed to
forward the request.
HB 5-CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY CURRICULUM
CHAIR DICK announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 5, "An Act requiring a standardized statewide
history of American constitutionalism curriculum and a secondary
school history of American constitutionalism examination in
public schools in the state; and providing for an effective
date." [In front of the committee was Version E]
8:53:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WES KELLER, Alaska State Legislature, directed
attention to the closing remarks from Chief Justice Walter
Carpeneti during his State of the Judiciary address. [Included
in members' packets] He referred to the principles of
democracy, and stated that HB 5 would mandate Alaska high school
curriculum for US history during the fifteen years immediately
following the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
8:54:38 AM
CHAIR DICK closed public testimony.
8:54:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT moved to report CSHB 5, Version 27-
LS0018\E, Mischel, 2/24/11, from committee with individual
recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note.
8:55:18 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected. He said that proposed HB 5 put
another segment of curriculum, another test, and further
requirements on the school districts. He declared that the bill
was not concise with its curriculum requirements and that he was
not in favor of establishing vague testing to meet criteria.
8:57:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON moved to adopt a conceptual amendment.
8:57:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON withdrew his objection.
8:57:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT withdrew his motion to move the bill.
8:58:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON withdrew her motion to adopt a
conceptual amendment.
8:59:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked Representative Seaton for
clarification of his concerns.
8:59:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON replied that HB 5 added an "amorphous
curriculum requirement" with a test, which was yet to be
developed, to which passage was necessary for high school
graduation. He stated that this placed a huge burden on the
school districts. He opined that the high school graduation
exam was already an issue. He pointed out that proposed HB 5
was not a statewide standard, but a standard to be developed by
each district. He questioned whether it was the most productive
use of time to develop a curriculum to discuss the values held
during a 15 year segment of history and require it for high
school graduation.
9:03:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked if the proposed bill could be
amended to provide instruction without testing.
9:03:55 AM
CHAIR DICK offered his understanding that the proposed bill
empowered community members to confront local school boards
regarding the importance of this topic. He opined that the
mandate was for a conversation.
9:05:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON replied that the requirement was not for a
conversation, but for a test that was required to receive a high
school diploma. He pointed out that the high school qualifying
exam was a requirement for receiving a diploma, and that HB 5
required another "high stakes test" which was not precisely
defined, as written in subsection (b), page 2, lines 26-28.
9:07:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE stated that, as the proposed bill imposed a
requirement on school districts, it was necessary to define its
intent. He opined that the intent was to ensure that a student
graduated with a basic understanding of the philosophical
underpinnings of the United States. He offered his belief that
the principles of the Bill of Rights, the US Constitution, and
the Declaration of Independence were the uniting factors for the
United States. He declared the necessity to understand these
principles in order to exercise the privilege of voting.
9:10:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT offered Conceptual Amendment 1, which
stated:
Page 1, line 2,
Delete "and examination"
Page 2, line 19,
Delete "and final examination"
Page 2, line 27
Delete "and examination"
9:11:20 AM
CHAIR DICK objected for discussion.
9:11:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if the proposed conceptual amendment
would allow the development of course curricula without the
test.
9:11:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT replied that "the chief school
administrator of a school district shall [develop] and submit to
the governing body of the school district a syllabus for
curriculum in the history of American constitutionalism." He
explained that it would require each school district to create
its own curriculum, but that a final examination would not be
required for high school graduation.
9:12:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA expressed a necessity to maintain the
priority for increasing the number of high school graduates.
9:13:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT expressed disagreement with the concept of
increasing the graduation rate, if it meant that students were
less educated. He stated his desire to be that "we've given
them all the tools they need to succeed." He opined that this
was "a good opportunity to help our kids be prepared as they
step out into the real world and become a part of society."
9:14:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE endorsed a need to demand a high standard
for faculty and students in order to obtain improvement and
performance from students.
9:15:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON declared that the proposed bill did not
state high standards, it designated some standards. He offered
his belief that the values of the American people during the
writing of the Articles of Confederation and the first state
constitutions were not generally known. He agreed that it was a
good academic exercise to read these documents, but he opined
that it would be difficult to be tested on the values of the
people during that era. He expressed approval for the removal
of the examinations, as the segment could then be adopted into a
theme-base curriculum. He stated that he would vote for the
proposed amendment, but that he was not supportive of the
proposed bill.
