Legislature(2009 - 2010)CAPITOL 106
02/02/2009 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Department of Education and Early Development - Professional Teaching Practices Commission | |
| Department of Education and Early Development - Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education | |
| Department of Education and Early Development - Professional Teaching Practices Commission | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 2, 2009
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Cathy Engstrom Munoz, Vice Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Wes Keller
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Robert L. "Bob" Buch
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW(S):
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT, PROFESSIONAL
TEACHING PRACTICES COMMISSION
- HEARD
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT, ALASKA COMMISSION
ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MARK LEWIS, Director
Administrative Services
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented budget information regarding the
Professional Teaching Practices Commission.
DIANE BARRANS, Executive Director
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview on the Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education.
EDDY JEANS, Director
School Finance and Facilities Section
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions and provided information
regarding the Professional Teaching Practices Commission.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:44 AM
VICE CHAIR CATHY ENGSTROM MUNOZ called the House Education
Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:02 a.m.
Representatives Keller, Wilson, Edgmon, Gardner, Buch, and Munoz
were present at the call to order. She said Representative
Seaton is attending his father's 100th birthday celebration.
^OVERVIEW(S):
^DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT - PROFESSIONAL
TEACHING PRACTICES COMMISSION
[Due to technical difficulties, the committee was unable to hear
the scheduled speaker, Patricia Truman, calling from Anchorage.
In her stead, Mark Lewis made a quick presentation and Eddy
Jeans answered questions following the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education overview. Vice Chair Munoz later
announced that Ms. Truman's overview would be rescheduled. It
was heard at the 2/6/09 regular committee meeting.]
8:03:02 AM
VICE CHAIR MUNOZ announced that the first order of business
would be an overview of the Department of Education and Early
Development - Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
MARK LEWIS, Director, Administrative Services, Department of
Education and Early Development, drew attention to a change on
page 3 of the Department of Education and Early Development's
budget overview [under the column for Professional Teaching
Practices Commission (PTPC), Agency Operations]. He said the
department is asking to switch the fund source from receipts
supported services to the general fund. He explained that
receipts supported services is money from teacher certification
fees, but it is not enough revenue to fully fund the teacher
certification section and this has created a hardship in
operating that program. Switching the fund source to the
general fund would allow the PTPC to have a steady funding
stream and give the teacher certification section the
opportunity to be fully funded and able to complete its duties.
The committee took an at-ease from 8:06 a.m. to 8:09 a.m.
^DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT - ALASKA
COMMISSION ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
8:09:48 AM
VICE CHAIR MUNOZ announced that the next order of business would
be an overview of the Department of Education and Early
Development - Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education.
DIANE BARRANS, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education, began her PowerPoint presentation with
a historical overview. She noted that the undergraduate loan
program was created by the legislature in 1968, but the Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) was not established
until 1974 [slides 3-4]. The ACPE was created to serve as the
state's higher education coordinating and financial aid agency;
although some of the coordination authority was later repealed.
MS. BARRANS said that in 1981 the state offered loans of up to
$7,000 per year with 50 percent forgiveness. The program was
fully funded by the general fund, so the provisions were policy
calls on the part of the legislature. When oil dropped below
$10 per barrel in 1987, the Alaska Student Loan Corporation
(ASLC) was established as the financing source. As a result of
this new financing source, substantial changes were made in the
loan program and the terms of the loans in 1988, one change
being removal of loan forgiveness. From 1995-1998 significant
changes were made to reverse financial losses experienced by the
corporation, and by 2001 the financial improvements from these
changes allowed the corporation to start making annual returns
to the state.
MS. BARRANS related that in 2002 the legislature unanimously
passed AlaskAdvantage, which added federally guaranteed loans
and new state outreach and early awareness programs to the
agency's mission and goals. In 2003 the commission added an
alternative consolidation loan program that allowed borrowers to
take their older, higher rate loans and consolidate them into
loans at a reduced cost. In 2004 the commission's outreach unit
received a Lumina Foundation Grant for College Goal Sunday and
the commission founded the Coalition of Alaskans Supporting
Higher Education (CASHE) in partnership with the financial aid
officers in Alaska.
