03/12/2025 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Board of Education and Early Development | |
| HB28 | |
| HB57 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 28 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 57 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 12, 2025
8:05 a.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Rebecca Himschoot, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Maxine Dibert
Representative Ted Eischeid
Representative Jubilee Underwood
Representative Rebecca Schwanke
Representative Bill Elam
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
BOARD OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
KATHRYN MCCOLLUM - Wasilla
Kimberly Bergey - Palmer
CONFIMATION(S) ADVANCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 28
"An Act establishing a student loan repayment pilot program; and
providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 57
"An Act relating to wireless telecommunications devices in
public schools; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED CSHB 57(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 28
SHORT TITLE: TEACHER/STATE EMPLOYEE STUDENT LOAN PRGRM
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) STORY
01/22/25 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/10/25
01/22/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/22/25 (H) EDC, FIN
02/12/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
02/12/25 (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>
02/17/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
02/17/25 (H) Heard & Held
02/17/25 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/24/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
02/24/25 (H) Heard & Held
02/24/25 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/12/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
BILL: HB 57
SHORT TITLE: COMMUNICATION DEVICES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) FIELDS
01/22/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/22/25 (H) L&C, EDC
01/29/25 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
01/29/25 (H) Heard & Held
01/29/25 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
01/31/25 (H) L&C AT 9:15 AM GRUENBERG 120
01/31/25 (H) Heard & Held
01/31/25 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
02/05/25 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
02/05/25 (H) Moved CSHB 57(L&C) Out of Committee
02/05/25 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
02/10/25 (H) L&C RPT CS(L&C) 5DP 1NR
02/10/25 (H) DP: CARRICK, SADDLER, COULOMBE, HALL,
FIELDS
02/10/25 (H) NR: NELSON
02/24/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
02/24/25 (H) Heard & Held
02/24/25 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/03/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
03/03/25 (H) Heard & Held
03/03/25 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/12/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
KATHRYN MCCOLLUM, Appointee
Board of Education & Early Development
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on her confirmation hearing to
the Board of Education and Early Development.
KIMBERLY BERGEY, Appointee
Board of Education & Early Development
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on her confirmation hearing to
the Board of Education and Early Development.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 28 to the
committee.
KERRY THOMAS, Acting Executive Director
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, Department of
Education & Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: On behalf of Representative Andi Story,
prime sponsor, answered committee questions on HB 28.
REPRESENTATIVE ZACK FIELDS
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, answered committee
questions on CSHB 57(L&C).
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:05:00 AM
CO-CHAIR ANDI STORY called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. Representatives
Eischeid, Underwood, Schwanke, Elam, Himschoot, and Story were
present at the call to order. Representatives Dibert arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the committee would take a moment
of silence in honor of Ashley Johnson-Barr day.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
^Board of Education and Early Development
Board of Education and Early Development
8:07:23 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the first order of business would
be the confirmation hearings for the governor's appointees to
the Alaska State Board of Education & Early Development.
8:08:15 AM
KATHRYN MCCOLLUM, Appointee, Board of Education & Early
Development, testified on her confirmation hearing to the Board
of Education and Early Development. She began her testimony by
sharing a brief history of her teaching career and time in
Alaska and said that she "really has a passion for student
learning and education for all students, I actually was prompted
to run for the school board when the Alaska READS act was
happening." She said that she wants to do any work to help all
students in the State of Alaska.
8:10:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked Ms. McCollum if teachers should be
free to insert their own personal beliefs into their
instruction.
MS. MCCOLLUM opined that teachers should teach their board-
approved curriculum while being cognisant of other's beliefs.
8:13:06 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked if it could be seen as a conflict of
interest to have an educator serving on an education board.
MS. MCCOLLUM said that is "really important" to have an active
educator serving on the Board of Education and Early
Development.
8:14:15 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Ms. McCollum what she sees as the primary
issues facing education today.
MS. MCCOLLUM replied that teacher recruitment and retention as
well as classroom challenges are the biggest issues currently
facing education in Alaska.
8:15:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked Ms. McCollum how she handled a
larger class size versus a smaller class size.
MS. MCCOLLUM explained that a larger class size puts more of a
stress on her classroom management ability and said that she
felt she was still successful in delivering instruction,
regardless of any issues that might affect to her ability to
teach.
