Legislature(2023 - 2024)SENATE FINANCE 532
03/14/2024 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB148 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 148 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 14, 2024
1:44 p.m.
1:44:08 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Olson called the Senate Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:44 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Donny Olson, Co-Chair
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Jesse Kiehl
Senator Kelly Merrick
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman, Co-Chair
Senator David Wilson
ALSO PRESENT
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Sponsor; Bud Sexton,
Staff, Representative Ruffridge; Sana Efird, Executive
Director, Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Dr. Paul Layer, Vice President for Academics, Students, and
Research, University of Alaska.
SUMMARY
CSHB 148(FIN)
AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
CSHB 148(FIN) was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 148(FIN)
"An Act relating to the Alaska performance scholarship
program."
1:45:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JUSTIN RUFFRIDGE, SPONSOR, introduced
himself and his family. He briefly discussed the bill.
1:48:28 PM
BUD SEXTON, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE, discussed the
presentation, "House Education Committee Bill: SB 148"
(copy on file).
Mr. Sexton addressed slide 2, "APS Statistics":
2011-Alaska Performance Scholarship was first offered
30,695- Total number of students who have earned the
APS
12,253- Total Number of students who have used the APS
More than $112 million awarded to students
Mr. Sexton pointed to slide 3, "HB 148 addresses identified
problems":
Notification issues
Financial barriers
APS trends
Testing barriers
APS eligibility challenges
"Step-up" provision
CTE pathways
Mr. Sexton looked at slide 4, "Notification":
Problem: students are not aware of the APS eligibility
soon enough in order to influence their college
decision to stay in Alaska for their postsecondary
education.
30 percent- percentage of students who did not use the
APS stated it was because they had already made the
decision to attend school outside Alaska when they
learned of their APS eligibility.
Solution: HB 148 adds several new dates.
Mr. Sexton discussed slide 5, "HB 148 adds no date 1":
Notification of the Alaska Performance Scholarship in
the ninth and tenth grades.
Goal is to create higher awareness of the Alaska
Performance Scholarship award levels and associated
requirement and pathways.
Mr. Sexton displayed slide 6, "HB 148 adds new date 2":
18 months before graduation (previously 6 months)
The Alaska Commission of Postsecondary Education
(ACPE) shall award an APS to a student:
Has completed, is enrolled in, or plans to enroll in
coursework to earn and Alaska Performance Scholarship.
Mr. Sexton discussed slide 7, "HB 148 adds new date 3":
By December 31
The date when a district shall notify students who are
enrolled in the junior year of the requirements, they
need to complete for the Alaska Performance
Scholarship.
1:51:41 PM
Mr. Sexton pointed to slide 8, "HB 148 adds new date 4":
August 15 (previously September 30)
Final verification has been made and the commission
shall make notification to a senior who has graduated
and they have met all of the requirements for an
Alaska Performance Scholarship.
Mr. Sexton looked at slide 9, "Cost of attendance changes
1010-2023."
Mr. Sexton addressed slide 10, "APS awards":
Issue: The Alaska Performance Scholarship awards have
remained the same since inception of the program in
2011. Tuition, books, fee, etc. have increased over
the past 12 years.
Mr. Sexton discussed slide 11, "APS use decreasing":
The percentage of students using the APS has steadily
decreased since 2011, with only 17 percent of students
in 2023 eligible (lowest since program inception).
Mr. Sexton pointed to slide 12, "APS Trend: Contributing
factors":
2016 change in state policy
2016 is the last year the state required and paid for
high school students to take a standardized test.
Fiscal influences decisions
The 2018 veto of the APS (later reversed) created
uncertainty for graduates and their families in the
college decision-making process. Additional funding
questions over the last several years contribute to
uncertainty.
Standardized tests
Access to test locations, costs, and difficulty of
meeting required cut scores.
1:54:27 PM
Mr. Sexton looked at slide 13, "Standardized Testing":
3,000
The number of students taking the SAT or ACT in 2017
A decrease from 4,100 students in 2016 (state stopped
paying for test0
National change
A 2020 University of Chicago study found grades were
five times better than the ACT at predicting college
success.
Research finds test scores disproportionately serve as
barriers for underrepresented minorities, low-income
students, and English language learners.
Mr. Sexton highlighted slide 14, "Barriers to Eligibility."
Mr. Sexton discussed slide 15, "Test case: no standardized
testing":
During the COVID-19 pandemic, standardized tests were
discontinued for 2020 graduates.
Mr. Sexton looked at slide 16, "Change in requirements":
CS version gives students the option of choosing
either their GPA or testing results for initial
eligibility.
Mr. Sexton pointed to slide 17, "Step-up provision":
If students increase their GPA (or equivalent) while
in college they can increase their APS award level.
1:58:21 PM
Mr. Sexton discussed slide 18, "APS encourages college
graduates."
Mr. Sexton displayed slide 19, "Extends eligibility":
HB 148 extends the time period to use the APS from six
years to eight years.
Students can only use four years of APS funding during
that eight-year time period.
