Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/14/2022 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 14, 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
WITNESS REGISTER
BRIDGET WEISS, Superintendent
Juneau Borough School District (JSD)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
RANDY TRANI, Superintendent
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD)
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
CLAYTON HOLLAND, Superintendent
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD)
Kenai, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by invitation on SB 225.
ED KING, Staff
Senator Roger Holland
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on SB 225.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:04:08 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 Hughes, Begich and Chair Holland.
SB 225-TEACHER REGISTERED APPRENTICE PROGRAMS
[Contains discussion of SB 111.]
9:04:42 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 stated this is the committee's third meeting on SB
225. Superintendents from three urban school districts will
testify to provide first-hand insight into the problem to be
resolved. He stated he is not related to Mr. Holland and asked
superintendents to introduce themselves.
9:05:53 AM
BRIDGET WEISS, Superintendent, Juneau Borough School District
(JSD), Juneau, Alaska, introduced herself.
9:06:01 AM
RANDY TRANI, Superintendent, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School
District (MSBSD), Palmer, Alaska, introduced himself.
9:06:06 AM
CLAYTON HOLLAND, Superintendent, Kenai Peninsula Borough School
District (KPBSD), Kenai, Alaska, introduced himself.
9:06:22 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND said he would ask four questions. He requested
that the superintendents respond to each question before
committee members ask questions.
CHAIR HOLLAND asked the superintendents to describe the
challenges they face when trying to fill classrooms with
qualified teachers.
9:06:57 AM
MS. WEISS stated that the challenge to find teachers was
aggravated by the pandemic. However, there was an extraordinary
shortage of special education teachers before the pandemic, and
the applicant pool for regular education positions had
diminished. Many years ago, Washington and Alaska had hundreds
of applicants in the elementary teaching pool. The applicant
pool has changed dramatically. Five special education teaching
positions in Juneau went unfilled in 2021-2022. A Montessori
teaching position also went unfilled. She opined that the demand
is greater than the supply. She said she went to Michigan a year
before the pandemic to recruit excellent teachers as she had
previously done. She attended several university job fairs and
found that the bleachers were virtually empty of candidates.
Many students who became classroom-certified teachers also
became certified in special education to increase their
potential for hire. This level of competition no longer exists.
She said teachers have also left the classroom to work for
various grant programs.
9:09:37 AM
MR. TRANI stated that his district hires about 120 teachers each
year. Thirty-five to forty percent of vacancies are due to
retirement. The remainder are due to attrition. From the school
district's exit survey, the two main reasons for leaving were
personal and leaving the state. Teacher tourism is happening in
Alaska, unlike in the 1980s when teachers came to Alaska and
stayed due to the golden handcuffs of the state retirement
system. Young teachers now come to Alaska for the experience and
leave because nothing incentivizes them to stay. Special
Education (SpEd) positions have been the hardest to fill. He
stated that MSBSD is a desirable work location in Alaska and
hires teachers from rural schools. Although this benefits his
district, it robs rural schools of teachers. MSBSD employs
several full-time recruiters. The school district has barely
been able to meet its staffing needs by sending recruiters to
job fairs. The substitute teaching pool is insufficient to meet
the district's needs, even with minimal requirements. Alaska
does not have enough certified teachers. The University of
Alaska, at its peak, produced 25 percent of the teachers needed
in Alaska. Alaska needs to recruit from out of state but does
not offer incentives to stay.
9:12:20 AM
MR. HOLLAND said he has been with the school district for 20
years and in the district office for 15 years. General education
teaching positions would have 10 - 20 applicants ten years ago,
but now two to three teachers apply. At times there was only one
qualified applicant. Special Education has the same challenges.
The school district could not fill all its positions for the
first time in 2021 - 2022. Therefore, changes were made to fill
the positions by allowing retired teachers to return with credit
for their years of service. He stated he is concerned about the
2022 - 2023 school year because of the teacher shortages
experienced over the past three to four years. Teachers have
backed out of contracts before or shortly after arriving in
Alaska. They cited the lack of defined benefits, cost of living,
and housing as reasons for not staying. Many teachers with a J-1
visa are being used temporarily. However, the use of the J-1
visa may change, which is concerning.
