Legislature(2003 - 2004)
03/18/2003 11:05 AM House EDU
| Audio | Topic |
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
March 18, 2003
11:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Chair
Representative Paul Seaton, Vice Chair
Representative John Coghill
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Kelly Wolf
Representative Les Gara
Representative Mary Kapsner
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 174
"An Act relating to the state centralized correspondence study
program, to funding for educational programs that occur
primarily outside school facilities, and to the duties of school
boards of borough and city school districts and regional
educational attendance areas; and providing for an effective
date."
- MOVED HB 174 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HB 174
SHORT TITLE: CORRESPONDENCE STUDY
SPONSOR (S): RLS BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
03/05/03 0449 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME -
REFERRALS
03/05/03 0449 (H) EDU, HES, FIN
03/05/03 0449 (H) FN1: (EED)
03/05/03 0449 (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER
03/10/03 0496 (H) FN2: (EED)
03/11/03 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 124
03/11/03 (H) Heard & Held
MINUTE (EDU)
03/13/03 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 124
03/13/03 (H) Heard & Held
MINUTE (EDU)
03/18/03 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 124
WITNESS REGISTER
EDDY JEANS, Manager
School Finance and Facilities Section
Education Support Services
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 174, responded
to questions and provided the committee with information
requested at a previous hearing on HB 174.
KYM WOLCOTT
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
MARVEL LLOYD
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
LINDA VOORHEES
Ketchikan, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174 and answered questions from the committee.
AYAIRE CANTRELL
Ketchikan, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
NANCY RICHAR
Trapper Creek, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
WENDY TWOGOOD
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
PAULA WILLIAMS, President
Parent Advisory Council
Alyeska Central School
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
RICK GRESSETT, School Counselor
Wrangell School District
Wrangell, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
KANDI SOWARDS
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
ELNORA WALKER
Trapper Creek, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
JENNIFER WILCOX
Gakona, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
DANIEL KNUDSEN
Eagle River, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
JOHN SCOTT
Glacier Bay, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 174.
JOHN FRENCH
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 174.
JACK CADIGAN
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 174, offered
suggestions, and answered questions from the committee.
JEANNIE PADEN
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 174.
DAN BECK, Superintendent of Schools
Delta/Greely School District
Delta Junction, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified before the committee on HB 174
and answered questions by the members.
SUSAN UNDERBAKKE
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
BECKY CRABTREE, Alternative Education Teacher
North Slope Borough School District
Barrow, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
CINDY OLSON
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
THOMAS ROBINSON
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174 and answered questions from the committee.
BREANNA ROBINSON
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174 and answered questions from the committee.
CINDY MICHOU
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174 and answered questions from the committee.
DEBBIE REISWIG
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified via teleconference in opposition
to HB 174.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 03-13, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIR CARL GATTO called the House Special Committee on Education
meeting to order at 11:05 a.m. Representatives Gatto, Seaton,
Wilson, Wolf, and Kapsner were present at the call to order.
Representatives Coghill and Gara arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
HB 174- CORRESPONDENCE STUDY
CHAIR GATTO announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 174, "An Act relating to the state centralized
correspondence study program, to funding for educational
programs that occur primarily outside school facilities, and to
the duties of school boards of borough and city school districts
and regional educational attendance areas; and providing for an
effective date." He told the committee it is his intention to
hear testimony and move the bill out of committee.
Number 0142
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if the information requested by the
committee from the Department of Education and Early Development
is available.
CHAIR GATTO asked Mr. Jeans to address how the state would save
money by implementing HB 174.
Number 0183
EDDY JEANS, Manager, School Finance and Facilities Section
Education Support Services, Department of Education and Early
Development, provided the committee with requested information.
He told the committee the only additional savings the department
was able to identify is in the lease cost for the space that is
associated with Alyeska Central Schools (ACS). The department
has estimated that amount to be $365,000 annually, provided the
state does not use that space for some other purpose. He
pointed out that the lease costs are paid out of the Department
of Administration's budget.
CHAIR GATTO said one of the questions he had was what happens to
a typical student if ACS closes. Chair Gatto asked what other
options are available beyond moving out of state or enrolling in
another correspondence school, public school, or private school.
MR. JEANS responded that the only option Chair Gatto did not
mention is enrolling in a charter school.
CHAIR GATTO commented that the funding for educating ACS
students goes with that student.
MR. JEANS replied that Chair Gatto is correct.
CHAIR GATTO pointed out that there are two other options
students may choose. One is quitting school and the other is to
enroll in a private school where there is no cost to the state.
Number 0380
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if the department is looking at what
the current ACS students will probably cost the state if ACS
closes.
MR. JEANS told the committee it costs the state approximately
$3,800 per student to stay at ACS or in any correspondence
program. He mentioned that in a previous meeting there were
discussions about the range of costs per student. Specifically,
Representative Gara had asked what the high end would be, and
Mr. Jeans said he had responded that the cost could be as high
as $15,000 to $17,000 per child.
MR. JEANS told the committee he recently received a call from
one of the parents of a child currently enrolled at ACS who
wanted to know how much it would cost to send her child to the
Far North School, which is in the Yukon-Koyukuk School District.
He said he wanted to use this as an example because if the
committee looks at extremes, it is important to look at the
other side as well. Mr. Jeans explained that the Far North
School currently has 12 students enrolled in it. Through the
state foundation-funding program, a base allocation covers 10 to
20 students. In other words, if a school has 10 students, the
school gets exactly the same amount as if there were up to 20
students. This parent currently has three children enrolled in
ACS, and if this parent were to enroll these students at the Far
North School, there would be a savings to the state because the
funding would not change for that particular school, since the
numbers would still fall between 10 and 20 students for the base
allocation for this school. He told the committee he was quite
shocked when this parent pointed this out to him and the funding
worked out that way. Mr. Jeans pointed out that this is the
other extreme.
Number 0574
MR. JEANS said a lot of the cost in educating these students
depends on what grade level they are in, because the larger high
schools in Anchorage, for example, generate 0.84 funding once
the school exceeds the 750 student threshold. He told the
committee these schools generate 4 percent more than what an ACS
student generates. The cost or savings will be determined by
the setting that these students select.