9:19:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON stated her support for the proposed
amendment, but she expressed her concern with making a mandate
to the schools. She opined that the suggested topics should be
taught in the schools, but that she did not support a mandatory
test of the curriculum as a graduation requirement. She offered
her belief that examinations should include a bit of everything
that was being taught. She stated her support for proposed HB
5.
9:20:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER stated his opposition to the proposed
amendment, and directed attention to page 2, line 18, stating
that the curriculum and the examination were to be submitted to
the governing body of the school district for approval. He
offered his belief that the proposed amendment weakened the bill
as the local school board would not be allowed the opportunity
to discuss the curriculum. He declared an obligation to young
voters to ensure that they understood their responsibilities.
9:22:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON suggested that many parents would not
support this examination.
9:23:00 AM
CHAIR DICK stated his opposition to the proposed amendment as
"it takes the teeth out of the bill."
9:24:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI removed his objection.
9:24:13 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Kawasaki, P.
Wilson, Seaton, Cissna, and Pruitt voted in favor of Conceptual
Amendment 1. Representatives Feige and Dick voted against it.
Therefore, Conceptual Amendment 1 passed by a vote of 5-2.
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT moved to report CSHB 5, Version 27-
LS0018\E, Mischel, 2/24/11, as amended, from committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note.
There being no objection, CSHB 5(EDC) was reported from the
House Education Standing Committee.
The committee took a brief at-ease.
HB 199-FUNDING FOR STATE BOARDING SCHOOLS
9:26:18 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 199, "An Act amending the funding for statewide
residential educational programs." [In front of the committee
was Version B]
SHEILA PETERSON, Staff, Representative Alan Dick, Alaska State
Legislature, recapped that HB 199 would double the monthly
stipend amount provided to the boarding schools in three school
districts. She relayed that this increase would be in effect
for two years, to allow for all interested parties to further
discuss ways to deliver high school education in rural Alaska.
9:30:02 AM
ELIZABETH SWEENEY NUDELMAN, Director, School Finance and
Facilities Section, Department of Education and Early
Development (EED), offered to answer any questions on the fiscal
note.
9:30:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if the amounts listed in the bill
for each region reflected the proposed increase.
9:31:19 AM
MS. NUDELMAN explained that the stipends listed in HB 199 were
for all the state regions, but would only apply to the three
schools in the program. In response to Representative P.
Wilson, she clarified that Mt. Edgecumbe High School was funded
by "a separate funding stream through the department."
9:32:47 AM
CHAIR DICK clarified that the stipends listed in the proposed
bill reflected the doubled amount.
9:33:03 AM
CHAIR DICK asked to clarify that the proposed bill only applied
to Bethel, Galena, and Nenana schools. He noted that other
districts would also like to participate in the stipend
increase, and he asked for a financial projection for this
increase, as well.
9:33:22 AM
MS. NUDELMAN, referring to the statute, stated that the program
was available to "a district that existed January 1, 2005." She
pointed out that there were three programs approved under the
statute. She further explained that the statute regulations
established a period of open applications, and that, currently,
EED did not have a projection for when applications would be
opened or what the cost would be to the state.
9:34:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON referred to the Alaska Administrative
Code, AAC 33.090(c). [Included in members' packets] He pointed
out that "when the department determines that establishment of
additional programs are warranted, they can open those things,
but our statute currently does not allow them to do anything."
He noted that applications could be taken, but not instituted,
as the funding formula was only for those schools formed prior
to January 1, 2005. He stated that he would offer a conceptual
amendment to allow EED to accept applications for three
additional programs after July 1, 2011.
9:35:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON read from AAC 33.090(d): "this section
does not prevent a governing body from establishing an in-
district residential educational program that is not eligible
for state support for the operation of the residential aspects
of the program." She asked if this could be done immediately.
9:35:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON agreed that the district could have a
residential program, but that it currently would not receive any
funding.