MS. BARRANS said the legislature established the AlaskAdvantage
Education Grant Program in 2005 which allowed leverage of some
student loan corporation receipts to capture federal matching
funds. In 2008 the governor designated the commission as
administrator of the College Access Challenge Grant, a two-year
federal grant authorized to every state to promote going to
college and college access. In 2009 the commission will use
these funds to launch a peer mentoring program in high schools.
This mentoring program will target at-risk students to help them
overcome any barriers that might prevent them from going to
college.
8:17:00 AM
MS. BARRANS highlighted organizational and staffing structures
[slides 5-7]. She explained that ACPE works in partnership with
the Alaska Student Loan Corporation (ASLC). The commission
develops and delivers higher education access and support
services and the corporation underwrites the costs of mission-
related services. The commission has a 14-member board and the
corporation has a 5-member board. The commission has 102
authorized full-time employee positions, with the servicing
staff located in Juneau and the outreach and information
technology staff located in Anchorage. Outreach staff recently
relocated to the Diamond Center, a mall location in Anchorage
frequented by students.
MS. BARRANS noted that ACPE's organizational objectives are to
promote, support, and provide access to postsecondary education
in Alaska and for Alaskans. She said this is done by providing
training access products and services, promoting postsecondary
education participation in Alaska, and protecting consumers
through regulation of postsecondary education institutions
operating in Alaska. Another objective is to structure programs
and services so they are self-sustaining regardless of whether
state revenues are rising or falling. She said the commission
believes it is important to foster key institutional and
organizational partnerships in order to improve the
effectiveness of its outreach, early awareness, and access
programs. A suite of measures has been implemented within the
commission so that the organization's operational and management
health can be assessed. The commission has grown its loan
portfolio while containing administrative costs. For example,
the loan volume has grown substantially in recent years, but the
number of staff remains at 1999 levels.
8:20:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON inquired how ACPE's investments have been
affected by the current market downturn.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Wilson, explained
that ACPE's investments have not been impacted [by the current
market downturn]. Because of the nature of its business the
commission has very conservative investment policies, so most
investments are in fixed rate instruments. The commission does
not have a great need for liquidity for its investments. A
certain amount of assets are kept invested according to policy
and to provide a reserve for the corporation. Thus, the rates
were not impacted by the downtown in the capital markets,
although there were other impacts.
8:21:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked how the interest rate to student
borrows is calculated and can the rate be reduced now that rates
for other things are reduced.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Gardner, said the
interest rate that the commission charges borrowers is not tied
to the cost of overnight funds; rather it is tied to the cost of
administering the program plus the cost of the outstanding
bonds. The rate is tied to a money index that is not impacted
by the very low rates that are currently being seen in
government-supported coupons. In further response, Ms. Barrans
said the highest rate currently being charged by the commission
is 7.3 percent. However, a loan under the commission's federal
program might have a rate below 5 percent depending on whether
the borrower qualifies for a government subsidized loan and
whether the loan is being used in Alaska or elsewhere. Alaska's
is the lowest alternative interest rate in the country.
8:24:11 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Wilson, specified
that the student loans are fixed rate to the borrower. As a
federal lender the rate that the commission receives is adjusted
quarterly, but it is fixed to the borrower. Congress determines
the way in which the interest rate on federal loans is set, and
from 2002-2006 the federal loans were variable rate and reset
annually with a cap of 8.25 percent.
8:25:18 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Edgmon, explained
that the loan program is designed to be self sustaining. When
the student loan corporation was created in 1988, the
legislature transferred $306 million in loan assets to it and
those became the capital with which the corporation issued
bonds. The loans that are made are used to secure the bonds
that are issued. The receipts on those loans are first pledged
to repay the principle and interest on bonds, anything remaining
goes back into the fund for originating more loans, and since
2001 a dividend has also been returned to the state. In further
response, she said the corporation manages its own investments.
