Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/16/2022 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB225 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 225 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 16, 2022
9:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Roger Holland, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Shelley Hughes
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Tom Begich
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 225
"An Act relating to a paraprofessional training program;
creating a teacher resident certificate; creating a teacher
residency program; relating to requirements to issue a teacher
certificate; relating to subject-matter expert limited teacher
certificates; relating to limited teacher certificates; creating
a teacher registered apprenticeship program; and creating a
teacher registered apprenticeship program fund."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 225
SHORT TITLE: TEACHER REGISTERED APPRENTICE PROGRAMS
SPONSOR(s): EDUCATION
03/04/22 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/04/22 (S) EDC, L&C, FIN
03/07/22 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
03/07/22 (S) Heard & Held
03/07/22 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
03/09/22 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
03/09/22 (S) Heard & Held
03/09/22 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
03/14/22 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
03/14/22 (S) Heard & Held
03/14/22 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
03/16/22 (S) EDC AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
PATRICK MAYER, Superintendent
Aleutians East Borough School District
Sand Point, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
TERRI WALKER, Superintendent
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Buckland, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
BOBBY BOLEN, Superintendent
Bering Straits School District
Unalakleet, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
KIMBERLY HANKINS, Superintendent
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:04:57 AM
CHAIR ROGER HOLLAND called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Begich, Micciche, Stevens, Hughes and Chair
Holland.
SB 225-TEACHER REGISTERED APPRENTICE PROGRAMS
[Contains Discussion of SB 111]
9:05:32 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 225
"An Act relating to a paraprofessional training program;
creating a teacher resident certificate; creating a teacher
residency program; relating to requirements to issue a teacher
certificate; relating to subject-matter expert limited teacher
certificates; relating to limited teacher certificates; creating
a teacher registered apprenticeship program; and creating a
teacher registered apprenticeship program fund."
CHAIR HOLLAND said this is the fourth hearing on SB 225. Today,
four rural school district superintendents will provide insight
into their district's problems. He asked the superintendents to
introduce themselves.
9:06:37 AM
PATRICK MAYER, Superintendent, Aleutians East Borough School
District, Sand Point, Alaska, introduced himself.
9:06:59 AM
TERRI WALKER, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, Buckland, Alaska, introduced herself.
9:07:40 AM
BOBBY BOLEN, Superintendent, Bering Straits School District,
Unalakleet, Alaska, introduced himself.
9:07:56 AM
KIMBERLY HANKINS, Superintendent, Lower Kuskokwim School
District, Bethel, Alaska, introduced herself.
CHAIR HOLLAND requested that each superintendent answer the
questions posed and describe the problems they face when hiring
qualified classroom teachers.
9:08:51 AM
SUPERINTENDENT MAYER said supply and demand is a problem,
especially in special education, math, and science. The expense
of getting teachers to rural Alaska is also an issue. Airfare
can cost $1,000 round trip, and there can be issues with the
ferry system. A defined benefit would decrease teacher tourism
by incentivizing teachers to stay. He gave an example of a
reading teacher who stayed for five years but would be leaving
after her sixth year. He jested that reading teachers are like
unicorns, very hard to find. He stated that in the Aleutians
East Borough School District (AESB), there is also a need for
21st-century infrastructure such as high-speed internet. Rising
prices are also a concern. A gallon of milk is eight dollars,
and housing takes $12,000 from a teacher's salary. Quality
mentors and teachers are becoming more difficult to find. For
example, on the Alaska Teacher Placement website, there were 28
applicants for elementary education, but only two were
certified. In 2021 there were four vacancies, and in 2022 there
were eleven. It is exponentially harder to recruit teachers from
urban areas to remote areas.
9:12:53 AM
SUPERINTENDENT WALKER said she agreed with everything
Superintendent Mayer stated. It is difficult to find quality
candidates who are willing to leave their homes to work in rural
areas where they often must share housing with other teachers.
Kotzebue has a lack of housing for sale and renting a one-
bedroom apartment is $1,800 per month. Last year the district
had twelve unfilled positions. Salaries are no longer as
enticing because they have not kept up with those of other
states.
