Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
04/06/2011 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Superintendent, Juneau School District | |
| HB145|| HJR16 | |
| HB143 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 143 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HJR 16 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 145 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
April 6, 2011
8:05 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Alan Dick, Chair
Representative Lance Pruitt, Vice Chair
Representative Eric Feige
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Sharon Cissna
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Chris Tuck
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): SUPERINTENDENT~ JUNEAU SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 145
"An Act establishing the parental choice scholarship program to
be administered by school districts for the purpose of paying
the cost of attending grades kindergarten through 12 at public
and private schools; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16
Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska
relating to state aid for education.
- MOVED OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 143
"An Act providing an increase and an inflation adjustment to the
base student allocation used in the formula for state funding of
public education; requiring a review and recommendation for
future adjustments to the base student allocation; and providing
for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE BILL NO. 1(EDC)
"An Act requiring the state Board of Education and Early
Development to provide an annual report to the legislature."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 145
SHORT TITLE: K-12 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KELLER
02/09/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/09/11 (H) EDC, FIN
03/25/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/25/11 (H) Heard & Held
03/25/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/04/11 (H) EDC AT 5:00 PM CAPITOL 106
04/04/11 (H) Heard & Held
04/04/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/06/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HJR 16
SHORT TITLE: CONST. AM: EDUCATION FUNDING
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) KELLER
02/09/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/09/11 (H) EDC, JUD, FIN
03/25/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/25/11 (H) Heard & Held
03/25/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/04/11 (H) EDC AT 5:00 PM CAPITOL 106
04/04/11 (H) Heard & Held
04/04/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/06/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HB 143
SHORT TITLE: ADJUST BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION: INFLATION
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) PETERSEN
02/04/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/04/11 (H) EDC, FIN
04/06/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
GLEN GELBRICH, Superintendent
Juneau School District
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint overview of the
Juneau School District.
JOHN ALCANTRA, Government Relations Director
NEA-Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 145.
ROD McCOY
NEA-Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 145 and
during discussion of HB 143.
REPRESENTATIVE WES KELLER
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during discussion of HB 145, as
the sponsor of the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE PETE PETERSEN
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced HB 143, as the sponsor of the
bill.
DAVID DUNSMORE, Staff
Representative Pete Petersen, Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the fiscal note for HB 143, on
behalf of the bill sponsor, Representative Petersen.
BABES HUDSON, President
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
North Pole, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
PETE LEWIS, Superintendent
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
SUE HULL, Member
School Board
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
BRETT GILLAND, Teacher
Anchorage School District
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
JACOB BERA, Teacher
Eagle River High School
Anchorage School District
Chugiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
ANDREA LANG, Teacher
Eagle River High School
Anchorage School District
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
STEWART MCDONALD, Superintendent
Kodiak Island Borough School District
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 143.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:05:06 AM
CHAIR ALAN DICK called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. Representatives Dick, Wilson,
Seaton, Kawasaki, and Feige were present at the call to order.
Representative Pruitt arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION(S): Superintendent, Juneau School District
PRESENTATION(S): Superintendent, Juneau School District
8:05:48 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the first order of business would be a
presentation from the superintendent of the Juneau School
District.
8:06:25 AM
GLEN GELBRICH, Superintendent, Juneau School District, presented
a PowerPoint overview titled "Juneau School District."
[Included in members' packets] He reported that the school
district was the fifth largest in Alaska with 4977 students, 780
employees, and 12 schools with 4 other options, including a
charter school, a home school, a Tlingit Culture Language and
Literacy, and a Montessori program. He detailed the
demographics of the student population to include 23 percent
Alaskan Native, 9 percent Asian, and more than 50 percent White.
He lauded Lorrie Heagy, the current Alaska Teacher of the Year,
and reviewed her music program for integrating multiple arts
into the core classrooms. He directed attention to the handout,
"2010-2014 Strategic Plan." [Included in members' packets] He
stated that far too many students did not graduate. He pointed
out that resources were becoming more limited, and this required
a change in strategy. He explained that the strategic plan
focused on student achievement, formative assessments to monitor
student progress, and professional teacher development. He
highlighted some of the changes: early learning, which was a
pre-kindergarten pilot program; pre-school integrated with
special needs students; short assessment of kindergarteners to
identify which students would benefit from a summer kindergarten
camp; all day kindergarten; and, a staggered Kindergarten school
day which allowed for more personalized learning time.
