Legislature(2023 - 2024)DAVIS 106
04/07/2023 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Rural Education in Alaska | |
| HB148 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 148 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 139 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
April 7, 2023
8:10 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Co-Chair
Representative Mike Prax
Representative CJ McCormick
Representative Rebecca Himschoot
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jamie Allard, Co-Chair
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Andi Story
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): RURAL EDUCATION IN ALASKA
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 148
"An Act relating to the Alaska performance scholarship program."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 148
SHORT TITLE: AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
SPONSOR(s): EDUCATION
03/29/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/29/23 (H) EDC, FIN
04/03/23 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/03/23 (H) Heard & Held
04/03/23 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/05/23 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/05/23 (H) Heard & Held
04/05/23 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/07/23 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
KIMBERLY HANKINS, Superintendent
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the PowerPoint on the Lower
Kuskokwim School District.
CLARENCE DANIELS, President
Lower Kuskokwim School Board
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced himself to the committee.
COREY HUGHES, Dean of Students
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Nunapitchuk, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the PowerPoint on the Lower
Kuskokwim School District.
MEGHAN CROW, Lead Social Worker
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Kipnuk, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the PowerPoint on the Lower
Kuskokwim School District.
TERRI WALKER, Superintendent
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Kotzebue, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint on the Northwest
Arctic Borough School District.
BILL HILL, Superintendent
Bristol Bay Borough School District
Naknek, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint on the Bristol Bay
Borough School District.
BUD SEXTON, Staff
Representative Justin Ruffridge
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: On behalf of the sponsor, the House
Education Standing Committee, of which Representative Ruffridge
served as chair, provided a brief overview of HB 148 and the
Alaska Performance Scholarship.
EMILY FERRY, Collective Impact Coordinator
Association of Alaska School Boards
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
LISA PARADY, Executive Director
Alaska Council of School Administrators
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
VIRGINIA MORGAN, representing self
Cooper Landing, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
SHANNON MAJOR, representing self
Valdez, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
MEGAN MURPHY, representing self
Soldotna, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
PAIGE PETR, School Counselor
King Tech High School
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
SEAN SCHUBERT
Workforce Development
King Tech High School
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
TOM BRICE, Vice President
Board of Directors
Alumni Association
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 148.
HERMAN MORGAN, representing self
Aniak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 148.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:10:21 AM
CO-CHAIR JUSTIN RUFFRIDGE called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. Representatives Prax,
McCormick, Himschoot, and Ruffridge were present at the call to
order.
^PRESENTATION(S): Rural Education in Alaska
PRESENTATION(S): Rural Education in Alaska
8:12:29 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the first order of business
would be a presentation on rural education in Alaska.
8:13:05 AM
KIMBERLY HANKINS, Superintendent, Lower Kuskokwim School
District (LKSD), co-presented a PowerPoint on the Lower
Kuskokwim School District [hard copy included in the committee
packet]. She shared that this is her third year as
superintendent and has worked for LKSD for 20 years. She moved
to slide 2 and invited members of her team to introduce
themselves to the committee.
8:14:29 AM
CLARENCE DANIELS, President, Lower Kuskokwim School Board, Lower
Kuskokwim School District, introduced himself to the committee.
He shared that he has represented the board since 1988, when he
was a student representative. He stated that he has been an
elected member for 10 years. He continued that the board
supports the mission of the school district and the work that is
done in bilingual education.
8:15:31 AM
COREY HUGHES, Dean of Students, Lower Kuskokwim School District,
co-presented a PowerPoint on the Lower Kuskokwim School
District. He shared that he has worked for LKSD for six years
and has been the Dean of Students for two years.
8:16:02 AM
MEGHAN CROW, Lead Social Worker, Lower Kuskokwim School
District, co-presented the PowerPoint on the Lower Kuskokwim
School District. She shared that she has been a social worker
at LKSD for 25 years. She also shared that her family is from
Bethel.
8:16:36 AM
MS. HANKINS moved to slide 3 which showed a map of the district
and stated that LKSD is the largest regional educational
attendance area in the state, with LKSD serving around 4,000
students in 29 schools. It has 24 communities which cover over
22,000 square miles. She stated that around 95 percent of LKSD
students are Alaska Native, with a majority of the families
practicing a subsistence lifestyle. She moved to the next slide
which showed the same map but with traditional place names. She
pointed out LKSD's mission on slide 5, and its key measures.
She stated that the district has been engaged in this work for
decades, with some of the key measures listed as: improving
student proficiency in reading, language usage, math, decreasing
absenteeism, increasing the graduation rate, and increasing the
Native language proficiency rates.
