Legislature(2023 - 2024)ADAMS 519
03/21/2023 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Public Testimony: Sitka, Petersburg, Dillingham, Glennallen, Valdez, Wrangell, Homer, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Seward, Tok | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 39 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 41 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE BILL NO. 39
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
loan program expenses of state government and for
certain programs; capitalizing funds; amending
appropriations; making reappropriations; making
supplemental appropriations; making appropriations
under art. IX, sec. 17(c), Constitution of the State
of Alaska, from the constitutional budget reserve
fund; and providing for an effective date."
HOUSE BILL NO. 41
"An Act making appropriations for the operating and
capital expenses of the state's integrated
comprehensive mental health program; and providing for
an effective date."
^PUBLIC TESTIMONY: Sitka, Petersburg, Dillingham,
Glennallen, Valdez, Wrangell, Homer, Ketchikan, Kodiak,
Seward, Tok
1:35:15 PM
AT-EASE
1:35:30 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson explained that the committee would hear
public testimony on the operating and mental health
budgets. She reviewed public testimony protocol and call-in
information.
1:38:30 PM
Co-Chair Johnson opened public testimony.
1:38:52 PM
KARI SAGEL, EARLY CHILDHOOD COALITION/CHILDCARE NOW, SITKA
(via teleconference), testified in support of increased
funding for early childhood budget items including
childcare services for children and early childhood
education. She shared from personal experience a story
about a qualified candidate for a position [job
undisclosed] that was declined due to lack of proper
childcare. The position remained open. She advocated for
reliable and affordable childcare. She noted that Sitka was
in a crisis because parents were not able to find
childcare. Parents placed themselves on childcare waitlists
prior to their children's births. The lack of childcare
impacted the city through lack of personnel, which reduced
its service hours or cut a service completely. She
mentioned that schools reported an increase in children
with learning difficulties and she favored increases in
early childhood education.
1:41:02 PM
ROWENA PALOMAR, ADVOCATES FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE (AVV),
VALDEZ (via teleconference), testified in support of the
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA).
She noted that the amount currently in the budget was a $3
million General Fund (GF) one-time appropriation along with
$3.5 million in federal funds for CDVSA. Without the one-
time increments, services for victims would be $6.5 million
less than the previous year. The cost of operating a
shelter became more expensive with inflation. She shared
that the shelters utilities were currently $4,497 per
month increased from $2,998. The cost of food had increased
over $1,000 in the prior year to $3,500. In FY 2021, AVV
provided 595 shelter nights and since the start of the
current fiscal year, the shelter already provided 602
nights. She emphasized that stable funding would help
provide AVVs critical services.
1:43:38 PM
KATHY MORGAN, TOK COMMUNITY LIBRARY, TOK (via
teleconference), testified against the $402,700 that was
proposed to be cut from the state library Public Assistance
Grant. The grant funded much of TOKs library annual
operating costs. She detailed that volunteers kept the
library open for 31 hours over 7 days each week. The grant
program was the single largest source of income for the
library, which would be reduced from $7,000 to $2,300 in FY
2024. One of the grant requirements was spending $3,500 on
collection development like new books and movies. She
emphasized that the library was completely volunteer
operated. She listed items the funding provided including
filtered internet, the electronic catalog, and utilities.
Tok was not part of an organized borough, therefore it did
not provide funding from tax revenue. She disclosed that
the library had a small amount of savings that was
unsustainable for the long-term. She also urged support for
the $635,000 increment for the Statewide Library Electronic
Doorway (SLED) data bases.
1:46:00 PM
Representative Cronk thanked Ms. Morgan for her testimony.
1:47:08 PM
SCOTT ARNDT, REPRESENTING SELF, KODIAK (via
teleconference), shared that he was a member of the Kodiak
Island Borough Assembly but was testifying on his own
behalf. He listed some of the concerns of the assembly in
Kodiak: Community Assistance re-capitalization, continued
school bond debt reimbursement, education spending, and the
Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). He supported raising
the Base Student Allocation (BSA). He also spoke in favor
of funding the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) that was
vital to the Kodiak area.
1:48:29 PM
PAT CASE, INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER, HOMER (via
teleconference), testified in support of the Independent
Living Center (ILC) and restoration of funding for the
Division of Senior and Disabilities Services (SDS)
Community based grant program. He relayed that he was 90
percent blind and a client of ILC, which was an advocacy
group that helped keep individuals independent and living
in their own homes. The center administered many of the
grants that helped the community. Without the center,
disabled people of Homer would not have the kind of
independence that allowed them to be active community
members.