MR. GELBRICH established that the instruction started with
"clearly defined world class standards" or targets. He said
that these were supported with professional development to build
common, but not uniform, instructional practice. He mentioned
that instructional coaches were used, with the initial focus on
literacy, then math and science. He explained that the teaching
staff teams met for an hour every other Monday to discuss
progress and possible interventions, and that the goals of these
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) included: what do we
want students to know; how will we know if they know; and what
will be done right away if they don't know. He directed
attention to another handout, "Tech Prep agreements with UAS and
UAA," which listed technical preparation courses. [Included in
members' packets] He declared that the opening of the second
high school, as well as the alternative high school, allowed for
smaller, more personalized learning environments for students.
8:15:26 AM
MR. GELBRICH elaborated on the career pathways, where projects
such as building a house were accomplished. He noted that
apprenticeships had been established with engineers, local
plumbers, architects, and other professionals. He discussed a
new program, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination)
which helped talented, but underperforming, students learn good
study habits, and prepare for college or other post-secondary
options. He reported that six of the schools met the ADP
(Adequate Yearly Progress) in 2010, with modest gains in
reading, writing, and math. He noted that both the
comprehensive high schools had an increase in graduation rate,
with a decreased rate in the alternative high school.
8:18:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if the staggered kindergarten
classrooms applied to all the kindergartens.
8:19:21 AM
MR. GELBRICH explained that this was the first year, and there
were three different model classrooms. He said that results
were being monitored.
8:20:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, referring to the PLC meetings, asked what
techniques were used to determine lack of progress and what
action was being taken.
8:20:52 AM
MR. GELBRICH indicated that these meetings made apparent any
need to re-focus and teach differently. This allowed for
intervention instruction on an early recognition basis. He
predicted that the process would allow teams an opportunity to
share the work efforts and results regularly among the other
staff and administrators.
8:22:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON requested that the assessments and
progress reports be made available to the committee.
8:23:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked about the logistics, including
transportation, for the split shift kindergarten.
MR. GELBRICH replied that he would provide further information.
8:24:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON reported that kindergarten had once
been a full day program, and she questioned any difference in
effect.
8:25:04 AM
MR. GELBRICH, in response to Chair Dick, described the Tlingit
Culture Language program as K-5 at Harborview Elementary School,
and that it was a self-contained program.
CHAIR DICK asked if there were any non-Native students in the
program.
MR. GELBRICH replied that there were.
8:25:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, referring to the 70 percent graduation
rate, noted that 30 percent were not graduating and he stressed
the need for individual student advisors. He explained that a
volunteer individual student advisor for every student in the
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District had increased the
graduation rate by 12-15 percent, with no additional cost. He
pointed out that the Governor's Performance Scholarship Program
required institutions to have counselor/advisors in order to
receive the scholarships, and he suggested it be part of the
strategic plan for all school districts.
8:29:14 AM
HB 145-K-12 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
HJR 16-CONST. AM: EDUCATION FUNDING
8:29:24 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 145, "An Act establishing the parental choice
scholarship program to be administered by school districts for
the purpose of paying the cost of attending grades kindergarten
through 12 at public and private schools; and providing for an
effective date." and HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16, Proposing
amendments to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating
to state aid for education.
8:30:00 AM
JOHN ALCANTRA, Government Relations Director, NEA-Alaska, stated
that the members of NEA-Alaska strongly opposed HB 145 and, by
extension, HJR 16. He declared that the Alaska State
Constitution clearly stated:
The Legislature shall by general law establish and
maintain a system of public schools open to all
children of the state and may provide for other public
educational institutions. Schools and institutions so
established shall be free from sectarian control. No
money shall be paid from public funds for the direct
benefit of any religious or other private educational
institution.
MR. ALCANTRA pointed out that discussions with the supporters of
the bill had indicated that the legislation did not ensure that
religious or private schools would accept all Alaskan children,
did not ensure that teachers would be certified, and did not
ensure the same testing requirements as public schools. He
referred to earlier testimony from Cook Inlet Academy which
stated that it was necessary to screen applicants, as the school
did not have the facilities for students with serious special
needs. He stated that public education was provided for all who
wished to attend, regardless of religious affiliation, learning
styles, or physical needs.
