Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
01/31/2018 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB99 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 99 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 31, 2018
7:59 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Cathy Giessel
Senator Tom Begich
Senator Shelley Hughes
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator John Coghill
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 99
"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 99
SHORT TITLE: PRE-ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS/FUNDING
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) BEGICH
03/29/17 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/29/17 (S) EDC, FIN
04/07/17 (S) EDC AT 8:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
04/07/17 (S) Heard & Held
04/07/17 (S) MINUTE(EDC)
01/31/18 (S) EDC AT 8:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
SYDNEY LIENEMANN, Ph.D., Staff
Senator Tom Begich
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the sectional analysis of SB 99 on
behalf of the sponsor.
ANJI GALLANOS, Director
Head Start Collaboration
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information on SB 99.
MINDY LOBAUGH, School Finance Specialist II
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information on SB 99.
APRIL BLEVINS, Early Childhood Coordinator
Lower Kuskokwim School District
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 99.
DAVID NEES, Research Associate
Alaska Policy Forum
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Opposed SB 99.
ACTION NARRATIVE
7:59:13 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 Begich, Giessel, Hughes, and Chair Stevens.
SB 99-PRE-ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS/FUNDING
7:59:40 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SB 99. [SB 99,
version 30-LS035\O, was before the committee.]
8:00:08 AM
SENATOR BEGICH, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of SB 99, said
the Alaska Early Education Program Act is an attempt for Alaska
to have universal, voluntary pre-K, similar to the Oklahoma
model. Early education is imperative for Alaska when considering
its long-term economy in that its students must be prepared to
be productive. High quality early education programs improves
school readiness, reading levels, and long-term economic
performance, something of great concern to this committee. For
over nine years, Alaska has had demonstration programs that show
kids are better prepared when they have been exposed to and
experienced quality pre-K programs.
8:02:49 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said SB 99 offers districts the opportunity to
develop high-quality, early education programs that are
culturally appropriate and tailored to their students through a
three-year grant process. The bill is designed so there is no
immediate massive economic impact like previous pre-K proposals.
It starts with the lowest performing cohort of schools. The
cohort is divided up into five different years. For the first
cohort, schools with no preschool programs begin a three-year
process with the Department of Education and Early Development
(EED). Studies show teachers must be trained and mentored to
provide quality preschool services, so DEED will provide
guidance and mentoring. Each year, for five years, another
cohort would be added to begin the three-year process. At the
end of three years, DEED would determine whether to certify the
program so that students in the preschool program would be
funded at half the cost of a full-time student. This would help
offset enrollment declines the state.
8:05:14 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said the bill would integrate, over time,
coordinated, evidence-based, culturally appropriate early
education programs that would complement and not contradict the
early education work already done over the past eight years.
8:05:40 AM
SYDNEY LIENEMANN, Ph.D., Staff, Senator Tom Begich, Alaska State
Legislature, presented the sectional analysis of SB 99:
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 grants will be available to the next lowest 20% of
school districts until all school districts are
offered the opportunity to participate included.
8:07:04 AM
Section 4.
Directs the department to supervise all early
education programs and approve those early education
programs created by the early education grant program.
8:07:22 AM
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.
8:07:47 AM
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)
8:08:13 AM
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.
8:08:48 AM
Section 10.
Directs early education program staff to be included
in those organizations required to report evidence of
child abuse.
8:09:00 AM
Section 11.
Repeals the early education grant program in 10 years,
once all school districts have had the opportunity to
apply.
8:09:11 AM
CHAIR STEVENS said he read an article that suggested there is no
evidence to support the idea that children who go through
preschool programs perform better than those who do not.
8:09:29 AM
SENATOR BEGICH responded that most data are quite persuasive.
James Heckman [American economist] reports that investment in
early childhood education is the best way to reduce [economic]
deficits. Heckman states that investment in early childhood
development caused reduced needs for special education
remediation, better health outcomes, reduced needs for social
services, and lower criminal justice costs, and increased self-
sufficiency and productivity among families. The Perry Preschool
Project followed children into adulthood and compared them to
children from the same background who did not have access to
high-quality preschool. They showed significant results in
better personal and life success in the long term. The
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) has data
that indicates improvements in outcomes in the Lower Kuskokwim
School District, Nome, and to a lesser extent, in Mat-Su and
Anchorage. The follow-up research for Oklahoma's preschool
programs, which SB 99 is modeled on, with eighth, ninth, and
tenth graders who attended preschool programs underscores their
success.