SUPERINTENDENT BOLEN said that in the Bering Strait School
District (BSSD), a gallon of milk costs $15, and the district
has about 65 teacher openings yearly. SpEd and counselor
positions are difficult to fill. Alaska's beginning teacher
salary is only $2,000 more than Washington state. It is
difficult to convince teachers to leave their hometowns and
build a career in an area where living conditions are
substandard, and the cost of living is five times more. The
district is trying to develop triplex housing to avoid paying
premium prices for land.
9:17:55 AM
SUPERINTENDENT HANKINS said she is facing the same challenges as
her colleagues. She said the Lower Kuskokwim School District
(LKSD) loses teachers to road system school districts every year
and recruiting is made difficult by salaries that are no longer
competitive. She stated that in Bethel, milk costs $9 per gallon
and apples are $5.49 per pound. However, produce is not always
available in villages in her district.
9:20:02 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked what kind of partnerships might be
available with municipalities, villages, or regional
organizations that want their children educated over profiting
from the sale of land.
9:21:03 AM
SUPERINTENDENT BOLEN replied that grants are filled out with the
Alaska Housing Federation, and the Bering Strait School District
(BSSD) works with tribal organizations to try and find land.
Recently the BSSD returned some land to a village that needed it
for housing. Kawerak Inc. and the Rural Alaska Community Action
Program (RurAL CAP) are partners with the Bering Strait School
District (BSSD) but do not have available land. There is a lack
of land as villages grow. Having outsiders educate village
children is not a big incentive for land-holding entities to
offer discounts to the school district.
9:22:39 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked, of all the problems rural districts face,
what would be the most important thing the legislature could do
to help get qualified teachers into rural schools.
9:23:22 AM
MR. MAYER said that in answer to Senator Micciche's question
about housing, the Aleutian East Borough School District (AEBSD)
has housing for teachers that is provided by tribes, villages,
and the government through subsidized housing. It works with
partners to provide a teacher package. AEBSD offers quality
housing, but the cost is high and reduces the teacher's annual
salary. In answer to Senator Steven's question, the most
important thing the legislature can do is increase funding
within the base student allocation (BSA) as school districts
face rising operating costs.
9:25:33 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked the other superintendents whether the BSA
is the single most important way the legislature can help rural
schools.
9:25:51 AM
MR. BOLEN said the BSA, and defined benefits are not the only
things the state could do. The legislature could help rural
districts by finding a way to subsidize expenses, such as travel
and shipping if salaries are not competitively increased.
9:27:23 AM
MS. HANKINS said that LKSD owns most of the teacher housing
within the district. The average rent for teachers is $900 -
$1,200 per month. LKSD does not own housing in the Bethel South
area where rent is $2,000 - $2,700 per month, not including
utilities. Teachers once moved from outer villages to the hub of
Bethel when positions became available, but that tendency has
reversed due to the higher costs of living in Bethel. The school
district reaches out to the community to assist teachers when
there is a housing shortage. LKSD has good relationships with
the tribes, which strengthened during the pandemic. She agreed
with Senator Stevens that a general increase in the BSA would
help school districts since every district has particular needs.
Changes to the retirement system also need to be considered,
such as having a defined benefit.
9:29:46 AM
MS. WALKER said the Northwest Arctic Borough School District
(NWABSD) provides subsidized housing to village teachers for
$900 - $1,200 per month. Kotzebue has a subsidized ten-plex for
new teachers, who must find another place to live at the end of
their first year. Leaving the subsidized ten-plex increases
their monthly rent from $900 to $1,800. Many teachers do not
renew their contracts because of the increased cost. She stated
that employee insurance benefits would increase by $2,000 per
individual, costing the district $650,000. The district is also
facing negotiations for certified and classified positions, and
staff salaries will be adjusted for inflation regardless of
whether the BSA increases. Inflation-proofing the BSA is the
most important thing the legislature could do to help school
districts.
