Legislature(2017 - 2018)GRUENBERG 120
02/15/2018 03:15 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB293 | |
| HB224 | |
| HJR21 | |
| HB319 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 293 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 224 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HJR 21 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 319 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 224-REEMPLOYMENT OF RETIRED TEACHERS & ADMIN
3:23:20 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the next order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 224, "An Act relating to reemployment of
persons who retire under the teachers' retirement system."
3:23:45 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened public testimony on HB 224.
3:24:16 PM
PETER HOEPFNER, Cordova School Board, testified that schools
throughout Alaska have positions that they are unable to fill,
particularly the hard-to-fill teaching positions in special
education and high school mathematics and science. He said that
this is true both in urban and rural Alaska. He stated that the
number of teachers attending the Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP)
Job Fair has dropped dramatically. In 2014, there were 250
candidates; in 2017, there were only 211 candidates with 850-900
open positions, including janitors and nurses.
MR. HOEPFNER relayed that the main reason teachers come to
Alaska is for an "Alaskan experience." Salaries are not high;
there are no retirement benefits; and there is a nationwide
shortage of teachers. He reported that the Texas teacher salary
starts at $56,000 for someone with a bachelor's degree and no
experience. Most Alaska districts cannot offer that level of
pay.
MR. HOEPFNER offered that the proposed legislation is not a
"silver bullet" to filling teacher positions but one more tool
in the toolbox to put a teacher in front of students in every
classroom. He maintained that the proposed amendments -
requiring districts to try to fill positions with [permanent]
teachers and allowing a contract for only one year - are
amenable to school districts. Teachers are contracted currently
for only one year.
MR. HOEPFNER relayed that HB 224 is supported by the Association
of Alaska School Boards (AASB) resolution 4.5, entitled
"Addressing the Teacher, Specialist and Administrator Shortage,"
adopted in 1999 and resolution 4.10, entitled "Urging the State
of Alaska to Reinstate the Retire-Rehire Program," adopted in
2008.
MR. HOEPFNER added that the revised fiscal note for HB 224 shows
minimal [financial] impact to the state.
3:27:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked whether there is a possibility that
more teachers would choose to come to Alaska, if salaries and
retirement benefits improved.
MR. HOEPFNER responded that the changes in the retirement
system, the salaries, and flat funding for education over the
years has resulted in Alaska being unable to compete with other
states. He mentioned that moving to a rural area can be a
sacrifice for someone. He maintained that improving salaries
and retirement benefits would be one way to increase recruitment
to Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked about the practice of "pink slipping"
teachers year after year; last year the state budget was not
passed until June 22. He asked how that affected the Cordova
School District (CSD).
MR. HOEPFNER answered that the district hires teachers and pays
to bring them to the community; giving a teacher a pink slip
puts the teacher in a terrible position; and when the teacher
does not know if he/she will have a job in the fall, it takes a
toll on the individual. He said that it is a big issue and that
he appreciates both SB 131 and HB 287 to ensure funding for
schools.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked Mr. Hoepfner whether his district lost
teachers from the pink slip issue alone.
MR. HOEPFNER replied that CSD has not. He said that 82 percent
of its staff are at the top of the pay scale, but there has been
a large turnover of younger teachers. He maintained that the
district tries to hire with long-term sustainability of a
position in mind.
3:30:07 PM
SHAWN ARNOLD, Superintendent, Nome Public Schools (NPS),
testified that he is in strong support of HB 224; it is a tool
that will help school districts at a time when they need help in
attracting effective educators. He offered what he called a
"boots on the ground" perspective: The rural districts struggle
more and more with the fewer applicants for teaching positions;
the proposed legislation would help particularly in filling
specialist positions - special education teachers and
counselors. As an example, NPS had three positions with no
applicants prior to the school year; for a district with only 54
teachers, that had an enormous impact. He stated that two of
the positions - special education teacher and junior high school
counselor - remained unfilled throughout the year.
MR. ARNOLD relayed that Nome is a great community; many
educators stay there after retiring; however, they are unwilling
to return to the school district to provide services, because
doing so might compromise their retirement benefits. He
mentioned that even having them come back part time would help
the district.
MR. ARNOLD asserted that the proposed legislation would not
solve all the problems with the teacher shortage crisis but
would help in the rural areas.
3:33:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked for the average age of the NPS teacher
workforce.
MR. ARNOLD replied that the average age about four years ago was
about 50; the average tenure of teachers was about 13 years. He
said that there has been a trend towards lower ages and lower
tenures. He relayed that NPS has more teachers under Tier 1 and
Tier 2 of the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS); without an
incentive to stay 20 or 25 years, there is an increasing number
of teachers who stay for a while to get experience then take
their experience to a Lower 48 teaching position. He said that
within a few short years, the average age has decreased to about
40.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked what the reduction in the average
tenure has been?
MR. ARNOLD responded that the average tenure in his district is
now about 10 years. He said that NPS used to have 60 teachers
and now has 54 teachers. He added that teachers used to stay
20-25 years, but now there is more movement and transition among
teachers.