The corporation's board is constructed so there is a nexus
between the Department of Revenue and the Alaska Student Loan
Corporation. The board sets the policy for investments. The
Department of Revenue invests those funds that the corporation
needs to keep liquid, essentially this is done as a fee for
service.
8:27:09 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Vice Chair Munoz, said that if the
state were to again have a [forgiveness loan] program that
entitled a borrower to an automatic discharge of debt for
service or residence in the state or other reason, the cost
would need to be forward funded with general funds.
8:28:09 AM
MR. BARRANS, in response to Representative Buch, explained that
up until 1988 the loan program was fully funded by the state
general fund. The public policy reasoning during that time was
that only half of the loan amounts would be repaid because in
theory all of the borrowers would return to the state and
qualify for forgiveness of half of their principle and interest.
To receive the forgiveness benefit a borrower had to complete
the certificate for which the loan was offered, return to the
state within one year, and remain for at least five years. She
said she believed about 20 percent of borrowers actually
received the benefit. Ms. Barrens said the default rate was
substantial at nearly 28 percent. She offered her opinion that
students did not understand that the entire amount of the debt
was a real debt and many may have borrowed more than they
actually needed. The corporation had a $50 million equity
deficit because of losses on these loans.
8:30:22 AM
MS. BARRANS continued her presentation [slide 10]. She said the
commission/corporation sees itself as a public enterprise agency
that has a record of positive performance. She is the executive
director of the commission as well as the executive officer and
sole employee of the student loan corporation. Under an
agreement between the corporation and the commission, the
commission's employees service the corporation's programs. She
said the commission/corporation has enjoyed longstanding
bipartisan support and is viewed as a successful model of a
government enterprise organization.
MS. BARRANS noted that from 1968-1987 student education loans
were seen as a state entitlement program [slide 12]. A student
aged 16 or older and attending an institution approved in Alaska
or accredited elsewhere could receive these loans. There were
no other requirements such as a co-signer or collateral. No
interest was charged during the in-school period and there was a
12-month grace period at the end of the school period. These
factors likely led to a perception that this was not a debt like
other debts, she said. During that time the focus was on
getting the money to students, not on collecting loans for the
state. At the height of the loan program there were 144
authorized institutions in Alaska; today there are 45 approved
schools.
MS. BARRANS reviewed the series of changes that occurred after
the corporation was created [slide 13]. From 1988-1993 only
modest changes were made to the loan program: a 1 percent
origination fee was imposed, the interest rate was raised to 8
percent during repayment, the grace period was shortened, and
monthly bills replaced the repayment coupon books. In 1992 an
ACPE servicing system conversion failed catastrophically and
required a six-week shut down of phones to fix, she continued.
A 1993 external audit performed by Deloitte & Touche resulted in
the commission being denied insurance for its bonds. Things
were in a serious state at that point, and by the mid-1990s the
ASLC had an equity deficit approaching $50 million.
MS. BARRANS related that in 1993 the commission hired its first
executive director with an education loan expertise. Although
director for only two years, Dr. Joe McCormick set in motion the
legislative changes that turned everything around during the
years 1994-2001: loan rates were tied to the cost of the
program, collection methods were expanded beyond garnishment of
Permanent Fund Dividends to allow the commission to
administratively issue liens to garnish wages and to leverage
occupation professional licenses, and modest credit standards
were added to the eligibility criteria. She said that since 1998
the commission's credit standard has been that no credit history
is treated as good credit and a bad credit history requires a
co-signer.
8:37:19 AM
MS. BARRANS specified that the heightened standards resulted in
a drop from 140 authorized institutions participating in the
program in 2002 to fewer than 40 today [slide 15]. Stricter
standards were set for the institutions participating in the
commission's programs and the institutions had to enter into a
program participation agreement as to their responsibilities in
administering the loans. The commission calculates loan default
rates annually and also calculates them for each institution
that participates in the program, she continued. Institutions
that cannot bring their default rates below a certain level will
no longer be allowed to participate in the state loan program.