MS. HANKINS moved to slide 6 and pointed out some of the
highlights of the presentation, which include: the immersion and
dual language programs, curriculum and course offerings, career
ladders, student supports, and partnerships with local entities
and statewide organizations. Addressing the language programs,
she pointed out that LKSD has one Yup'ik immersion charter
school and 19 dual language enrichment model (DLEM) schools.
She stated that LKSD is the leader in Alaska in this work and
has been for decades. She described that the immersion and DLEM
models are different, but both focus on Yugtun and Cugtun
languages. She moved to the next slide and pointed out the
differences between these two language school models. She added
that the language usage is supported by curriculum which has
been developed over the past few decades. She pointed out that
slide 9 through slide 11 show examples of the bilingual text
books created to support the curriculum.
8:21:18 AM
MR. HUGHES highlighted the examples on slide 10 of a localized
textbook compared with a widely used textbook. He made the
distinction that some of the ideas in widespread textbooks do
not relate to life in LKSD. He explained that localizing
textbooks means using some [conventional] widespread concepts
and converting them into something students living in a village
would experience. He took this idea and applied it to
standardized tests, explaining that the tests may contain
unknown references for students living in rural Alaska.
Therefore, this becomes a disadvantage. He continued with some
examples of this.
8:23:08 AM
MS. HANKINS moved to slide 11, which showed more examples of
localized curriculum. She moved to slide 12 and stated that
teachers in LKSD are trained in the core reading program, and
the district has invested in creating this in Yup'ik. She
continued discussing how the reading program has developed
paralleling English text using Yup'ik.
MS. HANKINS moved to slide 14, titled "Curriculum and Course
Offerings" and explained the secondary level Yup'ik course which
extends beyond grades K-6. She stated that this material has
been developed through partnerships, and she listed some of
these.
8:25:22 AM
MR. HUGHES stated that LKSD has recognized the need for a "grow-
our-own teacher" program, supported by the Career Ladder
program, as seen on slide 15. He stated that these local
teachers have the lowest number of turnovers of any group, and
this is supportive of language acquisition. He pointed out that
LKSD has invested in the Career Ladder program for over 30
years. He moved to slide 16 and pointed out the seven LKSD
Career Ladder programs, of which he briefly summarized. He
stated that currently there are 50 individuals enrolled in these
programs.
8:29:11 AM
MS. CROW moved to slide 17, which listed four types of student
support in LKSD. The list includes school social workers,
school community advocates, school counselors, and peer leader
programs. She stated that these examples are just some of the
many types of student support offered. She explained the role
of these four types of support at LKSD.
8:32:19 AM
MS. HANKINS stated that LKSD is fortunate to have partnerships
with local entities and statewide organizations, as listed on
slide 18. She highlighted the partnerships with the Yukon-
Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Alaska Native Science and
Engineering Program, and the local Native Tribes. She moved to
slide 19 and addressed the challenges LKSD faces. She stated
that the remainder of the presentation will address the
following challenges: educator recruitment and retention,
erosion and community relocations, major maintenance needs, lack
of support services in the region, broadband connectivity, and
flat funding and rising costs.
8:34:49 AM
MR. HUGHES moved to slide 20 and addressed the challenge of
educator recruitment and retention. He stated that on average,
LKSD experiences a 15 to 20 percent teacher turnover rate each
year, with each turnover costing the district around $20,000.
He discussed the factors which contribute to the high teacher
turnover rate, and this includes geographic location, quality of
teacher housing, high cost of living, and lack of amenities.
8:40:05 AM
MS. HANKINS moved to slide 21 and addressed the erosion and
community relocations. She stated that there are two
communities heavily effected by erosion: Newtok and Napakiak.
She added that these communities are moving to managed retreats.
The threats from climate impacts include permafrost degradation,
rising sea levels, erosion, and flooding. She discussed how the
school in Newtok has been impacted. She moved to slide 23 and
addressed the major maintenance needs in LKSD, as the schools
are aging. She pointed out that the top five needed projects
have a value of over $7 million.
8:45:35 AM
MS. CROW moved to slide 24 and addressed the challenges which
result from the lack of support services in the region. She
referenced the geographical size of the regions as a major
issue. She stated that the extensive travel between the
villages affects the immediate access to healthcare and law
enforcement during an emergency, which causes trauma and grief
in the small communities. She stated that trauma services
include supporting a large community response. She added that
behavioral health services have had a difficult time with
employee retention.
8:48:03 AM
MS. HANKINS moved to slide 25 and said the challenge of
connectivity is a big issue in rural Alaska. She stated that
this came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic, as less than 15
percent of LKSD students have access to home Internet. This
highlighted the digital divide between urban and rural students.
