04/22/1993 09:10 AM Senate CRA

                                                                               
                                                                               
  SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS brought SB  78 (DEADLINES FOR FUNDING                 
  EDUCATION)  before  the  committee  as  the  next  order  of                 
  business.                                                                    
                                                                               
  SENATOR SUZANNE  LITTLE, prime sponsor  of SB 78,  noted the                 
  legislation  has   the  support   of   NEA-Alaska  and   the                 
  Association of Alaska School Boards.   It will require early                 
  funding of education by the legislature.  Having served on a                 
  borough  assembly,  she  has  seen  school  boards  struggle                 
  putting forward  four or  five budgets  based on what  might                 
  happen in Juneau,  which she  believes is a  waste of  time,                 
  energy and money.                                                            
                                                                               
  Senator Little said  having the  legislation in place  would                 
  make a big difference in the way that we plan for our school                 
  expenditures, and  it would  put rationality  back into  the                 
  process.  She urged the committee's support for SB 78.                       
                                                                               
  Number 265                                                                   
                                                                               
  SENATOR LEMAN  commented  that he  was in  support of  early                 
  funding  of  schools and  would  like to  see  early funding                 
  applied to the rest of the budget process.                                   
                                                                               
  Number 293                                                                   
                                                                               
  CLAUDIA   DOUGLAS,   President,  NEA-Alaska,   voiced  NEA's                 
  appreciation for  the introduction  of the  bill, and  their                 
  support for it.                                                              
                                                                               
  Ms. Douglas said it always causes so much confusion when the                 
  funding piece doesn't  finalize itself  until the very  last                 
  days of school, and it causes  school districts to have lay-                 
  off language and give people letters of termination.                         
                                                                               
  Number 305                                                                   
                                                                               
  DUANE  GUILEY,  Director,  School  Finance,  Department   of                 
  Education,  stated the  department's  support for  the early                 
  appropriation of funds in support of the K-12 public  school                 
  foundation program, the pupil transportation program and all                 
  the related K-12 support programs mentioned in SB 78.                        
                                                                               
  Mr. Guiley said the department has no objection to the delay                 
  from April 1  through April 30  for submittal of the  school                 
  district  budget to the borough  assembly.  They believe the                 
  delay  may,  in  fact, improve  the  budget  submissions and                 
  reduce  the   administrative  burden  associated   with  the                 
  preparation of multiple drafts of the operating budget.                      
                                                                               
  Mr. Guiley further said that early funding does not increase                 
  the  cost  of   the  programs,  nor   does  it  impact   the                 
  administration of the program, but  it does provide critical                 
  financial information to  the school  districts at the  time                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
  when they  are making  their staffing  decisions and  making                 
  their educational programing decisions.                                      
                                                                               
  Number 345                                                                   
                                                                               
  SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS closed the public hearing on SB 78.