03/21/2019 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB30 | |
| SB6 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 21, 2019
9:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Shelley Hughes, Vice Chair
Senator Chris Birch
Senator Mia Costello
Senator Tom Begich
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 30
"An Act establishing the middle college program for public
school students; and relating to the powers of the University of
Alaska."
- MOVED CSSB 30(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
SENATE BILL NO. 6
"An Act relating to early education programs provided by school
districts; relating to funding for early education programs; and
relating to the duties of the state Board of Education and Early
Development."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 30
SHORT TITLE: COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) STEVENS
01/23/19 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/23/19 (S) EDC, FIN
01/29/19 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
01/29/19 (S) Heard & Held
01/29/19 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
02/12/19 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
02/12/19 (S) Heard & Held
02/12/19 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
03/12/19 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
03/12/19 (S) -- MEETING CANCELED --
03/21/19 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
BILL: SB 6
SHORT TITLE: PRE-ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS/FUNDING
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) BEGICH
01/16/19 (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/7/19
01/16/19 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/16/19 (S) EDC, FIN
03/21/19 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
TIM LAMKIN, Staff
Senator Gary Stevens
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Reviewed the CS for SB 30, version K.
PAUL LAYER, Ph.D., Vice President for Academics, Students and
Research
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided information about dual enrollment
for high school students.
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager
Student Learning Division
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Reviewed the fiscal note for SB 30.
POSIE BOGGS, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 30.
JACOB GERRISH, Staff
Senator Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the sectional for SB 6 on behalf
of the sponsors.
ANJI GALLANOS, Director
P-3 Office
Colorado Department of Education
Denver, Colorado
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 6.
APRIL BLEVINS, Early Childhood Coordinator
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 6.
ELWIN BLACKWELL, School Finance Manager
School Finance and Facilities Section
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Reviewed the fiscal notes for SB 6.
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager
Student Learning Division
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Reviewed the fiscal notes for SB 6.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:00:41 AM
CHAIR GARY STEVENS called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Begich, Birch, and Chair Stevens.
SB 30-COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
9:00:56 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SB 30 and his
intention to take up the Committee Substitute (CS) for SB 30,
work order 31-LS0052\K. He solicited a motion.
9:01:36 AM
SENATOR BIRCH moved to adopt the CS for SB 30, version K, as the
working document.
9:01:45 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion and asked Mr.
Lamkin to explain the changes in version K.
9:01:54 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, explained that SB 30 is an effort
to recognize the accomplishments of 47 other states that have
established collaboration between secondary and postsecondary
schools. The goal is to encourage students to finish their
formal education. Statistics from the U.S. Department of
Education show that in Alaska, of 100 freshmen, just 76 finish
high school. Of those 100 freshmen, only 33 enter college and
just 22 remain enrolled for their sophomore year. SB 30 will
help these poor statistics by establishing a hybrid Middle
College Program in Alaska, which is proven to help students
finish high school and launch, if not finish, some type of post-
secondary education, including vocational technical training.
MR. LAMKIN said that the traditional sense of middle college
includes students going to a university campus. That clearly
will not work for Alaska. Another model is early college high
school. This bill crafts a hybrid between those two, where the
university can come to the high school campus rather than the
other way around. The bill sets goals and focuses on the
outcomes, not the process. The goals are flexible for districts
and responsive to the needs of those communities. The idea is to
avoid creating barriers. Evaluation is key as well. The bill
sets up some basic parameters and attempts to maximize
flexibility between school districts and the University of
Alaska.
9:05:05 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO joined the committee.
MR. LAMKIN said he would present the CS in the same manner as a
sectional:
Section 1 of the CSSB 30 on page 2, lines 8-11. "Alaska" was added to
create the phrase "Alaska middle college program" to emphasize that
this is a distinct, Alaska hybrid middle college program.
On page 2, lines 8-11 add the "rate of subsequent enrollment" to the
report summary that is given to the legislature. Subsequent
enrollment refers to how many students complete the dual-credit
program and pursue postsecondary education. The second piece of data
added is the number of students who complete the program and must
complete remedial courses in college.
CHAIR STEVENS clarified that this requires the State Board of
Education to make the report to the legislature. The information
on enrollment and remediation rates would be available through
the board's work with the university, but it is the state board
who is responsible for the report.
MR. LAMKIN confirmed that the intention is that the state board
would be responsible for issuing the report and the expectation
is that they would collaborate with the university.
MR. LAMKIN reviewed Section 2:
Subsection (a) is intended to reduce barriers. Making the program
accessible to students is important to the program's success.
Line 16 says a student "shall" earn both high school and college
credit. That is needed to make it clear that a student who completes
a dual credit course will get university credit along with high
school credit.
Lines 18 and 19 make it clear that the credits are transferable
between various campuses throughout the system.
SENATOR BIRCH asked if there had been any dialog with the Board
of Regents and university in this effort.
MR. LAMKIN answered that he had not had any direct conversations
with the Board of Regents. Most of his work and communication
had been with the university administration, in particular with
Dr. Paul Layer, the Vice President for Academics, Students, and
Research, who will testify.
CHAIR STEVENS added that there will also be careful coordination
between the district and university. He asked Mr. Lamkin to
explain what type of classes would be offered.
MR. LAMKIN said the intention is that these would be core
courses applicable to a high school diploma that in turn can be
applied toward general education requirements at the university
level.
