03/03/2014 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION

              SB 113-STIPEND FOR BOARDING SCHOOLS                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:08:29 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS announced that the  next order of business would be                                                               
SB 113.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR JOHN  COGHILL, Alaska State Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,                                                               
sponsor of SB  113, said he appreciates the  committee hearing SB
.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
RYNNIEVA  MOSS,   Staff,  Senator  John  Coghill,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska, presented SB  113 on behalf  of the                                                               
sponsor. She said  SB 113 is a  follow up to a  similar bill last                                                               
year  that the  legislature passed  increasing the  potential for                                                               
boarding  schools  in Alaska  and  recognizing  that it  is  very                                                               
valuable for education. Last year  SB 47 removed restrictions for                                                               
the number of  boarding homes that can be in  place, and expanded                                                               
the program  to include magnet  schools for  vocational training.                                                               
Because  of  that  legislation,  there  are  now  seven  boarding                                                               
schools instead of  three.  She said SB 113  asks for the stipend                                                               
to be increased  by 50 percent for boarding schools.  She noted a                                                               
document  provided  by  Galena that  shows  that  increasing  the                                                               
stipend by  50 percent  still leaves the  school short  of actual                                                               
costs.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  COGHILL  said  SB  113  is one  avenue  of  success  for                                                               
students in Alaska.  The value to students is  the relocation out                                                               
of bad environments enabling them  to be successful in school and                                                               
in  life.   Boarding  schools  provide   accountability,  intense                                                               
educational opportunities, and  support services. Boarding school                                                               
students  are  a small  cadre  of  about  400 students,  but  the                                                               
investment in their lives is well worth the effort.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:12:35 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS  said SB 113  and SB  139 contain the  same subject                                                               
matter.  He  suggested  it  would  be best  to  move  both  bills                                                               
forward.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GARDNER commented  that she has heard  that some students                                                               
leave unhappy homes for a  safer environment, occasionally due to                                                               
a negotiated arrangement with the Office of Children's Services.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MOSS  said   she  has  heard  that  is  true,   but  due  to                                                               
confidentially issues, does not have any details.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COGNILL  added that  several students  have been  able to                                                               
move out of bad situations with drugs and alcohol.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:14:40 AM                                                                                                                    
MS. MOSSS  noted that  boarding schools have  a proven  record of                                                               
success even for  high risk students; about a  95 percent success                                                               
rate. Many go on to college, trades, or the military.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GARDNER  asked  if  all  boarding  schools  have  school                                                               
counselors.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. MOSSS said she did not know.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS  noted that SB 113  deals with Sections 9,  12, 13,                                                               
and 21-32 found in SB 139.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:15:58 AM                                                                                                                    
MIKE  HANLEY, Commissioner,  Department  of  Education and  Early                                                               
Development  (DEED), Juneau,  Alaska, answered  questions related                                                               
to SB  113. He said  regarding residential costs, the  numbers in                                                               
SB 113  are identical  to those  in SB  139. The  Governor's bill                                                               
also requires an  open annual application process.  The only time                                                               
a  potential school  can  apply  to be  a  residential school  is                                                               
during an open  period. He said he opened  the application period                                                               
last year, which allowed four new schools to come on line.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS opened public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
JERRY COVEY,  Educational Consultant, JSC  Consulting, Anchorage,                                                               
Alaska,  provided information  related to  SB 113.  He noted  the                                                               
audited expenses  of the residential programs  document that they                                                               
are operating at deficit spending.  He said the proposed increase                                                               
in  the stipend  is justified.  He pointed  out that  residential                                                               
programs provide  vital services to mostly  rural students. There                                                               
are about 300  students statewide, not counting  the 100 students                                                               
at Mt. Edgecumbe.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He said  variable length  programs are new  and came  about after                                                               
last  year's  open enrollment.  These  programs  provide a  truly                                                               
unique opportunity. They  are small and short  term. For example,                                                               
NACTEC in Nome has a  25-bed dormitory, but they deliver services                                                               
to 400 students throughout the  year. Chugach School District has                                                               
just enlarged  their dorm and  serves over 260 students.  He said                                                               
the state is getting "tremendous  bang for the buck." In Chugach,                                                               
since 2003,  98 percent of  students graduated from  high school.                                                               
The program  is called  Voyage to Excellence  and it  accepts all                                                               
students, many who are in peril of not graduating.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
He related that  currently, there are three  year-long programs -                                                               
Galena,  Nenana, and  Lower Kuskokwim  School  District, AND  two                                                               
variable-length programs - Chugach and  NACTEC. There are two new                                                               
programs  coming   on  line,  Northwest  Arctic   Borough  School                                                               
District  and  Cook Inlet  Tribal  Council.  There is  tremendous                                                               
interest across  the state for  residential learning;  two school                                                               
districts are  actively planning a  program, two more are  in the                                                               
preplanning  phase,  and   6  -  10  schools  that   are  in  the                                                               
consideration stage.  He noted he  was representing  Citizens for                                                               
the  Educational Advancement  of  Alaska's  Children (CEAAC)  and                                                               
Cook Inlet Tribal Council on this issue.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:21:36 AM                                                                                                                    
NORMAN  ECK,  Ph.D.,  Superintendent,  Northwest  Arctic  Borough                                                               
School District (NWABSD), Kotzebue,  Alaska, testified in support                                                               
of SB 113. He maintained  that residential schools are essential;                                                               
students need  alternatives and better choices  for their future.                                                               
He described the  NWABSD and said it is the  only school district                                                               
in the  state that has  a post-secondary residential  school, the                                                               
Alaska Technical Center.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
He thanked  the legislature  for the support  for the  remodel of                                                               
the technical  center in order  to add  a magnet school.  He said                                                               
over the  last four years,  as the district  re-instituted career                                                               
and  technical  education,  the  graduation  rate  went  from  49                                                               
percent  to 64  percent.  Students  who have  taken  two or  more                                                               
classes in career pathways have  a graduation rate of 83 percent.                                                               
He listed  the four  pillars of the  magnet school;  health care,                                                               
education, culinary arts, and process technology.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He  thanked  the   legislature  for  the  $4   million  to  begin                                                               
construction of  a dorm for  students who will attend  the magnet                                                               
school. Even  with the  increase in the  stipend, it  is expected                                                               
that  the  operation of  the  dorm  will be  at  a  loss for  the                                                               
expected  40 students.  He stressed  the value  of being  able to                                                               
offer students  what they need to  be successful for the  rest of                                                               
their lives.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:25:34 AM                                                                                                                    
ERIC  GEBHART, Superintendent,  Nenana  School District,  Nenana,                                                               
Alaska, testified in support of SB 113.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:26:53 AM                                                                                                                    
JEANETTE  IYA,  Member,  Bering Strait  School  Board,  Savoonga,                                                               
Alaska, testified in support of SB  113. She said the BSA has not                                                               
been increased  in four years,  but expenses have  increased. She                                                               
pointed out that the district  has increased the graduation rate.                                                               
She voiced appreciation for the  funding for safety and security.                                                               
She asked the  committee to consider an increase in  the BSA. She                                                               
commented that Mt. Edgecumbe School  has students that are not in                                                               
dire  situations;  some  boarding  school students  do  not  have                                                               
problem students.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STEVENS  announced  he  would  hold  SB  113  for  further                                                               
consideration. He  noted that  SB 139 would  be heard  at another                                                               
time.