04/10/2014 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 278(FIN) am                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act increasing the base  student allocation used in                                                                    
     the  formula for  state  funding  of public  education;                                                                    
     relating  to  the  exemption   from  jury  service  for                                                                    
     certain  teachers;  relating  to   the  powers  of  the                                                                    
     Department   of   Education  and   Early   Development;                                                                    
     relating to  high school  course credit  earned through                                                                    
     assessment;  relating  to school  performance  reports;                                                                    
     relating to  assessments; establishing a  public school                                                                    
     and  school   district  grading  system;   relating  to                                                                    
     charter  schools and  student transportation;  relating                                                                    
     to residential school  applications; relating to tenure                                                                    
     of  public school  teachers;  relating to  unemployment                                                                    
     contributions for  the Alaska technical  and vocational                                                                    
     education  program;  relating  to earning  high  school                                                                    
     credit for  completion of vocational  education courses                                                                    
     offered   by  institutions   receiving  technical   and                                                                    
     vocational  education  program   funding;  relating  to                                                                    
     schools  operated by  a federal  agency; relating  to a                                                                    
     grant for  school districts; relating to  education tax                                                                    
     credits;   establishing  an   optional  municipal   tax                                                                    
     exemption for  privately owned real property  rented or                                                                    
     leased  for  use as  a  charter  school; requiring  the                                                                    
     Department of Administration to  provide a proposal for                                                                    
     a salary  and benefits  schedule for  school districts;                                                                    
     making  conforming  amendments;  and providing  for  an                                                                    
     effective date."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:41:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  STUTZER,  SELF,  JUNEAU,  spoke  in  support  of  the                                                                    
vocational funding in HB 278.  He stressed the importance of                                                                    
vocational  education and  believed  that it  could help  to                                                                    
decrease dropout  rates. He thought that  language should be                                                                    
added  to  the  bill   that  highlighted  institutions  that                                                                    
specialized in  hiring the trainees of  vocational education                                                                    
programs. He expressed  concern that the bill  gave too much                                                                    
funding  to the  University.  He thought  that  it was  more                                                                    
important  to   get  students   into  vocation   trades  and                                                                    
suggested that more funding be added for the AVTEC program.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:45:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RYAN STANLEY,  PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC POLICY  COMMITTEE, JUNEAU                                                                    
CHARTER SCHOOL,  JUNEAU, testified in support  of Section 14                                                                    
of  SB 149:  if  there  were less  than  150  students in  a                                                                    
charter school, the  school would be calculated  as if there                                                                    
were  400  students,  which presented  an  inequity  to  the                                                                    
school of  $200,000 in comparison  to a  neighborhood school                                                                    
of the  same size. He stated  that the charter school  had a                                                                    
budget  of $977,000  yearly budget,  $100,000  of which  was                                                                    
paid  to a  private corporation  for the  lease of  building                                                                    
space  for classrooms.  He stated  that the  school did  not                                                                    
have  a  cafeteria, gym,  or  playground.  He noted  several                                                                    
successes in academics that could be boasted by the school.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:49:00 PM                                                                                                                    
DONA  HELMER, SELF,  JUNEAU, spoke  about the  importance of                                                                    
education in life  and urged the committee to  keep the star                                                                    
system  written  in  the bill.  She  supported  keeping  the                                                                    
tenure to  3 years.  She opined that  the Anchorage  had not                                                                    
been  able  to  fill  open  positions  for  librarians  with                                                                    
instate hire,  but rather  had been  forced to  recruit from                                                                    
outside Alaska.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:53:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TAM  AGOSTI-GISLER,   PRESIDENT,  ANCHORAGE   SCHOOL  BOARD,                                                                    
JUNEAU, related a dream that  she had had the evening before                                                                    
that related to education in the state.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:56:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NATASHA  VONIMHOF, VICE-PRESIDENT,  ANCHORAGE SCHOOL  BOARD,                                                                    
JUNEAU,  spoke to  way in  which Massachusetts  had improved                                                                    
its educational system. She said  that a 3 year funding plan                                                                    
would allow the district to fund programs to fruition.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:58:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Fairclough appreciated  that the Anchorage School                                                                    