9:10:14 AM
SENATOR HUGHES joined the committee.
9:10:23 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO said she is very supportive of district efforts
to accommodate all students, including those ready for classes
through a middle college program. She noted that when Mr. Lamkin
came to her office, they spoke about school districts that
currently don't have a middle college program and how this bill
would take effect. She asked if districts could talk about how
this would affect their budget or how they foresee putting
something in place if they don't have a program now. She also
asked if there is adequate Internet access for districts that
might offer online classes.
CHAIR STEVENS said adequate Internet is an important issue that
needs work, but all districts are not equal. Some simply do not
have adequate bandwidth to offer online courses.
9:12:40 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said she was very pleased to say that students in
her area have the middle college opportunity. She said she
wanted the record to include discussion of whether online
courses taken in a rural area without a campus would be
comparable to courses taken in person on a campus. She said she
doesn't want the state to have to provide funding to bring
students to campus and house them but wonders if there is
information to show that the two delivery systems are equitable.
MR. LAMKIN replied that subsection (b) in Section 2 addresses
that question.
Subsection (b), page 2, lines 20-23. The intent is a not one
size fits all. It is intended that every district enter into an
agreement with the university. Each district will identify what
it can and can't do. Some districts may find they do not have
any eligible students. Their agreement could state that they
have no one eligible for the program. Other districts may have
one student and offer one class. That could be their middle
college program.
MR. LAMKIN said the bill compels districts and universities to
address and collaborate on things like inadequate Internet.
There are efforts now to improve broadband. Presumably over
time, broadband will grow and provide better opportunities for
all students. SB 30 is carefully worded so the state is not put
in a position that requires flying students to campuses to
attend class. He said he is interested in reaching out to the
attorney general's office to confirm that. He has been assured
by Legislative Legal that the bill is crafted so that it does
not trigger litigation on the basis of equity.
CHAIR STEVENS said it's an important question. He added that
many students take classes online through the university today
in places like Sitka, Ketchikan, Kodiak, and Kenai. He said it's
happening right now but he would admit that it is not equitable.
Taking a class in front of a professor is a better form of
education than taking it online. Equity is an important issue
but it can't be solved in this bill. He emphasized that there is
no intention to fly students in to take these classes.
SENATOR HUGHES said many young people feel that if the course is
interactive and live, they feel as though they are in the room
and able to get to know the professor and classmates. She
related a story to show that the generation coming up might
consider online courses equitable. She noted the committee heard
the bill about broadband funding and she has a bill that would
set up a statewide virtual education system. She said she
supports this concept because students should be given access.
She suggested that if the university were to partner with DEED
to set up a virtual education system and make the university
courses that are suitable for middle college available, it would
take the burden off districts. If the "shall" language in the
bill was maintained, it would already be set up and students
could be sent to the menu to select classes. She said that might
be a solution for districts that are concerned about not being
ready or have hesitation about the "shall" language. She
acknowledged that other bills would need to pass for that to
happen, but it would complement and dovetail nicely with the
middle college concept.
CHAIR STEVENS said he knows she's right and commented on the
enormous strides in technology.
MR. LAMKIN added that Dr. Layer will speak about an online
portal that will complement what Senator Hughes is describing
and the purpose of the bill.
9:20:11 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said the changes in Section 2 addresses most of
his concerns about a forced relationship that might exist
between school districts and the university. The idea of the two
entities negotiating and entering into an agreement is a unique
and careful crafting of an answer to that question.
9:20:52 AM
CHAIR STEVENS highlighted that a district could negotiate to
offer just one class if that suited their purpose.
MR. LAMKIN continued to review Section 2 of the committee
substitute.
Subsection (c), page 2, lines 24-28, addresses eligibility and
access. It is important that it be open not just to grades 11
and 12, but to grades 9 and 10 as well. In prior hearings it was
mentioned that there could be gifted students who should be
given the opportunity to do college work while in high school.
Subsection (d) on the bottom of page 2 going to page 3 is about
awareness. One pitfall is that parents and students don't know
these dual credit programs exist. This section requires that
school districts provide information about the program when
students are signing up for classes.
Lines 10-12 on page 3 address making it clear that there are
specific academic and social responsibilities and consequences
of failing. The costs and the benefits of enrolling in the
program should be clear.
Subsection (e) goes into the financing of the program. Students
are not required to pay. Lines 14-20 on page 3 speak to the
agreements between the districts and university about what they
can do and how to go about paying for it. The bill leaves it up
to parties involved to sort it out
Subsection (f) on the bottom of the page 3 speaks to the quality
of the program. A key component of middle colleges is that both
the district and the university acknowledge and agree that the
program itself and the courses taught are of high quality. They
agree on the content and curriculum and the quality of
instruction given at the high school level.
Subsection (g) on page 4 puts a cap on the numbers. Twelve
credits is a full-time load. Students should not be burdened
with more than 12 credits in a semester. The conversation to
date has been about a student leaving high school with a diploma
and possibly 60 credits toward an associate degree.
SENATOR HUGHES said she would prefer no cap, but she wouldn't
hold up the bill for that reason. Occasionally there are
students who can handle a higher course load. In some cases it
saves the school district money if students take more credits
through the middle college. She suggested the committee consider
removing subsection (g).
CHAIR STEVENS said Paul Layer from the university may have more
information about that.
