Legislature(2023 - 2024)DAVIS 106
03/18/2024 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB236 | |
| SB99 | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): | |
| University of Alaska Board of Regents | |
| Professional Teaching Practices Commission | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 236 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 99 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 99-FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM IN SCHOOLS 8:40:05 AM CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the next order of business would be CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 99(EDC), "An Act establishing a financial literacy education program for public schools; and providing for an effective date." 8:40:56 AM HUNTER LOTTSFELDT, Staff, Senator Bill Wielechowski, Alaska State Legislature, reintroduced CSSB 99(EDC) on behalf of Senator Wielechowski, prime sponsor. He explained that the bill, in fifteen steps, would create a half-credit requirement that could be split among one course or multiple courses and would seek to teach financial literacy to high school students, including principes such as how to file taxes and read the terms of a loan. He welcomed questions from committee members. 8:41:58 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX commented that financial literacy was taught through high school in the early 1970s, and he expressed concern that the state would be telling local school districts to do something in a specific way according to a specific criteria that would be dictated to them. MR. LOTTSFELDT replied that although financial literacy is being taught in a few districts across the state, the purpose of the bill is that "these things" are not being taught and are also changing. He added that the bill is structured to try to supplement the districts that are already teaching financial literacy, and the intent is for it to be easily adoptable by school districts. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX offered his understanding that the bill would require districts to develop a curriculum but not be told which specific one they are to develop. MR. LOTTSFELDT agreed that was a fair statement. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether there should be a provision or state level review and approval of the program. MR. LOTTSFELDT responded that he was not sure regarding a state level review, but the specific course and materials would be up to the district. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether there was an estimate of the cost to the school districts and expectations of how much may be received from the legislature. MR. LOTTSFELDT replied there is not an estimate on the cost to the school districts and added that one of the advantages of financial literacy is that it is a "grassroots type of movement," in that there is a lot of free online curriculum. He stated he could not provide an exact number and reiterated that the bill is structured to make it as easy for school districts to adopt as possible. 8:48:04 AM REPRESENTATIVE STORY drew attention to page 1, line 8 of the bill, and offered her understanding that the approval for the curriculum must come from the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), which would take administrative time to find out how each district meets the requirements of the bill. She further pointed out the words on line 13, "maximum extent practicable", and acknowledged that the bill sponsor wanted to keep flexibility while still meeting the intent of the bill. MR. LOTTSFELDT confirmed that is correct. 8:49:10 AM CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE opened public testimony on CSSB 99(EDC). 8:49:48 AM The committee took an at-ease from 8:49 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. 8:50:50 AM CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE clarified that an individual can testify only one time. 8:51:29 AM ED MARTIN, representing self, stated that he did not remember whether he had a personal finance course in high school, but when he graduated he received a bank savings account from his parents and got a job. He said he encouraged legislation if it is necessary to direct school districts to teach something relevant and added that some big steps for children are student loans. Regarding the fiscal note, he emphasized that he did not see justification in state funds going towards "this" whatsoever. He opined that the legislature should worry about the education fund, which was vetoed, and added that "this seems like double dipping" and must be stopped. 8:54:24 AM CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE, after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on CSSB 99(EDC). He noted that there were three amendments to CSSB 99(EDC). 8:54:45 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD stated she would not be moving Amendment 1. 8:54:54 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT moved to adopt Amendment 2 to CSSB 99(EDC), labeled 33-LS0498\R.4, Bergerud, 1/31/24, which read as follows: Page 1, line 8, following "department.": Insert "The department shall curate and make available to school districts a list of open educational resources that are approved by the department that in combination address the topics listed in (1) - (14) of this subsection. The list shall include open educational resources that address the topic listed in (15) of this subsection if those resources are available. The department shall update this list at least every five years." Page 2, line 21: Delete all material and insert: "(b) In this section, (1) "open educational resource" means learning, teaching, or research material in any format that resides in the public domain or is under copyright and has been released under an open license that permits access at no cost as well as reuse, repurpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others; (2) "school district" has the meaning given in AS 14.30.350." CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT explained that Amendment 2 tasks the department with providing open educational resource materials. She referenced a letter from DEED that stated it would not provide undue burden on them and would allow the department to vet open educational resource materials to meet the standards in the bill. 8:56:31 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK asked Representative Himschoot whether the Amendment 2 could inadvertently force the hand of districts and create parameters for the type of curriculum districts might want to provide independently, thus disempowering them. REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT replied that most districts provide academic freedom to educators and, if pressed for time, they would have a bank of resources. 8:57:30 AM MR. LOTTSFELDT stated that he supported Amendment 2. 8:57:55 AM CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE removed his objection to the motion to adopt Amendment 2. There being no further objection, Amendment 2 was adopted. 8:58:21 AM REPRESENTATIVE STORY moved to adopt Amendment 3 to CSSB 99(EDC), labeled 33-LS0498\R.5, Bergerud, 2/1/24, which read as follows: Page 2, following line 20: Insert a new subsection to read: "(b) Notwithstanding (a) of this section, a school may issue a secondary school diploma to a student who has not completed the program described in (a) of this section if the student transferred into the school district from another school district, state, or country after completing grade 10." Reletter the following subsection accordingly. CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected. REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained that Amendment 3 would support transfer students. 8:59:31 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX stated that he opposed the amendment and questioned the issuance of a diploma if it did not have something behind it that explains what it means. 9:00:28 AM MR. LOTTSFELDT added that the amendment was drafted in a similar way to the Alaska Studies exemption amendment. The intent is to make sure students are being taught financial literacy to the best of educators' abilities but there are circumstances of students transferring from other districts or states. 9:01:33 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT remarked that it felt unfair for a student to come into the state from somewhere else and be told they cannot graduate because they did not meet the requirement. She opined that the exemption would be made only for a small handful of students, and she expressed her support for Amendment 3. 9:03:04 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD sought more clarification on where the exception stops and provided a scenario of a student of a military family transferring to a school in Alaska. MR. LOTTSFELDT clarified that it would be up to the school districts. He said the exemption is for that one requirement to get the diploma. Currently, he said, 22 other states have financial literacy as a requirement, and it is a "50/50 shot" that a student has not gotten the instruction prior. CO-CHAIR ALLARD restated that her concern was the verbiage "after grade 10" and that she knew many high schoolers and found it difficult to believe that if they still have their eleventh and twelfth year "they can't finish." 9:05:42 AM REPRESENTATIVE STORY expressed gratitude for the elaboration on how the amendment is modeled after the Alaska Studies requirement. 9:05:57 AM CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE removed his objection. REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected. A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Story, Himschoot, McCormick, and Ruffridge voted in favor of Amendment 3. Representatives McKay, Prax, and Allard voted against it. Therefore, Amendment 3 was adopted by a vote of 4-3. 9:06:48 AM The committee took an at-ease from 9:06 a.m. to 9:07 a.m. 9:07:16 AM CO-CHAIR ALLARD moved to report CSSB 99(EDC), as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HCS CSSB 99(EDC) was reported out of the House Education Standing Committee.