CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 278(FIN) am "An Act increasing the base student allocation used in the formula for state funding of public education; relating to the exemption from jury service for certain teachers; relating to the powers of the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to high school course credit earned through assessment; relating to school performance reports; relating to assessments; establishing a public school and school district grading system; relating to charter schools and student transportation; relating to residential school applications; relating to tenure of public school teachers; relating to unemployment contributions for the Alaska technical and vocational education program; relating to earning high school credit for completion of vocational education courses offered by institutions receiving technical and vocational education program funding; relating to schools operated by a federal agency; relating to a grant for school districts; relating to education tax credits; establishing an optional municipal tax exemption for privately owned real property rented or leased for use as a charter school; requiring the Department of Administration to provide a proposal for a salary and benefits schedule for school districts; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date." 1:41:57 PM DAVID STUTZER, SELF, JUNEAU, spoke in support of the vocational funding in HB 278. He stressed the importance of vocational education and believed that it could help to decrease dropout rates. He thought that language should be added to the bill that highlighted institutions that specialized in hiring the trainees of vocational education programs. He expressed concern that the bill gave too much funding to the University. He thought that it was more important to get students into vocation trades and suggested that more funding be added for the AVTEC program. 1:45:49 PM RYAN STANLEY, PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC POLICY COMMITTEE, JUNEAU CHARTER SCHOOL, JUNEAU, testified in support of Section 14 of SB 149: if there were less than 150 students in a charter school, the school would be calculated as if there were 400 students, which presented an inequity to the school of $200,000 in comparison to a neighborhood school of the same size. He stated that the charter school had a budget of $977,000 yearly budget, $100,000 of which was paid to a private corporation for the lease of building space for classrooms. He stated that the school did not have a cafeteria, gym, or playground. He noted several successes in academics that could be boasted by the school. 1:49:00 PM DONA HELMER, SELF, JUNEAU, spoke about the importance of education in life and urged the committee to keep the star system written in the bill. She supported keeping the tenure to 3 years. She opined that the Anchorage had not been able to fill open positions for librarians with instate hire, but rather had been forced to recruit from outside Alaska. 1:53:24 PM TAM AGOSTI-GISLER, PRESIDENT, ANCHORAGE SCHOOL BOARD, JUNEAU, related a dream that she had had the evening before that related to education in the state. 1:56:03 PM NATASHA VONIMHOF, VICE-PRESIDENT, ANCHORAGE SCHOOL BOARD, JUNEAU, spoke to way in which Massachusetts had improved its educational system. She said that a 3 year funding plan would allow the district to fund programs to fruition. 1:58:56 PM Vice-Chair Fairclough appreciated that the Anchorage School District had explored what Massachusetts had done for its schools. She believed that it was a model worth evaluating. 1:59:40 PM ARLENE DILTS JACKSON, TRIBAL ADMINISTRATOR, KETCHIKAN INDIAN COMMUNITY, KETCHIKAN (via teleconference), testified that KIC was committed to establishing a Southern Southeast Alaska Technical Education Centre as a means of delivering much needed vocational and technical training in individuals residing in Southern Southeast communities. She stated that the kind of funding that would be made available through the bill would help with the development of the types of training opportunities that residents needed to be gainfully employed. She requested that the program be re-included in the legislation. 2:02:24 PM BOB GRIFFIN, ALASKA POLICY FORUM, EAGLE RIVER (via teleconference), spoke in support of the Houses amendment to change the school grading system. He believed that the new system would make it easy for parents to see how schools were doing, and that it would be a catalyst for improvement. He believed that the reform had been proven cost effective in other states. He thought that the provision could be considered the "consumer reports" of K- 12 education. 2:05:21 PM MICHAEL REHBERG, WINTERBERRY CHARTER SCHOOL, EAGLE RIVER (via teleconference), spoke in support of the provision that added a facility funding arrangement for charter schools. He fully supported the charter school provisions in the legislation. He advocated for a state per student facility funding arrangement directed directly to charter schools to offset facility expenses. He also requested that assurances be made that money requested outside of the BSA be directed to charter schools as well as the districts that housed them. 2:08:55 PM SHANNA MALL, WINTERBERRY CHARTER SCHOOL, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), spoke in support per people facilities allowance, outside of the BSA, to fully fund facilities for charter schools. 2:10:46 PM LINDA EVANS, EFFIE KOKRINE EARLY COLLEGE CHARTER SCHOOL, FAIRBANKS (via teleconference), spoke in support of HB 278 and requested the consideration of a facility allowance that was exclusive of the BSA. She testified in support of language that would clarify and mandate pass through monies to charter schools. 2:13:37 PM LISA RIEGER, COOK INLET TRIBAL COUNCIL, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of reinstating the increase in the residential stipend that had been removed from the bill. She relayed that the council supported the changes to the charter school law, expansion of the educational tax credits, and the increase in the BSA. 2:15:34 PM CHERYL SILCOX, WINTERBERRY CHARTER SCHOOL, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), spoke in support for fair funding for charter schools, facility costs in particular. She relayed the various virtues of charter schools. 2:19:10 PM BETSY BRENNA, MEMBER, NOME SCHOOL BOARD, NOME (via teleconference), strongly supported an increase to the BSA for all public schools across the state. She detailed the budgetary struggles that would be alleviated by an increase in the BSA. 2:20:53 PM MEGHAN STEENBURGH, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of the legislation and encouraged further strengthening of charter schools provisions. She opined the lack of additional funding for existing charter schools in the bill. Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony. 2:24:07 PM AT EASE 2:24:33 PM RECONVENED Co-Chair Meyer discussed housekeeping. CSHB 278(FIN) was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. 2:26:03 PM AT EASE 2:30:35 PM RECONVENED