9:32:15 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked the superintendents if the central concept
of SB 225 to "grow your own" apprenticeship would assist them in
retaining teachers. He also asked whether a secondary focus of
support through a teacher recruitment and retention grant
program could be beneficial since money for subsidized housing
decreases the operating funds available for instruction. He said
a wide variety of solutions are necessary because education
faces many problems. He cautioned superintendents against
putting all their eggs in the BSA basket because the governor
intents to veto the increase in the absence of a reading bill.
9:35:32 AM
MS. HANKINS replied that "grow your own" programs are
beneficial, and LKSD has had several. LKSD has established
practices that support teacher retention and recruitment. She
stated that rural school districts that do not focus on
retention first would be missing the mark; retention limits the
need to recruit. To retain teachers, LKSD offers robust
professional development, state mentorship programs,
instructional coaches, the Supporting Teachers Across the Years
(STAY) program, the Lower Kuskokwim Rise program, and exit
surveys to learn how to improve retention. For example, distance
from family is a reason teachers give for leaving. Since LKSD
cannot control distance, it focuses on staff collaboration to
build employee support.
MS. HANKINS said part of retention is considering how a
candidate would fit in the community because when teachers feel
they belong, they stay. All new teachers can participate in
culture camps. The TEACH, Two and Done, community career ladder,
and LKSD scholarship are "grow your own" programs that LKSD has
successfully developed over the past fifteen years. The programs
reduce staff turnover and provide staff for the dual language
and cultural immersion program. LKSD's "grow your own" programs
have produced 28 certified teachers. LKSD also offers assistance
for teachers to receive endorsements in high-need areas. LKSD
also has an education career pathway for middle school students
that encourages entering the teaching profession. She supports
offsetting costs through a teacher retention and recruitment
grant.
9:41:31 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if Ms. Hankins supported SB 111 because the
reads bill is a way to increase the BSA.
9:42:18 AM
MS. HANKINSS replied that LKSD supports expanding high-quality
early education for all children in Alaska and the targeted
investment of effective evidence-based K - 3rd-grade reading
instruction. She appreciates the addition of culturally
responsive language and other amendments made by the House
Education Committee and stated her belief that they strengthen
and protect dual language and immersion programs. She then
described areas of SB 111 that LKSD already addresses.
9:43:35 AM
MR. BOLEN said the BSSD has made efforts to "grow their own"
teachers. It applied for and received two $7 million grants
through a foundation. BSSD allows paraprofessionals to go on a
year-long sabbatical to become teachers because it is
challenging to work full-time and attend school. The district
pays for their salary, tuition, and other educational expenses.
Seven BSSD paraprofessionals received education degrees and
became teachers. The legislature could assist school districts
by providing grant support so school district staff can focus
time on other issues.
MR. BOLEN stated that BSSD utilizes Educator Rising to encourage
high school students to enter teaching. However, BSSD still
loses education students to larger districts after they become
teachers because of housing costs and outside opportunities.
Superintendents have organized a mentorship program for new
superintendents through the Alaska Superintendents Association
(ASA) and Alaska Counsel of School Administrators (ACSA). A
similar model should be used to support local teachers because
school districts are now asked to pay for in-person mentors. The
legislature could fund a mentor program for rural areas because
in-person mentorship is better than online.
MR. BOLEN said teachers at Title I schools receive federal
student loan forgiveness. Additional loan forgiveness from the
state for teaching at a rural school longer would be beneficial.
He opined that state forgiveness should be for all certified
personnel because administrators are not eligible for federal
government reimbursement unless they teach in the classroom. He
described the longevity bonus system that BSSD established for
teachers who stay three, five, seven, and ten years. The bonuses
are paid from general funds that BSSD then replaces by acquiring
outside grants. He stated he partners with Superintendent
Hankins to run a Gear Up grant that encourages kids to go to
college and return to the village. Rural school districts are
finding and acquiring grants and then running the programs.
Grant assistance from the legislature or state would be
beneficial to improving student educational outcomes by allowing
school districts to focus on instructional programs. The first
question village students ask a teacher is, "How long are you
going to stay?" Student engagement depends on teacher stability.
9:51:55 AM
MR. MAYER stated he supports "grow your own" programs. Both
students and employees in the Aleutians East Borough School
District (AEBSD) are interested in programs to become teachers.