Number 0622
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if there are charter schools that
are also correspondence schools.
MR. JEANS responded that there are a couple of them.
Specifically, Delta/Greely is a cyber school out of Delta
Junction. In Anchorage there is the Family Partnership, which
is a homeschool correspondence environment. He said there is
also the Horizon School that the state board will be considering
for approval. That school is in the Mat-Su [Matanuska-Susitna]
area.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if there would be an opportunity for
current ACS students to go to other correspondence schools or to
a charter correspondence school.
Number 0637
MR. JEANS responded that the department is committed to helping
these families find alternative programs. There are a number of
statewide correspondence programs and charter school programs.
He said he reviewed ACS enrollments by community and found that
85 percent of the total students enrolled in ACS live in
Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su,
Petersburg, and Sitka. Mr. Jeans pointed out that these
students are going to have other opportunities available to them
in the communities they live in, along with the other statewide
correspondence programs.
CHAIR GATTO commented that two charter schools in Mat-Su are
both trying to increase their enrollment right now, so these
schools will likely try to capture some of these students.
Number 0818
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER asked how many charter schools have
availability and how many students will be required to gain
admittance by lottery.
MR. JEANS responded that the only lotteries he is aware of are
by charter schools. The statewide correspondence programs do
not have lotteries. He said the department has been talking
with them about assisting with an additional number of students.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER asked if the schools have the capacity to
meet the needs of these additional students.
MR. JEANS said that he knows Galena City School District has
already expressed some interest. Galena will say that it does
not have the exact program that ACS has in place right now;
however, it is committed to developing a program that meets the
needs of those parents. Galena is unique in its delivery. If a
parent does not want a lot of involvement from the school
district, Galena can provide minimal services along with the
allotment, or if a parent wants a lot of involvement and a lot
of teacher contact time, Galena will also accommodate that. He
told the committee the majority of people enrolled in Galena's
program do not want a lot of teacher contact, but that contact
is available.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER asked, since this bill is an effort to
look at cost-saving measures, if Mr. Jeans could provide the
members with how much the state would save if the department
recalculated the growing communities and determined how much
they are saving by not including 100 percent of their property
base.
MR. JEANS responded that he believes Representative Kapsner is
referring to the required-local-effort calculations and the
inclusion of only 50 percent of the increased value.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER said she would like to know how much the
state would save if the department would look at 100 percent of
their property value.
MR. JEANS responded that he could provide that information to
the committee.
CHAIR GATTO commented that he is certain that if HB 174 reaches
the House Finance Committee, that information will need to be
reviewed.
MR. JEANS responded that HB 174 is not strictly a cost-saving
measure from the department's perspective. It is a policy
issue, and with the additional schools providing statewide
correspondence functions, the department asked the basic
question of whether the department really needs to be in this
business anymore.
Number 1052
KYM WOLCOTT testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee ACS is very important to her
family. She currently has two children in seventh and eighth
grades enrolled at ACS. Their experiences with local schools
were absolute nightmares. She said she was told many times that
the school did not have time for her children because of
overcrowding, lack of staff, and funding. Upon repeated
messages such as these, her family started researching other
options for her children's education and found ACS. It is the
best resource because her family business takes them all over
Alaska. Alyeska Central School allows her family to be
together, contribute to their education, and assure it is the
highest quality education. At the time her children were in the
local school system they were receiving low to middle grades;
now, due to ACS's quality education program and excellent
support system with certified teachers, her children are
receiving topnotch grades. On Saturday there was a town hall
meeting in Anchorage, and she heard the Anchorage School
District trying to stop the budget cuts that are coming. She
told the committee closing ACS is just shifting the problem from
one hand to the other. She said her children actually enjoy
learning through ACS's program and asked the committee to
maintain ACS. She also told the committee she does not believe
the facts that Mr. Jeans provided to the committee. She was
told the cost per student is actually $3,200, not $3,800.
Number 1300
MARVEL LLOYD testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee her family has been with ACS for 13
years. Of her three children, one is a sophomore in college,
one is in junior high school, and one is in high school. She
said when she started with ACS the main reason she chose ACS was
the homeschool accountability, with the parents and children
being accountable to real, live teachers. When the other
homeschools started up offering free computers and paid for
piano lessons it was actually very tempting because she did not
have a good computer and could not afford piano lessons. She
said at that point her family reevaluated and came up with two
reasons why they decided to stay with ACS. The first one was
accountability. The second reason, was that the teachers have
written and rewritten their curriculum, and the courses are a
high quality of education. She commented that in listening to
the hearings she knows this is mostly about cost savings and
about whether this is going to be more or less. She asked the
committee to address quality education. While Galena may be
able to develop a quality curriculum, it is not yet in place.
Number 1456
LINDA VOORHEES testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee her family lives in a remote
location where they do not have access to a brick-and-mortar
school. For fifteen years she has used ACS to homeschool her
children. Her oldest child graduated from ACS two years ago and
is currently a sophomore at Stanford University. She said she
hears the committee discussing other correspondence schools that
will satisfy the families that lose ACS. She said that will not
be true because ACS offers outstanding programs, and no other
program offers so much for so little. No other correspondence
school in the state can offer the staff of certified teachers
that ACS does. She told the committee that she personally
called every other correspondence school in the state and found
that most of them have one or two teachers for all the grades
and classes. One estimated that it would have 15 teachers, but
it does not grade papers or even comment on the student's work.
That makes ACS the only correspondence program that can remotely
comply with the No Child Left Behind Act by the year 2005.
MS. VOORHEES asked if any of the members have asked how many
correspondence schools will be left in 2005, when specifically
qualified teachers will be required for each grade and subject
in order to stay open. This is the only correspondence program
mandated by the state; that means all the other programs can
shut down anytime they think it is to their advantage to do so.
She suggested this is going to happen in 2005. She also asked
what it will cost to reopen ACS if all the other distance
programs fold. The money will not be saved; it will just follow
the students. She said she was surprised to hear the comment
that most if not all students would just go to other
correspondence schools, so there would be no increased cost.