To participate in the federal loan program an institution must
be accredited either regionally or nationally. By 2000 the
corporation's equity deficit was erased and it was on a solid
financial and administrative platform. In addition, dividend
payments to the state were about to begin. These annual
payments have ranged from less than $1 million to as high as $5
million.
MS. BARRANS highlighted the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL)
Program authorized by the Alaska State Legislature in 2001. She
said that addition of this federal program allowed ACPE and ASLC
to begin offering a "one-stop" suite of state and federal loans
to Alaskans in 2002 [known as the AlaskAdvantage Loan Programs].
As a state agency/nonprofit lender, the ASLC has been the number
one lender in the Federal Family Education Loan Program for the
past seven years [slide 16], she continued. The corporation
awarded $34.5 million in fiscal year (FY) 2008 and $40.6 million
in FY 2009 through December 26, 2008. A 51 percent growth over
the prior year is expected in this program, she added.
MS. BARRANS discussed the Alaska Supplemental Education Loan
(ASEL) Program, the successor to the old Alaska student loan
program [slide 17]. She said the corporation promotes the ASEL
as supplemental to the federal loan program because the terms
and conditions of the federal loan program are much more
beneficial to students. The rates for loans under the ASEL
Program are based on the Municipal Market Data Insured AMT
Revenue Bond Yield Curve plus 30 basis points and administrative
costs. The minimum rate for the alternative loans is .05
percent above the federal loan rate in order to encourage
students to use the federal loan if they qualify. The interest
rate on the old alternative loans is reset each July and for the
past two years the rate has been set at the minimum of 7.3
percent. Under the ASEL Program the corporation loaned just
under $44 million in FY 2008 and $34.9 million in FY 2009
through December 26, 2008. Borrowing under the ASEL Program is
declining because Alaskans are increasingly using the federal
loan program.
8:41:58 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Edgmon, explained
that ASLC does not set its rates so they are very low based on
the current conditions for a particular year. Rather, the
corporation annually assesses its financial capacity and
establishes a set of borrower benefits that are applied as
credits and reductions for one year at a time. She cited some
examples of these credits and reductions. She said the
corporation uses this method because it knows what its capacity
is from year to year but cannot project the factors that might
impact the corporation over a 10-15 year repayment period. This
is the best method for ensuring sustainability for the program,
while still giving money back to borrowers when there is the
capacity to do so.
8:44:59 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Gardner, said the
legislature's view has been that it is reasonable to expect some
return from a public corporation capitalized by the state after
the corporation's mission has been met. According to the
statute governing ASLC's dividend, up to one-third of the
corporation's net income can be paid back to the state; thus it
is a policy call rather than mandatory. She said that this year
the corporation determined a dividend would not be paid to the
state for FY 2010. Dividends to the state have dropped in
recent years because the corporation has had very robust
borrower benefits.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Wilson, explained
that the corporation is operating in a healthy mode, but the
environment it is living in has changed. The capital market in
which the corporation issues bonds has collapsed and literally
gone away; thus ASLC has been unable to issue bonds. She said
the corporation's 2008-2009 loans are all funded with cash from
receipts and ASLC expects that annual volume to top out at $95
million, at which point the corporation will exhaust its
capacity to internally originate loans. It would therefore be
contrary to send a dividend back to the state while the
corporation is cash-strapped.
8:48:49 AM
MS. BARRANS returned to her presentation and outlined some of
the borrower benefits in place for the 2008/2009 academic year
[slide 18]. She first advised that the borrower benefits will
not be as robust when they are reset for this year. She said
ASLC uses the benefits to incent and reward certain behaviors in
addition to reducing the borrower's cost. For example, ASLC
incents borrowing from the low cost federal AlaskAdvantage loan
and the Alaska Presence Benefit further reduces costs if the
borrower attends school in Alaska or returns to Alaska after
entering repayment. Although the benefits vary, a significant
portion of the loans are eligible. The most utilized benefit is
the General Benefit.
8:50:36 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Edgmon, specified
that to be considered a resident the borrower must be either
residing in Alaska or attending a school in Alaska. There is no
application or validation process for the borrower to receive
the benefit, she added.