MR. LAMKIN added that the cap is only on this program; students
could take more classes on their own. Research shows a possible
abuse of the system is a student lingering in high school to
take advantage of free or cheap college tuition.
SENATOR HUGHES said student lingering is a good point. She asked
if a student were to pay for additional courses, would those
courses still apply for high school credit.
MR. LAMKIN responded that he would imagine the student would
have two high school diplomas at that point, which would be a
very unusual situation. That would be a super student.
9:28:27 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said he too questioned the cap but the point
about students lingering was convincing.
SENATOR COSTELLO said that she would like to get on the record a
response about how these types of courses will appear on student
transcripts.
MR. LAMKIN said that is a question for the districts. He
suspects that every district has its own method.
SENATOR BEGICH pointed out that Section 2 on page 2 says that
the way that credits are reported will be in the agreement
between each school district and the university.
MR. LAMKIN continued the review of the committee substitute:
Section 2, page 4, lines 3-11 have no change from the original
bill. That holds harmless school districts with funding for
their enrollments and ADM [average daily membership]. It also
provides that the parties can share transcript information.
Section 3, lines 13-25, syncs the University of Alaska statutes
with this program, making it clear that the university and
districts will form agreements and the university will evaluate
and review courses.
Section 4 provides for an effective date of July 1, 2020.
CHAIR STEVENS thanked Mr. Lamkin for the extensive work he's
done, including talking to various agencies to find out what
models are working in other states.
9:32:55 AM
PAUL LAYER, Ph.D., Vice President for Academics, Students and
Research, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, said the
Board of Regents has a dual enrollment policy P10.05.015 that
says, "Dual enrollment refers to enrollment at the university by
a student who is simultaneously enrolled in a K-12 (or
homeschool) for which the student may receive credit at both the
K-12 and postsecondary levels. The university encourages dual
enrollment. No additional restrictions on dual enrollment beyond
those applicable to all students, or to avoid violations of law
or ensure informed consent by a parent or legal guardian
(including financial obligations), shall be allowed." He said
the university and Board of Regents encourage this kind of
collaboration. They also have regulation regarding minors being
involved in classes.
DR. LAYER said that regarding the question about equity, in
areas where a university center or university is nearby, the
options will be wider. For online courses, student learning
outcomes or objectives are the same throughout the system. A lot
of students today prefer online option versus the face-to-face
option. He explained that the university has developed a portal,
which is going to be a one-stop shop for students to show what
is available, both face-to-face and online. From the
university's standpoint, students would be taking a university
class and it would be shown on the university record as a
college class. They He said the university already has some very
successful programs and partnerships. The university would like
to see this option for parents and students throughout the state
and is working toward this with districts right now.
SENATOR BIRCH asked how the costs associated with the program
are allocated and shared between the participating school
district and the university.
DR. LAYER replied that the university has agreements with
Anchorage School District and Mat-Su School District and those
districts use their student allocations to pay tuition at
University of Alaska rates. The rates are low enough currently
that it is affordable for districts to pay the university
tuition, student fees, and transportation costs. The university
views these students as regular students; there is nothing
unusual about their funding pattern. The university may want to
look at that as it looks at options for other districts.
Subsection (e) says students enrolled in the program may not be
required to pay tuition or other associated costs. That is an
agreement the university would have to make with the district
and they are developing templates for that right now.
SENATOR BIRCH asked if the university allows students to audit
classes on a space-available basis.
DR. LAYER confirmed that the university provides a mechanism for
students to audit classes on a space-available basis. The
student does not receive credit for the class.
9:40:09 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if he had any comments about the proposed
cap of 12 credits per semester and 60 credits total per student.
DR. LAYER replied the university does not see the need to limit
student access to their courses. If they are qualified, they are
welcome. He noted that some students in the Anchorage and Mat-Su
middle colleges take 15 credits and sometimes more working
toward their baccalaureate degrees. He acknowledged that he had
not thought about it from the district perspective of students
exceeding what is needed for a high school diploma and that
might be worth consideration.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if he sees the bill as a way to improve the
problem of many students needing remedial classes when they
enter the university.
DR. LAYER answered yes; students who participate in the program
must meet the standards for college-level math and writing so
they won't need remedial services. In essence, it puts pressure
on the students and parents and schools to make sure those
students are college ready. The Mat-Su program has existed long
enough that the university is seeing this in the students who
have graduated high school and are entering the university as
full, degree-seeking students.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked if this would not affect any existing
agreements with colleges outside of Alaska. She cited the
example of students who are not in high school yet that are
taking online language classes from Middlebury College.
CHAIR STEVENS answered no.
9:43:57 AM
DR. LAYER said UA would like parents and districts to think
first about the university when they're considering college
credit for students, but nothing in the bill precludes any
existing agreements. Students who meet UA standards and have
parent permission are welcome to come to the university.
SENATOR COSTELLO said the Anchorage School District has several
language immersion programs in Japanese, Spanish, Russian, and
German and those students want to take four years of language in
high school. The bill will allow those language learners to
advance further than what is currently provided in the high
school setting.
CHAIR STEVENS asked the Department of Education and Early
Development representative if the committee substitute affects
the fiscal note.
9:45:53 AM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Student Learning
Division, Department of Education and Early Development (DEED),
Juneau, Alaska, said the committee substitute does not change
the fiscal note.
