Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/05/2021 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB94 | |
| SB58 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | SB 58 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 94 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 58-FUNDING FOR CORRESPONDENCE PROGRAMS
9:46:33 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 58
"An Act relating to funding for correspondence programs; and
providing for an effective date."
He asked Commissioner Johnson to introduce the bill.
9:46:52 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Ph.D., Commissioner, Department of Education
and Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, said Alaska
currently offers a multitude of public education options for
families, including traditional brick and mortar schools,
correspondence programs, and charter, vocational, alternative,
residential schools. Offering this educational variety
recognizes student learning needs, creates ways to diversify,
enhances the vibrancy of communities, and is critical to the
state's economic future. Currently, the state funds students
differently based on how they choose to engage with a public
school. Correspondence students are funded at 90 percent of the
Base Student Allocation (BSA) without going through the formula.
This means that under current law, the district does not receive
the full value of an Average Daily Membership (ADM) for
correspondence students, nor the extra funding that is part of
the ADM multipliers, such as funding for special needs students
and career and technical education (CTE). This school year,
2020-2021, the state saw a 92.3 percent increase in
correspondence students from the previous year, largely due to
the pandemic, but beyond that, over the last ten years, from
FY11 to FY20, correspondence students counts have increased at
an average rate of 3.6 percent every year.
9:49:44 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said some students will return to their
neighborhood schools, but a significant number may not or may
take a couple of years to do so. More likely, some families will
want to explore hybrid models where students remain connected to
their neighborhood schools and teachers yet have flexibility in
scheduling, calendars, and content.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said the bill has three specific benefits.
One is that it provides long-term stability for school
districts. The best way to stabilize the impact of shifting
enrollment that the state has seen this year and will probably
continue is to recognize that the cost of educating a student
remains no matter where a student is enrolled. This conversation
started before the pandemic as students began participating in
online learning and remote learning in the last decade.
Districts asked about how to count a student who took one or
more classes online but also took courses at the local school.
If students participate in a class remotely, is that home school
or regular school for funding. SB 58 moves in the direction of
recognizing all students and the cost of their education.
9:51:14 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said the second benefit is that it provides
flexibility and funds innovation for educators. The formula uses
multipliers to reflect the cost of education. The typical
correspondence students in the past are different from today.
There is no special ed factor for correspondence students, yet
more and more special needs students participate in
correspondence. There is no factor for vocational ed, which has
a growing need for using distance and remote technology to
expand opportunities for voc-ed. The funding allows educators to
innovate outside of the traditional classroom walls. The third
benefit is flexibility. This bill gives opportunity to school
districts and schools without correspondence programs. It
provides enough funding so that district can develop programs
based on the needs and desires of families, even with only a few
correspondence students. In addition to those benefits, this
provides a pathway for families to remain connected to local
neighborhood schools or districts. It will take a while for
families to sort out how the pandemic has affected their lives
and routines. Families value their local schools and want them
to be funded. This bill gives them the assurance that they can
remain connected to public educators and schools while also
adjusting how they remain connected. It appears that telework
and other changes in societal routines will remain for many
families. That will likely result in families wanting more
options and flexibility in education routines and funding that
supports those opportunities for schools and districts.
9:54:08 AM
SENATOR BEGICH clarified that when the commissioner said there
has been an increase of 3 percent a year in the number of
correspondence students, but that does not mean an increase of 3
percent of the total student population.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded yes. Director Teshner has the
exact numbers. Before this year, about 10 percent of the
students in the state were correspondence students, but that has
been steadily growing.
SENATOR BEGICH asked why the funding was set at 90 percent. He
asked if it was because correspondence schools do not provide
some of the services provided within the schools, such as
counseling services and the ability to work as readily with
special ed students. He asked why that changed, if those were
the reasons.
9:55:56 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said he not sure what the rationale was. It
used to be 80 percent and then the legislature increased that to
90 percent. In the past a typical correspondence student got the
packet, did the assignments, and put the coursework in the mail.
A typical correspondence student 20 years ago is very different
from today because of advances in technology, advances in
society and the economy. Correspondence programs in the state
are exciting. They offer all those services now and serve
students with all needs, not just students who are high
achievers. Some correspondence schools are serving students who
didn't do well in traditional schools. The correspondence
programs serve those students with counseling and extra academic
support and connections to the local school district. The
conversation to increase funding started several years ago
because correspondence schools are now offering many, if not
all, of the same services as traditional schools.
SENATOR BEGICH said that answer is what he perceived as true.
