Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/14/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: School District Perspectives and Updates; Looking Ahead by Anchorage, Lower Kuskokwim, and Unalaska School Districts | |
| HB25 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 25 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 25-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING
9:38:48 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the final order of business would
be HB 25, "An Act relating to the duties of the state Board of
Education and Early Development; relating to statewide standards
for instruction in social-emotional learning; and providing for
an effective date."
9:39:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS, as prime sponsor of HB 25, noted the
relevance of the previous panel discussion. He said each
superintendent discussed the need to address students' social
and emotional concerns and the impacts from that last twelve
months. He offered that HB 25 would create guidelines to help
districts implement new programs or expand what was already in
place.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS suggested that many of these plans are
going to have to be implemented over the next two years using
American Rescue Plan Act funds. He said [the proposed
legislation would help educators] teach things like coping
skills, resiliency, self-restraint, cooperation, how to overcome
obstacles, how to set and achieve goals, how to identify and
adjust one's own emotions, and how to understand others'
reactions and emotions. He stated [these are skills] that
industry wants and employers seek. He noted that the
legislation does not create any mandates, but school districts
want these standards in place.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS said social and emotional skills are one
third of Alaska's Education Challenge under which the Dunleavy
Administration has been working. He noted that the committee
had heard from DEED that this is the most requested topic
regarding professional development for educators. He said this
would include working with families, and supplement and support
the home environment. He concluded, saying HB 25 is what
districts want, what DEED was working towards, and what parents
worried about during the school closures of COVID-19. He stated
that the proposed legislation had a small fiscal note and would
be partially paid for by the American Rescue Plan Act.
9:44:10 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked for clarification on the fiscal note.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS answered that the fiscal note includes
$6,000 for legal work to implement the regulations, a $1,500
stipend to pay educators from around the state who would travel
to develop standards, and $30,000 to hire a consultant to guide
the discussion.
9:45:33 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:45 a.m. to 9:46: a.m.
9:45:53 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND moved to report HB 25 out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. .
9:46:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said he agreed that the skills emphasized
are important to learn; however, he said he was unsure about a
number of things. He said the proposed legislation reminded him
of "missionary work," and referenced Article VII, Section 1, of
the Constitution of the State of Alaska, which includes the
passage, "Schools and institutions so established shall be free
from sectarian control. No money shall be paid from public
funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other private
educational institution." He acknowledged that this likely
referenced licensed religious institutions but argued that this
was functional, and the legislature would be imposing cultural
changes. He opined that the state should not establish
standards, rather, [the standards] should develop organically
and locally within families and communities.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said in recent Alaska history a "new culture
was being imposed on an existing culture." He said he was
involved with this work in the 1980s, and he felt it was a
mistake to implement rapid cultural change. He said he noticed
that very resilient people were "becoming less resilient by
focusing deliberately on these standards, instead of just
letting these skills develop organically." He argued that when
it started to be a deliberate effort, people became "sanitized,"
and work was "less enjoyable; we were more apprehensive and
afraid of each other and not as able to respond to the little
challenges."
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX argued that trying to change culture too
rapidly from the top down is the wrong approach. He referenced
testimony from a previous meeting and argued that the ideas in
the proposed legislation are already being implemented without
top-down direction. He said he felt Alaska would be better in
the long run if this were to develop organically. He asserted
that it would be a requirement, even if it were not mandated,
and referenced the enactment of COVID-19 safety protocols.
9:52:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY commented that she supports moving HB 25
from committee. She considered the proposed legislation to be
both timely and age appropriate and said that it considers the
diversity of environments outside of the classroom from which
students originate. She disputed Representative Prax's claim
that this was similar to missionary work and shared her
experience as an Alaska Native woman whose family was impacted
by colonization. She said, "I take umbridge with the fact that
... this is being classified as imposing any sort of cultural
changes." She countered that HB 25 looked to develop a set of
skills for students to utilize throughout their lives and felt
it would be inaccurate to classify it as cultural integration
from the top down.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said that the need in Alaska is great
[for social/emotional learning (SEL) support] and commented that
there is a big gap in behavioral health support at the state
level. She stated her belief that by investing in resources
that provide tools as part of prevention, the state will save
money on the "back end" of treating Alaskans that are going to
be in most need of critical behavioral health crisis resources,
or even correctional resources.
9:56:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK stated he had received numerous emails
against HB 25. He opined that "the number one thing we can do
is get our kids back in school." He argued that kids need to be
around other kids, without plexiglass, and back to normal. He
said his experience as a rural educator taught him to listen to
local needs but pointed out that HB 25 would be top-down
guidance, which he opposes. He said that although he supported
school districts locally, he opposed the proposed legislation,
because he believed the state shouldn't be making these
decisions. He summarized his argument that he is a firm
believer in local control because different communities have
different beliefs.
9:58:24 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that her understanding was that
learning requires dealing with social and emotional needs, but
many districts do not have guidelines in place for instruction.
She shared that she saw the proposed legislation as a mechanism
to provide that. She argued that with local control, districts
would have a set of guidelines from best practices that the
districts could choose how to use.
9:59:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS reiterated that the proposed legislation
was not a mandate, rather it would set standards that are meant
to be flexible for school districts at the local level. He said
it was districts at the lower level that requested the standards
be put in place, in order to help with expanding curriculums and
providing professional development.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS said that he agreed that getting students
back in school is one of the most important things that could be
done. He commented that students spend most of their days in
school settings, and that knowing how to interact is critical,
especially after a year away. He argued that HB 25 would make
those interactions better, healthier, and more productive. He
stated this was not a top-down directive; it was guidelines for
districts to use, which is a bottom-up approach that allows for
local control.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS nodded to a previous conversation with
Representative Prax and acknowledged that it is difficult to
teach older adults in the workforce new skills and to have a
cultural shift in a workplace overnight. He argued that those
skills must be taught earlier. He said helping school districts
know how to guide educators and teach those skills to children
is the best way to ensure it is not a "fast shift" and to ensure
that students have the skills when they reach the workplace.
10:03:09 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Zulkosky, Hopkins,
Drummond, and Story voted in favor of the motion to report HB 25
out of committee with individual recommendations and the
attached fiscal notes. Representatives Prax, Cronk, and Gillham
voted against it. Therefore, HB 25 was reported out of the
House Education Standing Committee by a vote of 4-3.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Topics & Questions.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2021 8:00:00 AM |