Legislature(2009 - 2010)CAPITOL 106
03/15/2010 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
HB350 | |
HB413 | |
HB393 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ | HB 413 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 393 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
+= | HB 350 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 413-YOUTH ACADEMY FUNDING/REPORT 8:28:34 AM CHAIR SEATON announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 413, "An Act relating to the Alaska Challenge Youth Academy." 8:28:49 AM KATIE KOESTER, Staff, Representative Paul Seaton, Alaska State Legislature, paraphrasing from a prepared sponsor statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: The Alaska Challenge Youth Academy is a residential high school for students who have dropped out of regular school. The Academy is highly successful with a 70% graduation rate and works closely with the National Guard following a strict model that gives students structure, challenge, and discipline. The Academy is located in Anchorage and has two sessions a year where students live on campus for 5 months while going through the rigorous program. After they graduate from the program, staff continues to track their behavior through a mentorship program. Students are considered a success if a year after graduation they are enrolled in a postsecondary program, the military, or in full time employment. Funding for the Academy is based the following formula: 7 times the Base Student Allocation (BSA) times all residential students plus .6 times the BSA times all non-residential students. When this formula was constructed in 2002 it reflected the dollars they needed to operate. However, as the BSA has grown over the years to cover retirement costs and other increases in education this has resulted in a windfall and is no longer reflective of the true cost of the program. HB 413 would set a per child amount for state dollars in statute, $11,990 and multiply that by the number of residential and non-residential students enrolled. The Academy and the Department of Education and Early Development both agree this would give them sufficient dollars to run the program. Under HB 413 the projected total state dollars they would receive in fiscal year 2011 would be approximately $5.2 million, within $300 of the amount they would get under the current formula. Alaska Military Youth Academy also receives separate federal funds that supplement this amount ($2.7 million for FY2011). The Academy is a valuable alternative that requires higher funding as a residential program for at-risk youth than other boarding schools. HB 413 identifies an appropriate and transparent way to fund this important educational institution. 8:30:37 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ asked whether the allocation for the Alaska Military Youth Academy (Academy) would be adjusted if the BSA is adjusted in the future. MS. KOESTER answered that the legislature would need to change statute if the BSA rate is adjusted. 8:31:05 AM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER recalled the legislature has been trying to avoid "locking in" rates in other bills and works to allow flexibility for funding changes. She asked how the figure of $11,990 was determined. MS. KOESTER responded that the figure was based on seven times the BSA for FY 11 and divided by the number of students at the Academy. 8:32:05 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ for the reason that statute change is necessary if the $11,990 is close to the BSA amount. MS. KOESTER replied that establishing a fixed number is statute is more reflective of the actual services received, but maintains the allocation through the foundation formula, which allows for automatic contributions from the department. 8:33:25 AM CHAIR SEATON added that the question which has arisen is that the base student allocation increases and the academy receives a seven times multiplier to calculate the state's contribution. Additionally, the program receives a substantial amount of federal funding. He explained the desire to keep the program in the realm of education instead of moving it to the Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs. This maintains the program in the Department of Education and Early Development. 8:35:11 AM REPRESENTATIVE BUCH asked how many times funding adjustments have been requested for this program. MS. KOESTER answered that since the inception of the program in 2002, that this is the first request for a funding adjustment to the program. 8:36:14 AM CHAIR SEATON opened public testimony on HB 413. 8:36:20 AM MCHUGH PIERRE, Deputy Commissioner, Chief of Staff, Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), said HB 413 is a priority of the DMVA and the department supports this bill. The AMYA was established in 1996 and the formula for the current funding structure, seven times the BSA, was established in 2002. He reported that previously 40 to 50 cadets graduated per class and with the funding formula increase the number of cadets increased to about 100 cadets per class. Due to the $2500 increase in the BSA the DMVA received a substantial increase and it has become evident that the amount received from the state was in excess of the need. He stated the department supports the change the bill makes. The bill would "freeze" the $11,990 per student figure. He offered his belief that if the AMYA needs additional funding the legislature will respond appropriately. He stated that the BSA was increased to cover some of the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) obligation. The DMVA decided to offset some of the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) costs. While the DMVA has used the funding appropriately, sufficient funding has been received to meet cadet needs. He explained that the federal funding is provided based on benchmarks. He anticipated federal funding will continue to increase as the program expands. He reported that the AMYA is one of the best programs in the nation, in part, due to the state contributions to the program. 