The commissioner mentioned it will only affect 32 of 54
districts. He is wondering if the other 22 school districts are
mostly rural or semiurban or urban. He asked how the state
addresses those districts so as not to create more inequity.
9:58:47 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that he doesn't have a list of
which districts don't have programs. This incentivizes districts
because any district can have a correspondence program if it
wants. Funding correspondence students at 90 percent of the BSA
without going through the formula makes it financially difficult
for districts to start a program for a few students in a way
that will attract families, especially like the large programs.
This bill provides districts the incentive and opportunity and
resources to develop their own programs and connect with local
families that may be considering the hybrid model of engagement
with local schools. Even if a district had 10 students
initially, it would be enough funding to develop the program and
be innovative and enhance the existing programs.
10:00:16 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said she is aware of current correspondence
programs because Mat-Su Central School, a correspondence
program, is the largest school in the Mat-Su district. Mat-Su
Central shares space with a Legislative Information Office. That
is a busy parking spot with families coming and going. It might
be helpful for the committee to perhaps hear from a school about
different services. She doesn't know if they have a school
nurse, organized field trips, access to libraries, etc. It would
be helpful to understand how correspondence schools have evolved
and what they offer because it is a growing trend. She has heard
from some families who plan to continue with that after the
pandemic because it did work for their children. Other families
are eager to have their back children back in brick-and-mortar
schools. The committee needs to understand what the programs are
offering.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that Mat-Su Central Principal
John Brown would be fantastic to have in front of the committee.
He has suggested some programs to hear from to the chair. Mat-Su
Central has a library, a study area, counseling, and many other
services in the facility. That is great example of how
correspondence programs have evolved because parents want some
of those expanded opportunities, but they want to remain
connected to public educators in their public schools. Principal
John Brown would be a fantastic person to share that
information.
10:03:17 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked whether home school is 1.9 students per
ADM vs. the .9 for correspondence students.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that sometimes home school is used
and sometimes correspondence, but they are the same thing.
Correspondence or homeschool students are .9 of the BSA. The
terms are used interchangeably and a better term is needed.
SENATOR MICCICHE said he must have misunderstood that they were
double counted.
CHAIR HOLLAND said that is if districts lose 5 percent of their
recruitment and get 75 percent because of hold harmless that
winds up being about 1.6 for the first year. That is what
Senator Micciche may be thinking of.
SENATOR HUGHES said that within a district, during the pandemic,
if a student moves from a brick-and-mortar school and goes to
correspondence, the districts are asking that they get paid as
though the child was in a brick-and-mortar school and also get
the .9, so it is the 1 plus the .9.
CHAIR HOLLAND commented that with hold harmless, attendance has
to drop five percent for that to kick in.
10:05:40 AM
HIEDI TESHNER, Director, Finance and Support Services,
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), Juneau,
Alaska, presented the sectional analysis:
Section 1 amends AS 14.17.410(b)(1)(C), the public school
funding, by moving the correspondence student ADM up in the
foundation formula after the district cost factors and
before the special needs and technical instruction funding
multipliers. Section 1 further amends AS 14.17.410(b)(1)(D)
by removing the correspondence student calculation from the
end of the formula adjustments when determining basic need.
Section 2 amends AS 14.17.430, the state funding for
correspondence study, by removing the 90 percent factor for
a correspondence student and clarifying that the new
funding allocation for a correspondence program is
calculated by using the ADM report as recorded under AS
14.17.410(b)(1)(C), essentially counting a correspondence
student as a full ADM.
Section 3 establishes the effective date of July 1, 2021,
the start of FY2022.
10:07:45 AM
MS. TESHNER said the committee has three documents. The first
document is labeled Foundation Funding Formula. The first page
shows the steps of the current funding formula as set out in
statute. The page shows the factors and the statewide totals for
projected FY22 for each of the elements in the formula. The
correspondence ADM is applied at the end of the formula, right
before determining the district-adjusted ADM. As the
commissioner noted, based on current law a district does not
receive the full value of a correspondence student or the extra
funding formula factors for special needs and vocational
education.
10:09:02 AM
MS. TESHNER said page two of that documents shows the change
under SB 58. The green box shows where correspondence would lie
in the formula. There are two changes to correspondence under
this bill. The first is that a correspondence student will be
one full ADM, not 90 percent, and the ADM for correspondence
students would be included in the formula after the district
cost factors and before the special education, vocation
education, and special education intensives factors are applied.