8:17:21 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Ms. McCollum how she felt about the book
bans occurring in the country today and asked for her opinion on
public funds being utilized for private religious schools.
MS. MCCOLLUM explained that the Matanuska-Susitna School Board
did a "really good job" of putting together a committee to
review books' removal from school libraries. She answered that
she believes it is currently illegal to direct public funds to
private religious schools, though parents and students should be
allowed to have a choice in the schools they attend.
8:19:03 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked Ms. McCollum if the execution of the
Alaska Reads Act went well or could have been improved. She
asked how the "Spaulding Method" of elementary instruction was
different than newer methods of teaching occurring today.
MS. MCCOLLUM said that she is a "staunch supporter of phonics"
and said that she thought the Alaska Reads Act was getting
"easier and easier" to implement. She said that teachers are
applying the skills they learned from the "Spaulding Method" of
elementary instruction to newer instruction models occurring
today.
8:23:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked Ms. McCollum how she feels about
students using technology versus hands on, place-based
education.
MS. MCCOLLUM said that it is "sad to her" to see the amount of
technology that young children are using, both in the classroom
and at home.
8:28:34 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked what the "right amount" of technology
is with regards to classroom instruction.
MS. MCCOLLUM shared her belief that teaching is about people,
relationships, and communication and said that she does not
believe that the woes of education may be solved by more
technology.
8:30:44 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Ms. McCollum if she believes that the State
should fund its public schools less because its schools are
"failing" and asked what the Board of Education and Early
Development should do to combat the narrative that negative
things are occurring within Alaska's schools.
MS. MCCOLLUM replied that she does not believe that the State
shouldn't fund its public schools because they might be
performing at a lower standard than the rest of the country and
said that there should be more work done to celebrate the work
that is being done in Alaska's schools.
8:32:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked Ms. McCollum if she believed that
either she or her students were failing during her long career
in teaching.
MS. MCCOLLUM answered that it is "hard to correlate what we hear
around the talk about how schools are failing when you see what
is really happening out there".
8:35:47 AM
KIMBERLY BERGEY, Appointee, Board of Education & Early
Development, Testified on her confirmation hearing to the Board
of Education and Early Development. She shared that she has
attended Alaska's schools from her elementary to graduate levels
of instruction and said that she has worked in the mining
industry and the service industry. She said that her interest
in serving on the BEED comes from a want to give back and serve
in hopes to look at "what's working well, what isn't, and
improve upon what isn't".
8:38:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked Ms. Bergey to give two suggestions
to the Alaska State Legislature to help improve graduation rates
in Alaska. He shared his understanding that high school
students in Alaska are struggling with the feeling of hope
because of a lack of education funding.
MS. BERGEY answered that the State has to "meet students where
they're at" to help to meet their individual & situational
needs. She emphasized that the most important thing that could
be done to improve graduation rates is to instill a sense of
hope in the students.
8:43:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked Ms. Bergey if she has seen success
in the application of Career & Technical Education (CTE) and
work apprenticeship programs.
MS. BERGEY replied that CTE and work apprenticeship programs are
vital in ensuring that a student feels hopeful for their future.
8:46:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked Ms. Bergey how the Alaska State
Legislature could motivate school districts in Alaska to "be
more collaborative".
MS. BERGEY answered that school district interconnectivity is
often directly tied to a school district's ability to
communicate with its students, parents, and community partners.
8:50:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked Ms. Bergey how teachers could
avoid their students feeling anxious about their teacher's
finances or school funding.
MS. BERGEY answered that classrooms should be meant for
instruction and teacher's finances should be kept private.
CO-CHAIR STORY clarified that it is commonplace board policy
across the State that teachers keep their personal finances to
themselves and emphasized that students "notice things in their
classrooms and in their buildings, when their classes are
crowded, when they're losing educational opportunities, they
have a right to speak their thoughts on what they're
experiencing".
8:53:08 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT commented that students notice negative
changes in their public schools and asked how the BEED could
more equitably represent rural schools. She asked how her job as
the principal of a homeschool program differs from that of a
brick and mortar principal and asked what her "overall vision
for education in Alaska" is. She asked if it is possible for one
person serving on the Professional Teaching Practices Commission
(PTPC) to have "too much influence" in simultaneously serving on
the Board of Education and Early Development.