9:14:28 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE said the US is short a million teachers. He
asked if data shows a differential between the unfilled
positions in states with defined benefit plans and teachers
living in states without a plan because it seems every state is
short.
9:15:07 AM
MR. HOLLAND replied that he does not have hard data. He only has
anecdotes from people communicating with the human resources
department on why they are not staying to have a teaching career
in Alaska.
9:16:01 AM
MR. TRANI stated that his information is also anecdotal. He
recalled teachers talking in the hallway about staying to get
three high years of service. Those types of conversations are no
longer heard. About two-thirds of the school district's
employees are Tier I and II. The rest are under the new system.
9:16:32 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND said the committee had been told there were not
enough teachers in Alaska. However, there are 14,000 certified
teachers registered in Alaska. He asked if there is insufficient
motivation to keep teachers working in schools.
9:16:48 AM
MS. WEISS replied that there is a combination of reasons for the
shortage of teachers. She likes SB 225 because it offers a
combination of solutions. The problem is complex and layered.
She said Alaska's salaries are relevant to Washington and
Oregon. It used to be that teachers were encouraged to come to
Alaska for the adventure and stay for a career. Now
advertisements encourage them to come for an adventure that
lasts about five years. School districts want teachers committed
to Alaska's children and communities, but teachers are not
incentivized to stay. She illustrated the current lack of
incentive by sharing a retired teacher's experience. The teacher
left a position in another state in 1981 as a step 5 with a
master's degree earning $14,500 a year. The teacher had a 25-
year defined benefit program and full social security benefits.
The woman received a salary of $28,000 and a 20-year retirement
option in Juneau.
MS. WEISS said it was not just one element that would encourage
a teacher to stay. However, teachers need to know that they can
afford to live in Alaska and have some incentive to stay when
the salary is not more.
9:19:22 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said she recalled loan repayment programs for
healthcare providers. She asked if there is a federal loan
repayment program for teachers willing to work in underserved
areas.
MS. WEISS replied that she was not aware of any programs. Loan
repayment programs would be an option to pursue because it is
the type of incentive young people need.
SENATOR HUGHES said she worked with Representative Bob Herron as
an advocate in setting up a companion program for healthcare
providers. The providers were required to serve time before
receiving quarterly loan repayments.
9:21:10 AM
ED KING, Staff, Senator Roger Holland, Alaska State Legislature,
Juneau, Alaska, stated that DEED was looking at Senate Bill 93
from the previous legislature to determine whether a similar
loan repayment program could be established for teachers.
SENATOR MICCICHE said that it has become increasingly difficult
to fill positions since the pandemic, and he would like a
comparison of states' incentive programs. He wondered how much
weight should be given to defined benefits versus other societal
issues in the quest to fill positions.
9:22:35 AM
SENATOR BEGICH stated that in 2009 the National Conference of
State Legislatures (NCLS) conducted a study and found that
Alaska was the only state with a mandatory defined contribution
plan. He suggested Mr. King ask the NCSL for an updated analysis
to see how Alaska currently compares to other states.
CHAIR HOLLAND reminded the committee that HB 220 documents would
likely contain the study.
9:23:36 AM
SENATOR HUGHES shared an anecdotal story of a meeting she
attended where older firefighters wanted to revert to a former
retirement system, whereas younger firefighters preferred
portability. She opined that younger teachers might also prefer
portability. She stated her belief that the teacher population
would become more transient. There are societal factors to
consider, and a solution for some would not necessarily be a
solution for all.
9:24:15 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND interjected that the teacher population nationally
was down by one million.
9:24:23 AM
SENATOR BEGICH stated he received a text from Dr. Parady
confirming Alaska was now the only state that does not have a
defined benefit plan for teachers.
9:25:11 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND interjected that Alaska was not the only state
contributing to the national teacher shortage.
SENATOR BEGICH affirmed Chair Holland's comment but stated that
the remark was in response to Senator Micciche's desire to
compare states' incentive programs to determine if there is a
correlation to position vacancies. He opined that it would be
impossible to know since forty-nine states offer a defined
benefit and only Alaska does not.
CHAIR HOLLAND asked the superintendents what they could do in
their districts to deal with the teacher shortage facing Alaska.
