Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
01/25/2018 03:30 PM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB131 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 131 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 131-EDUCATION FUNDING; BUDGET
3:30:52 PM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SB 131. [SB 131,
version 30-LS1106\A, was before the committee.]
3:31:01 PM
CHAIR STEVENS opened public testimony.
3:31:14 PM
AMY LUJAN, Executive Director, Alaska Association of School
Business Officials (ALASBO), testified in support of SB 131. She
said ALASBO and other organizations have a joint position
statement that timely, reliable funding is a top priority. Early
funding is needed for sound financial management as well as for
teacher recruitment and retention. Sound financial management is
difficult to do in absence of a budget. In recent years
districts have been on the razor's edge for making decisions
because there are not a lot of reserves now. She noted that it
is hard to deliver good results without good planning. Teachers
have difficulty succeeding when they arrive in rural communities
at the last moment with no preparation on district programs and
no cultural integration. Alaska has had hundreds of unfilled
teaching positions in the fall. She addressed Senator Hughes'
questions in other meetings about the effect of a different
fiscal year for schools. She said the fiscal year should be
aligned with the business cycle, which is the school year.
3:35:59 PM
MS. LUJAN said the date of April 1 is reasonable, although
earlier would be better. She liked the suggestion of adding a
hold harmless provision, which would be that if the deadline was
not met districts would be at least funded at the previous
year's level.
3:36:35 PM
CHAIR STEVENS said April 1 seemed to make sense.
3:36:56 PM
SENATOR BEGICH noted that the Anchorage School District had sent
a letter, which pointed out that March 1 is the municipal
deadline for a budget. He wondered if local deadlines earlier
than April 1 would cause problems.
3:37:24 PM
MS. LUJAN said many localities have a May 1 deadline.
3:37:40 PM
SENATOR BEGICH said Chair Stevens had chosen April 1 because the
governor can take actions on his budget in March.
3:38:02 PM
SENATOR HUGHES asked her to address the notion that some might
think pink-slips would never be issued if the bill became law.
3:38:50 PM
MS. LUJAN said SB 131 may not end pink-slipping, but it will
reduce the number issued. The municipal contribution may not be
finalized until after April 1, but the state wouldn't see
hundreds of pink-slips issued, which decreases morale.
3:39:56 PM
SENATOR HUGHES said groups could still advocate for supplemental
funding.
3:40:30 PM
MS. LUJAN said yes.
3:40:36 PM
CHAIR STEVENS said everyone would like to see supplemental
funding reduced.
3:40:46 PM
SENATOR HUGHES said many teachers have told her of the
challenges, such as behavior, that impact academic learning. She
wondered if there had been any studies to look at the cost of
distractions caused by behavior problems.
3:42:02 PM
MS. LUJAN said late funding makes it hard to get special
education teachers. Socioeconomic issues, the opioid crisis,
make education more challenging, but she did not know of any
cost studies. The challenge is made worse by lack of effective
planning and not being able to get the right people.
3:43:14 PM
DEENA BISHOP, Ph.D., Superintendent, Anchorage School District,
testified in support of SB 131. She said early funding prevents
unnecessary layoff notices. The statutory deadline is May 15 for
tenured teachers and the end of school for nontenured teachers.
Last year the state budget was passed after these deadlines, and
Anchorage issued layoff notices to 223 teachers. Most of the
teachers were recalled, but the loss of morale has been felt
throughout the year. And since other states hire early, the best
teachers can get jobs elsewhere.
3:45:02 PM
ALEX KOPLIN, Representing self, testified in support of SB 131.
He said that budgeting earlier provides a positive message to
schools that the jobs they do is important. Last minute
shuffling and funding does not respect programs. This is such a
positive bill.
3:48:28 PM
JOSH KEATON, Vice President, Juneau School Board, testified in
support of SB 131. He shared that he is also on the board of the
Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB). Juneau's district
budget deadline is at the end of March. Not knowing the state
contribution creates a frustrating, endless cycle of budgeting
for various scenarios while trying to meet the needs of
students. For five to six years they have been dealing with
constant cuts while trying to maintain services.
3:51:02 PM
MR. KEATON said AASB supports SB 131, and April 1 is a
reasonable date.
3:52:24 PM
SENATOR BEGICH pointed out that SB 131 does not have a hold
harmless clause.
3:53:09 PM
MATT POTTER, Staff, Sitka School District, testified in support
of SB 131. He said the uncertainty caused by layoff notices can
cause teachers to leave the state. When teachers know they will
be retained, morale is better. The uncertainty harms the most
vulnerable populations. Districts can plan better with early
budgeting and hire when the pool of candidates is stronger. He
said early planning allows commitment to multiyear projects.
3:55:06 PM
CASS POOK, Vice-President, Sitka School District, testified in
support of SB 131. She shared that she is also on the AASB board
and is an Alaska Native and advocate for Alaska Native students
and low-income students. Early funding to provide more clarity
for the budget process has been a concern for many years for the
Sitka School Board and AASB. Early funding shows respect to
teachers, staff, and students and allows a quality education.
Late budgeting is also not fair to business managers.
3:57:18 PM}
ERIC VAN CISE, Clerk, Sitka School Board, testified in support
of SB 131. He said the city of Sitka has a significant budget
deficit, unlike ever before. Without a budget, the district must
issue layoff notices to nontenured teachers and make plans to
cut programs. Once the budget is known, the district must
scramble to hire. "The avalanche effect of midsummer decisions
is beyond words that I can really come up with right now," he
said. He pointed out that a hold harmless provision would not
account for increased costs and that even with a hold harmless
clause, Sitka would still be $800,000 in the hole.
4:01:31 PM
ELIAS ERICKSON, Representing self, testified in support of SB
131. He shared that he is a high school senior at Sitka High
School, a member of the Sitka School Board, and president of the
high school student council. He said SB 131 allows school
districts to make confident and sound financial decisions. In
December of 2017 Alaska had 153 open teaching positions, which
affects student learning.
4:03:17 PM
IAN RABL, Representing self, testified in support of SB 131. He
said that he is an exchange student from Austria and that it is
unfair to the Sitka School Board and the students to have to
develop a budget before knowing funding levels. He said he was
very disappointed that he could not take French because of
program cuts the school district has had to make.
4:04:30 PM
PETE HOEPFNER, Member, Cordova School Board, testified in
support of SB 131. He said issuing pink-slips has created havoc
in the personal lives of teachers. The state needs to respect
teachers by fully funding education early in the legislative
session. AASB has talked for years of the need for early
education funding.
4:07:01 PM
DAVID BOYLE, Representing self, testified in opposition to SB
131. He said the legislature should not take anything out of the
normal budgeting process by department or function because that
may incentivize other agencies, including the university system,
to try to do the same thing. The last hired, first fired policy
is responsible for losing young teachers and keeping some less
effective teachers. The question to ask should be how will this
improve student achievement. If it doesn't, don't do it.
4:09:35 PM
MR BOYLE said the committee has mostly heard from people on the
state payroll. School boards should not approve contracts they
cannot pay for.
4:10:36 PM
OLIVER LAMKIN, Representing self (age 10), testified in support
of SB 131. He said he supports early funding of schools.
4:11:32 PM
CHAIR STEVENS closed public testimony and asked the will of the
committee.
4:11:42 PM
SENATOR COGHILL moved to report SB 131, version A, from
committee with individual recommendations and attached zero
fiscal note.
4:11:55 PM
CHAIR STEVENS announced that seeing no objection, SB 131 moved
from the Senate Education Standing Committee.
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