00SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1                                                                                      
01 Establishing the Foundation Formula Task Force and relating to revising the                                             
02 formula for providing state aid for education.                                                                          
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04  WHEREAS under art. VII, sec. 1 of the Constitution of the State of Alaska, a system                                    
05 of public schools is required to be established and maintained; and                                                     
06  WHEREAS in fiscal year 1995 over 32 percent of the state general fund operating                                        
07 budget, or $747,000,000, will be spent on education; and                                                                
08  WHEREAS the legislature finds that the present system of providing assistance to the                                   
09 public school system should be studied for possible modification and improvement; and                                   
10  WHEREAS during the period of study an alternative mechanism to the existing system                                     
11 of financial support may be desirable; and                                                                              
12  WHEREAS the existing formula for providing state aid for public education does not                                     
13 provide incentives to encourage school districts to be fiscally responsible; and                                        
14  WHEREAS alteration of the public school foundation formula is a complex matter that                                    

01 requires careful study; and                                                                                             
02  WHEREAS a combined effort of the Department of Education, school districts, the                                        
03 public, and the legislature is required in order to develop the necessary revisions to the public                       
04 school foundation formula;                                                                                              
05  BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Foundation Formula Task                                        
06 Force is established for the purpose of examining the existing formula for distributing state                           
07 aid for education and recommending revisions to the existing formula; and be it                                         
08  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall consist of seven members as                                                 
09 follows:                                                                                                                
10   (1)  one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;                                               
11   (2)  one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of                                           
12 the House;                                                                                                              
13   (3)  the chair of the state Board of Education;                                                                       
14   (4)  three members representing school districts appointed by the Governor; one                                       
15 member shall be appointed from a rural educational attendance area, one member shall be                                 
16 appointed from a borough school district, and one member shall be appointed from a single                               
17 site school district;                                                                                                   
18   (5)  one member representing the public appointed by the Governor; and be it                                          
19  FURTHER RESOLVED that, within funds made available for the purpose, the task                                           
20 force may hire staff and, subject to approval by the Alaska Legislative Council, contract for                           
21 services to perform its duties under procurement procedures adopted by the council; and be                              
22 it                                                                                                                      
23  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall report its preliminary findings and                                         
24 recommendations to the Governor and the legislature by October 15, 1995, and shall submit                               
25 a final report to the Governor and the legislature by January 9, 1996; and be it                                        
26  FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is terminated at 11:59 p.m. on January 9,                                         
27 1996.