Legislature(2021 - 2022)SENATE FINANCE 532
03/04/2022 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB111 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 111 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 4, 2022
9:05 a.m.
9:05:29 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Bishop called the Senate Finance Committee meeting
to order at 9:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Click Bishop, Co-Chair
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair
Senator Natasha von Imhof
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator David Wilson (via teleconference)
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman
Senator Donny Olson
ALSO PRESENT
Michael Johnson, Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development; Senator Roger Holland, Sponsor; Senator
Tom Begich, Sponsor.
SUMMARY
SB 111 EARLY EDUCATION; READING INTERVENTION
SB 111 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
SENATE BILL NO. 111
"An Act relating to the duties of the Department of
Education and Early Development; relating to public
schools; relating to early education programs;
relating to funding for early education programs;
relating to school age eligibility; relating to
reports by the Department of Education and Early
Development; relating to reports by school districts;
relating to certification and competency of teachers;
relating to assessing reading deficiencies and
providing reading intervention services to public
school students enrolled in grades kindergarten
through three; relating to textbooks and materials for
reading intervention services; establishing a reading
program in the Department of Education and Early
Development; relating to school operating funds;
relating to a virtual education consortium; and
providing for an effective date."
9:06:42 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND
EARLY DEVELOPMENT, (DEED) introduced himself. He stated
that he did not have a presentation but had read through
some of the notes from the previous hearing of the bill. He
hoped to assist the committee.
9:07:55 AM
Co-Chair Stedman noted that Alaska's test scores had
declined in the most recent years and queried the reason
for the decline. He wondered what would bring the state
test scores to at least a middle ground.
9:09:57 AM
Commissioner Johnson replied that it was a big question and
felt that he might ramble in response. He felt that there
was no reason why Alaska's students could not be at the top
of the charts. He pointed out that there could be a
statewide reading policy that could bring Alaska to a
higher place in the ranking system. He said that
identifying a single reason for Alaskas low ranking was
challenging. He thought that there were many unpredictable
variables. He felt that factors for success could be
identified, such as: teaching kids to read, having relevant
cultural and career education, having effective teachers in
classrooms, having a safe and secure environment for
students.
9:13:44 AM
Co-Chair Stedman asserted that he had not heard a solution
in the commissioners response. He wondered whether the
department had considered solutions to the problem and what
the cost of those solutions might be. He understood the
issue was multifaceted and queried what the department had
considered to improve the scores. He admitted he did not
have a background in education, which was why the
commissioner had been called in to present solutions that
the legislature could then fund.
9:15:10 AM
Commissioner Johnson replied that that SB 111 would be a
good place to start. He thought that pre-K and
accountability were both needed to raise reading scores. He
felt that the pre-K component was evidence based and
essential. He pointed out that the bill had reading
intervention services that would be provided by the
district for children struggling on the reading pathway.
He noted that the bill acknowledged that the state was low
ranking for academic scores and cited Moore v. State, in
which the judge had surmised that the low scores were not a
result of lack of funding, but rather the state needed to
provide more support and oversight.
9:17:39 AM
Senator von Imhof pointed to the Alaska Department of
Education and Early Development Strategic Plan (copy on
file.) She wondered how long the document had been in
existence.
9:17:54 AM
Commissioner Johnson replied that it was not a plan but a
list of priorities.
9:18:32 AM
Senator von Imhof thought that the priorities were on
point; support all students to read at grade level by the
end of third grade, increase career, technical, and
culturally relevant education to meet student and workforce
needs, close achievement gap by ensuring equitable
educational rigor and resources, and prepare, attract,
retain effective education professionals, improve the
safety and well-being of students through school
partnerships with families, communities, and tribes. She
wondered how much progress had been made towards the
priorities and how had progress been measured.
9:18:59 AM
Commissioner Johnson thought that there had been a lot of
progress. He said that committees had been formed around
each of the priorities and had shared their priorities with
the legislative Joint Education Committees. He spoke of
studies conducted and meetings with stakeholders that could
result in future legislation. He said that measuring
progress statewide had been a challenge due to Covid-19.
9:21:06 AM
Senator von Imhof realized that there had been a decrease
in revenue over the past few years. She felt that the
changes in the priority document were significant. She
understood that other states had overhauled their education
systems and wondered when education legislation could be
expected from the department and administration, rather
than legislators.
9:22:38 AM
Commissioner Johnson replied that the department had
considered crafting legislation. He contended that SB 111
th
was in its 4 hearing before the committee and wondered how
long a comprehensive education bill would languish in the
legislative process. He credited the bill sponsor for the
current legislation and shared that the genesis of the bill
had been himself asking the sponsor and the governor to
meet to discuss the issue. He stressed that the department
was working for comprehensive education reform within the
authority provided to DEED.
9:25:34 AM
Senator Wielechowski thought that the bill was positively
ambitious. He wondered what other steps need to be taken to
get to Number One in the national scores.
9:26:51 AM
Commissioner Johnson responded that focusing on common and
shared priorities was important. He reiterated the
importance of the priorities laid out in the strategic
plan.
9:30:55 AM
Co-Chair Bishop spoke of his work with career and technical
education. He asserted that real change in education was
not a one-year event but needed to be a generational
change.