8:52:04 AM
MS. BARRANS noted that the loan volume for the AlaskAdvantage
Loan Program was just under $60 million for the 2003 school year
[slide 19]. Addition of the federal programs increased the
federal loan volume and this is expected to continue, she said.
Congress recently increased the annual federal loan limit, so an
independent freshman student can now borrow up to $9,500 a year.
The stimulus package presently being considered by Congress
would give an additional $2,000 to help with the rising cost of
education. She pointed out that rising education costs are
causing students to look more to private loans and alternative
loans. Only a few states have a program like Alaska's so
students in most states must look to banks which have very high
credit standards and substantially higher interest rates than a
state supported program.
8:53:21 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Wilson, said tools
are provided to borrowers so they can counsel themselves [in
regard to the accumulation of education debt]. She said she
does not know that it would be appropriate for the state to
question or directly discuss a borrower's choice of career and
the decision to incur debt. Students can use the Alaska Career
Information System (AKCIS) to access a program called Reality
Check, which walks a person through a decision process regarding
a desired lifestyle, the cost of that lifestyle, and the income
associated with that career. This allows the individual to
determine how much education he or she can incur and still be
within the realm of reality. She said the commission's customer
service agents counsel strongly that the federal education loan
program is the best because they are income sensitive.
Moreover, the repayment schedules of federal loans can be
changed and discharge is available to borrowers after repayment
has been made for a number of years.
8:56:01 AM
MS. BARRANS projected that loan demand through 2012 will go to
over $100 million, with slow growth thereafter [slide 20]. She
reiterated that ACPE originates, holds, and internally services
all ASLC loans [slide 22]. Loans that are over a year in
arrears and that have a non-responsive borrower are contracted
to a collection agency. The commission has an internal business
process analysis for making qualitative and efficiency
recommendations.
MS. BARRANS addressed the various loan repayment methods and
collection levers used by ACPE [slides 22-23]. She pointed out
that the majority of borrowers [45 percent] use the automated
Web Pay method. Enhancements to the on-line payment options
will soon be deployed. One such enhancement would allow a third
party payer, such as an employer or family member, to make
payment without gaining access to the borrower's private
information. She reiterated that collection levers include a
modest credit review, co-signer requirements, institutional
default rate management, and collection of origination fees.
The origination fees are put into a fund so that costs are
recouped against that fund when loans must be written off due to
death, disability, or uncollectability. She noted that ACPE's
collection and skiptracing tools are robust, such as access to
state databases for the purposes of locating borrowers and
finding updated addresses.
MS. BARRANS stated that in addition to its loan programs, the
ACPE approves postsecondary education institutions in Alaska
[slide 24]. The commission also approves a number of
institutions for exemption from authorization, she added. These
are training organizations that do not fall into the true
category of a postsecondary education institution. The
commission investigates student complaints related to
institutions and enforces institutional closure rules. In the
event of a school closure the ACPE is the repository for student
records. In response to Representative Wilson, Ms. Barrans said
ACPE was the repository for all of Sheldon Jackson College's
academic records when it closed.
9:00:32 AM
MS. BARRANS spoke about the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary
Education's outreach and early awareness programs [slide 25].
She said ACPE feels this is very important because of Alaska's
poor performance in terms of the number of students going on to
college and completing some sort of a certificate or degree.
The ACPE is focused on developing a college-going culture. This
includes everything from job training to vocational programs to
graduate programs because Alaska needs skilled workers in every
category. She said ACPE provides technical advice and
assistance to the Alaska State Legislature when it is working on
programs [in support of workforce development]. Increasingly,
ACPE has worked with the Department of Labor & Workforce
Development and the Department of Education and Early
Development to ensure that there is a connectedness between
organizations with overlapping missions.
