Legislature(2003 - 2004)
05/15/2003 08:45 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 154(FIN)
"An Act relating to advancement in public schools of children
under school age; and providing for an effective date for the
Act of July 1, 2004."
This was the first hearing for this bill in the Senate Finance
Committee.
Co-Chair Wilken stated this bill "upgrades school students,
sponsored by the [House] Rules Committee at request of the
Governor. House Bill 154 removes the school districts' ability to
offer early entry to four-year-olds as a standard practice to
access the foundation formula and provide State funds to school
programs. Currently districts can enroll four-year-olds and then
enroll them as kindergarten students in the next school year. The
result to the State is an additional per pupil funding per year
equating to approximately $3.9 million."
EDDY JEANS, School Finance Manager, School Finance and Facilities
Section, Education Support Services, Department of Education and
Early Development, clarified the intent of this legislation is not
to prohibit four-year-olds who are ready to begin their educational
career, from entering kindergarten early. Rather, he emphasized the
intent is to eliminate school districts' ability to offer two years
of kindergarten and receive State foundation funding to do so.
Mr. Jeans interpreted the statues "envisioned" a student enrolled
in the State public school system for approximately 13 years;
th
kindergarten through 12 grade. However, upon collecting student
level data from school districts, he reported that some districts
are enrolling all four-year-olds into a two-year kindergarten
program. He stated this is occurring under AS 14.03.080 Right to
Attend School., which he cited as followed.
(c) A child under school age may be admitted to the
public school in the school district in which the child is a
resident at the discretion of the governing body if the child
meets the minimum standards prescribed by the school board
evidencing that the child has a mental, physical and emotional
capacity to perform satisfactorily for the educational program
being offered.
Mr. Jeans pointed out that "the educational program being offered"
is "a pretty broad term". He assured this legislation "brings
clarity to that section of statute" by requiring that the
districts' educational program must prescribe that underage
students advance through the curriculum and grade level by the
following fiscal year. He explained that this legislation
essentially "puts all school districts on notice that the real
intent here is 13 years of funding through the foundation program
not 14."
Senator Hoffman asked if all of the communities where this is
occurring have access to a Head Start program.
Mr. Jeans replied that some do, although others do not.
Senator Hoffman characterized this as a parody issue: those
communities with access to Head Start offer an unfair advantage for
their students entering school if the communities without access to
Head Start are prohibited from a two-year kindergarten program.
Senator Bunde asked for assurance that this legislation would not
prevent districts from implementing age requirements; specifically
that students must reach the age of five by a certain date before
eligible to enroll in kindergarten.
Mr. Jeans responded that the age requirement to enter kindergarten
is established elsewhere in statute and provides that a child must
be five years old by August 15 of that school year. He clarified
this legislation would not prohibit the evaluation and
determination by a school district that a child is truly ready for
kindergarten, with the expectation that the child would advance to
first grade in the subsequent school year, and allowing that child
to enroll in kindergarten.
Senator Bunde asked if the current practice of districts is that
this determination is made without the honest expectation that the
four-year old child would advance to first grade.
Co-Chair Wilken suggested this was an unfair question to the
witness, as he could not be expected to know the intent of school
districts.
Senator Taylor expressed concern that the language is not specific
enough. He asked if every underage student enrolled must be
advanced to first grade the next year regardless of whether that
child is ready.
Mr. Jeans assured that the Department does not intend to apply the
stipulations "so black and white". He understood that districts
would determine some children have the ability to advance to the
next grade level the following year and would enroll them, only to
later learn these children are not ready. He pointed out that some
five year olds enter kindergarten and are not ready to advance the
following year. He stressed this legislation is intended to address
the matter of districts enrolling every four-year old into the
public school system and collecting State foundation funding.
Senator Taylor asked what would prevent a district to continuing
the practice, claiming intent to advance each student. He opined
this is a manipulation of the foundation funds by certain school
districts to obtain more money. He recalled earlier practices
before the passage of SB 36, establishing the current foundation
funding formula, in which some districts claimed gifted students at
a rate 2,000 percent higher than any other community in the United
States. He elaborated about other misuses.
Mr. Jeans assured the testimony on this legislation adequately
establishes intent and that if the Department discovers a school
district is "blanketly" enrolling four-year olds, it would have the
authority to deny funding in the subsequent school year.
Senator Taylor offered a motion to report the bill from Committee
with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal note.
Without objection CS HB 154 (FIN) MOVED from Committee with fiscal
note #2 from the Department of Education and Early Development,
which reflected a reduced expense of $3,916,200 in FY 05.
Co-Chair Wilken announced the Committee would recess to the call of
the chair.
AT EASE 10:57 AM / 2:26 PM
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