9:46:13 AM
CHAIR STEVENS opened public testimony.
POSIE BOGGS, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said she
fully supports SB 30. She shared that she graduated from high
school one year early in 1975 because she took college courses
every summer. If the Internet and strong broadband had been
available, she could have graduated even earlier. She said it
took a lot of strong self-advocacy on her part and her father's
part to get the high school to accept those credits. She fully
supports the ability of high school students to take college
classes and to make a smooth way for high schools to accept
those credits.
9:49:00 AM
CHAIR STEVENS closed public testimony.
SENATOR COSTELLO said the second paragraph on page 2 of the
analysis of the fiscal note says that to be eligible, the
student must have completed 10th grade. Her understanding is
that the current version doesn't limit this to 11th and 12th
graders.
CHAIR STEVENS replied that is correct and that is on the record.
9:50:02 AM
CHAIR STEVENS removed his objection and solicited a motion.
9:50:17 AM
SENATOR BIRCH moved to report CSSB 30, [Version 31-LS0052\K],
from committee with individual recommendations and accompanying
fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSSB 30(EDC) moved from
the Senate Education Standing Committee.
9:50:27 AM
At ease
SB 6-PRE-ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS/FUNDING
9:54:41 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SB 6. He noted his
intent hold the bill in committee after discussion and public
testimony.
9:55:03 AM
SENATOR TOM BEGICH, sponsor of SB 6, introduced the bill
paraphrasing from the following sponsor statement:
Early education is imperative for our state. When
examining Alaska's long-term economy, it is essential
to consider how we can both increase Alaskan's
productivity as well as reduce potential drains
resulting from the unrealized potential of our
citizens. Early education is an important part of that
equation.
The markers for success develop early in life and
brain science underscores that how we use our brains
at those crucial early years before we enter
Kindergarten as well as how prepared we are when we
enter our K 12 education have a dramatic impact on
how well we will do in school and life. In particular,
research shows us that those who live in poverty have
an incredibly difficult time catching up with others
if they come to school ill-prepared. That same
research shows that those who have a high-quality
preschool experience go on to future academic and
personal success. Studies reported in national media
identified that every dollar invested in high quality
Pre-K can save up to $7 in long-term government
expense by reducing the need for remedial education,
and involvement in the criminal justice and public
assistance systems.
High quality early education programs are an
investment in our future. Universal early education
available to students before they enter kindergarten
improves school readiness, reading levels, and long-
term economic performance. Long term studies such as
the Perry Preschool project also suggest students with
access to high quality pre-school are less likely to
be incarcerated and less likely to receive government
assistance as adults. Alaska's current pre-
kindergarten programs such as those in Anchorage,
Mat-Su, The Lower Kuskokwim School District and Nome
and our early education programs including Head Start,
Best Beginnings, and Parents as Teachers, provide
access to families for such high quality early
education, but are, according to our Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED), only available
to 10% of Alaska's 4 year olds. SB6 would take lessons
learned from those programs and provide all school
districts with the opportunity to provide high quality
early education to their students if they so choose.
There is much to be said about early education, but
the critical piece is that children's pace of
intellectual development peaks before age six, making
those years especially important for future success.
School outcome data and academic research show that
children who participate in early education programs
exceed in developing soft skills tied to future
success including conscientiousness, perseverance,
sociability, and curiosity. We have seen those results
nationally, but also have that data here for Alaska
after over ten years of demonstration projects around
Pre- K in our state. The current Teaching Strategies
GOLD assessment, children in early education programs
in Alaska show dramatic growth even comparing student
aptitude changes between the Fall and Spring and
that is a success we should all share. It is time for
all Alaskans to have an opportunity to participate in
the success of these demonstration efforts. This
legislation provides that opportunity.
SENATOR BEGICH said that for the last ten years Alaska has
experimented with evidence-based prekindergarten programs and
the data shows dramatic successes. The Mat-Su data shows that
special education Title I students who are participating in the
program are overperforming the district average in letter/sound
fluency and are nearly equal in letter naming fluency. The Lower
Kuskokwim School District data shows a difference in performance
by third grade for students who participated in the district's
prekindergarten. The same goes for the Anchorage and Nome school
districts. Those who attended prekindergarten, Nome in
particular, perform well above those who did not attend. In each
of these cases there is measurable achievement by third grade
for those who went through the prekindergarten experience.
SENATOR BEGICH said SB 6 provides opportunities for every
district to access prekindergarten. It is not mandatory, but it
is a universal prekindergarten, meaning at some point it would
be available to every district in the state. Parents would
always control the ability to enroll their children in
prekindergarten.
SENATOR BEGICH explained that the bill implements a cohort
approach to limit the impact over years and to ensure the
districts are provided necessary support from the Department of
Education and Early Development to develop a high-quality
prekindergarten program. He said a lot of bills in the past have
said to just do prekindergarten, but that is not sufficient. The
prekindergarten programs around the country that have not shown
success received either no support from their education
departments or did not have specific parameters designed around
evidence. He said prekindergarten programs must demonstrate a
working program, and he has faith that DEED can do that. The
department has demonstrated this over the last decade, and it
can do that through this bill for the rest of the state.
He said this is a small investment. The state has invested
intelligently in oil and gas royalties. The state has invested
to build a permanent fund. The state should do the same kind of
investments for its children. Early education has the potential
to create a generation of Alaskans who are prepared to take
advantage of the opportunities of the 21st century.