There are a number of families she knows that are already
considering public schools. She decided to call some other
families who are currently enrolled at ACS and found eight out
of ten of the families are considering brick-and-mortar options.
These families are considering brick-and-mortar schools only
because the schools would be accredited and would have teachers
that can offer the support that students need. Ms. Voorhees
acknowledged that there would be savings in lease space for ACS,
but the building is owned by the Alaska Permanent Fund
Corporation, and this is just about money going from one state
department to another. While ACS does get money for the summer
school; it is important to note that the summer school is the
only one in the state.
Number 1671
CHAIR GATTO asked Ms. Voorhees about the school that has
teachers that do not grade papers.
MS. VOORHEES replied that he is correct. One charter school
does not even know how many teachers it has. It estimated about
15, but the parents grade all the papers.
CHAIR GATTO asked the name of that charter school.
MS. VOORHEES replied it is IDEA [Interior Distance Education of
Alaska, program of the Galena City School District].
Number 1725
AYAIRE CANTRELL testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she has been a student with ACS
since kindergarten and is now a senior with a 4.0 GPA [grade
point average]. Alyeska Central School is neither outdated nor
a duplicate service because it is excellent at delivering a
topnotch education to Alaskan students. She said that while it
does use course work from the University of North Dakota, its
curriculum is always evolving to specialize the program for
Alaskan students. Courses offered at ACS includes on-line
courses, advanced placement courses, and college credit courses.
There are specific teachers for each subject, which brings them
closer to meeting the 2005 standards for the No Child Left
Behind Act than any other correspondence school. She said while
ACS receives 20 percent less funding than brick-and-mortar
schools and no funding for special education, it still provides
special education. She told the committee ACS has provided her
with an excellent education. Students who have graduated from
ACS have attended such schools as Stanford [University],
Pennsylvania State University, and Duke [University]. Ms.
Cantrell said that while she had tried other correspondence
schools because she wanted an easier math course, she did not
feel challenged by any of the other courses. She said that if
ACS were to close, she would be faced with a number of
unsatisfactory options. One of them may be to attend a school
that may open in the community where she lives. If that does
not happen, then she might have to use PACE [Personal
Alternative Choices in Education, correspondence program]. She
also pointed out that she likely will not be able to finish her
senior year before June 30, which means she will have to wait
until the beginning of the next school year to enroll and finish
her classes.
Number 1919
MS. CANTRELL summarized her statement by saying that the only
real savings the committee is discussing is by closing the
summer school. The students who enroll in the ACS summer
school, especially seniors, are doing it so they do not have to
delay going on to college. It will mean those students must
wait until the following year and another whole year of funding.
In this way, it will save money.
Number 1970
NANCY RICHAR testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee that many parents go to other
correspondence schools because the programs are not as rigorous
or demanding of the student's time. She wanted the committee to
know that ACS does not just take the top students of the school
for the academic decathlon, but that they take an equal amount
of A, B, and C students on each team. The kids on these teams
excel. They took third place in all the large schools in
Alaska. Ms. Richar said ACS students are doing so well and are
meeting the requirements of the exit exams in reading and
writing early on. She urged the committee to keep the school
open as an example for other schools to come up to their level.
Ms. Richar said the only option in Trapper Creek is the local
high school, where they have cut all electives and actually buy
courses from ACS to fill in other courses. She said she has
neighbors who put their children in Mount Edgecumbe [High
School] a few years ago and she was told it cost the state
$15,000 per year, compared with $3,000 at ACS. She asked if
there is a political agenda that is unseen in the discussion of
closing ACS.
Number 2173
WENDY TWOGOOD testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she wanted to echo all the
supportive testimony from the parents about ACS. This is a
school that is keyed for educational success. For example, she
said her two children have been enrolled at ACS, and last year
her son, who is in the ninth grade, passed a college entrance
exam for the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) with a score
of 89. That means he will be able to skip developmental English
and enter into the 111 level at UAF. He is a full-time student
at UAF and has complete 23 credits. She told the committee her
son could not have done that without the help of ACS. He is
dually enrolled at UAF while completing his high school
requirements. He is holding a 3.0 GPA. Her daughter is a full-
time student and a junior at UAF. She told the committee that
she has been on the dean's list, and chancellor's list, and
currently is holding a 3.75 GPA. She said her children have
been enrolled at ACS since 1989. Ms. Twogood told the committee
she has friends who have enrolled their children in public
schools, but removed them because of the negative influences
there, tried other correspondence schools, but found that ACS is
superior to the other programs because of the attention to
detail. Her son still needs two more years with ACS to finish
high school and get his master's degree by the year 2007 in
computer science at the age of 20 years old. Ms. Twogood told
the committee closing ACS will be a disruption.
Number 2363
PAULA WILLIAMS, President, Parent Advisory Council, Alyeska
Central School, testified in opposition to HB 174. She told the
committee that she has been listening to the testimony over the
last three days and the parents have covered what the team has
put together. She said this will not save the state any money,
since many students will be going to schools that will cost
more, and maybe some to schools that will cost less. She talked
about the changes ACS has gone through over the last 62 years
and the successes graduates from ACS have accomplished including
acceptance at nationally known universities. Ms. Williams
pointed out that the state will lose the only state-mandated
correspondence program; the summer school is the only summer
school, and last year over 3,450 students enrolled to finish
their graduating credits so they wouldn't have to spend another
semester in high school.
Number 2465
MS. WILLIAMS shared her family's experience, saying that for the
last ten years her family of six has lived in a log cabin, 40
miles away from the nearest road, store, school, or power
supply. Their nearest neighbor is 20 miles away. When her
husband retired after 20 years in the U.S. Army, they moved
there to raise their children, and run a small family lodge.
After two years of trying other homeschools, she told the
committee they found ACS and have been with it since. Her
daughter graduated, and her three boys are in high school. They
have aspirations of attending college, and do not believe any of
the current homeschool choices can give them the accreditation
they need. She said her family feels their only choice is the
Nenana Student Living Center. The cost to her family is not
only losing their children prematurely, but also losing their
active participation in running their family business.
