03/01/2004 01:35 PM Senate HES

               SB  14-EDUCATION FUNDING INCREASE                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WAGONER,   sponsor  of   SSSB  14,  testified   that  he                                                               
introduced this  bill last year  because over the past  12 years,                                                               
the Kenai Peninsula  Borough School District (KPBSD)  has cut its                                                               
budget  every  year.    Without  going  into  particulars,  KPBSD                                                               
determined  $4,500   as  the  minimum   amount  needed   to  meet                                                               
educational requirements.   He read  a letter from  a constituent                                                               
from his  district regarding  how badly things  are going  in his                                                               
district:                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     I believe  it is time  to increase school funding.   At                                                                    
     Kenai  Middle School  where both  my  sons will  attend                                                                    
     school  next year,  budget cuts  have already  exceeded                                                                    
     acceptable  levels.   Anticipated  cuts  for next  year                                                                    
     will severely  limit the ability of  teachers and staff                                                                    
     to   educate   our   youth.     Kenai   Middle   School                                                                    
     administrators  have already  eliminated  shop and  art                                                                    
     classes.   The  librarian only  works half  time.   The                                                                    
     school  counselor spends  two thirds  of her  day as  a                                                                    
     classroom  teacher.   There are  some  classes with  35                                                                    
     students and one  teacher.  This is at a  time when the                                                                    
     teachers are  responsible for meeting  the requirements                                                                    
     of the No  Child Left Behind (NCLB) act and  I mean the                                                                    
     teachers.   Students  and their  parents are  no longer                                                                    
     held  responsible for  learning.   Teachers in  schools                                                                    
     are  now  responsible.  Next  year's  anticipated  cuts                                                                    
     include the loss  of Quest, the loss  of our librarian,                                                                    
     a reduction  in the hours  worked by the  school nurse,                                                                    
     and the  elimination of more  teaching positions.   The                                                                    
     situation  is abysmal.   I  currently spend  10.5 hours                                                                    
     each week  volunteering in the  public schools.   We're                                                                    
     cutting school  budgets when we  need to  be increasing                                                                    
     them.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER continued reading:                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     The   current  funding   levels  will   destroy  public                                                                    
     education.   I  realize  that my  request will  require                                                                    
     taxation or at least a  reduction of the Permanent Fund                                                                    
     Dividend program.  It is about  time.  I do not believe                                                                    
     that it is  realistic to expect the state  of Alaska to                                                                    
     pay  for my  family  and me  more  in Permanent  [Fund]                                                                    
     Dividend checks than  we pay in taxes.   We are getting                                                                    
     paid  to  receive state  services.    The situation  is                                                                    
     absurd.   It is  no wonder that  we are  having trouble                                                                    
     with students in  our schools.  They  are learning from                                                                    
     the  example of  the  permanent  fund dividend  program                                                                    
     that  you  can get  something  for  nothing, that  life                                                                    
     requires  no effort.   This  is not  true.   This is  a                                                                    
     horrendous  example  of  public  policy  gone  berserk.                                                                    
     Thank you  for serving in  our Legislature.   I realize                                                                    
     that this is  a difficult time for  our state; however,                                                                    
     I'm tired of those people  whose only request is to cut                                                                    
     state  spending while  sparing their  favorite program.                                                                    
     I am not  involved in most aspects of  the state budget                                                                    
     so I can't say if further  cuts can still be made.  But                                                                    
     I know  because of  my involvement in  public education                                                                    
     that cuts here have been too deep.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GUESS acknowledged  that  the Kenai  area expressed  the                                                               
needed amount of  $4,500 and asked if Senator  Wagoner had looked                                                               
at other districts.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER  replied that  Kenai was probably  as bad  off if                                                               
not worse off, than most districts  in the state, and that $4,500                                                               
was just about a break-even number.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GUESS  said  from  her analysis  there  are  about  four                                                               
districts  that wouldn't  make the  PERS/TRS  cut-off at  $4,500.                                                               
She asked  if it was  the case in the  Kenai that about  half the                                                               
cuts were from PERS/TRS.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER said this amount came  in last year, prior to the                                                               
PERS/TRS discussion.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GUESS  asked  if  this  meant that  for  the  Kenai,  an                                                               
additional PERS/TRS amount of $2.2 million was needed.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER confirmed this was the case.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  LYDA  GREEN  mentioned that  the  Kenai's  problems  are                                                               
different from the Mat-Su or  other growing districts, because of                                                               
a declining enrollment.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WAGONER  confirmed there  was a declining  enrollment and                                                               
an  inability to  close or  consolidate schools  without a  major                                                               
penalty, saying that several things have gone "kinda sideways."                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
[The  following action  was  taken  at the  end  of the  meeting:                                                               
SENATOR  GUESS moved  to report  SSSB  14 out  of committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  asked if there was  any objection.  Seeing  none, it                                                               
was so ordered.]