MS. HANKINS continued to slide 26 and stated that LKSD has seen
dramatic cost increases over the past few years. She
highlighted that the cost of utilities has increased 38 percent,
the cost of fuel has increased 46 percent, and the cost of
travel has increased 40 percent. She said that, with flat
funding, LKSD is "struggling on how to make things work." She
said that LKSD is "doing less with less." She pointed out the
graph on the next slide, which showed the decrease in the
adjusted base student allocation over the past 10 years.
8:52:57 AM
MR. HUGHES addressed LKSD's strengths, as listed on the last
slide. These include LKSD's excellent staff, who often go
beyond their duties as educators to support the community.
8:53:34 AM
MS. HANKINS highlighted LKSD's dedicated Board of Education,
with members who have served for decades.
8:54:02 AM
MS. CROW continued discussing the strengths of LKSD. She
pointed out the strong family and community partnerships, which
includes parents who have opened their village to this support.
8:54:46 AM
MS. HANKINS pointed out the strength of the local language and
culture in LKSD, as the district is a leader in bilingual
education in the state. She stated that this is the result of
decades of hard work.
8:55:09 AM
MR. HUGHES highlighted the dedicated students in the region, who
empower themselves through education while helping others.
8:55:42 AM
MS. HANKINS concluded the presentation by pointing out that the
staff at LKSD strives to provide an excellent education every
day. She encouraged the members of the committee to visit rural
Alaska. In response to a committee question, she stated that
"MTSS" means multi-tiered system of support. She added that
LKSD needs to strengthen its Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions for
students in the Yugtun programs. She stated that MTSS has been
in place for many years, and it provides extra support for
students struggling in certain areas. In response to a follow-
up question concerning the financial support for the language
programs, she stated that the district has been engaged in this
for over 30 years and the funding is a combination of state
support and grants.
8:59:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK thanked the presenters for their
service in the district. He questioned the challenges for
getting local students to become teachers in the district.
MS. HANKINS responded that when graduates return after college
it is because they are connected to the community. She deferred
to Mr. Hughes who added to the comments about connectedness to
community. Concerning teacher turnover rate in smaller schools,
she responded that when positions go unfilled every student does
not have a qualified teacher. She contributed LKSD's lack of
teachers to its inability to provide competitive salaries and
flat funding.
9:06:01 AM
TERRI WALKER, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School
District (NWABSD), gave a PowerPoint presentation on NWABSD
[hard copy included in the committee packet]. She stated that
she has been involved in education for 32 years, as a teacher,
coach, principal, and now four years as a superintendent. She
stated that many of the situations discussed during LKSD's
presentation are the same for NWABSD. She moved to slide 2 and
listed the rural challenges that NWABSD faces, which include
cost of operations, staff shortages, broadband capacity, and
affordability. She stated that without any further funding
NWABSD has an $8.2 million deficit. She moved to the next
slide, which showed the demographics of the region. She pointed
out the district is at 100 percent for free and reduced meals.
She added that NWABSD pays $1.2 million out of its general funds
above what the U.S. Department of Agriculture refunds. She
stated that this is because of the high cost of shipping. She
noted that the graduation rate has dropped, and she contributed
this to the cut programs because of funding.
9:10:46 AM
MS. WALKER continued to slide 4, which addressed the high cost
of living in the region. She noted that the region also has
issues with unaffordable housing and the lack of public safety.
She pointed out the map of the region on slide 5, which covers
39,000 square miles. She stated that there are no roads
connecting the villages, and the travel between the villages is
very expensive, especially in emergency situations. She
discussed the high cost of shipping for any school supplies.
She moved to slide 6 which listed some examples of the high cost
of living, pointing out that in some places a gallon of milk is
$30. She next pointed out the high cost of housing.
MS. WALKER moved to slide 7 and slide 8 and addressed NWABSD's
operations and maintenance. She stated that the district
consists of 10 villages, and it has difficulty hiring certified
maintenance workers who can serve the entire district, as the
wages are low. She added that many of the systems need very
expensive upgrades, and parts are hard to find because of the
age of the systems. She stated that the cost of fuel and
electricity is a quarter of the district's operating budget.
9:18:27 AM
MS. WALKER stated that because of the governor's veto on capitol
maintenance, none of the district's projects have been funded.
