02/01/2013 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB17 | |
| Presentation: We the People of Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| = | SB 17 | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 1, 2013
7:59 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Mike Dunleavy, Vice Chair
Senator Charlie Huggins
Senator Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Bert Stedman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 17
"An Act extending the special education service agency; and
providing for an effective date."
- MOVED CSSB 17(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PRESENTATION: WE THE PEOPLE OF ALASKA
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 17
SHORT TITLE: EXTEND SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE AGENCY
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) STEVENS
01/16/13 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/16/13 (S) EDC, FIN
01/23/13 (S) EDC AT 8:00 AM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/23/13 (S) Heard & Held
01/23/13 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
01/30/13 (S) EDC AT 8:00 AM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/30/13 (S) Heard & Held
01/30/13 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
WITNESS REGISTER
TIM LAMKIN, Staff
Senator Gary Stevens
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented changes to SB 17 on behalf of the
sponsor.
PATRICK PILLAI, Executive Director
Special Education Service Agency (SESA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information related to Special
Education Service Agency (SESA).
LES MORSE, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SESA.
ELIZABETH NUDELMAN, Director of School Finance
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of SESA.
NILS ANDREASSEN, Executive Director
Institute of the North
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information related to "We the
People of Alaska."
PAMELA ORME, Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator
Anchorage School District
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of "We the People of
Alaska."
ACTION NARRATIVE
7:59:43 AM
CHAIR GARY STEVENS called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 7:59 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Dunleavy, Huggins, Gardner, and Chair
Stevens.
SB 17-EXTEND SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICE AGENCY
7:59:59 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced that the first order of business would
be SB 17, which extends the sunset for the Special Education
Service Agency (SESA). He noted it was the third hearing of the
bill. He stated his intention to move the bill out of committee.
8:00:55 AM
SENATOR DUNLEAVY moved to adopt the CS for SB 17, labeled 28-
LS0289\C, as the working document.
CHAIR STEVENS objected for discussion purposes.
8:01:16 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, explained the changes
to SB 17 on behalf of the sponsor. He reviewed that the bill
addresses three policy areas the committee was encouraged to
consider. The first was whether or not to extend SESA's date;
the second was to consider the manner in which SESA is governed
and structured, in light of the audit; the third was the funding
of SESA. He noted a fourth area of consideration in the new CS
that would address language changes.
He stated that it appears that the committee wishes to extend
the sunset date, to leave the structure of SESA in place, and to
not take up the funding issue at this time.
MR. LAMKIN addressed extraneous language in Section 1 of version
C, lines 10-14. He said he noticed the language did not make
sense and that it has been "on the books" since 1986. The
language appears to say that the Department of Education will
pay into TRS and PERS on behalf of SESA and will withdraw those
funds from SESA in order to reimburse itself. He noted that is
not the way DEED does business. He said after contacting the
Division of Retirement and Benefits, the Department of Law,
DEED, and SESA, they all agreed the language was extraneous and
should be repealed. He referred to two statements of support in
members files.
CHAIR STEVENS said the committee would return to the topic of
extraneous language later in the meeting.
8:03:51 AM
PATRICK PILLAI, Executive Director, Special Education Service
Agency (SESA), agreed that the language can be eliminated from
the statute.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if Mr. Pillai had further comments on SB 17.
MR. PILLAI thanked the committee for understanding the critical
need that SESA provides. He hoped that the Senate Finance
Committee would consider increasing funding to SESA. He said the
continuation of SESA until 2021 will provide a critical service
to school districts.
8:05:42 AM
CHAIR STEVENS agreed that the structure of SESA should remain in
place.
MR. PILLAI commented that school administrators and special
education directors appreciate the extra services SESA provides,
especially for multiple disability students and unexpected
service needs.
CHAIR STEVENS thanked Mr. Pillai for his efforts with SESA.
