01/30/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB171 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 171 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 30, 2012
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Co-Chair
Senator Bettye Davis, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Stevens
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Hollis French
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 171
"An Act increasing the base student allocation used for public
school funding; and providing for an effective date."
- MOVED SB 171 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 171
SHORT TITLE: INCREASE BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION
SPONSOR(s): EDUCATION
01/20/12 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/20/12 (S) EDC, FIN
01/27/12 (S) EDC AT 8:00 AM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/27/12 (S) Heard & Held
01/27/12 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
01/30/12 (S) EDC AT 8:00 AM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
WITNESS REGISTER
LORRAINE "SAMMY" CRAWFORD, Member
Kenai Peninsula Borough School Board
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
SUNNI HILTS, Member
Kenai Peninsula Borough School Board
Seldovia, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
LON GARRISON, President
Sitka District School Board
Sitka, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
STEVE BRADSHAW, Superintendent
Sitka School District
Sitka, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
BRUCE JOHNSON, Director
Alaska Council of School Administrators
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
DEBBIE LOWENTHAL, Member
Gastineau Site Council
Gastineau Community School
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
JOHN ALCANTRA, Director
Government Relations
National Education Association-Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
BILL MCCLOUD, Superintendent
Dillingham City School District
Dillingham, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
RUSSELL NELSON, Director of Facilities
Dillingham City School District
Dillingham, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
CARL ROSE, Executive Director
Association of Alaska School Boards
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
PETE LEWIS, Superintendent
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
MARY HAKALA, representing herself
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
ANNE KILKENNY, representing herself
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 171.
ELIZABETH NUDELMAN, Director
School Finance
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska,
POSITION STATEMENT: Neutral on SB 171, responded to questions.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:10 AM
CO-CHAIR JOE THOMAS called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Stevens, Davis, Co-Chair Meyer and Co-Chair
Thomas.
SB 171-INCREASE BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION
8:02:50 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced the continued consideration of SB 171.
8:04:36 AM
LORRAINE "SAMMY" CRAWFORD, Kenai Peninsula Borough School Board,
said dropout rates were decreasing and test scores were
increasing. She said the bill would provide needed revenue for
maintaining staff, keeping successful programs and assisting
budget planning.
8:06:49 AM
SUNNI HILTS, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, said
forward funding would be beneficial for maintaining successful
programs and planning future budgets.
8:08:47 AM
LON GARRISON, President, Sitka District School Board, said an
increase in the Base Student Allocation (BSA) was important to
cover budget shortfalls due to a decline in local and federal
funding. He said school boards were facing average budget cuts
of seven percent or greater.
8:12:51 AM
STEVE BRADSHAW, Superintendent, Sitka School District, said a
$320 BSA increase for FY13 was justified but unrealistic. He
said funding from the bill over three years was appreciated.
8:15:36 AM
BRUCE JOHNSON, Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators, said the bill would assist with forward-funding
as the BSA grows over three years.
8:17:47 AM
DEBBIE LOWENTHAL, Member, Gastineau Site Council, Gastineau
Community School, said the bill would help maintain smaller
class sizes, allow for continued special education and help
retain school nurses.
8:19:16 AM
JOHN ALCANTRA, Director, Government Relations, National
Education Association-Alaska (NEA-Alaska), said the bill's
annual funding increase would average 2.2 percent over three
years while the annual inflation rate was projected to be near 3
percent. He said districts face budget shortfalls even with
added funds from the bill. He noted that a $320 BSA increase
would not be an unprecedented amount as higher rates were
approved in the past.
8:23:52 AM
BILL MCCLOUD, Superintendent, Dillingham City School District,
said an increased BSA with forwarding-funding would be welcomed.
He said Dillingham's current budget faced a $225,000 increase in
health insurance and higher energy bills without added
assistance from the state. He said the district benefited last
year when the state provided $98,000 to help defray energy
costs.
8:26:18 AM
RUSSELL NELSON, Director of Facilities, Dillingham City School
District, said a BSA increase would help the district pay for
higher facility and energy costs. He said the district was cost
conscious and kept custodial staffing 50 percent below the
national standard for personnel suggested for square foot
coverage. He noted that the district recently spent $15 million
to improve schools' energy efficiency.