MS. WILLIAMS pointed out that the cost to the state per child at
ACS is $3,800 and Nenana is $15,000. If this is not a money-
saving move for ACS, why is this being taken away from her
children? Why would the state have another school develop a
program like ACS when it is already in place? Alyeska Central
School was developed over years, the teachers have written the
courses, and a school cannot just say it will develop a program
and have it done. It will take a lot of time and money to have
that happen. The department asked if they really need to be in
this business, she noted. This is a mandated program for the
state. The state should be proud of the program that they have
built. She said she chose this option because it is the best.
Number 2173
MS. WILLIAMS said in response to Chair Gatto's question about
the number of children in her family that she has four children
and there are six in her family including her husband and
herself.
Number 2535
RICK GRESSETT, School Counselor, Wrangell School District,
testified via teleconference in opposition to HB 174. He told
the committee that removing ACS would be taking a major tool
from him. When he had heard that this might happen, he
immediately started calling other schools for a replacement.
One place he called shifted him to five different people, none
of whom answered the phone; he left a message with all five of
them two weeks ago, and he has yet to receive a returned call.
He told the committee if a fellow professional does not get that
courtesy, what would happen to a parent or student.
MR. GRESSETT said in checking with some of the other schools he
found that the number of credits required for graduation is
above the state requirement, which is 21. The three that he
talked to require 24 to 26 credits. There are many reasons why
students want to get on with their lives and reasons why they
are unable to attend a brick-and-mortar school. Many times a
student will become a second-year senior because of being just
one-half credit short of qualifying to graduate. He said he
turns to ACS to help that student graduate on time. Sometimes
the student can pick up that credit in summer school. This is
the only accredited summer school. He pointed out that other
schools do not permit part-time school. It is about the money,
he suggested. What those schools want is for the student to be
enrolled before the count. Once the count is over with, there
is no money in it for them. However, ACS will take a student at
any time, and it is a key difference. He said he was told by
the other schools that if the student enrolls after the count,
the parent has to pay out of pocket. Mr. Gressett added that if
a student is expelled from school, ACS will accept that student.
He said ACS is a major tool for school counselors.
Number 2765
KANDI SOWARDS testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she is a 17-year-old senior and has
been with ACS since third grade. Ms. Sowards said as she
listened to her fellow students, teachers, and friends she feels
everyone has brought up so many excellent points and she can
only restate many of what they said. Her one main point that
she felt was not mentioned enough is the simple fact that the
whole point of the bill is to save the state money, and the
point has obviously been made that this will not save the state
any money. Alyeska Central School has been an excellent
educational resource to her, she told members. She said the
only savings she can see is from cutting the summer school;
however, it is the only summer school that is available to
Alaskan students, and she feels it would be irresponsible for
the state to get rid of it. Ms. Sowards told the committee that
almost all the Lower 48 states have consolidated their
correspondence, homeschool, and cyber school programs into one
institution because they found that the cost of having many
school districts competing and duplicating resources on a small
scale translates in the long term to reduced services to
students and more cost to the state. Alyeska Central School
does not have to pay for the expenses a brick-and-mortar school
must pay. She said she recently heard of a school in the
Anchorage School District that spent $600,000 on art while
renovating a school.
Number 2948
ELNORA WALKER testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she is a tenth-grade student with
ACS and has been since kindergarten, with the exception of two
years when she tried other schools. Her brother is currently an
eighth-grade student at ACS. She said that anyone who says ACS
is duplicating services is mistaken. The teachers and librarian
take into account students' needs. She lives in the remote
Bush. When an assignment comes up that requires the Internet to
complete, ACS provides materials and books to help its students
complete the assignment.
TAPE 03-13, SIDE B
MS. WALKER said the teachers are wonderful and always available
to the students. At the other school it would be necessary to
make an appointment to ask questions that were not answered very
well. She said her brother was able to choose what classes he
wanted, and he had three or four choices per subject. When she
was in the eighth grade those choices were not available, so she
said it is always interesting to see new changes each year.
Number 2879
JENNIFER WILCOX testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she is in the 11th grade at ACS
which is the only accredited year-round school in the state.
There are excellent teachers who are accessible by telephone, e-
mail, fax, or mail, and over 250 classes are offered including
on-line and advanced-placement classes. Many extracurricular
activities are offered through ACS including programs such as
Alaska and National Close Up and the Academic Decathlon. Ms.
Wilcox summarized her comments by saying she believes it should
remain an option in Alaska's educational system.
Number 2827
DANIEL KNUDSEN testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. He told the committee he is a senior at ACS and has
attended ACS for the last three years; however, before that time
he attended private and public school. He said no other school
came close to the education he is receiving at ACS. The
curriculum is interesting, challenging, and flexible. The
teachers are qualified and competent. Last summer his father
was diagnosed with cancer and he had to leave the state while he
received treatment. He had not finished classes before that
time, and at any other school, he would have had to retake
another semester of high school to make up for it. That is one
of the things that makes ACS such a great school. The school
has also been successful in creating a sense of community for
the students by allowing them to know each other and the
teachers. Alyeska Central School unites the parents and
teachers to educate the student in the best way possible. He
said he hopes that ACS will be available for students for years
to come.
Number 2727
CHAIR GATTO announced that the committee would take a brief at-
ease at 11:57 a.m. The committee reconvened at 12:05 p.m.
Number 2692
JOHN SCOTT read his testimony in opposition to HB 174 into the
record. The first part of his written testimony read as follows
[original punctuation provided, but some formatting changed]:
My name is John Scott and I reside near Glacier Bay,
Alaska. I am here to testify against HB 174. I do
not support the closure of Alyeska Central School
(ACS). In very general terms all I have ever asked of
this State's constitutionally mandated and funded
educational system is:
1) What subjects are you going to teach my children
2) When are you going to teach the subjects
3) How will you know if mastery has been achieved
4) Will you provide assistance to me as a parent and
to my child as a student if mastery has not been
achieved.