MS. BARRANS said ACPE's outreach is an age-based sequenced
outreach that starts with second grade and continues to the
adult level [slide 26]. The outreach staff in Southcentral
Alaska conducts community visits and presentations. College
Goal Sunday is an annual statewide outreach event. The Alaska
Career Information System (AKCIS) includes AKCIS Junior which
starts at the junior high level. She said ACPE began providing
the AKCIS service to schools in 2008 on a no-fee basis; it was
previously run through the Department of Labor & Workforce
Development on a fee basis. In addition, AKCIS can now be
accessed and used by individuals not associated with a school or
other training program.
9:03:48 AM
MS. BARRANS pointed out a new program, [Peer] Mentors, which is
being piloted at Service High School in Anchorage. In response
to Representative Buch, she explained that "Community" Mentors
is a typographical error [on slide 26], it should read "Peer"
Mentors. In further response, she said this program does not
yet include mentoring by adults such as retired seniors, but
ACPE is aware that this is an area for growth.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Gardner, said the
peer mentors that are being recruited and employed by ACPE for
this program are within a year of graduating from college. She
explained that the goal is to have mentors who are close to the
high schoolers' ages yet able to model the desired behavior.
9:06:12 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Buch, stated that the
purpose [of Peer Mentors] is to encourage a student to have a
plan of action that will provide him or her a skilled trade.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Wilson, explained
that the Peer Mentors Program is brand new and the two newly
hired college students start their employment tomorrow. The
program is modeled after one in North Carolina, she added, and
the students will be sent out for training. In further response
to Representative Wilson, Ms. Barrans said ACPE chose Service
High School because it has a diverse population and a large
portion of at-risk, lower income students. Both of the new
mentors will work at Service because it was thought that a
collegial support structure would be important for starting this
new program and would provide the ability to analyze what did
and did not work and then make any needed modifications. Ms.
Barrans said ACPE is mindful that what might work for an urban
model may not work for a rural model. She said she does not
know the number of students attending Service High School, but
that it is a big school.
9:09:36 AM
MS. BARRANS referred to a report prepared by the commission last
year entitled, "Making Alaska More Competitive by Preparing
Citizens for College and Career". She said the study found that
Alaska has no place to go but up in terms of having students
prepared and understanding how important postsecondary education
is to them.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Edgmon, specified
that ACPE's mission is to encourage preparation for career or
college. For some people this will mean college, for others it
will mean a career training program, and when she uses the term
college she is meaning both of these. She related that
according to recent testing reports from testing organizations,
the difference in being prepared for technical or trade school
versus college is only in the application of what a student
learns in high school. The essence of the curricula and what it
takes for a student to be successful is the same in terms of
math skills and critical thinking. She said ACPE believes that
training high school students to be focused on postsecondary
education provides those students with the ability to make any
choice they want. In further response, Ms. Barrans said it is
difficult to say what portion of the loans is for vocational
training because most of that training is occurring at the
University of Alaska, but she estimates that as many as 20
percent of the borrowers are in an associate degree program or
shorter.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Buch, reiterated that
the majority of vocational education training in the state is
being delivered by the University of Alaska. She understood
that the university has added over 60 programs at the associate
or below level, all which would be considered vocational or
technical training.
9:14:57 AM
MS. BARRANS continued reviewing ACPE's age-appropriate sequenced
information & activities [slide 27]. She said there is a second
grade classroom reading program in partnership with the
University of Alaska. For fifth grade there is an "I'm Going to
College" orientation program through which the kids visit
college campuses in their neighborhoods. From fifth to eighth
grade the idea of college is promoted through posters and
newspapers. For eleventh graders ACPE promotes all of Alaska's
institutions, including vocational and private, through the
publication, "Going to College in Alaska". For twelfth graders
ACPE publishes a planning calendar that includes testing,
admission, and other important dates.
MS. BARRANS outlined ACPE's outreach partnerships [slide 28].
"College Goal Sunday" provides help in filling out the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There will be 30
locations statewide providing this help in 2009, she said. The
Alaska Career Information System (AKCIS) is up and operating for
2009. "I Know I Can" is a second grade program where the
concept of college and career is introduced.
MS. BARRANS displayed a map of the Alaska communities in which
ACPE's outreach staff has been involved [slide 29]. She said
staff visits the highly populated communities on an annual basis
and smaller communities are visited once every two years.