8:07:52 AM
LES MORSE, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), testified in support of SESA. He said
he was available to answer questions.
CHAIR STEVENS asked Mr. Morse to address the status of SESA's
structure.
MR. MORSE replied that the current system works well as long as
everyone is actively engaged. He explained that he and Ms.
Nudelman reviewed statutory requirements of SESA and ensured
that DEED has an appropriate two-year plan and budget and that
the state's special education administrator is an active member
of SESA's board.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if Mr. Morse was in agreement with removing
the extraneous language.
MR. MORSE said he was.
8:10:07 AM
ELIZABETH NUDELMAN, Director of School Finance, Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED), testified in support of
SESA. She said the department concurs with the removal of the
language. The department does not make payments for SESA's
employer contributions.
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if SESA employees are under TRS.
MR. MORSE said yes.
CHAIR STEVENS noted no further public testimony.
SENATOR GARDNER voiced appreciation for SESA's services and its
importance.
8:12:05 AM
CHAIR STEVENS removed his objection; therefore, version C was
before the committee.
SENATOR DUNLEAVY moved to report CS for SB 17, version C, from
committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal
note. There being no objection, CSSB 17 was reported from the
Senate Education Standing Committee.
8:12:45 AM
At ease.
^PRESENTATION: WE THE PEOPLE OF Alaska
PRESENTATION: WE THE PEOPLE OF ALASKA
8:18:52 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the next order of business was a
presentation. He welcomed Mr. Andreassen.
NILS ANDREASSEN, Executive Director, Institute of the North,
provided information about "We the People of Alaska." He
explained that over the course of the last year, the Institute
has been developing a program to engage students with Alaska'
rich history and critical issues facing the state today. The
program is geared to become a part of Alaska Studies high school
curriculum, which lacked materials and relevance. He referred to
a national program called "We the People" from which the Alaska
program is modeled.
8:21:17 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked for a brief explanation of the Institute of
the North.
MR. ANDREASSEN explained that the Institute is a nonprofit
organization founded by Governor Hickel fifteen years ago. Its
mission is to inform public policy and cultivate and engage
citizenry, consistent with a focus on the North and the belief
that its resources should be managed for the benefit of
individual and community prosperity.
He related that the Institute has three focus areas: arctic
infrastructure, Alaska resource and economic development, and
engaging the future generation in citizenship. He said the
Institute has a meeting in Talkeetna every year called the
Alaska Dialogue and has recently gone to Norway and Iceland.
There is also a strong Emerging Leaders program.
CHAIR STEVENS agreed it was a great organization.
8:22:42 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN continued to explain about "We the People of
Alaska." He noted that a standard statewide Alaska Studies
curriculum was lacking, as was support and resources. He said a
goal of the program is to encourage Alaska students to care
about state issues. The Institute believes that place-based
learning connects young citizens to where they live and promotes
civic engagement.
8:25:00 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN listed the goals of "We the People of Alaska."
They are to promote stronger civic and political engagement,
provide a foundation for students to gain a greater
understanding of the current issues facing the state, inspire
students by their own learning and investigation, and develop
teamwork skills through problem solving. Students will be able
to demonstrate critical thinking skills by working in teams.
MR. ANDREASSEN related that the program consists of six units:
citizenship, natural resources, Alaska Native governing
entities, the economy, and the Alaska model. For each of these,
students can choose to respond to three questions. He showed
examples of the types of questions asked. Students must research
the questions and connect the history with present-day issues
and form an opinion about their place relative to the question.
Mock legislative hearings are used to present the information.
8:27:19 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN said the curriculum is a supplement to the Alaska
Studies program and is not more work for teachers. He noted that
"We the People of Alaska" covers 40 percent of the Alaska
Studies program in the Anchorage School District. He said the
response from teachers, students, parents, and the community has
been positive. It allows current Alaska leaders to participate
in teaching aspects of the program and act as judges in the
competition. He said the classroom experience is needed and has
been positive.