The committee took an at-ease from 8:32 a.m. to 8:34 a.m.
8:34:00 AM
ROD McCOY expressed his belief in America, the Constitution, and
democracy and pointed out that, as a teacher, he had taught
these values to his classes. He stated his belief for the value
of maintaining a separation of church and state, not to
disregard the importance of church, but to maintain this
distance as dictated by the writers of the Constitution. He
declared his passion and protection for his religion, and he
endorsed the guidance for a rational approach to state affairs.
He expressed his disagreement with an earlier statement that
"there would be an equitable opportunity for both private
schools and public schools." He declared:
That is entirely untrue. The public schools under the
scenario there would be required to keep each and
every student. The private schools in [HB] 145 would
have no such requirements.
MR. McCOY observed that there was not a structure to require the
private schools to retain any students. He stressed that
segregation would occur. He reported on research by Money
magazine that compared like circumstances, and had stated that
investments in private education did not result in any greater
"bang for their buck." He offered his belief that change for
change sake did not guarantee improvement. He asked that the
legislators "walk slowly" in consideration of change to the
Alaska State Constitution.
8:38:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WES KELLER, Alaska State Legislature, reiterated
that proposed HB 145 would provide public funding for the cost
of attending grades kindergarten through 12 at any school of the
parent's choice. He offered to answer any questions.
[It was clarified that Version D was in front of the committee.]
8:39:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked to clarify that HJR 16 would be put
on the ballot so the people of the state could vote to change
the constitution.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER agreed and explained the remainder of the
process through the legislature.
8:40:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked for an explanation of how the school
district would have the responsibility to administer the program
and yet not have the authority for monitoring performance.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER explained that any school must comply with
AS 14.45.030 or AS 14.45.100 - 14.45.130. [Statutes that govern
religious or other private schools] He listed the necessary
records to maintain exemption from other provisions of law
pertaining to education.
8:42:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked for more information to the
educational responsibility of the school districts.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied that the school district would
have information about the participating schools.
8:44:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked to clarify, should the [private]
schools which received funding not perform as well as the public
schools, would there be a report to the parents. He asked if
there was any accountability or mechanism for the school
district to stop the funding to the [private] schools.
8:45:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER expressed "a lot of faith in the fact that
the parents would not choose a school that is doing a bad job,
and that's the whole point is to get that information out there
and the parents are the ones to make the choice." He stated
that "the market will work."
8:45:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON reflected that if private schools had
to follow the same regulations as public schools, then the
screening process at private school would not be allowed.
8:46:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied that participating schools would
have independence and that laws prohibited discrimination.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked again if the screening processes
would be stopped. She referred to earlier testimony from a
private school principal that there was a screening process, and
that the [private] school could choose the students. She
pointed out that the public school was not allowed this choice.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied that the private schools could not
"pick and choose based on race, gender, beliefs, what have you,
that's part of the state law."
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked for Representative Keller to put
on the record that there would be no screening.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER declared that the decision was based on
choice and if a school provided a statement of faith, parents
would make the choice whether or not to sign such a document.
8:48:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER, in response to Representative P. Wilson,
agreed that it would be the parent's choice.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked for confirmation that the school
would not turn away a student.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied:
There may be supplements in the application that
somebody will not go to the school, will choose to not
go to the school, because of the requirements that are
there, but I think it's pretty clear that we want to
leave those choices to whatever school is
participating.
8:50:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON offered an example of a student with a
handicap, and a private school might indicate that it was not
prepared to deal with that handicap. She pointed out that
public schools were not allowed to turn students away.
8:50:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER, in response, said that as a parent, he
would choose the school that would best serve the child.
8:50:58 AM
CHAIR DICK interjected that this was a discussion of minutiae,
and he reflected on the difficulty for projecting the final
outcome. He posed that it was not necessary to discuss details,
and that moving proposed HB 145 out of committee would allow
further scrutiny. He stated that this was a nationwide issue.