1:50:16 PM
AT-EASE
1:51:39 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson reminded testifiers that they were able to
send testimony via email.
1:52:44 PM
MARILYN CASTEEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAFE AND FEAR FREE
ENVIRONMENT (SAFE), DILLINGHAM (via teleconference),
testified in support of the CDVSA budget and for its
services for victims. She thanked the members of the
committee for supporting the CDVSA. She spoke to the $6.5
million increment in one-time increments for the council.
She reported that SAFEs food budget had to be increased by
an additional $20,000. The shelter received at least two
phone calls per week from clients asking for money to buy
food. The issue was one of a few challenges faced by those
in rural Alaska and help was needed.
1:55:06 PM
JEFF GOOD, CITY AND BOROUGH OF WRANGELL, MANAGER, WRANGELL
(via teleconference), offered his support for funding the
AMHS and relayed that it was a critical lifeline for
residents in Southeast Alaska. He also supported increased
funding for schools in the state. He requested that funding
be increased to at least the level of inflation. He
addressed his final item of the 301(h) waiver issued by the
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which added
new requirements and placed a huge financial strain on the
community. He requested financial support other than loans.
1:56:48 PM
Representative Josephson recalled Commissioner Jason Brune,
(Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation)
speaking to the 301(h) waiver and asked for a brief
description of the waivers and the reason for the increased
costs.
Mr. Good responded that Environmental Protection Agency
offered a 401 permit for wastewater systems. The department
(DEC) issued an 301(h) waiver for non-standard systems. The
Wrangell waiver was based off its mixing zone. The mixing
zone requirement was changed over the last year, which
impacted 8 Alaskan communities. He delineated that a new
facility would need to be built in Wrangell for
disinfection costing an estimated $3 to $5 million.
Representative Ortiz thanked Mr. Good for his testimony.
1:58:45 PM
SARAH KELLER, SELF, FAIRBANKS (via teleconference), relayed
that one of the things she was most passionate about was
public broadcasting. She favored funding for public
broadcasting be restored to the FY 2018 level of $2.7
million. She relayed that public broadcasting across the
state was critical to public safety as it relayed emergency
information to the public. She referenced the Typhoon
Merbok event and recounted that public broadcasting
continued in Nome throughout the storm. Public Broadcasting
also provided public health notifications. She listed other
things that were broadcasted over public radio such as,
school board meetings and municipal meetings. She believed
that there were many important and fundamental benefits of
public broadcasting for the entire state.
2:01:25 PM
PENNY LAMPLE, KODIAK WOMEN'S RESOURCE CRISIS CENTER, KODIAK
(via teleconference), thanked the committee for its work on
the budget. She noted that the center in Kodiak was the
only safe place for Kodiak and its 6 surrounding villages
for those experiencing domestic violence and sexual
assault. She emphasized to the need for full funding in
order to work with the trauma and mental health issues that
accompanied its clients. She spoke of inflation and the
fact that prices and utility costs had gone up
significantly and how it impacted the center.
2:03:20 PM
CYNNA GRUBATAYAO, KETCHIKAN GATEWAY BOROUGH, ASSISTANT
MANGER, KETCHIKAN (via teleconference), addressed two areas
of the budget. She noted that AMHS has been crucial to
Ketchikan and favored consistent and stable funding. She
shared that Ketchikan was greatly impacted by the marine
highways instability. She supported funding to resume and
maintain the Prince Rupert runs. She turned to school
funding and reported that the Ketchikan Gateway Borough
school district was one of many districts that was
struggling under the weight of inflation. The FY 22 and FY
23 period had been especially difficult. She advocated for
consistent reliable funding versus one-time funding. She
clarified that an education funding package included school
bond debt reimbursement and major maintenance.
2:04:56 PM
ROBBI MIXON, DIRECTOR OF ALASKA FOOD POLICY COUNCIL, HOMER
(via teleconference), shared that she also directed the
Alaska Farmers Market Association and was a member of the
Alaska Food Coalition. She testified in support of the
appropriations for technology upgrades, additional staff,
and Information Technology (IT) workers for the Department
of Health (DOH) regarding the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) backlog. She related that in
Homer and Anchor Point, there had been a huge increase in
the demand for food bank assistance. Recipients of SNAP had
been waiting for over six months to get SNAP applications
approved, which significantly impacted the food banks. She
encouraged the Department of Health and the legislature to
consider long-term efforts to improve the SNAP program such
as, broad-based categorical eligibility that provided
easier food access and big cost savings and efficiencies
for the state. She thanked the governor for recent
financial assistance to mitigate the backlog.