8:27:58 AM
CARL ROSE, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards, said enrollment funding does not correlate with actual
operating costs unless the BSA keeps pace. He said any business
that generates less revenue than operating costs faces either
deficit operations or closing. He welcomed the BSA increase and
emphasized proper BSA calculation as the lynchpin for funding
public education.
8:30:50 AM
PETE LEWIS, Superintendent, Fairbanks North Star Borough School
District, said the district faced significant cuts to personnel
and programs. He said the bill's BSA increase would not cover
all costs, but would help to maintain staff and reasonable class
sizes. He said forward-funding would allow for proper budget
planning.
8:32:40 AM
MARY HAKALA, representing herself, Juneau, said the bill was a
step in the right direction and believed more was required to
cover escalating costs. She noted that without a separate
appropriation similar to last year's $20 million for energy
costs, the net gain to schools for the first year was $11
million, not $31 million.
8:37:07 AM
ANNE KILKENNY, representing herself, Matanuska-Susitna Borough,
said the bill would allow the district to retain 32 teachers
from the projected cutback of 162 teachers and reduce class size
increases from 6.5 to 5.2 students. She said staffing accounts
for 80 percent of a school's operating budget and recommended a
BSA formula that was not based upon the consumer price index.
She noted that intrastate competition for teachers increased
costs and recommended oversight for statewide contract
negotiations.
8:42:50 AM
SENATOR STEVENS said the bill's BSA was the wisest strategy to
realistically attain passage.
8:44:14 AM
ELIZABETH NUDELMAN, Director, School Finance, Department of
Education and Early Development, said the bill's fiscal note
incorporated increases of $30.613 million for FY13, $31.837
million for FY14 and $33.062 million for FY15. She said the BSA
would be $5,805 for FY13, $5,935 for FY14 and $6,070 for FY15.
She said a second fiscal note was included for the Alaska
Military Youth Academy's BSA formulated funding with increases
of: $190,000 for FY13, $198,000 for FY14 and $206,000 for FY15.
8:46:33 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if transportation was funded from the BSA
formula and if special education would receive added funding.
8:46:57 AM
MS. NUDELMAN answered that transportation funding was formulated
separately. She noted that special education funding would
receive added funding based upon the BSA increase.
8:47:52 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if the department had suggestions for
funding education beyond grants or formula based means.
MS. NUDELMAN answered no.
8:50:08 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked if last year's $20 million funding for
energy costs was a onetime allocation.
8:50:24 AM
MS. NUDELMAN answered correct. She said all operational costs
would come from BSA foundation funding.
SENATOR STEVENS asked if funding was district specified.
MS. NUDELMAN answered no.
8:51:32 AM
SENATOR STEVENS commented that it was important to address the
total funding of education.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS agreed that it was important to address the
higher energy costs due to severe weather from this past winter.
8:52:05 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER commented that individuals from Anchorage did not
testify. He said added funding for education was important to
Anchorage and recommended the bill be moved.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS commented that he had heard from a lot of people
from Anchorage who supported added funding.
SENATOR DAVIS said Anchorage supported increased funding for
education and encouraged members to move the bill as fast as
possible to help districts with their budget planning. She said
flat-funding education was not acceptable and the BSA increase
was not actual forward-funding, but a starting point for added
funds over a three year period. She said citizens need to be
involved with the process to fully understand the facts to
properly fund public education.
8:56:44 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER moved to report SB 171 from the committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s).
8:57:05 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced that without objection, SB 171 moved
from the committee.
8:57:28 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Co-Chair Thomas adjourned the meeting at 8:57 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Packet 1-30-12.pdf |
SEDC 1/30/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| BMI Tool for Schools.pdf |
SEDC 1/30/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Health_Conditions_chart_2011.pdf |
SEDC 1/30/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Mental Health of Students.pdf |
SEDC 1/30/2012 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Role of the School Nurse.pdf |
SEDC 1/30/2012 8:00:00 AM |