He announced that the issue would "end up in front of the people
of Alaska, and I think that's really where the dialogue needs to
take place." He expressed his desire to allow the discussion to
continue beyond the committee. He stressed the importance that
this decision be made by the people of Alaska, and not by those
in government.
8:53:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI directed attention to Version I, which
stated that districts would approve the participating schools
and it "specifically cited that the discrimination in admission
and hiring practices was part of this bill." He noted that
Version D did not include this statement, but that it stated
"they would admit students based on a random selection process,
but could apply the preference for siblings." He offered his
belief that Version D specifically allowed discrimination
against students to continue. He opined that this was the
proper venue to discuss policies of discrimination against
students. He announced that he would not support to move the
bill out of committee.
8:55:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON pointed out that the proposed HB 145 would
not go to a vote of the people, as it was currently
unconstitutional. He directed attention to HJR 16, which would
allow a vote on proposed HB 145 by Alaskans. He emphasized that
a job of the committee was to get into the minutiae of a bill.
8:55:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER, indicating Version D, page 2, lines 14-
17, observed that the intent of the sponsor was that the school
district may participate in the option of student
transportation. He reported that "it leaves the option up to
the good will of the district based on the money they received
on that program."
8:57:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT expressed his concern with perception of
the word "may." He declared his concern with the fiscal
accountability for the transportation clause of the proposed
bill. He indicated that the transportation cost should be borne
by the parents of the student.
9:00:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER, in response to Representative Pruitt,
said that the burden for transportation was placed on the
district, but that the proposed bill did not require expansion
of the current transportation beyond 100 percent of that
allocated to "a similarly situated student."
9:01:14 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:01 a.m. to 9:06 a.m.
9:06:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER, in response to Representative Pruitt,
offered to remove the transportation language from the proposed
bill.
9:07:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked to clarify that the legislative
intent was not to provide transportation for every child, and
that the parental choice of schools would include the parental
responsibility for the student's transportation to the school.
9:08:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if it was the intent of the sponsor
of the bill that the district would provide transportation to
some private schools, but not to other private schools.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied that the school district would
have the choice to provide transportation.
9:09:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON stated, for the record, that the intent
was to allow a school district to supply transportation for some
students to schools within the district, but not to all students
to all schools.
9:10:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON expressed her concern that a parent may
bring a law suit if the school district does not transport
equally.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said that the bill was not specific, and
that the intent of the sponsor was "to give the district the
choice based on good sense of what to do."
9:11:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked what the intent of the sponsor
was for transportation.
9:12:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER apologized and stated that his intent was
to allow a school district the option for student
transportation. He said that the bill wording was not that
specific.
9:13:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON maintained her concern for this issue.
9:13:24 AM
CHAIR DICK said that HB 145 would be held over.
9:13:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT moved to report HJR 16 out of committee
with individual recommendations.
9:13:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI objected for discussion.
9:14:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON stated his support for HJR 16, as it would
need to be passed by the legislature and the people of Alaska.
9:15:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI maintained his objection.
9:15:31 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Feige, Pruitt, P.
Wilson, Seaton, and Dick voted in favor of HJR 16.
Representative Kawasaki voted against it. Therefore, HJR 16 was
reported out of the House Education Standing Committee by a vote
of 5-1.
9:16:41 AM
Representative Keller pointed out that HJR 16 and proposed HB
145 could not ultimately be separated. He encouraged support
for HB 145.
9:17:09 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:17 a.m. to 9:21 a.m.
9:21:13 AM
HB 143-ADJUST BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION: INFLATION
CHAIR DICK announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 143, "An Act providing an increase and an
inflation adjustment to the base student allocation used in the
formula for state funding of public education; requiring a
review and recommendation for future adjustments to the base
student allocation; and providing for an effective date."
9:21:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN, Alaska State Legislature, presented HB
143, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 143 would protect our students and school
districts from having to pay for inflation with fewer
education opportunities. Inflation happens every
year, and if the Base Student Allocation is not
adjusted to cover annual losses to inflation then
local districts have to make up the losses by cutting
services or through increased municipal taxes. For
many districts increased taxation is not a legally
available option.
The Base Student Allocation and the foundation formula
are the primary means of providing state support to
local K-12 education in Alaska. Over the last three
years there have been statutory increases to the BSA
which have allowed school districts to operate with
knowledge of how much state support they would receive
through these three years. This bill will also allow
for better multi-year planning, since districts will
know that the BSA will be protected from inflation.