2:07:15 PM
NATALIE WOJCIK, SITKANS AGAINST FAMILY VIOLENCE, SITKA (via
teleconference), testified in favor of the budget for
CDVSA. She expressed her support for the one time
increments of $3 million GF and $3.5 million in federal
appropriations. She highlighted that all the costs for
shelter services had increased. She hoped that additional
funds would be found. She relayed that the shelter was the
only emergency shelter in Sitka. The numbers had been
climbing at the shelter since the COVID-19 pandemic and the
living room and conference room was currently used for
overflow. She informed the committee of the housing crisis
in Sitka and the average 1.5 years wait time to find
permanent housing. She expressed the importance of primary
prevention networks. In 2008, SAFE and her organization
embarked on prevention programs and worked on creating a
community where domestic violence was eliminated and
remarked that funding was needed for prevention work to
decrease the need for shelter funding.
2:09:37 PM
Representative Galvin asked for clarification that the
conference rooms were being used for sleeping quarters. Ms.
Wojcik responded in the affirmative. Representative Galvin
asked if children were also staying in the conference rooms
and living there for up to a year and a half. Ms. Wojcik
affirmed that children lived in the shelter, but they were
prioritized for family rooms and single women were sleeping
in the conference room.
2:10:39 PM
Co-Chair Johnson reiterated the communities from which
testimony was currently being received.
2:11:59 PM
ANN MILLARD, SELF, EAGLE (via teleconference), clarified
that she is from the community of Eagle located on the
Yukon River. She relayed that she was a "snowbird" and
lived in Fairbanks in the winter. She testified in support
of funding public broadcasting. She stressed that it was
critical to the Eagle community. She explained that she and
her husband did not have cell phone service in the
community and the internet source was unreliable. The only
source of public information and safety and weather
information was the radio. She shared that she financially
supported public broadcasting and asked the legislature to
do its part to help. She reiterated the critical nature for
the community to have public broadcasting.
2:14:25 PM
Representative Cronk thanked Ms. Millard.
2:14:55 PM
JOHN ZACHARIAS, CLIENT, SOUTHEAST ALASKA INDEPENDENT
LIVING, KETCHIKAN (via teleconference), shared that he was
bipolar and that there were few services available for
disabled people in the state and they were difficult to
find. He was grateful to have discovered the organization
Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) that helped him
immensely with many resources. He was able to finish his
college degree and find work and become a vital Ketchikan
citizen. He urged the committee to continue to fund the
Senior and Disabilities Services (SDS) grant that enabled
SAIL to help people like him.
2:16:30 PM
PATRICK REINHART, DIRECTOR, GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON
DISABILITY AND SPECIAL ED, HOMER (via teleconference),
testified in support of disabilities services. He relayed
that the council asked for the state to develop a
Centralized Accommodation Fund of $100,000 for employees
with disabilities and noted that large governments often
provided the fund to dispel the myth that disabled people
were costly to hire. The second item he spoke to was
related to the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
(IDD) waitlist eradication plan (5-year) requested by the
legislature in the prior year. He explained that Senior and
Disability Services devised the plan and he advocated for
two of the plans items. The first was for $647,800 GF in
disability services to develop a better consumer assessment
tool that could also be useful for future self-directed
waivers called the interRAI assessment tools. The
eradication plan also called for $16 million of Medicaid
waiver funding, of which $5.4 million was GF matching
funds.
2:18:53 PM
Representative Josephson recalled that he was familiar with
the interRAI assessment tools. He asked Mr. Reinhart to
explain the program. Mr. Reinhart responded that the
$647,800 was needed to replace the old 1980s ICAP consumer
assessment tool that defined which services were needed by
individuals with disabilities. The new assessment tool was
more specific in determining the exact services an
individual needed.
