04/09/2003 01:31 PM Senate HES

                                                                                                                                
                    SB 121-COMMUNITY SCHOOLS                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR FRED DYSON  called the Senate Health,  Education and Social                                                             
Services Standing  Committee meeting  to order  at 1:31  p.m. All                                                               
members  were  present.  He  announced   SB  121  to  be  up  for                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GRETCHEN  GUESS  reminded  the  committee  that  Senator                                                               
Wilken  wanted her  to  find  out about  fees  for the  Anchorage                                                               
community  schools   programs.  She  said  last   year  Anchorage                                                               
collected $65,000  in fees and spent  approximately $700,000. She                                                               
stated:                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Although there were some questions  and we did get some                                                                    
     faxes, I  do think  that Eddy  Jeans' sheet  was wrong,                                                                    
     because  in   the  accounting  of   community  schools,                                                                    
       multiple things go into community schools. This is                                                                       
     just one of, I think, of five or six. So, the sheet we                                                                     
     got was incorrect on how much money is being spent.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GARY  WILKEN moved to  report SB 121 from  committee with                                                               
individual recommendations and its attached fiscal note.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GUESS objected.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  CURT  LEDFORD,  Director,  Community  Schools,  Sitka,  said                                                               
although the state's portion of  Sitka's overall budget is small,                                                               
it's seen by the community as state support of the program.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  said he  supports community  schools and  that using                                                               
unused  community  facilities  along  with  community  talent  to                                                               
provide a multitude of services is a wonderful deal. He noted:                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     It's one of  the ones the governor  highlighted; I wish                                                                    
     it  wasn't so.  I  am  willing to  pass  it  on to  the                                                                    
     consideration of the Finance  Committee and this is not                                                                    
     the end of the track for this.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON called for a roll call vote.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATORS GREEN, WILKEN,  and DYSON voted yea;  SENATORS GUESS and                                                               
DAVIS voted nay; and SB 121 moved from committee.