The local REAA school could not provide clear answers
to questions 1 through 3 and in several cases refused
assistance when we as parents found mastery of
subjects being taught was lacking.
As a result we as a family studied what options were
available.
ACS provided the only alternative with a 60-year
history, with a Legislative charter, that offered
accreditation and a complete course catalog and
program that we could plan by. They also offered the
only experienced distance education staff willing to
evaluate student performance and capable of providing
assistance. ACS also has the support capable of
providing quality course work.
None of the other in-state correspondence schools
could offer the following:
1) History and prestige of ACS
2) Accreditation and therefore acceptance by
colleges of course work completed
3) Course catalog and program
4) Willing and able staff capable of evaluation of
mastery and provision of assistance and support
Number 2580
CHAIR GATTO asked if no school could provide the combination of
all four or only one individual point.
MR. SCOTT responded that he was looking for a school that could
provide all four of the items. He said, as an example, none of
them could provide the history and prestige and none of them
could provide the accreditation. Some could provide a course
catalog, but not a complete program. None, other than ACS, had
staff that were capable. He said he is bothered by the
discussion of state funds. There needs to be some equality; the
committee is comparing is apples and oranges. These other
correspondence schools are not at the same level. Mr. Scott
continued to read his statement, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
The proposed closure of ACS smacks of a money raid by
the shills of other less qualified and less organized
correspondence school programs in the state.
ACS is not redundant. It provides the only
acceptable, accredited correspondence school program
in the state.
If you are going to push this proposal forward, what
are you going to provide or offer to the ACS High
School students as an or-equal alternative in their
last years of study? How are you going to handle
ending the program, meaning how do the current
students complete their one-year course of study if
their year is up in September and your ax falls in
June?
The Republican Party public stand regarding education
has been to "leave no children behind" and to "provide
choice and alternative to families faced with poor or
failing schools (i.e.; better choice and
alternatives)" Yet here I sit testifying on a bill
which leaves children behind and does not promote
choice and does not provide for better alternatives.
Please do not support this bill. If you want to
follow this logic you will get rid of the State
library (there are three libraries in Juneau alone) or
perhaps the State Museum (does not Anchorage or
Fairbanks have a museum). I would not support these
tongue in cheek proposals and hope you won't either.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
John Scott
Number 2494
JOHN FRENCH testified in opposition to HB 174. He told the
committee he is the father of a student of ACS, and he thanked
the committee for taking the time to truly listen to the
testimony. He compared the story of "Angela's Ashes," where the
drunk father takes his children's money and spends it in the
bar, which is what he said he feels the legislature would be
doing by passing this bill. He said he feels the state would be
trading on the children's future on an orgy of free government.
An immediate problem would occur for the students who are in
this program.
MR. FRENCH said he cannot imagine that the "will of the people"
had this in mind when they elected the present government. He
said he can see how well-intentioned people have tried to meet
unreasonable mandates, and tried to meet those demands. The
demand to cut education is wrong to begin with, he suggested.
If it must be cut, this proposal does not even meet that
criterion. It creates a great academic loss for little or no
savings. Perhaps it will create more cost. Cutting ACS is a
shell game that may look good to the uninformed, but which
crumbles under scrutiny. He challenged the legislators to
balance the needs and protect those who have no voice. He said
today he thought they were expressing that voice very well. If
ACS closes, there are basically three options: a brick-and-
mortar school, for increased cost; a Mount Edgecumbe-type
school, for greatly increased cost; or Internet-based charter
schools with no teaching services and no savings there, so it is
a wash in the funding.
MR. FRENCH asked how many of the folks in the room have gone to
college. He noted that about half the people raised their
hands. He asked who feels qualified to teach every subject in
high school. He noted that there were not many hands up. He
asked who feels that they could be impartial with their own
children if they had to give the grade. He noted that a few
people raised their hands. He told the committee these are the
kind of schools the legislature would be handing these students
over to. It might be interesting for the committee to look at
the charter schools that are out there and see if they are
credible, he suggested.
Number 2274
MR. FRENCH responded to Chair Gatto's question, concerning
charter schools that have teachers that can teach every grade,
by saying that the parents are the ones in charge of teaching
and grading. That is why many of these schools are not
accredited. Mr. French said if he were an admissions
administrator of Stanford University and had some child from the
Bush that wanted to go to Stanford and the student's educational
background was an unaccredited school, taught and graded by his
parents, it is unlikely there would be very much credit given to
the student's application.
CHAIR GATTO responded that the student's Scholastic Achievement
Test (SAT scores), interview, and application would mean more
than where he or she went to school.
MR. FRENCH replied that in this competitive market, everything
counts to highly competitive schools. Alyeska Central School
has students that have gone to Stanford on scholarships because
they have done a terrific job. He said he made this point to
show that there are not equal-to-equal educational choices. The
main areas he is concerned with are accreditation and teacher
services. Teacher services is where ACS shines. If a kid lives
in the Bush, are we offering them an opportunity to go to
college? Urban kids that go to ACS have reasons why they are
not attending the public schools where they live. He reminded
the committee of that high school senior who cannot complete a
course on time; instead of being allowed to finish that class in
summer school, the student has to go back for another entire
semester to finish high school and has to wait an entire year to
go to college. He said his daughter is a high achiever and has
been taking courses each summer to pad the credits she is
getting to go to college. She wants to do a foreign exchange
program next year and during that time take courses through ACS
that will be accredited so that when she comes back she is not
penalized for having outside interests and doing extra things.
Number 2177
CHAIR GATTO asked Mr. French how much time in a normal week he
spends working with his children on their studies.
MR. FRENCH responded that his family does not have television,
so his kids study during the week. Two to three hours per day
are spent doing schoolwork. He summarized his comments by
saying that he believes the state should be in this business
because it is the state's business to assure quality education
to all children. The "No Child Left Behind" idea is correct,
and ACS serves as the safety net for those children who are in
danger of being left behind. He urged the committee not to
delay the decision or pass the buck, but to do what is right.