2:20:35 PM
ERICA KLUDT-PAINTER, SELF, PETERSBERG (via teleconference),
supported an increase in public education spending. She
relayed that she was the superintendent of the Petersburg
School District since 2001, and the mother of two graduates
of the Petersburg High School. Her commitment to schools in
the state was steadfast. She voiced her support for an
operating budget that funded public education with a BSA
increase of $1,250 [per student]. She furthered that the
education budget in Alaska had been unstable for years. The
impact of inflation had created a significant loss of
purchasing power. The instability had resulted in
inadequate resources, underfunded programs, and limited
opportunities that lead to a decline in the quality of
education in Alaska. She declared that in order to foster
quality education, the state needed to make a major
investment in education. Stable and predictable funding was
necessary to attract and retain high quality teachers.
After years of conservative budgeting, the Petersburg
School District was facing a $1,000,000 deficit. The
current operating budget was not sufficient to support
successful implementation of the Reads Act.
2:23:00 PM
TYLER MCNEIL, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS,
KETCHIKAN (via teleconference), testified in support of the
increased rate needed to sustain the Home and Community
Based Service Program. He stressed that the services were
essential to keep people with disabilities in their homes
and community. Community Connections helped people live and
work independently and be fully integrated members of the
community. The rates had not increased over the prior 12
years. He offered that the increase in the rates needed to
be adequate to continue providing the important and
valuable services in the future. There were several service
agencies that had gone out of business in the prior few
years and many were operating with deficits including his
organization. He advocated for the $647,800 GF necessary to
address the IDD waitlist.
2:24:52 PM
Representative Ortiz thanked the testifier for his work.
2:25:21 PM
AT-EASE
2:26:31 PM
RECONVENED
Representative Josephson asked Mr. McNeil about the
$647,800 for the IDD waitlist. He referred to prior
testimony that identified the same amount for the interRAI
assessment program. He reported that the state had prepared
a report on how to eradicate the waitlist. The funding had
not been appropriated yet, but the report called for $7
million in the upcoming fiscal year for the initial
implementation. He asked about the discrepancy between the
$7 million necessary and the $647,800 figure. Mr. McNeil
understood that the $647,800 was allotted to help begin the
restructure of the IDD program, which would include
adopting the interRAI assessment, a consultant, and
additional administrative support at SDS to address the IDD
waiver waitlist. He clarified that he advocated for the
initial implementation of the eradication plan and for the
InterRAI assessment tool be implemented to help eradicate
the waitlist.
2:29:26 PM
JENNIFER JACKSON, SELF, KETCHIKAN (via teleconference),
testified in support of home and community based services.
Mr. McNeil relayed the statements of Ms. Jackson. He
relayed that home and community based services had helped
Ms. Jackson return to her hometown and live independently
as well as receive other services. She shared that she was
Miss Wheelchair Alaska in 2015 and had published her own
book titled Little Ravens Tail since her return to
independent living.
2:31:19 PM
Representative Ortiz thanked Ms. Jackson for testifying. He
asked Mr. McNeil whether it saved the state funding when
Ms. Jackson returned to Ketchikan to live independently.
Mr. McNeil answered in the affirmative and added that home
and community based services were significantly cheaper
than institutional level of care. The supports that met
Jennifer's needs were cheaper than the nursing facilities
she had resided in and also had greatly improved her
quality of life. Mr. McNeil relayed that Ms. Jackson stated
that she was in her 20s when she was put in a nursing home
and it was not very fun and she was currently very happy.
2:33:36 PM
ALAN SORUN, SELF, VALDEZ (via teleconference), testified in
favor of funding for public radio. He listed all the
communities the public radio station in Valdez served. He
thanked the committee for its service.
2:34:20 PM
CANDACE WARUCH, SELF, MCGRATH (via teleconference),
testified in support of public broadcasting corporation
funding. She related that she worked for the Kuskokwim
public broadcasting corporation KSKL radio in McGrath. She
shared that KSKL served 7 villages with repeaters and had
been broadcasting since 1981. The station was constantly
providing emergency updates, pandemic information, weather,
voting information in multiple languages, subsistence
regulations and closings, etc. The system also hired locals
and had student training. The community relied on the radio
for everything. She informed the committee that she lived
in a roadless community in a vast wilderness and stressed
the importance of public radio.
2:36:28 PM
JOHN ANDERSON, SELF, VALDEZ (via teleconference), testified
in support of public radio. He relayed that the Valdez
public radio station was important to the people of Valdez
and had excellent programming. He indicated that KCHU, the
radio station, also handled all types of emergency alerts
for Valdez and all the communities it served. He would be
relieved to know that the emergency alerts would continue
to be broadcasted. He noted that the radio station had its
own generators so emergency alerts would continue in an
emergency situation. He requested increased funding for
public radio.