MS. TESHNER said that through SB 58 more financial resources
would be available to school districts to help cover the cost of
provide special ed services to correspondence students and would
provide more resources so that correspondence students would
have a larger allotment to pursue career and technical education
opportunities. Since the proposed change would provide more
financial resources to districts, it could be assumed that the
allotment provided to students for their education should go up,
affording students more educational options and opportunities.
10:10:54 AM
SENATOR HUGHES observed that the document shows a difference of
$35 million. She asked if that is the estimated cost to the
state for FY22 if SB 58 were to pass.
MS. TESHNER answered yes; it is about a $35 million cost to the
state under the proposed legislation.
10:11:25 AM
SENATOR BEGICH commented that this represents a $35 million
state investment in enhanced correspondence to meet the needs of
students. He noted that the committee has had a number of
conversations about SB 42 and SB 8, bills that enhance reading
and prekindergarten. Those bills at best, over time, would offer
an additional $17 million to the formula funding. If the state
is going to invest $35 million, and he is supportive of full
count for correspondence programs, the state should make sure it
gets a return on its investment. If the state is going to do
this level of investment, then it absolutely should do a level
of investment in prekindergarten and the reading opportunities
to ensure that the state is not just throwing $35 million out
into the wind. It is important to make sure the $35 million is
an investment in education because it has been backed up by a
strong reading program and a strong prekindergarten program. He
asked if his numbers are right, and if she believes that will
make a difference in educating children in Alaska.
10:13:20 AM
MS. TESHNER stated that those two numbers are correct; $35
million under SB 58 and $17.1 million under SB 42 or SB 8.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that regarding a return on money
invested, the evidence is that money invested in correspondence
programs have a great return. Those students compare well to
students in brick-and-mortar schools. The administration has a
high degree of confidence that the return will be great and the
state will see innovation. The pandemic has had an impact and
will continue to have an impact. The bills the committee are
considering, reading bills, virtual education, this bill, all
can work well in tandem to shape the public education system
coming out of the pandemic and into the future in a way that
meets families' needs.
10:14:52 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked if there is any chance of using some
federal COVID funds for the $35 million if this were to pass,
given that correspondence picked up during the pandemic and it
is not totally eradicated.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that federal money comes in different
buckets. The largest bucket goes directly to school districts
with wide discretion about how to use the money. They could
choose to use it that way. The department cannot direct them
about how to use the funds. Other buckets include the set aside
that goes to the department. He looks forward to working with
the committee on how to move the education bills forward and
possibly using those funds with other projects the department is
working on. That is a yes, it is possible, but it is a
conversation to have with the committee.
CHAIR HOLLAND asked if DEED cannot direct the funds, is there
any control over the districts to ensure this money would go to
correspondence schools.
10:17:04 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that funding amount is based on
student counts and locally elected school boards allocate that.
A brick-and-mortar school, based on its student count, may
generate more funding than it spends and the school board
decides how to allocate that funding around the district. The
school board may choose to have a more expensive program at one
school and also balance out the money between elementary and
high school. There is not a way to say the money could only go
to the school that generates it based on the count, but that is
usually how school districts allocate the money.
10:18:28 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said that is a wonderful clarification for
Senator Hughes; the bill in the U.S. Senate today has a
substantial amount of money for summer and other remedial
programming for education directly, billions of dollars, and
thanks to the state's Senate delegation, there is an increased
amount of flexibility for small-population states, including a
substantial amount of money for broadband and other issue like
that. There should be a lot more resources coming into the
state. For the last few years, the legislature has provided
money outside of the BSA, $20 or $30 million or even more to
schools. These various concepts, whether correspondence schools
or prekindergarten or the reading program, actually target the
money instead of just tossing it out there. A comprehensive
package is here, combined with those federal resources as well,
that could be useful for all of them.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that he will work with the committee
on funding sources.
10:20:08 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND held SB 58 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB58 - Senate Education Hearing Request 1.29.21.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 58 |
| SB94 - Senate Education Hearing Request 03.01.21.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 94 |
| SB 94 Support Letter from UA State Director Hutchison.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 94 |
| SB 94 3.5.21 (S) EDC Presentation.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 94 |
| SB 94 - Charter College - Letter of Support 3.2.21.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 94 |
| SB58 - Correspondence Programs as of 12.2020.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 58 |
| SB58 CorrespondenceADM&CostHistoryFY12-FY22Proj - Legal Size.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 58 |
| SB58 FY2022 Foundation Funding Program.pdf |
SEDC 3/5/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 58 |