Number 2086
JACK CADIGAN testified in opposition to HB 174. He asked to
make two brief points. First, he pointed out that the U.S.
military requires a high school education, not a GED [general
equivalency diploma] for entry into the armed services, and to
the best of his knowledge, homeschool diplomas and unaccredited
correspondence school are also not accepted. Second, he said
two years from now there will be a real problem in the Bush when
all school will be required to have certificated teachers in all
subjects. Mr. Cadigan pointed out that ACS has a lot of
certificated teachers. He said in the past he has taught,
through small schools, subjects for which they did not have
certificated teachers.
Number 2016
[Rick Currier, who had testified previously, asked to speak to
the financial aspects of the bill, but was informed by Chair
Gatto that the House Finance committee would be the more
appropriate venue to address the financial aspects.]
Number 1991
JEANNIE PADEN testified in opposition to HB 174. She said she
had two children who were students at ACS, two grandchildren who
are currently in ACS, and a third who is hoping to start next
fall. She told the committee she wanted to make two points that
are important for the committee to note. One is that ACS is the
only school in the state that offers year-round enrollment. As
a parent of two boys, she told the committee both of them would
have been left behind had it not been for ACS's year-round open
enrollment. Both of her boys graduated and went on to college.
On March 12 the administration vowed to support the federal No
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). At the same time, the
administration is removing the only safety net that is
available, because ACS is mandated to take these kids.
MS. PADEN said her second point is that if ACS is shut down,
there will no savings to the Department of Education and Early
Development, and savings will actually be to the Department of
Administration. She pointed out that jobs will have to be
created to handle the transcripts of all the kids who have gone
to ACS, and it will be ongoing for many years. She said she
believes the department wants to sacrifice an accredited school
that would fit in to the NCLB, over rent. She asked if ACS has
been given the opportunity to talk to the Department of
Administration about seeking cheaper facilities, and if it has
not, it is an insult to every child in this state. Ms. Paden
closed her comments by saying ACS is a great bargain for
education and urged the committee to seriously consider the
welfare of the children of Alaska.
Number 1743
DAN BECK, Superintendent of Schools, Delta/Greely School
District, Delta Junction, testified before the committee on HB
174 and answered questions by the members. He stated that he
was not testifying for or against the bill, but asked to clarify
some points. Delta/Greely School District has the only
statewide charter program in the state. He said the school
initially started serving students in grades seven through
twelve, and does not offer a choice for parents to select this
curriculum or that curriculum. All classes are developed and
delivered on line. The classes are Alaska standards-based and
taught by teachers who are highly qualified in their area, and
their qualifications fit the definitions of the NCLB Act. Mr.
Beck said the school is in the process of accreditation, and the
emphasis on the classes has been upper end, advanced-placement,
and college-preparatory classes. Currently, it has between 150
and 200 students who attend part-time while they attend other
public schools in Alaska that cannot offer classes in those
areas. He wanted to clarify that there are options out there,
but the options are pretty narrow. He commented on references
that were made earlier that students' work is not graded by the
certified teachers or assisted by certified teachers; he said it
is not true of the Delta/Greely school. In response to
Representative Kapsner's question, he said he is not aware of
the practices of other schools, but all work is graded by
certified teachers at Delta/Greely school. He explained that
the school has been in operation for about five years now, and
it has some teachers who have developed programs that work.
Number 1606
CHAIR GATTO asked if the certified teachers have contact with
the students.
MR. BECK responded that contact is by phone or e-mail.
CHAIR GATTO commented that it is a cyber contact.
MR. BECK said he is correct. These are on-line courses, as
opposed to a paper-and-pencil type of distance delivery.
CHAIR GATTO asked how long it will be before Delta/Greely will
be accredited.
MR. BECK responded that the application is in this year, and he
is not sure if accreditation would be given this year or next
year.
Number 1577
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER asked what can be done for communities
that do not have Internet access.
MR. BECK responded that he does not have an answer for that. He
said that Delta/Greely does provide an in-district
correspondence program for those services.
Number 1549
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if Delta/Greely has space for
developmentally disabled or other learning-disabled students.
MR. BECK replied that it provides a service to Pathway Home in
Anchorage, a residential treatment facility, and is working with
some intensive-type educational programs for students there. He
said Delta/Greely has students from other areas of the state on
IEPs [individual education plans] that it manages to service,
although it is not funded to do that because there is no factor
for special-needs students but the school is still required by
federal law to provide those services. He told the committee
that if Alyeska Central School closed down tomorrow, the
Delta/Greely school could not absorb the number of students it
has and offer a quality program.
CHAIR GATTO commented that Delta/Greely has 200 students. He
asked what the school's capacity is.
MR. BECK responded that the 200 students Chair Gatto is
referring to are just the students who are dual-enrolled in
public schools and Delta/Greely. He said there are probably
400-500 students who are enrolled either part-time or full-time.
Delta/Greely has private-school students who will enroll because
they cannot get classes they need in the schools they are
enrolled in.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked how many students his school could
take in addition to what are already enrolled.
Number 1447
MR. BECK replied that is a tough question. He said the sooner
the school would be notified, the more Delta/Greely could
absorb. He said it might be possible to take on 200-300 more
students. He emphasized that it would only be a viable option
if these students had access to the Internet.
CHAIR GATTO pointed out that some schools actually furnish a
computer.
MR. BECK responded that the Delta/Greely school will loan a
computer to a student.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER pointed out that does not mean there
would be Internet access.
MR. BECK agreed. There is still a need for a telephone line.
Number 1365
CHAIR GATTO commented that a student would have to be pretty
remote not to have access to a telephone.
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER said that even if an individual has
telephone access, he/she may still not have access to the
Internet or access to long distance, which could generate
thousands of dollars in charges.
Number 1320
SUSAN UNDERBAKKE testified via teleconference in opposition to
HB 174. She told the committee she is currently a student at
ACS. She said that she lives in the Mat-Su Valley, and while
she could go to a brick-and-mortar school, the school does not
provide classes that are as good as what is offered by ACS. She
told the committee many of her friends who do go to public
school choose to take summer classes to make up for those
inferior classes. She explained that some of her friends have
experienced problems with diplomas from outside charter schools
where the diploma was not accepted at college. She pointed out
that ACS is not a duplicate school, and, in fact, ACS offers
classes that local high schools do not offer.