10:02:48 AM
JACOB GERRISH, Staff, Senator Scott Kawasaki, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, presented the sectional analysis
for SB 6 on behalf of the sponsors:
Section 1.
Establishes that elementary schools also include an early
education program, whether operated within a public school
or by an outside organization.
Section 2.
Establishes that a four or five year old, who has not
attended kindergarten, is eligible to attend a public
school early education program.
Section 3.
Creates a stair-step, 3-year grant program to provide
training and assist a school district in developing an
early education program. In year one, the lowest performing
20% of school districts (as established in 2018) will be
eligible for a grant to establish a district-wide, high
quality early education program. In year two, the next
lowest performing 20% of school districts will be eligible
for the three-year grant program to establish an early
education program. At the end of the three-year grant
cycle, the Department of Education and Early Development
(the Department) will be responsible for determining if the
district's early education program complies with state
standards. The next year, the grants be available to the
next lowest 20% of school districts until all school
districts are offered the opportunity to participate.
Section 4.
Directs the Department to supervise all early education
programs and approve those early education programs created
by the early education grant program.
Section 5.
Defines an "early education program" as a pre-kindergarten
school for students 3-5 years old if its primary function
is educational. The 3 year old students are not included in
the program this bill proposes, but are included to ensure
they are not excluded from existing State and Federal
programs.
SENATOR BEGICH said this clarifies that Head Start and other
early education programs that might receive other types of
federal funding are not excluded.
MR. GERRISH continued the sectional:
Section 6.
Directs the board to adopt regulations regarding funding as
well as statewide and local goals for an early education
program. Regulations shall ensure that early education
programs have the flexibility to be locally designed and
culturally appropriate, so long as they meet early
education standards. An early education program may be
either full day (6 hour) or half day (at least 2 hours).
Section 7.
For funding purposes, an early education student shall be
counted in the school district's average daily membership
as a half day student once the early education program has
been approved by the department.
Section 8.
Adds early education to consideration for determining the
number of elementary schools in a district.
Section 9.
Ensures that early education students who currently receive
State or Federal funding for early education are not
included in the ADM for purposes of funding.
Section 10.
Directs early education program staff to be included in
those organizations required to report evidence of child
abuse.
Section 11.
Repeals the early education grant program in 10 years once
all school districts have had the opportunity to
participate.
CHAIR STEVENS asked whether half-day students qualify for
exactly half of the average daily membership (ADM).
SENATOR BEGICH answered yes; that seemed to be fair and
equitable.
10:07:45 AM
SENATOR BIRCH noted that Anchorage has had declining enrollment
in the K-8 population. He asked if this would add to the
enrollment in the Anchorage School District and how many
students and associated teaching positions would be involved.
SENATOR BEGICH replied that Anchorage is in a unique situation
because it already operates a form of prekindergarten. What is
likely is that the school district will apply to DEED to be
certified as an existing evidence-based prekindergarten program.
ASD could then potentially roll their pre-K population into
their ADM. It would offset their declines to some degree. The
pre-K ADM would be half a student. Statewide there are about
10,000 in the four-year-old cohort, which would be about 4,000
for Anchorage. ASD is already served to a great degree by
prekindergarten, so it probably would not add a lot of teachers,
but it would offset some decline in funding that would come to
Anchorage from the base student allocation.
He said the fiscal note is substantial over time, but the fiscal
impact may be minimal due to the statewide population decline.
He highlighted an advantage of this bill is that it could
immediately support districts that have evidence-based
prekindergarten, and it would take resources to those districts
that are some of the lowest performing in the United States.
That would be the first cohort.
SENATOR BEGICH said he was just informed that 847 four-year-olds
in Anchorage and 391 in Mat-Su are currently in pre-K.
10:11:03 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO asked how the department would accommodate the
foundation formula chart that counts students in larger schools
as less than one person as the multiplier while in certain
communities one child is counted as up to four students. She
noted that the fiscal note has taken the full state aid
entitlement of $1.1 billion and divided it by the average daily
membership to come up with $9,260. That number is halved and
applied for every child in the pre-K system. Once a student
becomes a kindergartener in a remote, rural community, they
would bump up to four individuals. She said Sand Lake
Elementary, which is in her district, is the largest elementary
school in the state and those students would not even be counted
as one. She asked if he has had a discussion with the department
about what this investment in schools would look like.
SENATOR BEGICH said he would defer to the department for
specific details but nothing changes in terms of a child
entering school as a full time ADM under the current law. It
just adds the half-time ADM position. No nuance is reflected in
the fiscal notes. This prekindergarten program is based on the
Oklahoma model where about 70 percent of kids that are eligible
take advantage of the prekindergarten program. Florida is the
state with the highest percentage at 77 percent. Washington D.C.
has a slightly higher number. DEED calculated the fiscal notes
based on 88.45 percent participation in the pre-K program. He
said he hopes that is true, but he suspects the number will be
closer to 70 percent. He said the fiscal note might be
overrepresenting the cost, but he was comfortable with it. It is
based strictly on a $4,630 average per student cost, half the
$9,260 average student cost. He deferred to the department to
respond further to the question about an overcount or
undercount.
CHAIR STEVENS invited Ms. Gallanos to testify.