MS. BERGEY answered that she works for the Yukon- Koyukon School
District and said that she would adequately represent rural
schools on the BEED. She answered that her job entails staff
supervision, curriculum administration, and student-parent
outreach. She shared her vision of the future of education in
Alaska to be a "system of education that offers choice, because
we know that not every child learns in the same way". She said
that it is important to note the differences in the work that is
done on the PTPC and the Board of Education and Early
Development in order to make a fair judgement of whether or not
a person may serve on both boards.
8:59:56 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Ms. Bergey how she felt about the book bans
occurring in the country today and asked for her opinion on
public funds being utilized for private religious schools.
MS. BERGEY answered that setting up a community stakeholder
group is a "great way" to review materials and ensure that they
are appropriate for students. She explained that Alaska is not
set up for the use of education vouchers in private institutions
and said that Alaska has laws that must be followed with regards
to the utilization of public school funding in private
institutions.
9:05:05 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 9:05 a.m.
9:05:37 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY made clear to the committee that there would be
public testimony on the current confirmation hearings on a later
date.
9:06:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked Ms. Bergey if the BEED is failing
its students with regards to accountability in its public
schools. He asked, "With a shorter answer, is proper education
funding a piece of the [education] puzzle?"
MS. BERGEY said that she doesn't believe that the BEED is
failing its students, but does believe that "we need to do some
things differently, we need to look at some things". She shared
her belief that the Alaska READS Act was a step in the right
direction with regards to improving education in Alaska. She
said that education funding is a small part of the effort to
deliver a better education for all Alaskans.
9:12:46 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:12 a.m. to 9:16 a.m.
[During the at-ease, Co-Chair Story handed the gavel to Co-Chair
Himschoot.]
HB 28-TEACHER/STATE EMPLOYEE STUDENT LOAN PRGRM
9:16:55 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT announced that the next order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 28, "An Act establishing a student loan
repayment pilot program; and providing for an effective date."
9:17:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented HB 28 to the committee. She explained that
there has been a greater number of people leaving from than
arriving in Alaska in the previous 12 years and explained how
that outmigration has negatively affected various sectors of
work in the state. She said that the bill is nicknamed the
"come back home bill" because of its primary goal of bringing
native-born Alaskans back to their home state. She explained
that the program established by HB 28 would be a three year,
$8,000 per year program that would send the rewarded funds
directly to the institution that the recipient attended and
pointed the committee's attention to the Higher Education
Investment Fund (HEIF) that would fund the proposed legislation.
9:23:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked how long the bill's proposed policies
are expected to retain an employee in Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY answered that HB 28 would apply to Alaskan-
born people who have attended university, obtained
certifications, and currently live outside of the state.
9:26:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked if a program that incentivized
employees to live in rural Alaska was enacted by the Alaska
State Legislature or another agency in the Alaska state
government.
9:27:54 AM
KERRY THOMAS, Acting Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education, Department of Education & Early
Development, On behalf of Representative Andi Story, prime
sponsor, answered committee questions on HB 28. She shared her
understanding that Representative Underwood was referring to the
Teacher Education Loan Program (TELP), which is no longer active
due to a lack of funding.
9:28:53 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked if the TELP had a cap on the funds it
would repay participants.
MS. THOMAS answered that someone could've attended any school at
any cost and the TELP would have paid for it.
9:29:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked about the difference between the
proposed policies of HB 28 and the TELP.
MS. THOMAS explained that both of the programs are fundamentally
different because the TELP program was a loan forgiveness
program and HB 28 proposes a loan repayment program.
9:31:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked Representative Story to describe
who would qualify for the proposed policies of HB 28.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained that HB 28 was introduced as an
"antidote" to the outmigration that has been occurring in Alaska
over recent years and gave a hypothetical scenario to explain
how a person might qualify for the proposed policies of HB 28.
9:35:35 AM
MS. THOMAS added that HB 28 says that "the person should have
resided outside of the state for at least 12 months before
beginning full-time employment". She said that her
interpretation of the bill is that whether someone would be
eligible to receive the proposed benefits of HB 28 or not would
unaffected by their residency status, rather it would be
contingent on how long they have been out of the state.