During this three year period the Department of
Education would be tasked with conducting a
professional study of the true changes in costs for K-
12 education and the department would submit a
recommended BSA amount for consideration before the
2014 regular legislative session. This will allow the
Legislature to consider any changes to the costs of
providing education in Alaska that might not be
reflected in the Consumer Price Index.
Alaska has many complicated issues that must be
addressed to improve our education system, and I know
that this committee has been hard at work on many
different bills this session. I certainly don't think
that this bill solves all our problems, but I know
that if we make our students pay for inflation through
fewer educational opportunities that this will only
make things worse.
There has been some suggestion that school districts
should not receive an inflation adjustment because
people are not satisfied with efforts to increase
graduation and student performance. In Anchorage our
district has been making steady progress at increasing
graduation rates over the past decade and has the
lowest dropout rate of Alaska's five major urban
school districts. Anchorage has implemented several
innovative programs to improve graduation, including
the successful graduation coach program, and these
programs can find themselves on the chopping block
when the BSA loses ground to inflation.
I urge you to support this bill to allow school
districts to perform better multi-year budgeting and
ensure that our students do not have to pay the cost
of inflation by having fewer educational
opportunities.
9:24:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN pointed out that school supplies were
not fully covered and teachers would often seek contributions to
fill the gap.
9:25:41 AM
DAVID DUNSMORE, Staff, Representative Pete Petersen, Alaska
State Legislature, presented the fiscal note, paraphrasing from
a prepared statement, and explained that Section 1 raised the
Base Student Allocation (BSA) to $5,838, an increase of $158
over the current amount, but only effective for the upcoming
fiscal year. He said that Section 2, Subsection 1, established
that the Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
would annually adjust the BSA for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 to
reflect the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Anchorage. He
directed attention to Section 2, Subsection 2, which required
EED to review the actual changes in educational cost per student
in each district, and would give the legislature information
about education specific factors not necessarily reflected in
the CPI. He reported that Section 2, Subsection 3, required EED
to submit a report to the 28th Legislature, prior to the 2014
regular session, to recommend an amount for the BSA for fiscal
year 2015. He noted that Section 3 established July 1, 2011 as
the effective date for the proposed bill.
9:28:01 AM
BABES HUDSON, President, Parent Teacher Association (PTA),
stated support for HB 143. She said that she was the parent of
three special needs children, and that the proposed bill would
provide assurance for the continuation of the necessary
financial support for education.
9:30:07 AM
PETE LEWIS, Superintendent, Fairbanks North Star Borough School
District, stated that the proposed bill was forward thinking
with the tie to the CPI, and that the study of the BSA would
continue. He expressed support of the bill.
The committee took an at-ease from 9:30 a.m. to 9:33 a.m.
9:33:01 AM
MR. LEWIS concluded that the bill allowed forward thinking for
school planning.
9:33:41 AM
SUE HULL, Member, School Board, Fairbanks North Star Borough
School District, stated support for HB 143 and stressed the need
for the BSA adjustment. She opined that this was an important
investment in the future of Alaska, as it was important to do
more for kids and not to cut the budgets.
9:35:11 AM
BRETT GILLAND, Teacher, Anchorage School District, described the
enrollment size of the math class which he taught, and the
difficulties in meeting the needs of the students. He pointed
out that he was teaching an additional class during his
scheduled planning period, to allow for smaller classes. He
encouraged communication with the school districts as the
responsible means toward change when inefficiencies were
recognized. He stressed that "shorting funding to schools
throughout the state" was not a responsible means of change, as
under funding would not reduce the inefficiencies, but would
exacerbate them. He pointed to the difficulty of offering the
necessary individualized instruction in classrooms that were
overcrowded.
9:39:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, referring to the consumer price index
(CPI) which currently indicated zero inflation, asked how
funding would be decreased if this became negative inflation.
MR. GILLAND replied that his comments had been directed to the
minimum obligation for funding, and he asked for a reason to
budget for low growth.
9:41:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, noting that the proposed bill was based
on the CPI, asked if the CPI was a good index as 85 percent of
the school district budget was based on wages and not on
supplies.