10:15:39 AM
ANJI GALLANOS, Director, P-3 Office, Colorado Department of
Education, Denver, Colorado, said she previously directed the
early learning program for the Alaska Department of Education
and Early Development. She explained that DEED's approach when
funding district-based pre-K programs was to support and build
capacity in order to ensure coherent implementation of preschool
supports. Districts that received the $2 million state grants
for preschool engaged in activities that coordinated resources,
supported quality locally-designed options, and developed
leadership understanding of learning in the early years. This
led to high-quality district-led preschool initiatives. The
Alaska preschool program was informed by implementation science
and research indicating the most high-quality drivers for
preschool outcomes. By supporting districts, DEED could ensure
that sustainable preschool programs were being implemented to
serve children in high-quality programs.
MS. GALLANOS said that SB 6 is perhaps the best way to sustain
the impact of attending preschool. It is not an inoculation such
that one year of preschool can be expected to achieve great
outcomes, but when partnered within a district that supports
quality implementation, the effects are great. The Alaska
preschool program saw these impacts directly reported by school
districts. While DEED could not report outcomes at a child-
level, districts that participated could identify and track
outcomes by using district assessments. District-based preschool
has been proven to work well by districts that have implemented
the program. SB 6 creates a structure that supports and guides
districts to implement a coherent preschool system that plays a
part in overall school achievement. In addition to meeting the
access needs to quality preschool for four-year-old children, it
requires local control over district preschool programs because
Alaska district leaders and community members know the needs of
their communities. She said she is pleased to see the call for
standards-based alignment and accountability measures within the
bill to demonstrate impact.
MS. GALLANOS said that children most at risk need effective and
timely intervention supports. For example, Colorado provides
public preschool for at-risk children who meet eligibility
criteria. One of the metrics is eligibility for free and
reduced-cost lunch. In Colorado that is 24 percent of the
student population. In Alaska it is 50 percent. Colorado
legislated preschool slots 30 years ago for at-risk children by
providing funding to school districts to choose how to serve
three- and four-year-old children. Colorado preschool slots can
be used in school district classrooms, childcare classrooms, and
Head Start classrooms. Colorado has seen the tie between
preschool and third grade outcomes. Colorado's more recent
report has data that demonstrates that children enrolled in
Colorado preschool programs show strong outcomes in later
grades. Colorado's data shows that kindergarteners who
participated in preschool were less likely to be identified with
significant reading deficiencies than their peers who did not
participate. Children funded through the Colorado preschool
program were less likely to be retained during K-3 than their
peers and more likely to finish high school. Every dollar saves
seven dollars. This has been shown to be true through meta-
analysis. The number ranges from four to nine dollars. Children
who attend preschool are referred to special education less, are
less likely to need intervention, and less likely to be retained
in third grade. Colorado has seen these outcomes. She said she
supports the structure in SB 6 because it supports quality
implementation and guidance needed in a district to support
coherent preschool systems that have goals and outcomes for
student achievement.
SENATOR BIRCH asked whether the dollars follow the child to
whatever program the child is enrolled in and how payments are
made for preschool.
MS. GALLANOS replied that the Colorado legislature passed a
slot-based system in which slots are allocated to 24,000
children. Slots, at the discretion of districts, can be used in
district-identified preschool programs such as Head Start,
childcare, or district programs.
SENATOR BIRCH asked if the money can be expended in private
programs outside of the school districts.
MS. GALLANOS answered that in Colorado those slots are given to
the school districts, so school districts choose which programs
within the district boundaries qualify. A childcare program, for
example, could apply for three slots and the district would
determine whether the program met the criteria.
SENATOR COSTELLO directed attention to the chart that shows
different results among programs and district averages. She
asked Ms. Gallanos if she had that information from Colorado
that she could share.
MS. GALLANOS replied that Colorado does not have outcome data
for Head Start or childcare or individually-funded district
programs, but they have outcomes based on the 24,000 slots.
SENATOR COSTELLO summarized that the Colorado education
department approves programs to get slots but doesn't have
statistics comparing the proficiency of students why have gone
through the Head Start program.
MS. GALLANOS answered that Colorado Head Start, much like in
Alaska, is a separate federally funded program so the state
doesn't have a tracking system to measure four-year-old Head
Start students as they transition into the kindergarten system.
Head Start as a federal program is able to track growth outcomes
during the year but there is no way to measure whether that
child is meeting an outcome at third grade because they attended
Head Start.
SENATOR BEGICH added that Head Start does report to Alaska
because it receives some state funding. One of the elements of
SB 6 that is different than Colorado is that it has standards
that emphasize locally-based programs. Alaska DEED worked with
school districts within a series of standards. That is unique
about this bill and what is done in Alaska compared to other
states. Alaska has such different cultural and rural vs. urban
aspects that the bill allows more flexibility than other states.
10:27:53 AM
APRIL BLEVINS, Early Childhood Coordinator, Lower Kuskokwim
School District, Bethel, Alaska, stated that the Lower Kuskokwim
School District (LKSD) supports state funding policies that will
ensure that Alaska provides access to high-quality early
childhood education programs for all children to increase school
readiness and to promote academic and lifelong success. She said
sufficient resources must be available to provide for high-
quality early childhood education that is free of charge and
accessible to all. Programs cannot become stable without the
certainty of funding. Children in the LKSD early learning
programs have demonstrated growth between fall and spring
assessments in cognitive development, language and literacy
skills, mathematics, and fine and gross motor skills. The data
has shown significant long-term benefits. Students who attended
their state-funded preschool program outperformed their peers
who did not attend a preschool program on third and fifth grade
assessments. Quality preschool programs also close academic
gaps. She said their data shows an average LKSD four-year-old
enters preschool with a receptive language of a two-and-a-half-
year-old. When they exit the preschool program and enter
kindergarten, most have gained 1.5 years of language.
