03/30/2022 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION

            SB 236-FACILITIES CONSTITUTING A SCHOOL                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:02:57 AM                                                                                                                    
   CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO.  236                                                            
   "An Act relating to facilities constituting a school."                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
   He noted that this was the second hearing.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
   [CSSB 236, Version B, was before the committee.]                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
   9:03:10 AM                                                                                                                 
   CHAIR HOLLAND opened public testimony SB 236.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
   9:03:35 AM                                                                                                                 
   LON GARRISON, Executive  Director, Association  of Alaska  School                                                            
   Boards (AASB),  Juneau, Alaska,  stated that  AASB views  charter                                                            
   schools as  an option  in public  education to  help ensure  that                                                            
   every student in every district is able to receive the  education                                                            
   that best  fits their  needs. It  can be  a challenge  to have  a                                                            
   charter school in  many rural districts  and smaller communities                                                             
   because of  limited facilities,  but SB  236 does  not prevent  a                                                            
   district that  has just  one school  from also  having a  charter                                                            
   school if individuals in the  community believe that is the  best                                                            
   way to  address  the educational  needs  in their  community.  On                                                            
   behalf of  the Association  of Alaska  School Boards,  he  stated                                                            
   support for passing SB 236.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
   9:05:06 AM                                                                                                                 
   CHAIR HOLLAND discerned  that nobody else  wished to comment  and                                                            
   closed public testimony on SB 236.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
   9:05:49 AM                                                                                                                 
   SENATOR STEVENS noted  that the fiscal  note indicates that  this                                                            
   legislation was to resolve a problem  in Hooper Bay. He asked  if                                                            
   it was realistic  for the state  to spend $1  million to  resolve                                                            
   one problem.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
   CHAIR HOLLAND asked Elwin Blackwell if  he had a response to  the                                                            
   question.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
   9:06:41 AM                                                                                                                 
   ELWIN BLACKWELL,  School  Finance  Manager,  School  Finance  and                                                            
   Facilities   Section,   Department   of   Education   and   Early                                                            
   Development (DEED),  Juneau, Alaska,  stated that  the bill  will                                                            
   allow the Lower Yukon School District to receive two  adjustments                                                            
   for their K-12 program  in Hooper Bay.  The current situation  is                                                            
   that the  charter  school has  two  facilities so  there  is  one                                                            
   adjustment for K-12  and one adjustment  for the charter  school.                                                            
   The bill addresses that situation and will allow two  adjustments                                                            
for the K-12 program and one adjustment for the charter school.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS asked whether other  schools might be affected if                                                               
SB 236  were to pass, and  whether the fiscal note  addressed the                                                               
actual cost.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:08:06 AM                                                                                                                    
MR. BLACKWELL  answered that SB  236 currently would  only affect                                                               
the school in  Hooper Bay. No other communities with  a single K-                                                               
12 facility are  even close to the 425 student  ADM. For example,                                                               
a  community with  300 ADM  that  opened a  charter school  would                                                               
continue to  receive two adjustments  because they are  under the                                                               
425 student ADM threshold for the community.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:08:37 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS asked  if he believed that the fiscal  note was a                                                               
legitimate reflection of the cost to the state.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. BLACKWELL said yes.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:08:54 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  HUGHES offered  her understanding  that the  fiscal note                                                               
brought the funding  back to the level it was  before the charter                                                               
school was  formed. The  total number of  students in  Hooper Bay                                                               
did not change  and there was still just one  regular school, but                                                               
some  students transferred  to  the charter  school  when it  was                                                               
formed. She suggested Mr. Leavitt could confirm that.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:10:04 AM                                                                                                                    
ANDREW  LEAVITT, Director  of Budget  & Finance,  Lower Kuskokwim                                                               
School District,  Anchorage, Alaska,  explained that  opening the                                                               
charter  school in  Hooper  Bay generated  a  $1 million  funding                                                               
formula penalty  for the school.  SB 236 only affects  Hooper Bay                                                               
because  it  is   the  only  community  with   an  average  daily                                                               
membership (ADM)  count of greater  than 424 and only  one school                                                               
facility. He highlighted that the  fiscal note reflects returning                                                               
the  funding for  Hooper  Bay  to the  level  it  was before  the                                                               
charter school was formed.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:11:08 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  HOLLAND  found  no  further   questions  or  comments  and                                                               
solicited a motion.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:11:25 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS  moved to report  the CS  for SB 236,  work order                                                               
32-LS1642\B, from  committee with individual  recommendations and                                                               
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
   9:11:42 AM                                                                                                                 
   CHAIR HOLLAND found no objection  and CSSB 236(EDC) was  reported                                                            
   from the Senate Education Standing Committee.