These top-needs projects are listed on slide 8. She noted that
now the river in Deering is flowing next to the school building,
and the ocean is on the other side. Because of erosion the
school building is being unleveled, and the wind blows through
the wall. She further described the students' learning
environment as "cold." She moved to slide 9 and discussed the
difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers, as NWABSD has a
40 percent teacher turnover rate. Like LKSD, she said, with low
wages, no housing, and the high cost of living, there are no
incentives for teachers to move to the district. On slide 10
she discussed broadband capacity and affordability. Currently a
federal E-rate grant helps supply the Internet; however, this is
ending in December and the district will not be able to afford
quality Internet.
9:26:22 AM
MS. WALKER discussed other challenges affecting students. She
mentioned that because of lack of housing, many villages do not
have a public safety officer, and this causes a crisis during
any emergency. Because of the lack of a behavioral health
support system, she stated that the members of the communities
have substance abuse, anxiety, and depression. She described
the need for a behavioral health crisis center. In reference to
workforce development, she said that it is a struggle for
individuals to leave their families to receive training. She
related that there are many challenges; however, she expressed
gratitude for being able to serve her region, as it is a choice
for her. She stated that there are many good things happening
in the district as well.
9:33:08 AM
MS. WALKER, in response to a committee question, reiterated that
teacher turnover in NWABSD has been up to 40 percent for the
last couple of years. She stated that this is for all subjects.
She added that the recruiters are reporting that the positions
hardest to fill are the career and technical education (CTE)
positions.
9:35:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT expressed the opinion that the biggest
cost of teacher turnover is the loss of student learning.
9:35:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK expressed appreciation for slide 4
which showed the cost-of-living examples, as this is very
important to illustrate. He related a story of teachers in
NWABSD paying for student's snacks out of their own pockets, as
this exemplifies the commitment the teachers have in the
district.
9:38:02 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:38 a.m. to 9:40 a.m.
9:40:07 AM
BILL HILL, Superintendent, Bristol Bay Borough School District
(BBBSD), gave a PowerPoint presentation on BBBSD [hard copy
included in the committee packet]. He shared his personal
background and described Bristol Bay as a mixing pot of
different cultures. He stated that he taught for the first five
years of his career in BBBSD. He then taught at other locations
in the state, and now he has been the superintendent for BBBSD
for 10 years. He stated that BBBSD is a small district with two
schools, 110 students, 12 certified teachers, and 12 support
staff. He moved from slide 4 to slide 6, discussing BBBSD's
challenges. He stated that in the past the district has had
very little teacher turnover, but this has changed with a 20
percent turnover on an annual basis over the last 7 years. He
stated that the CTE program has had a vacancy for the past two
years. He listed the difficulties in recruiting teachers, which
include: the national shortage of qualified teachers; wages that
are not competitive; after five years of service, teachers have
an incentive to leave for states offering a defined benefit
system; lack of adequate housing; and the high cost of living
associated with energy costs, travel, and freight. He moved to
slide 6 which showed his salary as a starting teacher in 1998
compared with the current salary of a starting teacher. Per
current inflation, he estimated that a 16.35 percent raise would
be needed to bring the current salary in line.
9:48:39 AM
MR. HILL proceeded to slide 7 and listed the staffing
initiatives the district is taking. He discussed the following:
the certified tutor program; higher pay for teachers; an
experimental master's program; cultural training for teachers;
and a pathway for a para-certified educator program. He moved
to slide 8 and slide 9 and addressed other challenges, including
the cost of transportation, utilities, and the Internet. He
moved to slide 10 and slide 11 and addressed energy initiatives
in the district. He pointed out the upgrades to lighting,
upgrades on heat pumps, and upgrades to windows and doors. He
stated that the district saw results in increased comfort for
students in cold months, brightly light education spaces, and a
reduction in electrical costs of over 30 percent.
9:54:01 AM
MR. HILL moved to slide 12 and addressed the broadband
challenges. He stated that the district spends over $1.3
million a year on broadband, with 90 percent paid for with the
federal E-rate funding. He added that the limited broadband
usage reduces opportunities for students. He moved to slide 13
and addressed the opportunities for broadband, which include:
providing online courses, completing state assessments, and
training for staff.
9:55:17 AM
MR. HILL moved to slide 14 and addressed how to reduce the
amount of reporting staff must do. He moved to slide 15 and
addressed the initiatives at BBBSD. He mentioned energy
efficiency efforts and the reduction of staff. He addressed the
partnerships BBBSD has with other school districts. He moved to
slide 16 and expressed the opinion that the future of Alaska's
education system is unstable because of high teacher turnover.
10:00:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT questioned whether there are any
downsides to outsourcing positions.