Mr. Sexton pointed to slide 20, "Graduates staying in
Alaska."
Mr. Sexton looked at slide 21, "Percent Alaska HS graduates
enrolled in PSA immediately following HS graduation":
The percentage of students enrolling in college out of
state remains relatively unchanged
The percentage of students enrolling in college in
state is decreasing
Mr. Sexton addressed slide 22, "Cumulative count of
students: Total, In State Out of State":
Of students attending postsecondary education out-of-
state only 35 percent return to Alaska and our
workforce
Over the last 3 years, 4,000 to 5,700 fewer Alaska
students per year have not pursued college in-state or
out-of-state.
Mr. Sexton pointed to slide 23, "CTE + postsecondary
schooling":
24 Alaska postsecondary institutions qualify to enroll
students with APS
Mr. Sexton looked at slide 24, "Workforce Development":
A study by the Alaska Department of Labor and
Workforce Development from the graduating class of
2015, 2016, 2017 measuring the number that are
employed six years after graduation.
Mr. Sexton discussed slide 25, "HB 148 benefits":
Notification issues
Financial barriers
APS trends
Testing barriers
APS eligibility challenges
Step-up provision
CTE pathways
2:03:05 PM
Senator Kiehl wondered whether the sponsor would be open to
allowing for part-time students to use the scholarship.
Representative Ruffridge replied in the affirmative.
Mr. Sexton furthered that there was an opportunity for
part-time students, but was not currently in the bill.
2:05:08 PM
Senator Kiehl wondered whether a student in a
correspondence school that was not within the district
would have access to the scholarship opportunity.
Representative Ruffridge replied in the affirmative, but
there were some options that needed to be addressed in the
independent homeschooling.
Mr. Sexton furthered that there was a process through the
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) to
walk their way through the process.
Senator Merrick requested the "all others" by recipient and
institution.
Mr. Sexton agreed to provide that information, and stated
that there was a list of recipients by school district.
Co-Chair Olson wondered whether there was a record of those
who had completed their degree or certificate.
Mr. Sexton deferred to DEED.
2:11:17 PM
SANA EFIRD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA COMMISSION ON
POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, stated that there was no GPA
requirement for the Alaska Education Grant, and was needs-
based financial aid.
Co-Chair Olson queried the difference in GPA requirement
between the Alaska Education Grant and the Alaska
Performance Scholarship.
Ms. Efird replied that the scholarship had a GPA
requirement based on the tier requirement, and the grant
only required that the student be enrolled in a program
instate and have a demonstrated financial need.
Co-Chair Olson wondered whether students enrolled in an
out-of-state program could qualify for either the grant or
the scholarship application.
Ms. Efird replied in the negative.
2:15:37 PM
Ms. Efird addressed the three fiscal notes associated with
the bill.
2:21:23 PM
Co-Chair Olson wondered whether the department could hold
onto the funds for future appropriations.
Ms. Efird stated that the money was only for the
scholarship.
Senator Bishop asked about the pay per year for the Work
KEYS program before it was eliminated in 2016.
Ms. Efird responded that she would provide that
information.
Senator Bishop remarked that he used the data through Work
KEYS, because it showed that 25 percent of graduating
students go to university and the remaining go into the
workforce immediately or train for a trade.
Ms. Efird stated that the bill increased the trade training
opportunities for students.
Senator Kiehl asked about the alternate evaluation for
independent homeschool students.
Ms. Efird stated that the approvals fell under DEED>
2:25:59 PM
DR. PAUL LAYER, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMICS, STUDENTS, AND
RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA (via teleconference), spoke
in support of the bill.
2:29:59 PM
Co-Chair Olson wondered whether the caliber of student had
gotten better or worse over the years.
Mr. Layer replied that there were a wide range of students,
and noted that scholarship recipients retained and
graduated at a high rate.
Co-Chair Olson wondered whether a high school student
needed to pay for any college courses they might take while
still in high school, and whether the scholarship could pay
for those courses.
Ms. Efird replied that the scholarship could not pay for
dual enrollment, but some districts paid for the student to
attend college level courses.
2:32:18 PM
Co-Chair Olson surmised that if the funds were not
available, then the child could not take the college
course.
Ms. Efird stressed that qualifications for the scholarship
required completion of the curriculum outlined in the
statute, which occurred upon graduation.
CSHB 148(FIN) was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
ADJOURNMENT
2:33:11 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 2:33 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 148 Support_Redacted as of 1.29.24.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 Summary of Changes.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 Sectional Analysis 1.27.24 for new CS.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 Resolution #24-06_ Support for HB 148.docx.pdf signed.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 Opposition_Redacted as of 1.29.24.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 Rep.Ruffridge Presentation.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 APS_At-A-Glance_2024 1.27.24.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 APS School districts data 1.31.24.pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |
| HB 148 ACPE_APS_Program_Review_and_Recs_2021 (1).pdf |
SFIN 3/14/2024 1:30:00 PM |
HB 148 |