CHAIR GATTO asked what community Ms. Underbakker lives in.
MS. UNDERBAKKE told Chair Gatto she lives in Wasilla.
CHAIR GATTO noted that she has access to not only the local
public schools, but charter schools as well.
MS. UNDERBAKKE replied that none of these options offered as
good an education as ACS. Also, there are other negative
influences in the local public high school, which is the
original reason her family left the local public school system.
Number 1217
CHAIR GATTO asked what school she would have gone to and what
negatives are involved.
MS. UNDERBAKKE said she would have been attending Colony High
School. When her brother attended Colony High School there were
bomb threats and other problems for which the troopers had to be
called into the school. In addition, the classes were inferior
to ACS's, and the school only offered Spanish and French in the
language program.
CHAIR GATTO asked if the initial problem was security.
MS. UNDERBAKKE replied that that is correct. Her brother was
getting beaten up on the school bus, and he was receiving
threats and crank calls to their home, and when her parents
discussed it with the district, nothing was done to correct the
problem.
CHAIR GATTO asked if Colony High School offered adequate
academics or if ACS would have been better.
MS. UNDERBAKKE stated that she believes ACS is better. She
knows students who are repeating classes at ACS because the
classes are better than at the traditional public high school.
Number 1000
BECKY CRABTREE, Alternative Education Teacher, North Slope
Borough School District, testified via teleconference in
opposition to HB 174. She told the committee one of her jobs in
the North Slope Borough School District is to coordinate
correspondence classes. She said that the district had begun an
affiliation with ACS last March, and since that time over 50
North Slope students in six remote villages in grade levels one
through twelve have enrolled in one or more classes. A wide
variety of classes are available to their students who do not
have access to higher-level language classes or other elective
offerings, or for those who chose to study at home and for those
who need a class at a time when some of their small schools
cannot schedule it. She told the committee about two students
who live in a tiny village; one is learning basic electronics,
and another is taking photography. These are both classes that
the district cannot offer in school. The students have in-depth
support for their studies from ACS. She told the committee that
her students need ACS and the accredited classes it provides.
The proposal to close the school has driven her to search for
other options that might be offered to the students. After
looking at the alternatives, she told the committee ACS offers
the best academic support and variety of classes both off line
and on line. She asked the committee to please consider the
needs of rural students when considering this bill.
Number 0852
CINDY OLSON testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she is a parent of a student who
just recently enrolled at ACS and, in fact, just received the
materials this week. Her son is a seventh grader who is gifted
and has special needs. She told the committee he is just coming
out of Central Middle School, which is considered one of the
best middle schools in the state. However, the classroom
environment is not appropriate due to his special needs. She
plans on keeping him enrolled at Central Middle School for
electives, but using ACS for all core curriculum classes.
MS. OLSON said she is concerned not only for her own child, but
for all children like him. She is the past president of the
Alaska Chapter of the Autism Society of America and has been
known as a disabilities rights advocate for the last nine years.
Alyeska Central School gives students such as her son the
opportunity to focus on their education, to take advantage of a
very clean, concise curriculum that is highly developed. The
information that was provided will give her son what he needs to
learn and move forward. He has tested out at the gifted or
genius range at the 99th percentile; however, in the normal
school environment he is failing. This is what ACS offers. As
a parent she has seen her own child benefit from access to ACS.
The interest he lost as he experienced problems in a mainstream
classroom is being reignited. With the quality of the
curriculum and materials he is receiving, he is now saying that
this is something he can do and understand. This curriculum
gives him the information he needs so he can move forward and
learn. Children who have trouble dealing with others socially
have a tendency to be victimized by bullies. He is one of the
sensitive children and not one of the aggressive children. That
is why he is enrolled at Central Middle School part-time, so he
have exposure to other children and will pick up some of those
social skills that are important, but she told the committee she
is counting on ACS to provide the core curriculum he needs to
learn at his level. She told the committee the state needs this
quality of school to be maintained. She pointed out that even
in Anchorage it can be difficult to maintain an Internet
connection.
Number 0578
CHAIR GATTO asked if she was homeschooling her son and how much
time she spent each day working with her son on schoolwork.
MS. OLSON replied that she is doing part-time homeschooling.
She said she is only just beginning at ACS and is expecting that
the two to three hours per day that she use to do with homework
will be adequate to do the daily schoolwork.
Number 0540
THOMAS ROBINSON testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. He told the committee that his daughter, who is in high
school, is also a special-needs student. While she has always
been an honor roll student, due to her special needs she found
it impossible to sit through the classes without her special
needs disrupting the class. He said his family had to find
another alternative to get her into, and in their search they
found ACS. It takes at least three to four hours each day for
them to help her with classes. This school has really answered
a need for his daughter. There must be hundreds of other
parents out there with this same problem. Alyeska Central
School has a 60-year history that is working.
MR. ROBINSON summarized his comments by saying that he has heard
about the federal legislation which would leave no child behind;
however, with this bill it means no child will be left behind
unless the students have special-needs or live in the Bush.
Number 0214
CHAIR GATTO announced that anyone who is not able to testify
today may testify when the bill comes before the House Health,
Education and Social Services Standing Committee, which is the
next committee of referral.
MR. ROBINSON said he would like to hear from some of the alumni
of ACS. He believes it would be very helpful.
Number 0137
BREANNA ROBINSON testified via teleconference in opposition to
HB 174. She told the committee she is new to ACS and is not
able to go to public school because her special needs disrupt
the classroom. Without ACS she would be more than a semester
behind, and that is not fair because she deserves the right to
go to school. If the legislature closes ACS, what will happen
to the special-needs students next year? She said she cannot
use on-line courses because her family only has one telephone
line into their house.
CHAIR GATTO asked Ms. Robinson what grade she is in and how old
she is.
MS. ROBINSON replied that she is in ninth grade and is 15 years
old. She said a big advantage in going to ACS is that there is
one-on-one instruction if a student has a problem.
