00 CS FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10(HES) 01 Establishing the Joint Legislative Charter School Task Force. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS Alaskans clearly believe in the value of quality education; and 04 WHEREAS school districts in Alaska and local school boards have implemented 05 innovations and programs that demonstrate a commitment to excellence in education, 06 including charter schools, district correspondence programs, boarding school programs, and 07 quality schools/quality students; and 08 WHEREAS the legislature has acted to rejuvenate Alaska public education by passing 09 legislation to implement standardized testing and other accountability measures; and 10 WHEREAS the legislature has provided for orderly, safe, disciplined, classroom 11 learning environments by mandating that each community establish and maintain its own 12 student behavior standards that, at a minimum, require respect and honesty; and 13 WHEREAS Alaskans have spent $6,152,800,833 on public K-12 education over the 14 past five years (fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2002), averaging $10,083 a student in 15 fiscal year 2002; on top of this expenditure, Alaskans have spent liberally to build school 16 buildings and pay debt service; and 01 WHEREAS the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 makes unprecedented demands on 02 states and local school districts to raise academic achievement and to take direct action to 03 improve poorly performing schools involving increased public school choice including 04 charter schools; 05 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature establishes the Joint Legislative 06 Charter School Task Force to review Alaska statutes related to charter schools and other 07 alternative public schools regarding the establishment, organization, operation, and funding of 08 alternative schools; and be it 09 FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the task force include 10 (1) recommending improvements or additions to the laws regulating charter 11 schools; 12 (2) researching ways to improve charter schools or how charter schools can 13 develop tools to meet requirements imposed under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 14 2001; 15 (3) examining issues related to how charter schools meet the requirement of a 16 school term imposed under AS 14.03.030; and 17 (4) taking public comments on charter schools and on ways to improve charter 18 schools; and be it 19 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of eight members as 20 follows: 21 (1) four members of the legislature, of which two members shall be from the 22 senate appointed by the president of the senate and two members shall be from the house of 23 representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 24 (2) one member appointed by the Governor; 25 (3) one member appointed by the Association of Alaska School Boards; 26 (4) the chair and secretary of the Alaska Charter School Association; and be it 27 FURTHER RESOLVED that the president of the senate and the speaker of the house 28 of representatives shall jointly appoint the chair and vice-chair of the task force; and be it 29 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may meet during the session and during 30 the interim between sessions and that task force members are entitled to per diem and travel 31 expenses; and be it 01 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a report of its findings and 02 proposed legislative changes to the legislature by March 1, 2004, and may make any interim 03 reports it considers advisable; and be it 04 FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is terminated at 11:59 p.m. on May 15, 05 2004.