04/08/2013 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION

          SB 15-PREKINDERGARTEN SCHOOL PROGRAMS/PLANS                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:01:24 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration  of SB 15. He noted the                                                               
committee has previously heard the bill.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HOLLIS  FRENCH, Alaska State  Legislature, sponsor  of SB
,  shared Carol  Como's  exit interview  after  she retired  as                                                               
Superintendent of  the Anchorage  School District. When  asked if                                                               
she had any regrets, she said the following:                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     The  biggest regret,  I feel,  is more  of a  statewide                                                                    
     issue.  We  worked really  hard  over  the last  twelve                                                                    
     years to  get legislators  and governors  to understand                                                                    
     how  important preschool  is, especially  for kids  who                                                                    
     are  in Title  I schools.  Families who  are struggling                                                                    
     just  don't have  the money  to send  their kids  to an                                                                    
     excellent preschool. They don't have  a lot of books in                                                                    
     their homes.  We have  a large number  of our  kids who                                                                    
     come to us  very far behind in  kindergarten every year                                                                    
     compared to  kids who come  from what I  call 'enriched                                                                    
     backgrounds.'  The discrepancy  of kids  coming in  the                                                                    
     door  in  kindergarten is  huge.  So  many little  kids                                                                    
     never catch up.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:02:56 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS requested a run-through on the funding issue.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH explained  that SB 15 proposes  a half-day program                                                               
for pre-kindergarteners.  He opined that  the fiscal note  was on                                                               
the high side, given that  the fiscal note anticipates that every                                                               
eligible child will attend the  first day. He expected the actual                                                               
expense to be much lower. He  suggested the program could also be                                                               
made available to  only a third of the kids  one year, two-thirds                                                               
the second year, and all of them the third year.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:03:54 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  GARDNER asked  if Senator  French considered  having the                                                               
program  offered  by Title  I  schools  or having  a  needs-based                                                               
approach.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  replied that they  did think about that.  He said                                                               
there is a lot of discussion  about whether to aim the program at                                                               
lower  income  kids.  He  noted   that  Head  Start  serves  that                                                               
population. He believed that it should be available to everyone.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GARDNER responded  that she agreed, but  said funding may                                                               
not be available.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  replied that  it was  a great  policy discussion,                                                               
but  he   reiterated  that  preschool  should   be  available  to                                                               
everyone.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNLEAVY  stated  that  he  applauded  Senator  French's                                                               
desire to include all preschool  Alaskans. He said he was working                                                               
working on a K-12 bill. He  noted that inclusion will cost money.                                                               
He did  not want to choose  one group over another  to receive an                                                               
education opportunity.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH agreed. He said it is a difficult policy choice.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:06:52 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS asked about the pre-kindergarten pilot program.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FRENCH showed  a graph  that depicts  the vocabulary  of                                                               
children from different economic levels  as they age from zero to                                                               
36 months. Lower  income children had 300 vocabulary  words by 36                                                               
months;  working  class  kids  had  a  600-word  vocabulary,  and                                                               
children   of  college   educated  families   had  a   1,200-word                                                               
vocabulary.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
He addressed test  results that show that 77  percent of children                                                               
enter school in the bottom two  quartiles in the fall. By spring,                                                               
28 percent  have moved up to  the top two quartiles.  He said the                                                               
numbers were powerful and accurate.  He stressed that the numbers                                                               
from the November 2012 report show the same growth pattern.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:10:15 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DUNLEAVY asked if the fiscal note is about $46 million.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH answered yes.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LES MORSE,  Deputy Commissioner, Department of  Education & Early                                                               
Development, offered to answer questions.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS asked Mr. Morse to comment on the pilot program.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. MORSE replied  that the data on the pre-K  program shows that                                                               
it is successful so far. He  offered to forward the report to the                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GARDNER said she wished to see the report.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS asked Mr. Morse to give the report to the staff.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. MORSE agreed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:12:41 AM                                                                                                                    
MIKE COONS,  representing himself, testified in  opposition to SB
. He questioned the motives, cost, and results of the program.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:16:23 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS closed public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNLEAVY asked  if  the next  committee  of referral  is                                                               
finance.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS said yes.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNLEAVY said he was not sure it would pass finance.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS  suspected that Senator  Dunleavy was  correct, but                                                               
stressed the issue warrants considerable discussion.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNLEAVY  moved to  report  SB  15 from  committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached  fiscal note. There being                                                               
no  objection,  SB 15  was  reported  from the  Senate  Education                                                               
Standing Committee.