9:25:24 AM
MR. TRANI replied that his district would be launching a program
modeled after the state's discontinued Alaska Teacher's
Scholarship Loan Program next year. Students who want to be
teachers or paraeducators would take remote coursework through
Chadron State College (CSC) while participating in work-study at
a Matanuska - Susitna (Mat-Su) school part-time. Once a student
obtains a degree, their loan could be forgiven up to 100 percent
over five years if they teach in the Mat-Su district. Rural
districts could send students to Mat-Su to participate in the
program by contributing funding if the trial proves successful.
The idea is to hire teachers who live in the state and want to
remain rather than pay to recruit tourist teachers. He stated
that MSBSD could pay for the program because of the teacher and
paraeducator shortages. Money is available to hire teachers, but
there are no teachers to hire.
9:29:21 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether the University of Alaska (UA) was
approached to be a partner.
MR. TRANI stated that CSC was flexible and quick to respond,
which made partnering easy. He said the Mat-Su district would be
willing to partner with any university, especially UA.
9:29:53 AM
MR. HOLLAND stated he was doing a similar program for
paraprofessionals through CSC. He said it bothered him not to
partner with UA, but CSC was tuned into remote learning and had
a well-laid-out competitive program. Local paraprofessionals
make some of the best teachers because of their experience.
KPBSD adjusted pay scales by increasing the years that
experience can count towards pay. It has transitioned to virtual
job fairs making it possible to recruit from all states. KPBSD
also helps people move to the peninsula by paying moving
expenses, assisting them in locating housing, and providing a
mentor. He said recruiting for KPBSD costs rural schools by
losing teachers to larger communities.
9:32:54 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if superintendents collaborate on ideas
to bring before the legislature, such as requesting funding for
retention bonuses. He wondered whether educators were working to
find the right combination of offerings to keep people in
Alaska. He opined that an extra service could sometimes sway a
person's choice.
9:34:43 AM
MR. TRANI responded that the "big five" meet informally every
other Friday to discuss issues relevant to urban school
districts. However, the Alaska Superintendents Association (ASA)
is the official organization where ideas are discussed and then
taken to the State Board of Education for consideration.
9:35:40 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked Mr. Weiss what the Juneau School District
(JSD) has done to address the teacher shortage and if she had
input to add to Senator Micciche's comments.
9:35:44 AM
MS. WEISS opined that superintendents had been working to uplift
and work through a difficult experience over the past 20 months,
so the amount of time to dialogue had been sparse. She said
structures exist for superintendents to share ideas, and she
would support front-end engagement with potential legislation by
contributing to the amazing ideas put forward by legislators.
MS. WEISS said JSD partners with UA through the Educators Rising
Program to offer a course that supports the early learning of
being an educator. JSD also works with UAS to expand dual credit
and create a broader experience for students attaining post-
secondary credits before graduating high school. UAS and JSD
have worked to build the middle college model and put together a
joint work team called JSDUAS because statistics show that
students who have a head start are more likely to graduate from
college. JSD has also been trying to support teachers and
increase morale because teachers are the ones who inspire
students to become teachers. She opined that it is hard for
teachers to be inspirational at this time. JSD has been focusing
on meeting teacher needs so they can be inspirational to
students.
9:39:35 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked how high teacher turnover affects available
finances and the ability to provide quality instruction.
9:39:57 AM
MR. HOLLAND commented that it was a crazy first year as a
superintendent, and the "big five" provided him the support
needed to survive. He said a study revealed that each new
teacher hired costs a school district $20,000, including
recruitment and training. The non-financial cost is lost
connection. Kids learn best in a trusted relationship. Without
permanent staff, students will struggle academically, socially,
and emotionally regardless of the legislation. Also, when
teachers are required to fill gaps and teach outside of their
content area instruction quality is impacted
9:45:38 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said a considerable portion of SB 111 addresses
the need for DEED to enhance the support of teachers and
superintendents in their work. He asked whether SB 111 would
help improve teacher morale.
9:46:23 AM
MS. WEISS replied that SB 111 could be part of the solution.
