Legislature(2005 - 2006)
04/21/2005 05:11 PM House EDU
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB173 | |
| Adjourn |
* 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
April 21, 2005
5:11 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Mark Neuman, Chair
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Bill Thomas
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Les Gara
Representative Woodie Salmon
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Carl Gatto
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 173
"An Act relating to school funding and adjusting the district
cost factors; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED CSHB 173(EDU) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 267
"An Act authorizing credit in a public correspondence study
program for privately purchased curriculum materials from a
religious institution."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 233
"An Act relating to preventing harassment, intimidation, or
bullying in public schools; and providing for an effective
date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 173
SHORT TITLE: SCHOOL DISTRICT COST FACTORS
SPONSOR(S): RULES BY REQUEST OF LEG BUDGET & AUDIT
02/24/05 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/24/05 (H) EDU, FIN
03/15/05 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/17/05 (H) EDU AT 5:30 PM CAPITOL 106
03/17/05 (H) -- Meeting Canceled --
03/22/05 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/22/05 (H) Heard & Held
03/22/05 (H) MINUTE(EDU)
04/05/05 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 106
04/05/05 (H) Scheduled But Not Heard
04/07/05 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 106
04/07/05 (H) -- Meeting Canceled --
04/21/05 (H) EDU AT 11:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REX SHATTUCK, Staff
to Representative Neuman
House Special Committee on Education
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained the new district cost factors
encompassed in Version Y.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR MARK NEUMAN called the House Special Committee on
Education meeting to order at 5:11:53 PM. Representatives Lynn,
Thomas, Wilson, Gara, and Salmon were present at the call to
order.
HB 173-SCHOOL DISTRICT COST FACTORS
5:12:11 PM
CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 173, "An Act relating to school funding and
adjusting the district cost factors; and providing for an
effective date."
CHAIR NEUMAN opined that the committee members have received
contacts from constituents, school boards, and administrators
and have read the reports and summaries. Therefore, he
announced that he would entertain a motion to move the
legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN moved to adopt CSHB 173, Version 24-
LS0644\Y, Mischel, 4/21/05, as the working document.
5:13:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA objected for purposes of discussion and
amendments.
CHAIR NEUMAN objected to Representative Gara's amendment [which
had not yet been moved].
REPRESENTATIVE GARA inquired as to from where the numbers
[specified in Version Y] come.
5:13:25 PM
CHAIR NEUMAN answered that the numbers are basically an average
of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) report and the
Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) report. He
noted that the numbers would be phased in over a two-year
period.
5:13:49 PM
CHAIR NEUMAN explained that the new numbers, in bold in Version
Y, amount to an increase in education of $44 million plus.
5:14:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA expressed interest in hearing from the
committee aide with regard to how these new district cost factor
numbers were determined.
5:15:01 PM
REX SHATTUCK, Staff to Representative Neuman, House Special
Committee on Education, Alaska State Legislature, explained that
Version Y details the phasing in of a new cost factor over two
years, beginning in fiscal year 2007. The numbers were
developed after hearing the testimony and concerns of this
committee and the House and the Senate. Realizing that there
were numerous likes and dislikes from the AIR, ISER, and
McDowell Group studies, an average between them was utilized.
The phase-in provision addressed the concern of starting in an
earlier year and the impact it might have on the Anchorage
School District, which receives no increase because it's the
base line. He explained:
We worked to bring those numbers in '07 and '08
because if the existing number is $4,919, to phase in
that new factor might see some decreases in districts
and that was not the intent of this CS [rather] it was
to try and keep all districts at a positive and phase
it in over the two years after $4,919 was brought
online in '06, if indeed that is what this legislative
body does in the end.
5:17:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA opined that picking a number in between two
studies isn't an appropriate manner in which to develop
legislation. Therefore, he announced his intention, if members
would support him, to report out the original version that
targets a study. He then explained that the amendment he will
offer will ensure that those school districts that fall behind
under this proposal are held harmless. He said that he didn't
want to take money away from one school district to give it to
another. "I think we should lift all boats," he opined.
CHAIR NEUMAN stated that Version Y has been adopted and is the
working document.
