03/16/2022 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

         SB 198-RAMPART SCHOOL: YUKON-KOYUKUK DISTRICT                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:36:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR STORY announced  that the final order  of business would                                                               
be SENATE BILL NO. 198, "An  Act providing that Rampart School is                                                               
located  within   the  Yukon-Koyukuk  School   District  regional                                                               
educational  attendance  area;  and providing  for  an  effective                                                               
date."  She  noted that SB 198  is the companion bill  to HB 335,                                                               
which the committee last heard on 3/7/2022.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:37:52 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. TESHNER, Acting Deputy  Commissioner, Department of Education                                                               
and  Early Development,  presented  that SB  198  would move  the                                                               
Rampart School from the Yukon  Flat School District (YFSD) to the                                                               
Yukon-Koyukuk School District (YKSD).                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:39:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LAURIE THOMAS, President, Yukon  Flats School Board, testified in                                                               
support of SB 198.   She stated that she has  served on the Yukon                                                               
Flats School  Board for many years  and knows the history  of the                                                               
Rampart School.  Over the past  10 years there has been an effort                                                               
to revitalize  the community  of Rampart  and reopen  the school.                                                               
She  said  that  YFSD  had a  vocational  education  program  and                                                               
invited  students at  the  Rampart School  to  participate.   She                                                               
stated that they worked together  and decided to become partners.                                                               
They  found that,  where  the community  of  Rampart is  located,                                                               
logistically it would be more  feasible for the Rampart school to                                                               
be under YFSD,  so a memorandum of agreement was  created to help                                                               
with the budgets.  She stated  that every year the memorandum has                                                               
been  renewed, and  then it  was decided  switching the  boundary                                                               
would be easier.  She stated  that this is what the community and                                                               
the students of  Rampart want, so the communities  voted in favor                                                               
of the switch.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:42:42 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GRACE  BEAUJEAN,  Research  Analyst, Division  of  Community  and                                                               
Regional Affairs,  Department of  Commerce, Community  & Economic                                                               
Development, described  that, before redrawing the  boundaries to                                                               
move the  community of Rampart  into YKSD, the  local communities                                                               
would be consulted.   Then the 2020 U.S.  Census Tract boundaries                                                               
would  be used  to  ensure  the entire  community  of Rampart  is                                                               
successfully redrawn  into YKSD.   After  the new  boundaries for                                                               
each district are drawn, they would  need to be described and the                                                               
geographic information systems updated.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:43:46 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND  moved to report  SB 198 out of  committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being  no objection, SB 198  was reported out of  the House                                                               
Education Standing Committee.