01/26/2022 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

          HB 18-TEACHERS: NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:04:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  DRUMMOND announced  that  the first  order of  business                                                               
would be  HOUSE BILL NO. 18,  "An Act relating to  national board                                                               
certification for public school teachers."                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:04:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR STORY moved  to adopt Amendment 1 to HB  18, labeled 32-                                                               
LS0168\A.8, Marx, 1/24/22, which read as follows:                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 6:                                                                                                            
          Delete "2025"                                                                                                         
          Insert "2027"                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 10:                                                                                                           
          Delete "2026"                                                                                                         
     Insert "2028"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:05:00 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:05:06 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR STORY  noted that during  the committee's hearing  on HB
  on Monday,  Lisa  Parady, Executive  Director  of the  Alaska                                                               
Council of  School Administrators, had suggested  moving the date                                                               
for the  goal of 4  percent of Alaska teachers  reaching National                                                               
Board certification  from 2025  to 2027,  because the  process is                                                               
cyclical,  and the  windows of  entry are  limited for  teachers.                                                               
The change would  give teachers time to enroll  in [and complete]                                                               
the  three-year  process.   She  said  she  spoke with  the  bill                                                               
sponsor  "to  make  sure  that   he  was  comfortable  with  this                                                               
amendment."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:06:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND removed her objection.   There being no further                                                               
objection Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:07:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX asked  whether  "taking  the standards  from                                                               
what is  essentially a private  organization" would  violate [the                                                               
last sentence of] Article 7, Section 1, which read:                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
        No money shall be paid from public funds for the                                                                        
        direct benefit of any religious or other private                                                                        
     educational institution.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:07:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE    JONATHON     KREISS-TOMKINS,    Alaska    State                                                               
Legislature,  as  prime  sponsor  of HB  18,  responded  that  in                                                               
statute, a variety of private,  nonprofit organizations are cited                                                               
for  various  purposes, including:    the  Alaska Village  Public                                                               
Safety  Officer program,  the Alaska  Federation of  Natives, and                                                               
others.   He said these  entities play  a certain role  others do                                                               
not play, and he indicated this applies to this issue.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX said  it seems  to him  this is  a different                                                               
situation,  and he  suggested  the bill  sponsor  "might want  to                                                               
check on that."                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  DRUMMOND  pointed out  that  there  have been  National                                                               
Board certified  teachers for decades,  and this issue  has never                                                               
arisen.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX indicated that a  teacher may want to get the                                                               
certification, and that  would be a good idea, but  it is not the                                                               
decision of the legislature.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:10:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HOPKINS asked  whether  the  proposed bill  would                                                               
require school districts to spend money.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS answered no.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:10:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX, in  response to  the bill  sponsor, offered                                                               
further  detail regarding  his concern,  and he  said it  sounded                                                               
like the committee was leaning  toward consideration of providing                                                               
funds for teachers to get the certification.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:12:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND  emphasized that HB  18 has a zero  fiscal note                                                               
and does not propose the provision of scholarships.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:12:33 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS  confirmed there would be  no money                                                               
spent,  and he  said he  had not  looked into  the constitutional                                                               
issue voiced  by Representative Prax  because "it does  not apply                                                               
in this instance."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:13:17 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  STORY  moved  to  report  HB 18,  as  amended,  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal note.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:13:40 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:13:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 8:13 a.m. to 8:17 a.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
[Due to  technical difficulties,  the audio at  the call  back to                                                               
order was  not recorded but  was captured in the  secretary's log                                                               
notes.   Just following  the call back  to order,  Co-Chair Story                                                               
withdrew  her  motion  to  report  HB  18,  as  amended,  out  of                                                               
committee  with  individual   recommendations  and  the  attached                                                               
fiscal notes; therefore, HB 18,  as amended, was once more before                                                               
the committee.]                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:17:51 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that HB 18 was held over.