REPRESENTATIVE GARA informed the committee that at the
appropriate time he will make an amendment to strip Version Y
and adopt the original version of HB 173.
The committee took an at-ease from 5:19 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.
5:20:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA then announced that he wouldn't count votes,
but if another member of the committee decides to [make a motion
to return to the original version of HB 173], he would [support
that]. He explained that he didn't want to go through the
process to be out voted 5-2.
CHAIR NEUMAN remarked that the desire is to ensure that
education increases are met across the state. He reminded the
committee that the numbers [encompassed in Version Y] were
viewed as a compromise. Moreover, Chair Neuman related his
belief that Version Y provides the best opportunity for this
legislation to make it through both the House and the Senate.
"This is our best effort to try and do what we can to do the
most that we can," he offered.
5:21:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON opined that this legislation doesn't come
anywhere close to what she would like to see. She further
opined that legislation should be put forth that is fair and
right. However, she said she realized that it's the only option
she has at this point and thus would be willing to move it out
of this committee.
5:22:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA said that if the choice is to require that
the legislation die in committee or vote it out, he said that he
would vote to move it out in order to get it somewhere where
someone will actually to work on it. "I think it's wrong for
one committee to ask somebody who's not on the committee what
they'll accept and then decide how to vote based on what
somebody else tells us to do," he opined. He further opined
that the committee should do its job.
5:23:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA moved that the committee adopt Amendment 1,
which read:
Page 5, Line 18:
Insert:
Section 5. Contingent Effect:
Sections 1 and 2 of this bill shall only apply if all
school districts receive funding that is at least the
equivalent of the foundation formula funding they
would have received under a base student allocation of
$4919 per student, in 2005 inflation-adjusted dollars,
under the foundation formula in effect as of April 1,
2004. Inflation shall be calculated under this
section as reflected by the United State Department of
Labor's consumer price index for Anchorage, Alaska.
CHAIR objected for purposes of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE GARA explained that Version Y takes money away
from the Anchorage and the Mat-Su School Districts starting in
2006. This amendment says:
We should lift all the other school districts boats.
They've been underfunded. Let's give them the extra
money that this bill provides for, but in doing so,
you shouldn't take money away from another school
district to do it. So, this bill says that when this
is implemented starting next year, every school
district should get at least the equivalent of $4,919
under the current formula, adjusted for inflation,
because this isn't going to go into effect next year.
As long as every school district gets at least what
they would've gotten under $4,919 under the current
formula, then I can live with that. And then more
money will come to the other school districts. I
don't want to do something, which you can do as the
alternative, which is in order to protect Anchorage,
let's take money away from some other district. I
don't want to do that. You want to lift the school
districts that don't do very well under the study and
lift everybody else at the same time. And that's what
this does.
CHAIR NEUMAN said that he didn't like the portion of the
amendment dealing with inflation-adjusted dollars because he
wasn't sure as to its effect on the $4,919 and funding for
education next year. Chair Neuman removed his objection.
5:26:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARA pointed out that Version Y doesn't go into
effect this coming year, but rather the year after. Although
$4,919 might be an acceptable amount for this coming year, in
another year it might actually be a cut to some of the school
districts in the state.
CHAIR NEUMAN said that he wasn't clear as to the long-term
effect of this.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON moved to amend Amendment 1, such that the
last sentence would be deleted and replaced with language
specifying that the first phase would go into effect this year,
June 30, 2005, and the second phase on June 30, 2006.
REPRESENTATIVE GARA accepted the aforementioned as a friendly
amendment.
The committee took an at-ease from 5:27 p.m. to 5:28 p.m.
[The committee seemed to treat the amendment to Amendment 1 as
adopted.]
5:28:33 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Wilson, Lynn,
Thomas, Gara, and Salmon voted in favor of Amendment 1, as
amended. Representative Neuman voted against it. Therefore,
Amendment 1, as amended, was adopted by a vote of 5-1.
5:29:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN moved to report CSHB 173, Version 24-
LS0644\Y, Mischel, 4/21/05, as amended, out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
There being no objection, CSHB 173(EDU) was reported from the
House Special Committee on Education.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Education meeting was adjourned at 5:29:27
PM.
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