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