02/06/2008 08:00 AM Senate SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

        SB 241-UNIV. REPORT: TEACHER TRAINING/RETENTION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR GARY STEVENS announced consideration of SB 241.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:01:49 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  DONALD  OLSON  moved to  adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute (CS) for SB 241,  labeled 25-LS1346\E, Mischel, as the                                                               
working document. There being no objection, the motion carried.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
TIM  LAMKIN,  staff  to  Senator  Stevens,  sponsor  of  SB  241,                                                               
presented  the  changes  to  SB  241.  He  said  that  Section  1                                                               
specifies  the  Regents  shall  present  to  the  committee  with                                                               
jurisdiction  over  education.  Language   was  also  changed  to                                                               
                                                                th                                                              
[require  that  the  annual  report]  be  presented  by  the  30                                                                
legislative  day,  which  would  also  accommodate  the  regents'                                                               
schedule.  In  Section 2,  page  2,  lines  2-12 would  make  the                                                               
reports  biannual beginning  in 2012.  The effective  date is  in                                                               
Section 5.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:04:16 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  WILKEN  said  the  changes  are  good  and  he  is  very                                                               
supportive of  the legislation, but  highlighted page 1,  line 7,                                                               
"Regents shall prepare and present,"  and said the request to the                                                               
drafter was to have the  Regents "present in person." The drafter                                                               
explained  that  is  not something  they  put  into  legislation,                                                               
although  that  is  the  intent. He  said  with  Senator  Olson's                                                               
permission, he would like to make  it clear on the record that it                                                               
is  indeed the  intent  of the  bill to  have  them present  [the                                                               
report] in person.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS underlined that is what the drafter indicated.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAMKIN  clarified that  it was written  this way  because the                                                               
language reads "the  Board of Regents shall  prepare and present"                                                               
and members of the administration are not regents.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS  asked if  the drafters  are comfortable  that this                                                               
means it will be an eye-to-eye meeting with the Regents.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  LAMKIN said  that  is  correct and  added  that  they had  a                                                               
Regent,  Pat Jacobson,  in the  audience  who would  be happy  to                                                               
answer questions.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:06:07 AM                                                                                                                    
PAT JACOBSON, Regent, University of  Alaska, Kodiak, AK, said she                                                               
is  a retired  teacher and  is now  on the  school board  and the                                                               
Board of Regents. She said she  can speak for the Regents and the                                                               
University in saying that they  support this concept and are glad                                                               
the  legislators  do   too.  She  was  looking   forward  to  the                                                               
opportunity they would have in the future to meet face-to-face.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS said  he is happy to see Kodiak  represented on the                                                               
Board of Regents in the person of herself and others.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
8:08:06 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DAVIS joined the meeting.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR WILKEN said he thinks  there is a real disconnect between                                                               
the legislature and the regents.  The regents are responsible for                                                               
running a billion-dollar corporation  and the legislature, acting                                                               
as the bank,  has a lot to  do with that corporation.  He said he                                                               
thinks it takes more than an  afternoon once a year and that they                                                               
need  to improve  communication  between the  University and  the                                                               
legislature.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS JACOBSON said she appreciates Senator Wilken's comments.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:10:57 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR OLSON  moved to report  CSSB 241, referred to  as Version                                                               
\E,   from   committee   with  individual   recommendations   and                                                               
accompanying fiscal  notes. There  being no objection  the motion                                                               
carried.