8:39:29 AM REPRESENTATIVE BUCH asked for the number of times between 1996 and 2002 that the DMVA has asked for funding increases for the AMYA. MR. PIERRE indicated that he was not certain. He stated that any department requests for additional funding have been made based on an increase the number of cadets in the program. MR. JEANS clarified that HB 413 would remove the direct link to the BSA and place a "per student" amount in statute in the amount of $11,990. He said that the AMYA will need to justify further increase requests. 8:41:10 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ asked how the funding for the AMYA compares to other residential programs, such as Mount Edgecumbe High School. MR. JEANS responded that it is comparable overall. He offered that the AMYA has a component that other residential programs do not currently have, which is the "student tracking" for an additional year. CHAIR SEATON asked whether he was indicating the state funding or the federal funding for the AMYA. MR. JEANS clarified that the state funding is comparable to what is provided for Mt. Edgecumbe, Nenana Academy of Higher Learning (NAHL) and Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA). 8:42:07 AM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for clarification on whether Nenana and Galena also receive federal funding. MR. JEANS answered no, they do not. He explained that Nenana's NAHL and Galena's GILA obtain their educational funding from the foundation program. Several years ago, the legislature passed "boarding school funding" so the schools receive some residential funding. Mt. Edgecumbe High School is operated by the state and receives instructional funding through the foundation program and their residential component is within the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED). 8:42:52 AM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for the rationale for funding the AMYA differently than the other programs in the state. MR. JEANS explained that the AMYA is not part of the public school system, but is operated by the DMVA. In 2002, the DMVA asked for a funding formula to support them in a fashion similar to public schools, including the residential facilities. At that time the DEED developed the formula and increases to the BSA were targeted for specific reasons. The big increases came from the increases to the PERS and Teachers Retirement System (TRS) contributions. The TRS increased at a rate much higher than the PERS rate. Thus, increases in the BSA were made to help districts offset the additional costs. The DMVA employees are PERS employees so their rate of contribution was increasing at a smaller rate. This did not necessarily equate to needing seven times BSA multiplier each time the BSA was increased.. He noted that the AMYA funding has been highlighted for a number of years during the budget process and the funding for the program contained in HB 413 is a "little simpler" method. 8:44:46 AM REPRESENTATIVE BUCH inquired as to whether the tracking mechanism of students is a useful tool for the DMVA. MR. JEANS answered yes. REPRESENTATIVE BUCH related that post-graduation information has been identified as valuable information. He asked whether the legislature might consider expanding the tracking to other student programs in the future. 8:45:38 AM MR. JEANS stated that the unique student identifier in K-12 education will become a means for tracking throughout a student's career, including trend analysis. He stated that it may also apply to pre-Kindergarten programs, as well. 8:46:42 AM CHAIR SEATON, after first determining no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 413. 8:47:00 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ moved to report HB 413 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HB 413 was reported from the House Education Standing Committee.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
---|---|---|
HB 393 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/24/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/29/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/31/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
HB 393 Charter School statutes.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/24/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
back up AMYA.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 413 |
HB413-EED-ESS-3-10-10.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 413 |
sponsor statment HB413.docx |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 413 |
HB 393 Charter School Background.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/24/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
Support ltr fed dir.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
Per pupil fac aid.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
Fed Funding.pdf |
HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
Discret Grants.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
AK Grade 10.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/29/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
Support public.pdf |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/31/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 393 |
FY02-11LocalEffortAssessed&educationWithMills-2Pager_10-22-09.xlsx |
HEDC 2/19/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/3/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/10/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 350 |
HB350-EED-ESS-2-18-10.pdf |
HEDC 2/19/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/3/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/10/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 350 |
current program flow chart.docx |
HEDC 3/3/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/10/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 350 |
Sponsor Statement HB 350.doc |
HEDC 3/12/2010 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/15/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 350 |