However, Alaska has structures outside of DEED that offer good
support. She opined that developing and enhancing existing
structures through partnerships with the Alaska Superintendents
Association (ASA), Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB),
and National Education Association (NEA) would help the morale
issue and provide the mentorship that new teachers need.
9:47:07 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked what, besides mentor programs, could be
done to improve morale because SB 111 also includes the virtual
education consortium. He asked her to elaborate on how
recruitment and retention could be accomplished.
9:47:33 AM
MS. WEISS responded that ASA created a sliding two-year cohort
for superintendents so that new superintendents are supported. A
retired superintendent runs the program, which meets several
times yearly and receives ongoing mentor support. ASA developed
it because superintendent turnover is also high. Many issues
could be more efficiently integrated with statewide support. The
Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA) and DEED could
create incentives for first and second-year teachers to
participate and use commonalities from across the state to
create efficiencies, such as the need for equity, culturally
responsive teaching, and a reading initiative.
9:49:15 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said he often argues that similarities within the
state should move legislation like SB 111 and HB 164 forward.
SENATOR MICCICHE related that his experience examining the cost
of training state troopers indicates that $20,000 to hire a new
teacher must not include peripheral costs. Peripheral values are
difficult to quantify. Replacing an experienced teacher is
expensive because the value of experience is lost. The
continuity of intergenerational teachers brings family and
community support to a school. He encourages using incentives
such as paid moving expenses and loan forgiveness as
alternatives to defined benefits. People need to understand the
challenges educators face. Outreach to the community should
happen to educate the public.
9:52:35 AM
At ease
9:53:22 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND reconvened the meeting.
CHAIR HOLLAND asked Mr. Trani to comment on the financial or
other implications of high teacher turnover.
9:53:29 AM
MR. TRANI said that continuity is the most significant
consequence of the teacher shortage from an educational
standpoint. It is hard to put a price tag on peripheral costs,
but one study he read said the cost would be $50,000 for a
teacher and $75,000 for a principal. However, the programming
for students is more concerning. Mat-Su promotes its 8,000
courses in career and technical education (CTE), which are
difficult to hire positions because teachers leave to work in
industries that pay more. Teacher turnover in CTE and special
education (SpEd) occurs constantly. SpEd teachers are the
highest in demand, making it easy for them to relocate.
Therefore, students that need the most consistency receive the
least. Kenai and Juneau are magnet locations that rob from rural
areas when they are robbed by the lower 48.
9:56:02 AM
SENATOR STEVENS arrived.
9:56:23 AM
SENATOR BEGICH mentioned the House has been discussing adding
between $40 60 million to the budget outside of the base
student allocation (BSA), which the governor indicated he would
veto. He said it seems like superintendents are suggesting that
a more targeted approach would work better for teacher
recruitment and retention. For example, teachers in rural areas
might receive housing assistance, while another district might
target mentoring. He asked the superintendents to discuss the
efficacy of a blanket amount of money being put into the budget
outside of the BSA versus targeted support where outcomes could
be measured for success.
9:57:37 AM
MS. WEISS stated her belief that there would be added value in
targeted financial efforts with concrete, measurable
deliverables, which could be used to determine where future
resources are placed. The downside would be that superintendents
may have varying opinions because their districts might have
differing needs. Open financial commitment allows districts to
tailor funding to their needs. She suggested that a combination
of funding might incentivize districts to obtain some funds
based on initiatives and commitments.
9:58:47 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said that if the House and Senate pass a budget
with blanket funding for education outside the BSA and the
governor vetoes it, there would be zero added funding. He stated
it is important for the Senate, House, and governor to unite in
funding identified needs because having something would be
better than having nothing.
9:59:38 AM
MS. WEISS replied that she agreed. She opined that zero-added
funding would not help public education through the crisis it is
experiencing. Students lose if public education does not rise,
survive, and constructively utilize resources and initiatives.
She said she has been in the field of education for 38 years and
sees that the challenges facing education today are in the
substantial social-emotional needs of students. The challenges
have a ripple effect on families and affect educators' morale.
Issues cannot be fixed without resources.
SENATOR BEGICH said he does not wish to belabor the point but
wants colleagues in the House to know that the governor has said
there would not be excess funding for education without a
reading bill.
10:01:02 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked if Mr. Trani would like to comment on
Senator Begich's question regarding the efficacy of funding
outside of the BSA versus targeted support.