MS. BLEVINS said LKSD programs provide other benefits that are
not publicly acknowledged. Most of their programs employ local
residents. If they had no preschool, that would create a domino
effect. If children cannot attend preschool, then parents cannot
maintain a job. Therefore, they must rely heavily on public
assistance. This results in children going without proper
nutrition, which the school provides twice daily. All these
factors affect a community economically, socially, and
academically.
MS. BLEVINS said that early intervention in their preschool
programs have led to fewer special education referrals and
services for entering kindergarteners. Developmental and
language delays are lessened with preschool interventions. LKSD
preschools provide a safe, happy environment in which children
thrive. Young people who are experiencing trauma receive support
services. Their programs also provide medical screenings,
support for families, and information for parents about various
types of services. Monthly parent events offer parent education,
literacy materials, and social interaction with other families.
Families value the LKSD early childhood education programs as
advocates for children and their families. Early childhood
programs have the potential for prevention and cost
effectiveness. In the past two decades many studies have
demonstrated the positive effects of participation in early
intervention for school readiness, health status, academic
achievement, grade retention, and special education services.
Evidence supports delinquency prevention and attainment of
higher education, yet every year their early childhood programs
are on the list of budget cuts. Research has shown that money is
best spent investing in early childhood programs. For every
dollar spent the return is $7.16. She said all Alaskans,
especially rural communities, need and deserve pre-K funding.
SENATOR BIRCH asked what the percentage of preschool
participation is in her communities and the youngest age served.
MS. BLEVINS replied that participation and attendance range
between 80 and 91 percent.
SENATOR BIRCH asked if three-year-old children are in their
program.
MS. BLEVINS answered that four-year-olds have priority for
enrollment but three-year-olds are admitted if space allows. She
have a shorter day than the four-year-olds.
SENATOR BEGICH clarified that SB 6 focuses on four-year-olds.
Three-year-olds are included in the description because they are
included in existing programs like Head Start. In SB 6, only
four-year-olds and five-year-olds are eligible.
10:34:32 AM
ELWIN BLACKWELL, School Finance Manager, School Finance and
Facilities Section, Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, said he would review the two
fiscal notes affected by the addition of four-year-olds to
foundation funding. He explained that the fiscal note dealing
with the fund capitalization is where the money needed to make
the foundation program whole is recorded. This fiscal note takes
the total amount of projected state aid and divides it by the
total number of ADM to come up with the average cost per ADM.
Since the bill funds the students at one-half of that average,
$4,630 is the estimated per student cost. He acknowledged that
some districts would get more from the foundation formula.
MR. BLACKWELL explained that there will be five cohorts of
students going through the program. The first cohort would
transition into the foundation formula in 2023. The fiscal note
assumes that all programs that were developed for the first
cohort would be approved and transition in at the end of the
three years. That assumption is carried through for each of the
five cohorts.
MR. BLACKWELL said $3.4 million shows up for FY 2023. That
number doubles to $6,806,100 in FY 2024. The $3 million is added
to FY 2025 and so on out to 2027 when the assumption is that all
five programs would be fully transitioned into the foundation
formula.
SENATOR BEGICH asked how DEED came to the assumption that pre-K
programs would serve about 89 percent of the students.
10:38:39 AM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Student Learning
Division Department of Education and Early Development (DEED),
Juneau, Alaska, explained that the cohort of students every year
is about 10,000 per grade. They looked at the number of students
participating in preschool programs and tried to determine how
many were not participating. The first year they anticipate 735
students and that would double the next year. That is how they
came up with 88 percent.
SENATOR BEGICH said the colored chart in the packets shows that
the annual cost, once all students are included in the ADM,
would be $17,015,250; that would be the increase to the base
student allocation. He commented that is well below the number
that might be spending on implementing Medicaid work
requirements, for example. That is a fairly modest annual number
being added to the $1.2 or $1.3 billion base student allocation.
He asked if he were reading that correctly.
MR. BLACKWELL said that is the correct reading. By FY 2027,
after all the programs had transitioned in, the foundation
program would see an increase of $17 million.
SENATOR BEGICH pointed out that the opportunity to prepare all
Alaska's kids is one or two percent of the base student
allocation number.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked Mr. Blackwell what the multiplier is for
a special education student who is counted as one under the
foundation formula.
MR. BLACKWELL clarified that she was referring to the school
size adjustment. He explained that with the foundation formula,
they identify the full-time equivalency students to generate an
average daily membership (ADM) based on a 20-day count. If a
student is enrolled for the full 20 days, the student is
considered as one ADM. Then an adjustment is made based on the
size of the school within that community. For very small
schools, it can translate to about a 3.96, almost four, ADM
increase for a very small school of between 10 and 19.9 ADM.