9:36:54 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT thanked the invited testifiers and announced
that HB 28 would be held over.
9:37:02 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 9:37 a.m.
[During the at-ease, Co-Chair Himschoot handed the gavel back to
Co-Chair Story.]
HB 57-COMMUNICATION DEVICES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
9:37:31 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the final order of business would
be CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 57(L&C), "An Act relating to wireless
telecommunications devices in public schools; and providing for
an effective date."
9:38:20 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY moved to adopt Amendment 1 to CSHB 57(L&C),
labeled 34-LS0064\I.2, Bergerud, 3/10/25, which read as follows:
Page 2, following line 14:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of
Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read:
REPORTS. (a) Not later than June 30, 2026, a
school district shall report to Department of
Education and Early Development describing the policy
the school district adopted under AS 14.33.300(b) and
the effect of the policy on student academic
achievement and behavior in the school district.
(b) Not later than July 31, 2026, the Department
of Education and Early Development shall prepare a
report that describes, for each school district, the
implementation process of policies adopted under AS
14.33.300(b) and the outcomes of prohibiting the use
of nonschool-issued wireless telecommunications
devices, including the effect on student academic
achievement and behavior. The Department of Education
and Early Development shall make the report available
to the public, submit the report to the senate
secretary and the chief clerk of the house of
representatives, and notify the legislature that the
report is available."
Renumber the following bill section accordingly.
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT objected for the purpose of discussion.
9:38:36 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY explained that Amendment 1 to CSHB 57 (L&C) would
create a section that mandates that school districts report to
the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) about
the effects of the proposed policies on student achievement and
behavior.
9:39:43 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked how a school district might properly
deliver the report proposed by Amendment 1.
CO-CHAIR STORY answered that it would be "up to the school
district" to handle how they would complete the report proposed
by Amendment 1.
9:42:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked if the report proposed by Amendment 1
could be considered a "satisfaction survey."
9:43:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZACK FIELDS, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, answered committee questions on CSHB 57(L&C). He said
that the purpose of the amendment would be for districts to
report both how they implemented a ban on cell phone use and the
impacts of a ban.
9:44:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE shared her concern that the amendment
would create unnecessary oversight of local districts from the
state government and said that she is unsure if the report
proposed by Amendment 1 is even necessary, given the certainty
of the possible positive effects.
9:46:29 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that she did not make the proposed
Amendment extremely prescriptive because she is "sensitive to
more reporting from districts".
9:47:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked if the proposed Amendment could be re-
drafted to clarify its intention.
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that Representative Elam's idea for the
proposed report was already covered by current bill language.
9:48:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked if his understanding as to how the
proposed amendment's policies would be administered was correct.
CO-CHAIR STORY confirmed that Representative Eischeid's
understanding was correct.
9:51:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS commented that the goal of the proposed
amendment was to both study the impacts of a cell phone ban in
schools and make the implementation of such a policy easier,
9:51:40 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT removed her objection.
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE objected.
CO-CHAIR STORY commented her desire for the report proposed by
Amendment 1 to contain accurate and concise information and
reiterated her apprehension to creating any further
administrative burden for school districts in Alaska.
9:52:46 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:52 a.m. to 9:54 a.m.
9:54:01 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Dibert, Eischeid,
Story, and Himschoot voted in favor of Amendment 1 to CSHB
57(L&C). Representatives Schwanke, Elam, and Underwood voted
against it. Therefore, Amendment 1 was adopted by a vote of 4-
3.
9:55:44 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease from 9:55 a.m. to 9:56 a.m.
9:56:09 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY moved to report CSHB 57(L&C), as amended, out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
fiscal notes and [to allow Legislative Legal Services to make]
conforming changes, as needed. There being no objection, CSHB
57(EDC) was reported out of the House Education Standing
Committee.
9:56:52 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY delivered committee announcements.
9:57:48 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:58 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Kathryn McCollum.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Kimberly Bergey.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| State School Board Infomation.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| ACPE.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| HB 57 Amendment 3.10.25.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2025 8:00:00 AM |
HB 57 |
| HB 57 Version G (passed out of HEDC).pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2025 8:00:00 AM |
HB 57 |