MR. GILLAND deferred.
9:42:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked what was the expectation for class
size.
MR. GILLAND replied that it was 32 students, although even that
was large.
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked about Mr. Gilland's experience as a
teacher.
MR. GILLAND replied that class sizes in Alaska were as large as
any he had taught. He relayed that he had taught for three
years in Oklahoma and three years in Alaska. He reported that
20 students was a reasonable number for a class if he expected
to offer any individual interaction. He stated that more
students than this resulted in a lecture hall approach. He
opined that if Oklahoma could maintain smaller classes, then
Alaska should be able to do as well.
9:43:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked where the efficiency would result, as
a student base allocation allowed for more money with more
students.
MR. GILLAND replied that decreasing class size from 30 students
to 20 students would mean an increase of 50 percent to the
teaching staff.
9:44:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE proposed to make more staff positions into
teaching positions.
9:45:15 AM
MR. GILLAND replied that the school board was responsible to its
constituency.
9:46:04 AM
JACOB BERA, Teacher, Eagle River High School, Anchorage School
District, stated support for HB 143, paraphrasing from a
prepared statement, which read [original punctuation provided]:
My name is Jacob Bera. My wife and I both teach for
the Anchorage School District, and we have a 2 year
old son, Leif, that will eventually attend Anchorage
Public Schools. I would like to speak this morning in
favor of House Bill 143. I believe Alaska has the
capacity and resources to create the strongest
educational system in the nation. We all agree in the
importance of education, especially early education,
in setting young Alaskans on a path to success in
life. My school, Eagle River High School, is full of
strong teachers who give everything they have to our
students. Our graduation rate is 89%, well above the
district ave, teachers volunteer to serve on a 9th
grad success committee that tracks freshmen as they
start their high school career, and we pride ourselves
as a staff on eating our lunches not in the staff
lounge, but a desk with our students helping with
homework. Yet every year we're being asked to do more
with less. I am the only art teacher at my school,
and where most teachers are asked to lead no more than
3 different, I teach 5 different groups including an
Advanced Placement course in order to provide a
complete curriculum. As a department chair and member
of my schools leadership committee, we're constantly
trying to keep class sizes at a reasonable level as
we're asked each year to cut positions. I believe
this bill is a step in the right direction towards
providing more financial security, now & in the future
for Alaskan schools, and the best possible educational
opportunities for my son our Alaskan students.
9:47:51 AM
ANDREA LANG, Teacher, Eagle River High School, Anchorage School
District, explained her role as the choir, theater, and guitar
teacher, and she detailed the ongoing success of a number of her
students. She pointed to the difficulty of showing success in
the arts, as it was not reflected in the usual performance based
tests. She expressed her support for HB 143. She reflected on
the difficulties encountered with large classes and the lack of
materials and supplies. She read from a prepared statement:
[original punctuation included]
During my time here I have spoken to a number of
legislators for & against the BSA. Though the issue
may seem rather complicated to you... this is what I
know: My kids need my time- I know my kids need to be
in a class w/ a manageable # of students My kids need
materials...My kids need the best education that a
state flush with money can provide.
And while politicians debate on giving 2 billion
dollars a year back to corporations that raked in an
average of 1.7 billion dollars net profit for last
year under ACES.
She requested that the committee pass HB 143.
9:51:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON expressed her understanding of the
situation.
9:52:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON agreed that the committee recognized the
situation and the importance of the arts for keeping kids in
school.
9:53:34 AM
STEWART MCDONALD, Superintendent, Kodiak Island Borough School
District, stated support for HB 143 and included statements of
support from other small districts. He pointed out that the
only flexibility within his budget, if funding was cut, was for
teachers and programs. He declared the need for future funding
increases as it was imperative to provide the technology needed
to keep the remote schools competitive.
9:57:02 AM
ROD MCCOY, NEA-Alaska, provided a collection of statements in
support of the bill. He stated that he was from a family of
educators, and that his wife and his children were teachers. He
emphasized that raising knowledgeable children was imperative.
He disagreed with the statement that education was fully funded.
10:00:30 AM
CHAIR DICK stated that public testimony would remain open, and
that HB 143 would be held over.
10:01:12 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:01 a.m.
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