9:31:53 AM
Commissioner Johnson agreed. He said that passing
legislation was the beginning and not the end. He mentioned
schools and community organizations and businesses
partnering to provide meaningful educational experiences
for students.
9:33:27 AM
Co-Chair Bishop invited the bill sponsors to the table.
9:33:53 AM
SENATOR ROGER HOLLAND, SPONSOR, introduced himself.
9:34:03 AM
SENATOR TOM BEGICH, SPONSOR, introduced himself.
9:34:19 AM
Co-Chair Stedman supported the legislation. He was curious
about the multi-year, next steps for improvement in
education. He clarified that he would not mind that Alaska
were at the top for test scores and he acknowledged that
movement toward the middle of the list was more realistic.
9:35:42 AM
Commissioner Johnson replied that collaborative education
reform effort in the state would be beneficial. He hoped
that education could be the dominate issue in the state. He
thought that getting more kids reading and improving on
career technical education (CTE) opportunities would help
in moving Alaska up the list. He said that there was a CTE
plan in the state that the department could draw from. He
spoke of Covid-19 funds that had been spent toward CTE
programs.
9:38:57 AM
Co-Chair Stedman remarked that vocational technical
programs would be in the budget but that it was dependent
on the signature of the governor. He asked whether the
governor would support funding for vocational technical
programs.
9:40:05 AM
Commissioner Johnson replied that he could not make
commitments for the governor. He added that the governor
has expressed support for SB 111.
9:40:54 AM
Senator Holland furthered that the HB 136 and HB 108 were
CTE bills. He listed several education bills circulating in
the legislature.
9:42:13 AM
Senator Begich announced that the governor was supportive
of the current legislation. He anticipated that any funding
attached to the bill would be supported by the governor.
9:43:05 AM
Senator von Imhof understood that support of CTE was an
avenue for improving math and reading scores. She relayed
that she had traveled to the Northwestern Alaska Career and
Technical Center (NACTEC) in Nome where she had learned of
the ill affects of the governors cut of the Education Tax
Credit. She urged Senator Begich to press the governor to
reinstate the Education Tax Credits.
Senator von Imhof continued. She considered early childhood
education and wondered about the $6.8 million in Head Start
and $3.2 in kindergarten grants. She queried how those
programs were doing and what kind of changes were needed to
make the current programs more successful.
9:46:49 AM
Senator von Imhof believed that the Performance Evaluation
for Alaskas Schools (PEAKS) and National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) data should be more closely
scrutinized and considered.
9:47:12 AM
Senator Wielechowski asked about CTE. He suggested using
incoming federal funds to train the future workforce. He
requested a list of things that the department supported
that would be helpful in the areas of early childhood and
CTE.
9:48:52 AM
Co-Chair Bishop said that the CTE plan in place included
the Commissioner of Labor and the President of the
University, not only the Commissioner of Education. He
believed that all three people needed to be accountable for
the plan.
9:49:39 AM
Commissioner Johnson spoke of his advocacy for investing in
training Alaskans and Alaska hire. He shared his experience
on the Broadband Taskforce and relayed that he continuously
advocated for Alaska hire on broadband expansion in the
state.
9:51:52 AM
Senator Holland admitted he was not a finance or
legislative professional. He thought that there could be
some benefit to a local industry investing in the local
economy for tax credits. He lamented that tax credits cost
the state coffer and considered that projects could be
funded directly by the state. He asserted that Alaska had
only dropped a few points in PEAKS scoring over the last 20
years but other 48 states had risen as a group.
9:53:44 AM
Senator Begich said that there was data to support the
success and long-term efficacy of high-quality pre-K
programs. He spoke of his meetings with the governor and
the commissioner. He believed that the bill would be a
first step in transformative change in education in Alaska.
9:55:52 AM
Co-Chair Stedman commented on the tax credit issue, which
he did not believe could be incorporated into the bill
title. He supported using the tax credit tool in a future
education vehicle. He thought it could provide a more
stable revenue stream. He stressed that rural areas
benefitted greatly from AVTEC centers.
9:58:02 AM
Co-Chair Bishop reminded the committee that when he left
the Department of Labor only 23 percent of graduation
seniors were destined for college, the rest would be in CTE
or vocational programs. He said it took longer to become a
plumber than to become a doctor or a dentist. He advocated
for support for CTE programs but admitted that one would
need to learn to read in order to be successful in any
vocation.
10:00:36 AM
AT EASE
10:00:43 AM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Bishop set the amendment deadline for noon, March
9, 2022.
ADJOURNMENT
10:01:06 AM
The meeting was adjourned at 10:01 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 111 ALSA Position Statement 02.28.2022.pdf |
SFIN 3/4/2022 9:00:00 AM SFIN 3/15/2022 9:00:00 AM |
SB 111 |
| SB 111 Response to SB 111_Coulter_ Hartley Richardson-2.pdf |
SFIN 3/4/2022 9:00:00 AM SFIN 3/15/2022 9:00:00 AM |
SB 111 |
| SB 111 3.4.2022 (S)FIN SB111 Hearing DEED Follow-Up.pdf |
SFIN 3/4/2022 9:00:00 AM |
SB 111 |