8:11:50 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said so there is ample evidence to show early
education has an impact. This is a different kind of dividend
program that pays out over a lifetime. Pre-K alone is not the
answer to successfully educate children, but it is a key
component.
8:13:35 AM
SENATOR HUGHES noted the sizeable fiscal note and asked whether
the programs would be optional for districts and families. She
also asked how many children did Senator Begich envision in each
cohort. Ten percent of students in the state are in Best
Beginnings and Head Start.
8:14:44 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said the program would be voluntary for districts
and parents always have the option about whether their children
would participate. DEED could answer in more detail about the
numbers. For each year of preschool-age students, there are
about 10,000 students statewide. The percentage of students that
participate in preschool in states that have programs range from
20 to 30 percent on the low end to 80 percent on the high end.
Alaska would probably be in the middle. The fiscal note speaks
to 2,500 students per cohort. The fiscal note probably would be
high because the state values education.
8:17:04 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked how the state would know that families that
most needed preschool programs would choose them.
8:18:45 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said DEED would provide mentorship to train
preschool teachers to understand the importance of outreach.
DEED would work to improve the quality of teachers so that
districts and teachers could effectively let know families of
the services available.
8:20:51 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said Head Start and Best Beginnings programs are
good at involving parents. She wondered whether there would be
family engagement and any requirements for family involvement.
8:22:41 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said evidence-based programs must have family
involvement. DEED can give details about what is working now and
why it is making a difference.
8:23:54 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked for a definition of "cultural
appropriateness."
8:24:15 AM
SENATOR BEGICH responded it is about ensuring that elements of
local culture will be incorporated. If a district is developing
programs for a Yupiit or Inupiaq village, it would incorporate
elements of that culture, so families are engaged in the
process. His short answer means including a cultural component
without sacrificing evidence-based practices for academic rigor.
8:26:54 AM
ANJI GALLANOS, Director, Head Start Collaboration, Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED), presented information on
SB 99. She said that when she was a preschool teacher, her
greatest success came from engaging families. That background is
reflected in the goals set by DEED for pre-elementary program
grantees. Districts must work on engaging and collaborating with
families to create locally designed programs reflective of
cultures and families in communities.
8:29:15 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said the fiscal note is large, but that is spread
over time. He asked for an explanation of the number of students
in the fiscal note.
8:30:59 AM
MS. GALLANOS said DEED's first step was to identify the number
of federally funded Head Start students to avoid duplicating
existing services. DEED also identified the number of students
that would be served in the lowest performing districts.
8:32:51 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked for the actual numbers.
8:32:59 AM
MS. GALLANOS said the first step is to determine which districts
are the lowest performing and by what measure. For the initial
determination of numbers, DEED identified 11 districts with
about 700 students to be served. Currently, $3.2 million is
provided from pre-elementary grant programs that serve 754
students. The first cohort would be 11 districts serving about
750. The numbers can change each year.
8:34:34 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said about 10 percent of students in this age are
being served now. After the 5 years, how many of 10,000 students
at each age would be served under the proposed program.
8:35:16 AM
MS. GALLANOS said currently pre-elementary programs are serving
about 20 percent of 4-year-olds. The grant would roll through
cohorts and could reach 80 percent, which is similar to numbers
in other states. Head Start students would not be included in
the grant.
8:36:25 AM
SENATOR HUGHES calculated that the fiscal note was too low
because 5,500 out of 10,000 students was not 80 percent.
8:36:52 AM
MS. GALLANOS said district enrollment varies.
8:37:12 AM
MINDY LOBAUGH, School Finance Specialist II, Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED), presented information on
SB 99. She said these students would be funded at half of the
full-time equivalent (FTE).
8:37:41 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said other proposed pre-K attempts had immediate
costs of $50 million. This is a slow roll out from the worst
performing to the best performing districts and integrates
preschool funding into the Base Student Allocation funding. It
is a limited grant program that ends after 10 years.
8:38:42 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked if her calculation of 5,500 students was
correct and how does that match the projection of 80 percent
participation.
8:39:11 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said the cohort is based on the number in school
districts, not a statewide number. The first 11 districts that
would be served are among the smallest in the state. Anchorage
would probably never be in the cohort. It depends on the size of
districts and whether there are existing pre-K programs.
8:40:19 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said then she was mistaken in multiplying 700 by
5.
SENATOR BEGICH responded exactly.