He opined that a substantive teacher recruitment and retention
program is worthy of consideration. He supports SB 111 and
stated his belief that other superintendents also support it.
AEBSD was awarded the Comprehensive Literacy State Development
(CLSD) grant and put a reading program in place. He appreciates
the governor's priorities. As superintendents responsible for
running the school districts and providing for students' safety,
well-being, and instruction, they understand the governor's
concerns. He also supports new principal cohorts. There are many
ideas to move school districts in the right direction, but
funding for the BSA is critical.
9:54:12 AM
MS. WALKER said NWABSD supports "grow your own" programs. NWABSD
utilizes Educators Rising, and three students from NWABSD
qualified for nationals. She stated that when students leave to
attend college, many do not return to their hometowns.
Paraprofessionals are the individuals likely to remain a long
time with a district once they become teachers. Correspondence
programs enabling them to obtain an education degree without
leaving home would allow them to become teachers since many have
family responsibilities and cannot leave their villages. A grant
program to fund a cohort of twelve individuals would be helpful.
All districts support SB 111 and understand the importance of
early childhood education.
9:56:18 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked the superintendents to elaborate on how
successful teacher recruitment and retention affect students'
learning outcomes. He stated his belief that tying teacher
recruitment and retention to learning outcomes is key to
understanding the discussion. He said some legislators think
Alaska has a higher BSA than other states yet have lower scores
and therefore want to withhold additional funding.
9:57:40 AM
MR. MAYER said there is a direct relationship between teacher
retention and student learning. When teachers remain at a school
for many years, students learn their expectations. Continuity of
instruction is lost when village students experience three math
teachers in five years. Relationships are also damaged as
students realize teachers are not a part of their community. It
is a big issue.
9:59:15 AM
MS. WALKER said retention matters because when teachers first
arrive in rural Alaska, they do not know the culture and do not
connect with students by using the curriculum. She graduated
from a local village where scores do not determine the value of
a child.
10:00:48 AM
MR. BOYLEN said the key to educating all children is
establishing relationships built on trust so that children feel
safe and secure. Sometimes the only safe and stable person in a
child's life is a classroom teacher. He said that upon moving to
Alaska, he taught in Savoonga for seven years. When someone from
Savoonga sees him on the street, they ask him when he is coming
home because he became an accepted member of the community, and
hopefully impacted students' lives.
10:03:18 AM
MS. HANKINS said multiple studies find that lower teacher
turnover leads to higher student achievement and vice versa. She
said she considers this finding when working to retain teachers
because inconsistent staffing decreases student learning.
Building relationships with a community and school takes time.
Building trust with students who have experienced trauma takes
even longer. At LKSD, high teacher turnover often means a school
is hiring less experienced teachers or operating understaffed.
She said that in the last five years, she has yet to fill all
the positions at LKSD.
10:06:25 AM
SENATOR MICCICHI stated that the superintendents' responses
would make an excellent op-ed because it would explain to the
public that more money is needed to fund better relationships,
continuity, success, and housing. More money is needed to create
better outcomes for kids, not teachers.
10:07:35 AM
SENATOR HUGHES opined that the goal of the Senate Education
Committee is to prepare students to enter the world as educated
as possible, which makes focusing on academic achievement
important. Therefore, based on what the superintendents stated
about student-teacher relationships being the key to success and
teacher turnover rates affecting student achievement,
recruitment and retention of quality teachers should be the top
priority for improving achievement. She asked if the
superintendents agreed with her statement.
10:09:59 AM
MR. BOLEN replied that he agreed with the statement. Only 107
candidates registered to attend the Alaska Teacher Placement
(ATP) fair in Anchorage; there used to be hundreds. Recruitment
takes time and money away from focusing on other matters such as
curriculum, instruction, and relationship development. He has
spent fourteen days traveling to find teachers and only hired
one.
10:11:3.7 AM
MS. WALKER stated that recruitment and retention are key to
high-quality learning short-term. She said recruitment will
become less of a problem twenty years from now as "grow your
own" programs are incorporated into school districts.
10:13:11 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked the superintendents if SB 225 would benefit
their school districts and if they would like anything.