3:35:21 PM
PATRICK MAYER, Superintendent, Wrangell Public Schools,
testified that he is president-elect of the Alaska
Superintendents Association (ASA). He stated that ASA is in
strong support of HB 224; it is a mechanism that would help
school districts at a time when they need immediate help to
attract quality educators. He relayed that he is aware that the
proposed legislation would not solve all the challenges facing
school districts, but it can provide some relief. He said that
HB 224 would allow for the reemployment of retired educators to
help districts fill vacancies; it is a necessary tool to meet
school district personnel needs in both urban and rural
districts.
MR. MAYER relayed that the proposed legislation is vital,
because Alaska has a critical shortage of educators, principals,
and superintendents, and is experiencing high turnover rates.
He stated that the ASA members make hiring decisions in each
district and deal directly with the challenges of a diminished
applicant pool. He said that the [2018] Joint Position
Statements drafted by the Alaska Council of School
Administrators (ACSA), included in the committee packet,
identified retire rehire as its top priority; superintendents
and principals to varying degrees manage to find themselves in
the position of having to provide a near-term hire. He stated
that the flexibility provided by HB 224 would allow options that
benefit students. He asked for support of HB 224.
3:37:36 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS closed public testimony on HB 224.
3:37:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to adopt the committee substitute (CS)
for HB 224, Version 30-LS0759\O, Wayne, 2/13/18, as the working
document. There being no objection, Version O was before the
committee.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK objected for the purpose of discussion.
3:38:31 PM
LIZ REXFORD, Staff, Representative Jennifer Johnston, Alaska
State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Johnston, prime
sponsor of HB 224, relayed that under Version 0, three changes
were made to the original version of the proposed legislation.
The first change is that a school district must advertise a
position for ten business days and actively recruit to fill the
position with someone other than a retired teacher, before
considering a retired teacher.
MS. REXFORD stated that the second change was the insertion of
new language on page 2, lines 8-9, which read: "A contract for
reemployment under (a) of this section may not exceed 12
consecutive months."
MS. REXFORD related that a subsection was added on page 2, lines
13-14, which states that the proposed legislation does not apply
to the rehire of a member who is eligible for restoration of
tenure rights under AS 14.20.165. She added that AS 14.20.165
addresses the renewal of tenure for a member who is retired due
to disability but has rehabilitated.
3:39:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP referred to the ten-day advertising period
and pointed out that the proposed legislation stipulates that a
person cannot be hired within 90 days if 62 years of age. He
asked the purpose of the first amendment considering a teacher
must be retired for 90 days prior to rehire. He stated that his
assumption is that the district would have advertised for the
position already.
MS. REXFORD answered that to be considered for rehire, the
member must be retired for a certain number of days or months as
stated in the proposed legislation; the minimum length of time
the position must be advertised is ten days.
3:41:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER JOHNSTON, Alaska State Legislature,
responded that the change clarifies that the position isn't one
that would go directly to a retired teacher, but that the
district has put due diligence into hiring available teachers.
3:41:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK referred to the 2/13/18 memorandum (memo)
from Dan Wayne, Attorney, Legislative Legal and Research
Services, included in the committee packet, regarding a
potential conflict between section 1 of Version O and statute.
The memo read in part as follows [original punctuation
provided]: "To prohibit a reading of subsections (c) and (d) of
the bill's sec. 14.20.136 as limitations on the rehire of a
disabled teacher who has retired under AS 14.25.130 but is
cleared to return to work under AS 14.20.165, we added a new
subsection, (f), to sec. 14.20.136." He said his understanding
is that someone who has been cleared to come back to work may do
so even though he/she has retired. He added that he didn't
understand what constitutes the conflict.
MS. REXFORD answered that she coordinated with Legislative Legal
and Research Services and the Division of Retirement and
Benefits (DRB) to draft the language. She maintained that the
intention is not to prohibit those who are retired and
rehabilitated under a different statute from returning to work
but to allow the rehire of the retired teacher under the
retirement system.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON relayed that there are two different
statutes addressing two distinctly different rehire situations:
one is for the rehire of retired teachers; the other is for
rehire of disabled teachers who are now [rehabilitated].
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK offered that on page 2, lines 13-14,
subsection (f) has been added to clarify that issue. He relayed
that the memo mentions a possible conflict, and to solve that
conflict, subsection (f) has been added; therefore, the conflict
is resolved.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON concurred.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK removed his objection to the motion to adopt
Version O as the working document. There being no further
objection, Version O was before the committee.
3:45:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK stated that the proposed legislation is
needed to ensure Alaska has qualified teachers in rural Alaska.
He added that it is unfortunate that the legislature is not
accomplishing this through methods known to work, that have
worked in the past, and work for other states - viable
retirement plans. He maintained, "That's how you lock them in;
that's how you keep them there; that's how they are able to have
lifelong careers with our districts." He expressed that he
worries that Alaska's teacher personnel will become "top-heavy"
again, due to hiring back retirees and not taking the effort to
invest in new people coming into the industry for lifelong
careers. He offered that this is a "band aid" approach, but
possibly necessary because of the state's fiscal situation and
lack of retirement benefits.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK relayed that the state relies on teachers'
passion to teach more than on offering greater compensation. He
expressed that it is alarming that in Texas, one can start out
with only a bachelor's degree and no experience and begin
teaching with a salary of $56,000. In Alaska, one needs a
master's degree to teach. He maintained that Alaska is not
honoring that teacher, who has worked so hard to obtain the
degree and is sometimes put into difficult working and living
conditions in rural Alaska. Alaska is not getting a return on
its investment when after a few years of gaining experience, the
teacher decides to move out of state to raise a family, because
there are no defined retirement benefits or social security
benefits upon retiring. He said, "That's really unfortunate."