8:40:28 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL asked if Head Start is federally funded.
8:40:47 AM
MS. GALLANOS said by federal and state funds.
8:40:53 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL asked about the reference to four-year-olds in
pre-elementary programs separate from Head Start. She asked who
funds those programs.
8:41:02 AM
MS. GALLANOS said pre-elementary students in the DEED's grants
are funded through state general funds.
8:41:11 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL said she is confused because if some students
are already in pre-K programs, such as Head Start, why is a new
grant program needed.
8:41:33 AM
MS. GALLANOS said federally funded Head Start serves students
who meet poverty guidelines. The state has 3,500 Head Start
slots for students from birth to age five. The age ranges are 0-
3 and 3-5. About 762 students are aged birth through three. If
over 9,000 students enrolled in kindergarten this year, there
are approximately that many three- and four-year-olds. Not many
students are being served. The state provides $3.2 million for
pre-elementary programs in 19 districts that serve 750 students.
Some of these students also receive Head Start services if the
district and Head Start partner, such as in Bering Strait School
District and the Anchorage School District. The total statewide
is 10 percent being served.
8:43:43 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL asked why Head Start programs cannot be
expanded.
8:43:53 AM
MS. GALLANOS said that is a federal decision. Head Start has had
no significant expansion for several years. Head Start cannot
serve all students and not all students would qualify because of
poverty guidelines. Head Start costs about $14,000 per kid.
8:46:19 AM
APRIL BLEVINS, Early Childhood Coordinator, Lower Kuskokwim
School District, supported SB 99. She said Alaska should provide
access to high quality early childhood education to all children
to increase school readiness and promote academic and lifelong
success. The state offers only limited pilot funding for early
childhood education. Many communities do not meet Head Start
guidelines for funding.
Children in the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LK) early
education programs show growth between fall and spring
assessments. LK data shows sign long term benefits to students
who attended preschool. Preschool programs also employ local
residents. When parents are employed, everyone has more access
to a variety of services, such as counseling and employment
services. LK has preschool programs in ten of its village sites
and Bethel serving 200 students. LK could serve 13 more village
sites with preschool funding. LK could also provide professional
development for staff, family engagement, and community
partnerships.
8:48:45 AM
DAVID NEES, Research Associate, Alaska Policy Forum, opposed SB
99. He said DEED has never produced a report showing actual
results of preschool programs. Nationally, nine out of ten
studies show no measurable outcomes for preschool programs,
including for Head Start. The judge in the More [vs. State of
Alaska] decision ruled the Alaska Constitution does not include
the right to a public, preschool education. DEED has failed to
produce one paper to show academic benefits down the road.
8:51:26 AM
MR. NEES said this is an answer looking for a problem. No
evidence exists to show pre-K is working.
8:51:58 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked Mr. Nees to provide the studies.
8:52:21 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL asked Ms. Lobaugh to explain why the four fiscal
notes are more than $100 million when she adds them together.
8:53:11 AM
MS. LOBAUGH said she completed the public education fund and
foundation program fiscal notes. The kindergarten enrollment
figure (assuming the pre-K count would be similar) was
multiplied by the basic per student cost for the state and then
halved to come up with a per student cost of $4,590.
There would likely be about 515 students in the cohort that
might be included in the first year of the grant program. The
cost of the first year, 515 students times $4,590, is
approximately $2.3 million.
Figures for subsequent years show more districts involved, but
funding for students would also begin to be integrated into the
student funding formula [and not be part of the SB 99 grant
program]. That is the method for arriving at $11 million.
8:55:31 AM
SENATOR GIESSEL asked whether her number of over $100 million
was accurate.
8:55:56 AM
MS. LOBUGH said she could only speak to the fiscal notes she
prepared.
8:56:26 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said DEED has provided publicly available
evidence about these pre-K programs. He was disappointed to hear
the comment that DEED had not. When he adds up the fiscal notes,
he does not get that number.
Chair Stevens held SB 99 in committee.
8:57:32 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Stevens adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
at 8:57 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_SponsorStatement_VersionO.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_BillText_VersionO.PDF |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_Sectional Analysis_VersionO.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_FN1_Foundation.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_FN2_EarlyLearning.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_FN3_PreK_Grants.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_FN4_PEF_Capitalization.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |
| SB099_PreK_Ed_Funding_2017DEED_Report.pdf |
SEDC 1/31/2018 8:00:00 AM |
SB 99 |