10:13:30 AM
MR. MAYER said that the big problem that needs addressing is
teacher tourism. He wondered whether being able to transfer
contributions to a defined benefit plan after a teacher has
taught in Alaska or at a school district longer than five years
might offer a solution. He opined that the problem of recruiting
and retaining teachers could not be resolved without increasing
the BSA.
10:15:22 AM
MS. HANKINS stated that teacher retention is critical to student
learning outcomes. There are many costs associated with teacher
recruitment and retention. Student outcomes suffer, and the
administration becomes fatigued from the constant cycle of
onboarding new teachers, beginning forward movement, and
returning to onboarding before progress is made. An increase in
the BSA rather than a specified allocation is critical because
it will allow districts to target areas to best impact change
and improve retention. She stated that she supports "grow your
own" programs and that LKSD has experienced success with them.
Locally grown teachers are incredibly valuable because they are
from the region, have grown up in the culture, are familiar with
the community, and have connections. LKSD found that locally
grown teachers serve as role models to students and help mentor
other staff.
10:18:02 AM
SENATOR BEGICH noted that his wife is the director of the
Coalition of Education Equity that Ms. Hankins mentioned, and he
receives no benefit from the conversation. He asked for the work
by the Senate Finance Committee to be looked at because it
incorporates into SB 111 all the cultural competency changes
that the House made, including additional protections around
culture that would be valuable.
10:18:50 AM
SENATOR STEVENS stated his belief that local school districts
and school boards know their needs and how to solve them better
than a committee or the state. That is why the BSA is the right
place to put money. He asked whether teachers statistically
remain in-state when leaving a district because if they remain
in-state, it may be bad for a district but not Alaska.
MS. HANKINS replied she could provide the committee with the
results of LKSD's 2021 exit survey.
10:21:01 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked the superintendents to provide in their
closing comments how many students and schools are in their
districts. He also asked how many of the schools in their area
are isolated from a road system.
MS. HANKINS stated there are 4,000 students in LKSD, which
covers a land area of 22,000 square miles. LKSD has 29 schools
in 24 different locations, most of which are grades K - 12.
LKSD's hub is Bethel, which has six schools and is accessible
via Alaska Airlines. Visiting schools in her district is done by
small plane, boat, ice road, and snow machine, which is all
weather dependent.
10:23:14 AM
MR. BOLEN said Unalakleet is the district office for BSSD. It
serves 15 PreK 12th grade schools that surround Nome. However,
Nome itself is a district. All the schools are accessed by
plane, except Diomede, which residents reach by helicopter.
Although located in Nome, Northwestern Alaska Career and
Technical Center (NACTEC) is part of the BSSD. There are 1,900
students in PreK 12th grade. BSSD has 250 certified staff and
280 classified staff. He thanked the committee for taking the
time to hear about rural Alaska and explore innovative ways to
address concerns. Both urban and rural schools want to see
students improve academically. He said he and his predecessors
have found it disappointing not to make academic improvements.
He supports reading grants from the state, SB 111, and any other
program that would positively impact students. He invited
legislators to attend the ASA legislative fly-in meetings held
in Juneau.
10:26:50 AM
MS. WALKER said NWABSD serves 11 villages, with Kotzebue as the
hub. There are no roads to the villages. Summer travel is by
airplane or boat, and winter travel is by air or snowmachine.
The district covers 39,000 square miles. There are 1,800
students in K - 12th grade. She strongly supports SB 225 as it
will help grow teachers locally, which will help stabilize
turnover while increasing cultural compatibility and
student/teacher relationships.
10:28:32 AM
MR. MAYER said there are four schools in AEBSD across 12,500
square miles. Travel is by plane, helicopter, or ferry. There
are 230 students in the district. He thanked the committee for
advocating for students.
10:29:30 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND stated that urban and rural schools were markedly
different. Rural school concerns about high-speed internet,
running water, and sewage are challenges on steroids. He thanked
the superintendents for the work they do in rural Alaska.
10:30:10 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND held SB 225 in committee.
10:30:22 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Holland adjourned the Senate Education Committee meeting
at 10:30 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|