2:38:06 PM
SONJA MARX, LIBRARIAN, DILLINGHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY,
DILLINGHAM (via teleconference), testified in support of
public library funding and specifically for the Public
Library Assistance Grants. She appreciated the support the
grant provided the library. She would like to receive the
funding in the amounts that had been provided in the prior
years, which was $7,000. She related that the money was
used for internet and library materials. She also favored
continued funding for the SLED library system.
2:39:52 PM
HERMAN MORGAN, SELF, ANIAK (via teleconference), testified
against funding for public radio stations. He believed that
he was being censored for speaking against certain things
he believed was being taught in public schools. He felt
that public radio was partisan. He spoke in favor of a full
Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD).
2:42:26 PM
MICHELLE CHASE, VALDEZ FOOD BANK, VALDEZ (via
teleconference), testified in support of funding SNAP and
providing immediate financial help for the program. She
thought that there was nothing more critical than people
receiving food and emergency assistance when it was needed.
She indicated that the state systems were outdated and
needed increased staffing and new equipment to provide
people in the state with access to the program.
2:43:37 PM
SUSAN KRAFT-ANDERSON, SELF, VALDEZ (via teleconference),
testified in support of public radio funding. She noted
that KCHU was the radio station in Valdez, and it was
important not only to Valdez but other remote communities
where other radio stations do not reach. Public radio
provided disaster information and she believed that public
radio stations should be allowed to remain in operation.
She supported the funding of public radio.
2:44:38 PM
Co-Chair Johnson called a brief at-ease.
2:45:00 PM
AT-EASE
2:45:52 PM
RECONVENED
2:46:00 PM
AT-EASE
2:46:22 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson invited an in-person testifier to the
witness table.
2:46:41 PM
DUSTIN LARNA, RESIDENTIAL YOUTH CARE, KETCHIKAN, IN PERSON,
explained that Residential Youth Care (RYC) was a
children's behavioral health agency. He testified in
support for funding for behavioral health services and
noted that there had been an ongoing reduction in grants in
prior years. The grant funding would fill in the funding
gaps where money fell short in the 1115 waiver. He voiced
support for fully funding education, including increasing
the BSA. He indicated that one of the important things
learned during the pandemic was how important schools were
for youth and families in communities. He believed that
inadequate funding for education increased the need for
services like behavioral health. He advocated for funding
for the Office of Children's Services (OCS) to help them
improve it services.
2:48:48 PM
Representative Josephson asked if Mr. Larna knew the amount
of year after year reductions in behavioral health grants.
Mr. Larna was uncertain but offered to provide the
information.
2:49:34 PM
Representative Stapp informed Mr. Larna that the 1115
waiver renewal was in process during the current week and
there was a public comment period for amending the waiver.
2:50:14 PM
Co-Chair Johnson reminded the committee of the communities
from which the committee was hearing testimony. She
reiterated the method of submitting written testimony.
2:51:39 PM
RECESS
3:07:35 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Johnson noted that there would be five more
testifiers.
3:08:27 PM
JAMES DEVENS, SELF, VALDEZ (via teleconference), testified
in support of public media funding. He explained that
public media was often the only source of news in rural
areas and was integral for communities emergency planning.
Public media was the sole provider for emergency alerts to
many communities in costal and remote Alaska. He commented
that lack of funding diminished the emergency notice
services. Prior to the current administration his public
radio station had nine employees and due to the vetoes,
there were only two employees. He communicated that his
community radio station served more than a dozen remote
communities, national parks, remote sections of highway,
native villages, and across 40,000 miles of waterways,
bays, and ports. In many areas, the radio station provided
the only access to news, weather, and emergency alerts. He
recounted that in 1964, his community lost a huge number of
people as a result of the Good Friday earthquake because
they lacked adequate warnings of an impending Tsunami.
Currently, each of the communities were served by emergency
alerts that broadcasted automatically. Alaska was the only
state that was not currently funding public media. He
believed that the funding was a matter of public safety.