MR. TRANI replied that he could not entertain creative ideas
such as teacher retainment incentives without guaranteed funding
because other elements like collective bargaining agreements
extend into the future. One-time funding makes it difficult to
develop plans because the source of money is not guaranteed.
Everyone would favor something over nothing if it came down to
having blanket funds inside or outside the BSA, especially if
the fund was more permanent than a one-time boost for a
particular idea.
10:02:32 AM
MR. HOLLAND agreed that $50 million one-time would be better
than zero, but he would like a long-term fiscal plan for the
state that includes an adjustment to the BSA. An inside BSA
solution would be better than an outside solution because it
would continue beyond one year. He would favor a legislative
solution that adjusted the BSA and made it inflation-proof. The
next best option would be to allocate funds to a specific
solution. He opined that the BSA needs to be adjusted for the
long-term health of all school districts.
10:03:58 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked the superintendents to assess the usefulness
of SB 225 and provide suggestions for improvement.
10:04:13 AM
MS. WEISS stated she approves of SB 225 because it provides
multiple solutions to school districts' challenges. None of the
challenges facing education are simple enough for one solution.
One of the hardest things at the core of what superintendents do
is plan budgets a year at a time with flat or regressing
funding. She said finding a solution to the BSA needs to be
discovered as a state before other challenges are addressed. She
opined that it is counterproductive and faulty thinking to
expect education in Alaska to get better when school districts
need to be adequately funded on a yearly basis so that
innovative instructions and plans can be designed. She
appreciates that SB 225 looks at growing from within. Alaska
must find and retain good teachers through the three options SB
225 offers. She said she did not have an obvious solution to add
but encouraged the committee to attend the superintendent fly-in
because collective thinking is how problems are solved.
10:06:45 AM
SENATOR BEGICH stated his belief that no one would rationally be
opposed to supporting an increase in the BSA. However, the
administration has made it clear that there will be no increase
to the BSA without a reading bill, and there are not enough
votes to override a veto. If an increase in the BSA is the
bottom line, then the reading bill needs to be addressed. On a
narrower level, SB 225 explores teacher retention ideas similar
to what Mr. Holland described. In 2010 when the Moore lawsuit
was being settled, there was a legislative proposal to establish
a teacher retention grant to make funding more permanent.
However, establishing a grant when there is a structural deficit
is difficult. He opined that Mr. Holland is correct; a fiscal
plan is needed. The education committee is broaching the need
for a fiscal plan and reading bill. If superintendents,
teachers, and students are to be successful, the answer is
eminently clear, yet there is resistance from the House. He
asked the superintendents to determine how much they value a
fiscal plan and what they are willing to fight for to achieve
it. In the meantime, the committee will try to pass SB 225,
which addresses one of the five concerns identified in the
Alaska Education Challenge. There are also initiatives
addressing other Alaska Education Challenge concerns. Education
improvements will be seen if the initiatives move forward with
superintendent support. He said he wants people to be open to
solutions and not count on a solution dependent on other
legislation passing.
10:09:42 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said she was willing to consider a fund
specifically created to address teacher retention for about ten
years so school districts could implement incentive plans to
help Alaska get through the teacher shortage. She said she would
like to know what other legislators think of the idea and was
certain superintendents would approve.
10:12:30 AM
MR. TRANI replied that most superintendents would support a ten-
year fund outside the BSA for teacher retention if it could not
be inside due to political loggerheads. He offered two
suggestions to improve SB 225. First, human resources and SpEd
teachers have said that flexibility in certification would make
it easier to hire teachers because the particulars of SpEd
certification often get in the way of hiring. Another idea that
would draw teachers to Alaska without costing the state money
would be a four-day workweek. It would only require a statutory
change allowing teachers to earn their retirement in hours
instead of days. About a third of the school districts in
Oregon, primarily rural, are on four-day weeks. It is attractive
to people, and it saves money. Teacher pay would stay the same
because they work the same number of hours.
10:15:50 AM
MR. HOLLAND opined that more pathways would help address the
teacher shortage because the content areas needed are varied,
and individuals entering the paths have different work
experience. The ASA supports SB 111. He has talked with Kenai
borough officials and school superintendents about the BSA
increase and welcoming the accountability that SB 111 requires.