3:47:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP said that he agrees; it is a band aid
approach, but a good one; it fills the gap temporarily. He
mentioned previous testimony [2/8/18 House State Affairs
Standing Committee meeting] pointing out that the ATP Job Fair
has not drawn the number of teacher candidates as in the past.
He stated that the proposed legislation is a "good fix." He
offered that there are numerous reasons why teachers don't stay;
benefit packet and pay may be part of the retention problem. He
said that of the salary studies that he has reviewed, Alaska
does not compare poorly with the rest of the country; it is not
in the bottom 50th percentile, but closer to the top - 10-20th
percentile. He conceded that the conditions in Alaska are
substantially different [than in the Lower 48]. He recalled
that there used to be a loan forgiveness program, and he
expressed his belief that the school districts and state
agencies will eventually address recruitment and retention in
one form or another.
3:49:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL said that he agrees that the proposed
legislation offers a temporary fix. He added that fortunately
we have many good teachers who are retiring that Alaska may want
to keep awhile longer. He stated that he learned about a friend
of his in Fairbanks, who had been teaching in the public school
for quite some time, moving to Las Vegas to teach, because the
job offer was too good to turn down. He offered that salary is
important and benefits are important. He stated that Alaska may
not rank at the bottom of all the states in pay but ranks at the
top for cost of living (COL). He said, "We have to start
recognizing that." He added that University of Alaska (UA) is
working hard to graduate more teachers and place quality
teachers in all parts of Alaska. He maintained that Alaska
needs to examine its entire educational system - kindergarten
(K) through 12 and through the university; value it; and support
it to keep it working.
3:50:54 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS stated that he agrees with comments
expressed. He mentioned that the president of the UA Board of
Regents has made this issue a priority, which might help "get to
the root of the problem."
3:51:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX moved to report CS for HB 224, Version 30-
LS0759\O, Wayne, 2/13/18, out of committee with individual
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being
no objection, CDHB 224(STA) was reported from the House State
Affairs Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB293 Sponsor Statement- Introductory Letter Representative Kreiss-Tomkins 01.26.2018.pdf |
HSTA 1/30/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 Sectional Analysis version A 1.19.2018.pdf |
HSTA 1/30/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 ver A 01.19.18.PDF |
HSTA 1/30/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 Fiscal Note-DPS-APSC-01-19-18.pdf |
HSTA 1/30/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 Fiscal Note DOC.pdf |
HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 Supporting Document- Transmittal Letter Speaker Edgmon - Background Checks 01.17.18.pdf |
HSTA 1/30/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 Supporting Document Alaska Municipal League 01.31.18.PDF |
HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB293 HSA Additional Document Questions Representative Kreiss-Tomkins 01.31.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/1/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 293 |
| HB224 Sponsor Statement 2.7.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Sectional Analysis Ver O 2.14.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 ver O 2.13.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Fiscal Note 2.02.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Summary of Changes ver O 2.14.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document - List of School Districts Providing Letters of Support 2.07.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document- Letters of Support 2.07.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document- Vacant Position Listings 2.07.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document-Cost of Teacher Turnover 2.07.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document JPS State Issues 2018 2.07.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document - Resolution Submitted by AASB 2.08.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 SB 2 |
| HB224 Supporting Document- Letter from North Slope Borough School District 2.08.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document Letter from Craig City School District 2.08.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Supporting Document Letter from Anchorage School District 2.08.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/8/2018 3:00:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HB224 Additional Document- Legal Memo 2.13.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 224 |
| HJR21-Sponsor Statement 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21 ver D 2.05.18.PDF |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21 Fiscal Note-LEG-SESS-02-09-18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21 Supporting Documents - Letters of Support 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21- Additional Document- Sessions Memo 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21- Additional Document- Walker Letter to Sessions 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21- Additional Document-Governor's Letter to Attorney General 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21 Additional Documents - FinCen on Marijuana Regulation Department of Treasury 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HJR21 Additional Documents - Murkowski and Warren Letter to Sessions 2.01.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HJR 21 |
| HB319 Sponsor Statement 2.6.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |
| HB319 Ver. A 2.6.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |
| HB319 Fiscal Note DCCED 2.9.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |
| HB319 Fiscal Note DPS 2.9.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |
| HB319 Supporting Document - AMIA Letter of Support 2.9.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |
| HB319 Supporting Document - Marijuana Control Board Minutes 2.8.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |
| HB319 Supporting Document - NCSL Report 2.8.18.pdf |
HSTA 2/13/2018 3:15:00 PM HSTA 2/15/2018 3:15:00 PM |
HB 319 |