TAPE 03-14, SIDE A
Number 0046
CINDY MICHOU testified via teleconference in opposition in HB
174. She told the committee she has been homeschooling her
eighth-grade son this year, and it has been a lifesaving
experience. He has asthma really bad and gets sick when he is
in school. She said she is unsure whether it is the dust or
mold, but he is sick a lot. Since he started homeschooling with
ACS, his health has been wonderful. He has not had asthma
attacks. The teachers are super there. He has had
opportunities he would not have had through the Anchorage School
District. Now that there are high school exit exams, she said
the Anchorage School District is changing its curriculum
drastically, trying to come in line with the exit exams. He has
been bored for the last three years because they keep going over
the same things. Alyeska Central School has provided him with
more challenging schooling, new materials, and an opportunity to
participate with the Lego Team this year. The school where he
formerly attended sent a team also, and the coaches from that
school did not even bother to show up. Patrick Herding from ACS
flew all the way to Anchorage to cheer the team on. The
teachers there are absolutely wonderful, she said, and she would
hate to see the school close.
Number 0237
CHAIR GATTO asked what her thoughts are on the high school
qualifying exit exam.
MS. MICHOU said she believes that if the public schools had been
teaching the basics to begin with, the state would not have
needed the high school exit exam. The basics are what ACS has
taught for years.
CHAIR GATTO asked if she thought ACS would be able to continue
on with the same curriculum and its students would have no
problem passing the exit exam.
MS. MICHOU said yes, she believes its curriculum addresses the
exit exams perfectly.
Number 0318
DEBBIE REISWIG testified via teleconference in opposition to HB
174. She told the committee she has been homeschooling for 15
years, three of them with ACS. During those years her family
has tried several of the charter school programs available
within the state and outside of the state as well, and they
found ACS to be superior to everything out there. She said ACS
is unique and not duplicated by any other program. She said
that is especially true for the high school level from grades 9
through 12, which is when they put their children in ACS. The
fact that ACS is accredited is important when looking at college
admittance. The quality of teachers at ACS is very high. They
are professional, and certified, but most importantly, they are
interested. One problem that they found with charter schools
was the lack of accountability, which is not the case with ACS.
The grades that she provided were the grades that showed up on
the transcript with no questions asked. Alyeska Central School
really provides that accountability.
Number 0480
CHAIR GATTO asked her if she was able to assign grades that her
children earned or felt she had padded the grades.
MS. REISWIG responded that she was tough on her kids because she
wanted them to succeed. She kept good records to assure that
the grade was fair. Ms. Reiswig said she has quite a bit of
training in the education field, so she just used her background
to ensure that grades were fair.
Number 0560
CHAIR GATTO announced that testimony on HB 174 is closed. He
told the committee any amendments to the bill will be taken up
in the next committee of referral.
Number 0613
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON moved to report HB [174] out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes.
Number 0643
REPRESENTATIVE GARA objected for purposed of discussion. He
said that when he first heard the governor's rationale behind HB
174, it sounded compelling. This was just a duplicative school,
and a cost savings of $5 million would be achieved. The
committee has heard testimony on the bill, however, and he said
he believes ACS is not a duplicative school and is convinced
that it is the best of all the correspondence schools in the
state. He believes the cost savings spoken of earlier are not
significant and that it may end up costing the state more. He
said he does not see any fair way to assume closing ACS will
save the state money.
Number 0736
REPRESENTATIVE GARA said the testimony has been overwhelmingly
in support of the summer school. He said it is an important
service to the students of this state. It is clear that closing
the summer school will be leaving children out of school, the
children who need twelve months to complete a nine-month
curriculum, the children with illnesses, and the children with
learning disabilities. He said he sees this bill not as
addressing the No Child Left Behind, but rather as leaving more
children behind.
Number 0784
CHAIR GATTO commented to the members that if anyone has
information that deal with numbers, it would be excellent for
those figures to be provided to the next committee of referral.
It would also be helpful if the numbers would be made available
to Mr. Jeans so he can be prepared to respond.
REPRESENTATIVE GARA responded that he does not have additional
numbers other than what was discussed in testimony. He said he
thinks it is speculative to assume there would be any savings to
the state based on what he has heard. He said he will be voting
against the bill because he does not think it is smart to close
the best correspondence school in the state and take away choice
from parents.
Number 0860
REPRESENTATIVE KAPSNER told the committee she is also opposed to
moving this bill out of committee. She said she thinks the
members need to be asking themselves what is good for the kids
in the state. She does not think this is one of those things.
She pointed out that Mr. Jeans said this is not necessarily a
budget decision, but a policy decision. She said she thinks it
is a terrible policy decision. The governor said during his
state of the state address that he is supportive of providing
distance education choices for rural Alaska, she observed. She
said a lot of people do not understand the technology gaps that
are experienced in the state. Not only is it very expensive,
but the service is very sketchy. That is terrible because kids
will be unable to complete tests because they will get cut off
from on-line service. This flies in the face of the No Child
Left Behind Act. Representative Kapsner said she is in strong
opposition to this bill's passing out of committee.
Number 0966
CHAIR GATTO announced that there will be additional input in the
next committee of referral. He said there have been three
hearings in this committee already and there will be more in the
next committee.
Number 1010
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said that to accommodate the chair's
wishes he is willing to vote to move the bill to the next
committee; however, he will oppose the bill in terms of its
passing. He said after the testimony he has heard, he does not
believe this bill makes sense.
CHAIR GATTO clarified Representative Seaton's comments by saying
that while a Representative may vote in favor of moving a bill
from committee, each Representative may add his/her
recommendation as to whether the bill should pass or not. He
said the next committee of referral will look very carefully at
the recommendations of the previous committee.
Number 1065
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Gatto, Wilson,
Wolf, and Seaton voted in favor of reporting HB 174 out of
committee. Representatives Gara and Kapsner voted against it.
Representative Coghill was absent for the vote. Therefore, HB
174 was reported out of the House Special Committee on Education
by a vote of 4-2.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Education meeting was adjourned at 1:03
p.m.
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