3:11:15 PM
ELAINE LOOMIS OLSEN, SELF, KODIAK (via teleconference),
testified in support of her daughter who suffered from
mental illness since a traumatic brain injury in 2012. The
testifier was a care coordinator for vulnerable adults with
intellectual disabilities and cognitive disorders. She
fully supported all behavioral health funding. However, she
was particularly hopeful that the Division of Behavioral
Healths Crisis Now Continuum of Care grants at the amount
recommended by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
(AMHTA) would be funded. She relayed an incident when her
daughter was homeless in Anchorage, and she felt unsafe and
afraid of staying at the shelter. She was missing for two
weeks and had frostbite on her feet when the mobile crisis
team found her. The mobile community crisis teams provided
a safety net for at-risk Alaskans.
3:13:48 PM
BILL BURR, SUPERINTENDENT, WRANGELL PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
WRANGELL (via teleconference), testified in support of
educational opportunities for students in Wrangell.
Wrangell had experienced many negative economic impacts
such as: the loss of the timber industry, changing fishing
seasons, and substantial reductions in AMHS, which affected
school funding. When the pandemic happened, it was expected
that Wrangell would have 308 students, but the student
enrollment actually decreased to 170 students. The hold
harmless would run out in the next year. He reexamined all
aspects of the districts budget and cut class offerings,
eliminated staff, and increased class size. The district
had asked the borough for its maximum contribution. He
urged the committee to support a BSA increase. He also
asked for sustainable funding for the AMHS.
3:16:40 PM
SCOTT MACMANUS, ALASKA GATEWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOK (via
teleconference), testified in support of protecting the
schools in the state by increasing the BSA and inflation
proofing school funding. He elaborated that since FY 2017
the districts audited maintenance costs had gone up by 50
percent and was being deferred. He listed other significant
increases experienced by the districts that included
soaring health care costs. The district ran heavily on
competitive grants which was not a long term solution but
was currently the only solution. The foundation and BSA
funding totaled approximately $9,000,000 but the total
budget was $18,000,000. The other half of the budget was
being accomplished with grants. He had recently traveled to
the Capitol and heard about administrative bloat.
However, his administrative costs were roughly 4 percent of
the entire budget. He also was informed of how the
legislature wanted districts to be more accountable. In
response, he made a list of the things his district did to
show accountability and the list was pages long. He
mentioned that he was recently audited for Public
Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and TRS Teachers
Retirement System, the food service program, the regular
financial audit, the maintenance program, and Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA) audit. He remarked that very time the
legislature wanted to increase accountability,
administrative costs were immediately increased.
3:18:59 PM
Representative Cronk thanked Mr. Macmanus for his
testimony.
3:19:39 PM
CYNDY MIKA, SUPERINTENDENT, KODIAK SCHOOL DISTRICT, KODIAK
(via teleconference), testified in support of an operating
budget that fully funded public education. She shared that
she was also a parent of a Kodiak High School student. She
indicated that the states education had been flat funded
since 2016 and coupled with a 40-year high in inflation had
led to historic costs. The situation led to the districts
$4,4000,000 budget deficit. She stressed that there was no
more fat left to trim. Currently, the district was forced
to look at how to reduce staffing, which led to increased
class size and decreased learning opportunities. She
commented that the district could not comply with the
requirements of the Reads Act due to the current budget.
She agreed that students in the third grade needed to reach
full reading, but there needed to be full funding in order
to accomplish that. Additionally, she advocated for full
AMHS funding. Lack of ferry service impacted the districts
budget. She thanked the committee for the opportunity to
speak and for the legislature's efforts.
3:22:04 PM
MICHAEL ROBBINS, SUPERINTENDENT, KETCHIKAN GATEWAY BOROUGH
SCHOOL DISTRICT, KETCHIKAN (via teleconference), testified
in support of stable and predictable school funding, which
he believed was necessary to provide high quality education
and educators. He pointed out that the BSA had only been
increased by $30 since 2016 and along with inflation had
significantly decreased districts purchasing power. In his
school district, the impact of insufficient funding had
been apparent. He reported that over 38 positions were cut,
including 20 teaching positions. The future of Alaskan
educators and families were being lost. Recruiting and
retaining teachers was becoming more and more difficult.
Reliable funding was key to improving student outcomes,
stabilizing schools, and providing quality education. He
urged the committee to increase the BSA and to include
inflation proofing.
3:23:35 PM
Representative Ortiz thanked Mr. Robbins for his testimony.
3:23:47 PM
Co-Chair Johnson reviewed the agenda for the evening
meeting.
HB 39 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 41 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
3:25:15 PM
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