Each one of those students gets weighted. A school of about ten
students would get a weighting of about four ADM. The bigger the
school, the smaller the weighting. For a school of about 1,000,
one student is one ADM for the school size adjustment. Those
school size adjustments are added together and then go through
the foundation formula and are multiplied by other multipliers,
such as the district cost factor. Then there is a multiplier for
special education and a multiplier for career and technical
education. Each intensive-needs student is multiplied by 13.
That is added to the product of previous calculations. At the
end DEED looks at correspondence schools. Those students are
multiplied by .9 and added to the total. At that point they take
the adjusted ADM and multiply it by the base student allocation
and come up with the basic need number.
SENATOR COSTELLO noted an earlier assertion that attending
preschool programs reduces the numbers of special education
students in schools. She recalled that the special education
multiplier was 20 percent and suggested looking at the
contemplated investment of this bill vs. what is spent for
special education.
MR. BLACKWELL confirmed that the multiplier is 20 percent.
10:45:30 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if he was reasonably comfortable that the
existing foundation formula is reasonably fair across the state.
MR. BLACKWELL answered that the current foundation formula
provides funding to school districts in a systematic way.
SENATOR BEGICH said the legislature answered that question quite
emphatically with the Augenblick study [Review of Alaska's
School Funding Program prepared for the Alaska State Legislature
by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates]. That study looked at
every component of the foundation formula and the multipliers in
detail and concluded that it was one of the fairest and most
equitable foundation formulas in the country with two
exceptions. One was something about a school count issue that
the legislature fixed last year.
CHAIR STEVENS said that was his opinion as well.
SENATOR BIRCH asked if Anchorage students are weighted at less
than one. He said he heard from the Anchorage School District
that there is a disincentive to consolidate schools with school
funding. If they have two undercapacity grade schools, for
example, there is a disincentive to consolidate and close one.
MR. BLACKWELL replied that for school size, there would be
instances in Anchorage, particularly for the very large high
schools, where a student may be weighted as less than one after
going through the school size adjustment. For example, once
3,000 students in a school are run through the school size
adjustment, the count might be 2,600 ADM.
He emphasized that those numbers were off the top of his head,
but that is how the formula and school size works. The school
size adjustment table assumes that smaller schools cost more
money. The idea is that larger schools are more efficient so
fewer resources are needed to operate that school. As a result,
those students are weighted less for funding purposes.
SENATOR BIRCH commented that raises some questions about
Anchorage having more square feet than it needs for the current
number of students.
CHAIR STEVENS said school districts statewide are looking at
consolidation so it would be a shame if there were a
disincentive to consolidate.
MR. BLACKWELL noted that the legislature passed a school
consolidation bill last year that provided a five-year step down
to remove the disincentive. Districts that consolidated schools
would see no decrease the first few years and then they would
step down in years three through five to absorb the decrease
over time.
10:52:02 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO recalled that bill tried to address the
embedded economies of scale in the foundation formula which
provides a disincentive for schools to combine. The foundation
formula follows a student who moves from a smaller school for
five years. She said the fact that the legislature had to remove
the disincentive for consolidating tells her that that portion
of the foundation formula is worth looking at because larger
schools are able to offer more career and technical education
than smaller schools. She said she would go on record as someone
who is open to discussion of the foundation formula, regardless
of how difficult and challenging that might be. It is important
that legislators are all on board with how schools are funded.
She expressed appreciation for the earlier description of the
formula.
CHAIR STEVENS responded that foundation formula is clearly
something they committee can spend time on trying to understand.
He asked Mr. Blackwell to continue reviewing the fiscal notes.
MR. BLACKWELL said the second fiscal note, which is
informational and has no associated cost, deals with the
foundation program. The fiscal analysis explains that there is
no fiscal impact on the foundation program because of the way
the foundation is funded through the public education fund.
SENATOR BEGICH asked about the other fiscal notes.
MS. RIDDLE explained that one fiscal note is for the early
learning coordination that proposes three positions and the
associated costs amounting to $350,000. The second fiscal note
is the one that addresses the number of students and how that
was calculated for the pre-K programs.
SENATOR BEGICH said if all potential students were rolled into
the foundation formula without any preparation, it would be
about $17 million each year. He said he likes the way the fiscal
note shows that the first five years are spent building
capacity, to keep from creating bad pre-K. That is the one thing
that must be done if this is to mean anything. He emphasized the
importance of the grants program to prepare districts to do the
right thing. It addresses such things as turnover issues and
high-quality teachers. He said he appreciates that for less than
2 percent of the current base student allocation this will have
a potentially significant impact on Alaska's kids as they
graduate many years from now.
10:57:34 AM
CHAIR STEVENS noted that public testimony would be taken in a
subsequent hearing. [He held SB 6 in committee.]
10:57:51 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Stevens adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
at 10:57 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 01_SB06_PreKfunding_BillText_VersionM.PDF |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 02_SB06_PreKfunding_Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 03_SB06_PreKfunding_Sectional_VersionM.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 04_SB06_PreKfunding_FiscalNote01_DEED_Foundation.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 05_SB06_PreKfunding_FiscalNote02_DEED_EarlyLearning.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 06_SB06_PreKfunding_FiscalNote03_DEED_PreK_Grants.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 07_SB06_PreKfunding_FiscalNote04_Capitalization.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 08_SB06_PreKfunding_Research_DEED_ELP Report_FY18.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_BillText_VersionK.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_BillText_VersionK_markup.pdf |
SEDC 3/21/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |