Legislature(2007 - 2008)BUTROVICH 205
02/01/2008 08:00 AM Senate SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB241HIDETHISWHENFINISHED | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SCR 16 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 241 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 241-UNIV. REPORT: TEACHER TRAINING/RETENTION
CHAIR STEVENS announced consideration of SB 241.
8:08:43 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Stevens, presented an overview of SB
241. He said the bill is the product of work by the Joint
Legislative Education Funding Task Force (JLEFTF). The spirit of
the bill is to bring the University of Alaska and the regents
into closer dialogue with the legislature regarding teacher/work
force development in Alaska.
8:10:03 AM
PAT PITNEY, Vice President, Planning and Budget, University of
Alaska Southeast (UAS), Juneau, AK, said she would provide an
overview of activities related to teacher training, recruitment
and retention. She said a timely and formal report to the
legislature could easily be accomplished. She said the Alaska
Commission of Postsecondary Education (ACPE) and the Department
of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) have information that
could add to the overall scope of increasing Alaskan teacher
recruitment. She said those testifying would provide an overview
of programs designed to move toward this goal.
CHAIR STEVENS said that his oldest daughter received her MAT in
teaching from UAS and is now pursuing a PhD in Clinical
Psychology.
8:13:31 AM
JOHN PUGH, Chancellor, University of Alaska Southeast (UAS),
Juneau, AK, said he was the former Dean of Arts and Sciences and
Education at UAS and the creator of the Master's program in
teaching at UAS. He said the university realized there was a
problem in nursing and health a few years ago and met with
hospitals and nursing associations to put together an enhanced
nursing program that could double the number of nurses. He said
the same incentive is motivating the university to seek a
solution to the teacher shortage problem.
8:15:11 AM
LARRY HARRIS, Dean, School of Education, UAS, Juneau, AK, said
the university offers beginning teachers initial certification
with a Bachelor Degree (BA) in Elementary Education, a program
that has grown from 40 students to 80 students currently. He
added this is not a guarantee that 80 students will graduate.
Students are allowed to complete their program from a distance.
They are on campus for the first couple of years after which
they return to their home community in Southeast Alaska where
they complete their course work and practicum experience.
MR. HARRIS said there are three Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
programs: a one-year program in elementary education in Juneau
which will be expanded next fall to include Sitka and Ketchikan
to hopefully double the enrollment; a secondary MAT program with
cohorts in Juneau and Sitka; and a third cohort residing between
Craig, Homer and Wasilla that accommodates 30 students. The plan
is to target more science and math teachers. A third MAT program
is a distance-delivered two-to-three year program in elementary
education. It has about 60 students from all over the state who
already have a BA.
8:18:48 AM
MR. HARRIS said other programs for experienced teachers include:
a reading specialist program; a program in educational
technology; and a math education program with 13 students in
rural middle schools for teachers not qualified to teach math.
There's a huge shortage of special education teachers in the
state. The university's special education programs work with 36
students in Bethel, Wasilla, Kake, Northwest Arctic School
District and other districts. The students are already teaching
in the classroom while becoming qualified as special education
teachers. The program was changed last year from an endorsement-
only program to a MAT and the enrollment tripled.
CHAIR STEVENS said he appreciated the innovative programs,
especially the one-year teacher education program which his
daughter participated in at UAS. He asked if the university has
this program in other parts of the state.
8:22:29 AM
MARY SNYDER, Dean, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA),
Anchorage, AK, said the university has addressed the problem of
its lengthy special education program with a new certification
program. There were 100 students who graduated last year with a
total of 217 graduating with a BA or an MAT. The undergraduate
programs at UAA are for elementary and early childhood
education, and there's an MAT program for secondary education
similar to the one at UAS. One hundred percent of graduates were
hired locally either by MatSu or Anchorage districts. UAA has 40
to 50 elementary, middle school, high school or early childhood
interns in the Anchorage and MatSu districts. It has partnership
programs with Kenai and Kodiak where the courses are delivered
via distance and students can complete their degrees on the
local campus. About 47 percent of courses are delivered via
distance. Other graduate programs at UAA include special
education, early childhood education, counselor education, and
speech and language pathology. UAA also provides education for
principals and superintendants. It has an Alaska Educational
Innovations Network (AEIN) partnership grant that serves over half
the students in the state and partnerships with nine districts.
8:26:19 AM
DIANE HIRSCHBERG, Researcher, Institute of Social and Economic
Research (ISER), Anchorage, AK, said ISER has been looking at
the issue of teacher turnover since 2000. The initial study
published in 2002 demonstrated the need for further research.
ISER has since developed collaborative relationships with Alaska
Teacher Placement, the Department of Education, the University
of Alaska (UA), its colleges of education and the Department of
Labor and Workforce Development to develop a memorandum of
understanding that looks comprehensively at teacher turnover,
the supply from outside as well as from in-state programs. It is
currently responding to requests for data from these
institutions and feeding it back to them in order to help with
accreditation efforts. From the last report in 2006, ISER
produced the four-page summary in the bill packet. The turnover
rate is much higher in rural Alaska. The state doesn't train
enough teachers within the state to meet the need. If the state
could reduce turnover it could produce enough teachers. There is
always a certain amount of turnover that has to do with personal
lives. However, in Alaska the turnover rate also has to do with
issues like working conditions and salary. Addressing this issue
might significantly reduce turnover. The state needs to bring in
about 800 new teachers per year. This does not include teachers
who are switching districts or taking a leave of absence to have
a child or get another degree. The state is meeting about 25
percent of that need with in-state programs. All the programs
are increasing their capacity and the number of graduates.
MS. HIRSCHBERG said one of the issues that still needs to be
addressed is the impact of recent policy changes around
retirement, licensure, and changes in the national market for
teachers. Alaska salaries are declining relative to the national
average. ISER is putting together a proposal to study these
issues in collaboration with Alaska Teacher Placement, the
Anchorage School District and UA. This would include a state-
wide survey of teachers who are exiting the profession or the
state to find out why they are leaving. ISER is also planning a
new study of supply, demand and turnover.
8:32:52 AM
CHAIR STEVENS said that addressing the housing problems for
teachers in villages might go along way to solving the problem
of turnover.
8:33:39 AM
MELISSA HILL, Director, Teacher Placement, University of Alaska
Fairbanks (UAF), Fairbanks, AK, said she applauds the intent of
this bill. Every year there are school districts that start the
year without certified teachers in high need areas. The issues
that affect supply, demand and retention include the impact of
an affordable retirement system and current policies and
regulations regarding what are necessary to become certified.
These are concerns expressed by superintendents and personnel
directors across the state. Other issues include the cost of
living and housing in rural Alaska, and salaries in comparison
to other employment opportunities. Many teachers in rural areas
have to share housing.
MS. Hill applauded several programs in the University of Alaska
system focused on recruiting and retaining teachers like the
Future Teachers of Alaska. The Department of Education Early
Development program has been hugely successful supporting a
statewide mentor project that provides daily support in the
classroom for 400 first and second year teachers.
8:37:13 AM
MR.PUGH said UAF has similar distance-delivery programs for
communities in Southwest, Northwest and Western Alaska. All
those districts have future teacher programs. There will be a
future teachers conference in Juneau this spring with youth from
around the state. Students need to know about and take the
correct courses in high school because teacher education
programs have become more stringent. He suggested that members
of the committee might like to meet with these students when
they gather in the spring.
8:38:55 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Wilken to comment since he was a
member of the task force and this bill came from his
suggestions.
8:39:20 AM
SENATOR WILKEN said legislators have tossed around the idea that
at least one-third of teachers should come from the state. He
said it's important to focus on driving that number up with a
goal of getting to 50 percent. Eight years ago it came to the
attention of the legislature that the state was importing nurses
at a cost of millions of dollars. Today it is obvious what a
huge success the nursing program at the university has been. He
proposed doing the same with teachers. He said there needs to be
a dialogue between regents and legislators at least once or
twice a year. He thinks of the regents as the board of directors
of a billion dollar enterprise that is the university, and the
legislators as the board of directors for the billion dollar
budget.
8:43:43 AM
CHAIR STEVENS said that on page 2, lines 5 though 7, the bill
puts the onus on the regents to prepare a written report. It
would be good to have a face-to-face meeting with them on this
issue.
8:44:10 AM
SENATOR WILKEN said that on page 1, line 6, it says that regents
shall prepare and present an annual report. It might be good to
embellish the bill to state where and when, specifically "in
person and during the legislative session."
8:45:08 AM
CHAIR STEVENS said that whatever the venue and whether it is
with the Senate HEALTH EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING
COMMITTEE or with a new standing committee on education, he
agrees there should be a face-to-face meeting.
8:45:43 AM
MR. PUGH said one thing that might improve the bill would be to
have this report at the first session. That and presenting it
every other year gives the process a two-year time period.
CHAIR STEVENS said the way it reads now it's an annual report.
He asked why Mr. Pugh was proposing two years between reports.
MR. PUGH explained that ISER says that doing it every other year
produces more significant information. Reporting in the second
session doesn't leave much time to act on suggestions that
arise.
8:47:31 AM
JOHN ALCANTRA, Director, Government Relations, National
Education Association Alaska (NEA-Alaska), Anchorage, AK, said
he represents 13,000 public school employees throughout the
state. He appreciates the testimony of Ms. Hill and agrees that
policy changes involving portable retirement and other issues
are having a dramatic impact on the ability to recruit and
retain teachers. He supports SB 241. He said the closure of
Sheldon Jackson College this year means an additional loss of
educators. Rural teacher housing, a major cause of turnover, has
been a priority of NEA-Alaska since 1978. Fifty percent of
teachers leave in the first five years. A statewide survey of
exiting teachers would be immensely valuable.
8:50:27 AM
CHAIR STEVENS proposed a committee substitute (CS) to address
the idea of a meeting in the first year of a two-year session
including where and when. Since the regents meet every spring,
that might be an appropriate time.
MS. PITNEY said that most discussions are only on budget. She
encouraged the committee to draft a CS that includes a provision
to talk about the programs face to face with either of the
aforementioned committees.
8:52:09 AM
SENATOR DAVIS said she approves of having a report every other
year, but recommends an update in the off year.
MR. LAMKIN said there is a hearing on the bill in the House next
week.
8:53:11 AM
SENATOR WILKEN said he'd like to talk about a report every year
versus every other year.
CHAIR STEVENS said he would have a CS prepared for the next
meeting.
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