District had  explored what Massachusetts  had done  for its                                                                    
schools. She believed that it was a model worth evaluating.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:59:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ARLENE  DILTS   JACKSON,  TRIBAL   ADMINISTRATOR,  KETCHIKAN                                                                    
INDIAN COMMUNITY, KETCHIKAN  (via teleconference), testified                                                                    
that KIC was committed  to establishing a Southern Southeast                                                                    
Alaska Technical  Education Centre as a  means of delivering                                                                    
much   needed   vocational   and   technical   training   in                                                                    
individuals residing in  Southern Southeast communities. She                                                                    
stated  that  the  kind  of   funding  that  would  be  made                                                                    
available through  the bill would help  with the development                                                                    
of  the  types  of  training  opportunities  that  residents                                                                    
needed  to be  gainfully  employed. She  requested that  the                                                                    
program be re-included in the legislation.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
2:02:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BOB  GRIFFIN,   ALASKA  POLICY   FORUM,  EAGLE   RIVER  (via                                                                    
teleconference), spoke  in support  of the  Houses amendment                                                                    
to change  the school grading  system. He believed  that the                                                                    
new  system  would make  it  easy  for  parents to  see  how                                                                    
schools  were doing,  and that  it would  be a  catalyst for                                                                    
improvement.  He believed  that the  reform had  been proven                                                                    
cost  effective  in  other  states.   He  thought  that  the                                                                    
provision could  be considered the "consumer  reports" of K-                                                                    
12 education.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:05:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL  REHBERG, WINTERBERRY  CHARTER  SCHOOL, EAGLE  RIVER                                                                    
(via  teleconference), spoke  in  support  of the  provision                                                                    
that  added  a  facility  funding  arrangement  for  charter                                                                    
schools. He  fully supported  the charter  school provisions                                                                    
in the  legislation. He  advocated for  a state  per student                                                                    
facility  funding arrangement  directed directly  to charter                                                                    
schools to offset facility expenses.  He also requested that                                                                    
assurances be made  that money requested outside  of the BSA                                                                    
be  directed to  charter schools  as well  as the  districts                                                                    
that housed them.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
2:08:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SHANNA  MALL,  WINTERBERRY  CHARTER SCHOOL,  ANCHORAGE  (via                                                                    
teleconference),  spoke  in  support per  people  facilities                                                                    
allowance, outside of the BSA,  to fully fund facilities for                                                                    
charter schools.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:10:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LINDA  EVANS, EFFIE  KOKRINE EARLY  COLLEGE CHARTER  SCHOOL,                                                                    
FAIRBANKS (via  teleconference), spoke in support  of HB 278                                                                    
and  requested the  consideration  of  a facility  allowance                                                                    
that was exclusive  of the BSA. She testified  in support of                                                                    
language that would clarify and  mandate pass through monies                                                                    
to charter schools.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:13:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LISA  RIEGER,  COOK  INLET TRIBAL  COUNCIL,  ANCHORAGE  (via                                                                    
teleconference),  testified in  support  of reinstating  the                                                                    
increase in  the residential stipend  that had  been removed                                                                    
from the  bill. She relayed  that the council  supported the                                                                    
changes  to  the  charter  school   law,  expansion  of  the                                                                    
educational tax credits, and the increase in the BSA.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:15:34 PM                                                                                                                    
CHERYL  SILCOX, WINTERBERRY  CHARTER SCHOOL,  ANCHORAGE (via                                                                    
teleconference),  spoke  in  support for  fair  funding  for                                                                    
charter schools,  facility costs in particular.  She relayed                                                                    
the various virtues of charter schools.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:19:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BETSY  BRENNA,   MEMBER,  NOME   SCHOOL  BOARD,   NOME  (via                                                                    
teleconference), strongly  supported an increase to  the BSA                                                                    
for all  public schools across  the state. She  detailed the                                                                    
budgetary struggles that would  be alleviated by an increase                                                                    
in the BSA.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:20:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEGHAN  STEENBURGH,  SELF, ANCHORAGE  (via  teleconference),                                                                    
testified  in  support  of the  legislation  and  encouraged                                                                    
further  strengthening of  charter  schools provisions.  She                                                                    
opined the  lack of additional funding  for existing charter                                                                    
schools in the bill.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:24:07 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:24:33 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Meyer discussed housekeeping.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 278(FIN)  was HEARD and  HELD in committee  for further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:26:03 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:30:35 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED