Legislature(2023 - 2024)DAVIS 106

03/20/2024 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

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Audio Topic
08:02:52 AM Start
08:04:37 AM University of Alaska Board of Regents|| Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development
09:33:22 AM HB147
09:49:41 AM HB382
10:07:34 AM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
*+ HB 391 CHARTER SCHOOLS TELECONFERENCED
Scheduled but Not Heard
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
*+ HB 382 EDUCATION; PARENT/TEACHER RIGHTS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
+ Consideration of Governor’s Appointees: TELECONFERENCED
University of Alaska Board of Regents - Seth
Church; Board of Education and Early Development
- Pamela Dupras, Barbara Tyndall
-- Public Testimony --
+ HB 147 RETIRED TEACHER CERTIFICATE TELECONFERENCED
Moved HB 147 Out of Committee
-- Testimony <Invitation Only> --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
**Streamed live on AKL.tv**
               HB 147-RETIRED TEACHER CERTIFICATE                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:33:22 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  RUFFRIDGE announced  that  the next  order of  business                                                               
would be  HB 147,  "An act relating  to teacher  certificates for                                                               
retired teachers."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:33:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MAXINE DIBERT, Alaska  State Legislature, as prime                                                               
sponsor, introduced HB 147 and  paraphrased the sponsor statement                                                               
[included  in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  first  thing  this  bill  seeks  to  do  is  honor                                                                    
     teachers  in the  State of  Alaska for  their years  of                                                                    
     dedication  to  our  youth by  providing  them  with  a                                                                    
     lifetime  teachers   certificate  at  no   cost.  Under                                                                    
     current law,  retired teachers pay a  one-time $250 fee                                                                    
     for this  type of  certificate. The current  fee brings                                                                    
     very  little revenue  to  the  state. Retired  teachers                                                                    
     normally  only seek  a  life-time  certificate if  they                                                                    
     plan on re-entering the classroom as substitutes.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     The other thing this bill  does is extend the number of                                                                    
     consecutive days  a retired  teacher holding  this type                                                                    
     of certificate  can long-term substitute from  120 days                                                                    
     to 165 days. This allows  a person holding this type of                                                                    
     certificate to  fill in as  a long-term  substitute for                                                                    
     more than  an entire  semester in cases  where absences                                                                    
     continue for extended periods.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Alaska  educators occasionally  must  take  a leave  of                                                                    
     absence  from  their  classroom for  different  reasons                                                                    
     including  medical procedures,  caring for  a child  or                                                                    
     elder,  the  birth  of  a   child,  as  well  as  other                                                                    
     emergencies. On rare  occasions, teachers abruptly exit                                                                    
     a position  mid-year for personal reasons,  leaving the                                                                    
     school  in a  bind.  When regular  teachers must  leave                                                                    
     positions  during the  academic  year,  this bill  will                                                                    
     take  some pressure  off  schools  in finding  skilled,                                                                    
     qualified  substitutes and  allow them  to fill  longer                                                                    
     vacancies  than  previously  allowed.  This  bill  also                                                                    
     encourages  retired teachers  to share  their expertise                                                                    
     with students  and young teachers and  to remain living                                                                    
     in  Alaska   as  active  members  of   communities  and                                                                    
     contributors to the economy.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT  additionally shared  an anecdote  from her                                                               
recent visit to her alma  mater, Ryan Middle School in Fairbanks,                                                               
and spoke  of her  seventh-grade teacher  who was  asked to  be a                                                               
long-term substitute teacher.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:39:11 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked for  an explanation of the current                                                               
limitation  on  the  number  of days  [a  teacher  can  long-term                                                               
substitute] and  how HB  147 would change  the limitation  of the                                                               
number of days.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:39:31 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TAMMY SMITH,  Staff, Representative  Maxine Dibert,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, answered questions  during the hearing on  HB 147 on                                                               
behalf of  Representative Dibert,  prime sponsor.   She addressed                                                               
Representative Himschoot and explained  that currently the number                                                               
of days  was increased to  165 from 120  due to schools  being in                                                               
need of substitute  teachers for a very long time.   Being that a                                                               
school  year is  approximately  180 days,  she explained,  school                                                               
districts must  post positions for  at least  10 days so  the 165                                                               
pushes  it into  the new  school year.   The  bill would  provide                                                               
ample time for  districts to have a  long-term substitute teacher                                                               
in a position, she said.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:41:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX  sought to clarify  that the 165  school days                                                               
excluded weekends.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SMITH  confirmed  that  was correct  and  that  it  included                                                               
student contact days.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:41:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ALLARD  wished to  make sure the  public was  aware that                                                               
Representative  Dibert's staff  communicated with  the Department                                                               
of  Education  and Early  Development  (DEED)  in order  for  the                                                               
department to be supportive of the bill.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. SMITH confirmed that was correct.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:41:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT  inquired about  how many  teachers hold                                                               
the lifetime certificate.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. SMITH  said DEED  was online  for further  clarification, but                                                               
that the number had increased to about 1,000.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:42:22 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KELLY  MANNING,  Deputy  Director,  Division  of  Innovation  and                                                               
Education   Excellence,  Department   of   Education  and   Early                                                               
Development, answered questions during the  hearing on HB 147 and                                                               
clarified that  she could  get back to  the committee  with exact                                                               
numbers.   She  added that  there are  approximately 100  retired                                                               
teachers   per  year   who  apply   for   the  retired   teachers                                                               
certification.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:42:46 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HIMSCHOOT  offered  her  understanding  that  the                                                               
lifetime  certificates are  not counted  on for  funding for  the                                                               
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MANNING replied  that receipts  DEED  collects from  retired                                                               
teacher certification  fees would go  into it; however,  it comes                                                               
from all receipts from teacher certifications.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:44:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  asked to  be  reminded  of the  number  of                                                               
vacancy rates for teaching staff across the state.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. SMITH responded that she did not have the rates.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MANNING added  that she  did  not have  the current  teacher                                                               
vacancy rates  on hand but would  get back to the  committee at a                                                               
later date.   She further  noted that teacher turnover  varies by                                                               
area.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:45:26 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK moved to report  HB 147 out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:45:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE  objected for the  purpose of discussion.   He                                                               
noted  there was  no public  testimony for  HB 147  in the  House                                                               
Education  Standing   Committee,  but   there  was  in   a  prior                                                               
committee; therefore,  he said he  was not opposed to  moving the                                                               
bill  and  removed  his  objection.     There  being  no  further                                                               
objection,  HB  147  was  reported out  of  the  House  Education                                                               
Standing Committee.                                                                                                             

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
Seth Church Regents - Resume Redacted.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
Pamela Dupras BEED Resume_Redacted.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
Barbara Tyndall Resume BEED_Redacted.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
Pamela Dupras BEED Application_Redacted.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
Barbara Tyndall BEED Application_Redacted.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147 Letters of Support.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB 147 Sectional Analysis Version A.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB 382 Fiscal note DEED_Ed support and Admin as of 3.15.24.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 382
HB 391 Sectional Analysis.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 391
HB 147 Sponsor Statement Version A.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB 147 ADN Article.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB 391 fiscal note DEED_Support and Admin as of 3.15.24.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 391
HB147 DEED Follow-up.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB 382 Sponsor Statement.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 382
HB147 Fiscal Note_DEED_ED support and Admin Services as of 2.1.24.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB0382A.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 382
HB0147A.PDF HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 147
HB0391A.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 391
HB 391 Sponsor Statement.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 391
HB 382 Sectional Analysis.pdf HEDC 3/20/2024 8:00:00 AM
HB 382