8:30:21 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN stated that the goal is to implement the program
throughout the state beyond Anchorage. He said the legislature
can help with this by providing the funding to do so. Last year
the legislature provided a one-time capital request for $50,000
to get the program going. The Institute will support DEED to
implement the program in classrooms around the state by
providing resources and a recognition program.
MR. ANDREASSEN stressed the importance of having a more
formalized approach to having the program available to all
teachers and allowing students to have a connection to current
legislative issues.
8:32:07 AM
SENATOR GARDNER asked if the program focuses on high school
students.
MR. ANDREASSEN said it is designed for the Alaska Studies class,
grades 9 - 12.
SENATOR GARDNER commented that it is for schools that already
offer an Alaska Studies course.
MR. ANDREASSEN said yes, because that was an area that needed
development.
SENATOR GARDNER asked what percentage of students takes the
Alaska Studies class.
MR. ANDREASSEN replied that it was a required course.
CHAIR STEVENS commented that he was involved in developing the
Alaska Studies course. He agreed that a new delivery mode was
needed. He asked for more information about the mock legislative
session.
8:34:19 AM
MR. ANDREASSEN explained that mock sessions are made up of teams
of three or four students who take six minutes to present their
findings to an audience and then answer questions from a panel
of judges for another four minutes. There is also an opportunity
for a more formal presentation to the legislature or to other
organizations.
SENATOR HUGGINS asked for an example of how the best teacher in
Anchorage might present the program to students.
MR. ANDREASSEN responded that the program was a fundamentally
different way to teach Alaska Studies. Teachers are introduced
to the program through the social studies curriculum coordinator
and have all the resources. The teachers encourage students to
form teams and then choose the questions to research, followed
by weekly practice rounds. All responses are public, lending to
a community of learning.
8:37:14 AM
CHAIR STEVENS commented favorably about a program called
"Legislators in the Classroom." He thanked Mr. Andreassen for
his efforts.
MR. ANDREASSEN pointed out that the program was a wonderful
opportunity for the state and for the Alaska Studies program. He
stressed the importance of formalizing the integration of "We
the People of Alaska" into the social studies curriculum.
8:38:25 AM
PAMELA ORME, Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, Anchorage
School District, testified in support of "We the People of
Alaska." She expressed gratitude for the Institute of the North
and their involvement in improving the social studies curriculum
in Alaska. She shared her personal experience with "We the
People" and how important and valuable it is because it
incorporates so many useful skills, such as critical thinking.
8:42:58 AM
CHAIR STEVENS thanked Ms. Orme for her enthusiasm. He asked how
teachers see this curriculum.
MS. ORME answered that the curriculum strengthens the learning
process in the classroom and provides excellent resources so it
is seen favorably by teachers.
8:45:55 AM
CHAIR STEVENS hoped to implement the curriculum throughout the
state.
MR. ANDREASSEN pointed out that the program is a great example
of a potential public/private partnership. He concluded with a
summary of the benefits of the program.
CHAIR STEVENS thanked Mr. Andreassen for his work.
8:47:17 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Stevens adjourned the Senate Education Committee at 8:47
a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 02012013_Presentation_WeThePeopleofAlaska.pdf |
SEDC 2/1/2013 8:00:00 AM |
We The People of Alaska |
| 02012013_WeThePeopleofAlaska_Competition_Description.pdf |
SEDC 2/1/2013 8:00:00 AM |
We The People of Alaska |
| 02012013_WeThePeopleofAlaska_WhitePaper.pdf |
SEDC 2/1/2013 8:00:00 AM |
We The People of Alaska |
| 01312013_Supporting_VersionC_RepealLanguage.pdf |
SEDC 2/1/2013 8:00:00 AM |
SB 17 |
| 01312013_CSSB17_VersionC.pdf |
SEDC 2/1/2013 8:00:00 AM |
SB 17 |