05/12/2025 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 146                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An   Act   relating   to  the   regional   educational                                                                    
     attendance  area and  small  municipal school  district                                                                    
     fund;  relating  to  Mt.  Edgecumbe  High  School;  and                                                                    
     relating to teacher housing."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:26:29 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman relayed that  the committee had first heard                                                                    
SB  146  on April  4  and  had  taken public  testimony  and                                                                    
reviewed the fiscal notes at the time.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:26:56 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Liz Harpold,  Staff, Senator Donny Olson,  explained that SB
 proposed  to amend  the Regional  Educational Attendance                                                                    
Area (REAA)  Fund language to include  major maintenance and                                                                    
construction  at  Mount  Edgecumbe High  School  (MEHS)  and                                                                    
major  maintenance  for teacher  housing  in  REAA or  small                                                                    
municipal areas  as allowable  uses for  the fund.  The bill                                                                    
also  proposed to  remove the  $70 million  cap on  the fund                                                                    
value  preventing any  fund balance  above  the amount  from                                                                    
lapsing into  the General Fund at  the end of the  year. She                                                                    
reminded that  MEHS was  a public  boarding school,  and its                                                                    
maintenance  was  part  of DEED's  advocacy  efforts  unlike                                                                    
other high  schools around the  state. By amending  the REAA                                                                    
Fund language, MEHS would be  able to advocate to put itself                                                                    
on the  major maintenance and deferred  maintenance lists as                                                                    
other high schools in the state.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:27:59 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  added that  MEHS could not  be put  in the                                                                    
major  maintenance  list  for   K-12.  He  mentioned  vetoes                                                                    
related  to  the  topic.  He emphasized  that  MEHS  had  to                                                                    
compete with  all other DOT maintenance  requests around the                                                                    
state,  and  due  to  its   small  size  did  not  get  much                                                                    
attention. He noted that he  had not seen advocacy from DEED                                                                    
on behalf  of MEHS. He  mentioned difficulty in  getting the                                                                    
deferred  maintenance list  from the  department. There  was                                                                    
concern that without inclusion the  school would continue to                                                                    
be  disadvantaged.   He  discussed  the  age   of  the  MEHS                                                                    
buildings, which were built before  World War II. He thought                                                                    
planning was necessary  for the benefit of  MEHS. He pointed                                                                    
out  that  MEHS  was  one of  the  state's  best  performing                                                                    
schools, and  many future  leaders had  come from  and would                                                                    
come from the school.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Hoffman stressed  that Co-Chair  Stedman had  been                                                                    
the school's  sole advocate for years.  He expressed support                                                                    
for the bill.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman  MOVED to  report SB  146 out  of Committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SB 146  was REPORTED  out of committee  with five  "do pass"                                                                    
recommendations   and    with   two    "no   recommendation"                                                                    
recommendations, and  with one new  fiscal impact  note from                                                                    
the Department of Education and Early Development.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:31:05 AM                                                                                                                   
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:32:57 AM                                                                                                                   
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman discussed the agenda for the afternoon                                                                         
meeting.