Rural school districts have unique concerns and higher turnover,
so it is key not to be unfairly punitive to them.
Superintendents also support HB 220 and are getting the word out
that they support both bills. Superintendents are willing to be
creative and flexible to obtain funding that support teachers
and students. He thanked the committee for meaningful solutions
to create change.
10:18:00 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE said superintendents are politicians, and
demagogues carry the day in today's politics. They say things
people want to hear on popular issues and may not intend to
deliver. The popular issue with Alaska's education system today
is that outcomes are a problem. He opined that if
superintendents ask for something, they should tie it to the
governor's concern for outcomes in education. The message of
concern should be the same because superintendents carry the
same flag as the governor. Do not talk about increasing the BSA;
speak about programs that will help with the educational
outcomes in Alaska. Learn how to promote an idea so it is
accepted. Consider community input. The bottom line is to make
Alaska first in educational outcomes, not fiftieth.
Outcome-based programs and requests will be supported by the
House and Senate and signed by the governor. The ability to
retain teachers affects outcomes, and this committee walks in
lockstep with the governor on SB 111 because of its outcome
solution. Therefore, put programs and requests together that are
tied to SB 111. He stated that he does not care if critics are
listening who do not like the fact that there is a hard push to
change educational outcomes. A broad spectrum of individuals on
the education committee understand the message and a little bit
of the demagoguery but want a product that results in a
comprehensive solution for education in Alaska. He said
superintendents need to politic and talk about increasing the
BSA in terms of specific programs that will result in better
outcomes, retention, and results for Alaska's children. It is
the primary message being sent by the committee and the governor
to educators. Educators should hear the message and lean on
legislators to get something done that will improve education
outcomes this year because the option is available.
10:21:20 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND asked if the superintendents had closing comments.
10:21:42 AM
MR. HOLLAND said he appreciates the committee's work to create a
sustainable long-term fiscal plan to improve education. He said
he agreed that messaging is important, and requests should be
tied to outcomes. Superintendents are willing to be held
accountable and want to improve school district outcomes. Alaska
is not first in spending and last in outcomes. A national study
revealed that Alaska's BSA is average when adjusting for the
cost of living. Alaska has districts that do very well. For
example, Kenai's SAT and ACT scores outperform the rest of the
nation. At the same time, other school districts struggle in
areas both inside and outside of education. Those areas need
support with outcomes and a stable workforce.
10:23:48 AM
MS. WEISS stated her belief that the committee and
superintendents are on the same page, which is encouraging.
Superintendents are tasked with overseeing the educational and
business aspects of schools. Last year JSD spent $240,000 on
property insurance. In FY 2023, JSD will spend $1.3 million on
property insurance. Superintendents must run an audited budget
that meets the basic needs of the organization outside of paying
for all the initiatives. Discussions about the BSA would have
been different if there had been small increases since 2017.
Now, school districts are so far in the hole that it is
difficult to come before the legislature and not mention the
need for an increase. Whether the governor or anyone agrees is
not a superintendent's concern. Superintendents have a
responsibility to run a fiscally solvent agency, which has
become almost impossible. Superintendents support the
legislative initiatives and are looking to partner on targeted
funds with committed outcomes. Superintendents are driven,
dedicated people who appreciate being able to find solutions in
partnership with the legislature.
10:26:09 AM
MR. TRANI stated he supports a reading bill and accountability
measures representing honest student achievement, especially if
it will result in money for other school district challenges. He
thrives on reaching targets, and the reading bill will benefit
kids in the long run. School district staff are capable people
that know how to marshal resources. He appreciated advice to
focus on accountability and outcomes when seeking funding.
10:27:54 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE said the people superintendents are trying to
reach are not listening to the committee meetings or attending
school board meetings. Therefore, superintendents must take
their message and present it so it will be heard and accepted,
which is challenging for people who operate on facts, figures,
and reality. He stated he agrees with the discussion, but
superintendents need to get better at explaining how funding
requests are tied to better outcomes.
10:29:10 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND held SB 225 in committee.
10:29:26 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Holland adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting at 10:29 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|