9:36:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked to identify the regions for
Nenana, Galena, and Lower Kuskokwim.
9:36:39 AM
CHAIR DICK offered his belief that Lower Kuskokwim was in the
Southwest Region, and that Nenana and Galena were in the
Interior Region.
9:36:47 AM
MS. NUDELMAN offered her understanding that Lower Kuskokwim was
in the Southwest Region, that Galena was in the Northern Remote
Region, and that Nenana was in the Interior Region.
9:38:09 AM
JERRY COVEY, JSC Consulting LLC, stated his support for HB 199,
and that he was convinced that this was an appropriate action,
as the districts were currently operating on a deficit mode. He
said that he had worked on rural and statewide education issues
for many years. He agreed with an earlier statement for the
necessity to immediately study rural education. He referred to
a report he had submitted to all the committee members, "A Time
for Change Improving Educations Delivery for Alaska's Small
Rural High Schools," [Included in members' packets] which
addressed the issues critical to the success of small rural high
schools.
9:40:42 AM
ERIC GEBHART, Superintendent, Nenana City School District,
provided a PowerPoint, "Nenana Student Living Center," to
highlight the Nenana Student Living Center (NSLC) enrollment and
capacity statistics and to list the communities it served. The
final slide illustrated a follow-up report on the 93 NSLC
graduates. He stated that he supported HB 199. He pointed out
that the original request had been for triple the current
stipend amount.
9:44:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked how the extra stipend money would
be used.
9:44:24 AM
MR. GEBHART replied that it was not extra money, as the deficit
was currently being paid through local and foundation support.
He stated that, in addition to maintaining the current academic
program, additional services would also be offered.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if there would be more programs.
MR. GEBHART said that there would be more programs.
9:45:10 AM
TERESA MAYRAND, President, Nenana City School Board, pointed out
that many of the students were very involved in the community.
She stated her support of HB 199.
9:47:03 AM
DORENE LORENZ, Friends of the Jesse Lee Home, said that this
proposed bill would allow funding for a statewide residential
leadership charter school for one semester of the junior year
for 200 students. She stated support for the amendment that
would be offered to allow further schools.
9:49:13 AM
BOB CRUMLEY, Superintendent, Chugiak School District, stated
support for HB 199, and said that there was a great need for
these schools. He expressed a desire for this bill to provide
funding for the short term, grassroots, vocational residential
programs which met many student needs in rural Alaska high
schools. He asked to be included in any future conversations
regarding regional boarding schools.
9:52:56 AM
JIM SMITH, Superintendent, Galena City School District, directed
attention to the packet, "Galena City School District."
[Included in members' packets] He referred to Exhibit A in the
packet, and he reviewed the Galena Interior Learning Academy
program and the challenges faced in rural Alaska education. He
proceeded to Exhibits B and C, which mapped the home towns and
home districts of the 53 students. He pointed out that Exhibit
D was in response to a request for the 2010 Galena Interior
Learning Academy graduates and their grade point averages. He
explained that Exhibit E was a resolution reflecting the wide
spread, community support for the Galena Interior Learning
Academy. He directed attention to Exhibit F, which was a
response to the questions regarding the funding. He stressed
that this was a 24 hour per day service and included feeding and
care of the students, while only a third of the cost was being
funded by the state. He clarified that the school was in the
Interior Region for funding purposes.
9:58:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked what percentage of the budget was
used for utilities and insurance.
9:58:38 AM
MR. SMITH replied that the utilities cost about $1 million
annually, and the insurance cost about $260 thousand annually,
as part of the $10 million budget.
9:58:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if Galena Interior Learning
Academy would prefer that the state pay the utilities and
insurance, instead of doubling the stipend.
9:59:17 AM
MR. SMITH replied that the food service and residential cost was
about $3 million annually, so payment of utilities and insurance
by the state would amount to about the same as the stipend
request.
10:00:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON agreed that the stipend may need to be
increased. She questioned if there was another means to support
these programs that could include all schools.
10:01:29 AM
CHAIR DICK stated that public testimony would remain open, and
that the bill would be held over.
10:02:06 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:02 a.m.
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