MR. HILL replied there are significant downsides to outsourcing,
including response time, as contractors may have multiple
districts they are working with. When contracted, he advised
that special education professionals often will not have a
connection to the community, making this work difficult. He
added that another downside is the cost of some of the
contracts.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT explained that the proposed HB 105
would require districts to meet the needs of gender related
issues, including a parental notification if a student requests
to be called by a different pronoun. This bill would change the
opt-out provision for sex education to an opt-in provision. She
questioned Mr. Hill's opinion of this.
MR. HILL replied that he can address some of this, and other
questions would need to be addressed by the BBBSD's board. He
explained that there needs to be consideration on whether
students are harmed. He expressed the fear that with an opt-in
provision for sex education, students will not have enough
information to make wise decisions once they reach adulthood.
10:05:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK commented on the importance of
broadband in rural schools, and he said that it is good to hear
success stories.
10:06:50 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE provided closing comments.
10:08:00 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 10:08 a.m. to 10:09 a.m.
HB 148-AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
10:09:40 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 148, "An Act relating to the Alaska
performance scholarship program."
10:10:06 AM
BUD SEXTON, Staff, Representative Justin Ruffridge, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor, the House Education
Standing Committee, of which Representative Ruffridge served as
chair, provided a brief overview of HB 148 and the Alaska
Performance Scholarship (APS). He discussed the changes HB 148
would make to APS, including increasing the award amounts,
eliminating the testing requirements, adding a step-up
provision, and the recognition of CTE.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE invited public testimony [which
remained open from the meeting on 04/05/23].
10:12:28 AM
EMILY FERRY, Collective Impact Coordinator, Association of
Alaska School Boards (ASB), testified in support of HB 148. She
stated that ASB supports the inclusion of CTE in APS. She
stated that research supports removing the testing requirements.
She discussed how increasing eligibility to APS would help
contribute to the workforce in the state. She stated that
implementing staff to help students and parents with APS is also
crucial.
10:15:53 AM
LISA PARADY, Executive Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators (ACSA), testified in support of HB 148. She
concurred with Ms. Ferry's testimony. She referred to ACSA's
position statement and its support of CTE, as this would
contribute to the state's economic stability. She pointed out
that research shows CTE courses improve graduation rates, lead
to higher career earnings, and decreases the student dropout
percentages. Concerning rural students, she expressed the
opinion that the proposed legislation would increase APS
accessibility without diminishing the rigor.
10:18:53 AM
VIRGINIA MORGAN, representing self, testified in support of all
the provisions in HB 148, but she stated that she specifically
supports the removal of the testing requirements. She argued
that the tests are unfair to rural students, and these tests are
not an accurate predictor of success. She shared that her
daughter did not do well on the tests; otherwise, she had high
achievements.
10:22:06 AM
SHANNON MAJOR, representing self, stated that as a school
counselor she makes sure students are on the right path to meet
the APS requirements. She argued that the changes proposed in
the legislation would make APS stronger. She pointed out the
most challenging part of qualifying for APS is the standardized
test requirement. She explained that the scores for these tests
are calculated by an agency outside of the district, resulting
in inaccuracies.
10:24:36 AM
MEGAN MURPHY, representing self, testified in support of HB 148.
She shared that she worked in the education system for 17 years,
with many of these years in rural Alaska. She expressed support
for the provisions in the proposed legislation, especially the
removal of the requirement for standardized tests to qualify for
APS. She stated that the testing locations are not accessible
for rural students. She reinforced that a student's grade point
average would be a better metric for APS qualification. She
argued that this would help students stay in the state and add
to the workforce.
10:27:12 AM
PAIGE PETR, School Counselor, King Tech High School, testified
in support of HB 148. She voiced support for the removal of the
standardized test requirements. She shared that she has been
involved with education for 20 years. She gave a brief
description of King Tech High School and shared the story of
four students who were prohibited from applying for APS because
of the testing requirements.
10:30:31 AM
SEAN SCHUBERT, Workforce Development Coordinator, King Tech High
School, testified in support of HB 148. He concurred with other
public testimony heard during the hearing.
10:31:58 AM
TOM BRICE, Vice President, Board of Directors, Alumni
Association, University of Alaska Fairbanks, on behalf of the
board, testified in support of HB 148. He argued that students
who received their education in Alaska, stay and work in the
state. He argued that the update to APS would make the program
have a greater impact.
10:33:53 AM
HERMAN MORGAN, representing self, testified in opposition to HB
148. He argued that students are not being educated and
"throwing more money at it makes it too top heavy." He
continued that parents need more consent in what students are
learning.
10:36:31 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE, after ascertaining that there was no one
else who wished to testify, closed public testimony.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that HB 148 was held over.
10:37:12 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:37 a.m.