During the interim there is communication on the programs and
services. When possible, the outreach presentations are
provided via the World Wide Web. These presentations can be on
such topics as financial literacy or college and career planning
presentations. The ACPE involves faith-based organizations
within the communities.
9:17:48 AM
MS. BARRANS said the ACPE is candid in acknowledging that it is
has not "moved the bar" the way it would like in terms of
increasing higher education attendance [slide 30]. There has
been a slight increase in the number of low income Alaskans
going on, she added, but the overall number of Alaskans has not
increased. The ACPE and ASLC offer Alaskans the lowest cost
financial aid package in the nation. Grants are offered to
needy students, with approximately $1.3 million to be offered
this next year to about 1600 students attending schools in
Alaska. In 2004 and 2005 ACPE and ASLC returned about $160
million to the State of Alaska for capital projects. To do
this, the ASLC issued bonds backed by student loan assets.
MS. BARRANS said accomplishments include providing $24 million
in cumulative borrower benefits through December 2008 [slide
31]. Five-hundred-thousand dollars in grants was awarded in
FY 2008. The grant program was expanded to add priority for
students pursuing careers in process and natural resources
extraction industries. Interest rates for FY 2008 ranged from a
low of 2.25 percent to a high of 7.3 percent. Outreach was
provided to almost 40,000 Alaskans at nearly 500 outreach events
around the state. Through the Western Undergraduate Exchange,
over 1,600 Alaska students attended institutions outside of
Alaska without forgoing their residency. This saved those
students just under $12 million in tuition discounts. The
cumulative dividend provided to the general fund since 2001 is
$32 million. In addition, almost $6 million has been attracted
to Alaska's higher education system by the offering of financial
aid to non-residents.
9:20:46 AM
MS. BARRANS reviewed the goals and challenges for 2009 [slide
32]. She said ACPE and ASLC are continuing to offer Alaskans
low cost financial aid despite reduction in the subsidy for
federal loans and upheavals in the financial markets.
Strategies are being implemented to avoid disruption of ASLC
lending activities. Support of program expansion is being done
in a way that will not jeopardize the ability to self-sustain.
In recent years the ACPE and ASLC have advocated for federal
Higher Education Act (HEA) recognition of state financial aid
programs and services. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski has been a
strong advocate in this regard, she added, and the hope is that
[newly elected] U.S. Senator Mark Begich will be as well.
9:22:17 AM
MS. BARRANS summarized the two currently available non-loan
financial aid programs [slides 33-34]: the UA Scholars Award
and the AlaskAdvantage Grant. The UA Scholars Award is an
$11,000 scholarship for use over a four-year period of time, she
said. The AlaskAdvantage Grant is a last-dollar, need-based
grant which means the student must have applied for and
exhausted other grant aid. This grant is for up to $2,000 per
year. Until 2008, AlaskAdvantage Grants were funded with a mix
of federal Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP)
dollars and ASLC funds. This was changed in FY 2009 when ASLC
received a capital appropriation. The objectives of the UA
Scholars Award and the AlaskAdvantage Grant overlap in that they
are both statewide, require attendance at a school in Alaska,
and incent certain terms of academic achievement. However, both
programs are tenuously funded. Neither program requires
specific college-prep curriculum nor ensures broad-based access
to non-loan aid for Alaska students. Because these two programs
lack certainty a student cannot be assured that the aid will be
there.
9:26:46 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Gardner, offered her
opinion that a single program can be successfully structured to
combine the elements of both merit-based and need-based
scholarships. Without a doubt, she said, Alaska would reap
benefits from a program with certainty and that incents students
to be fully prepared to enter postsecondary or apprenticeship
programs without remediation. In further response, Ms. Barrans
explained that the federal rules for FAFSA application specify
that a person under a certain age must have lived independently
of his or her parents for three years to be eligible. However,
if the person is married or has a child, then he or she is
automatically considered independent. She said she believes
that beyond that, financial aid professionals can exercise their
judgment in deeming someone to be independent, but they are
required to do so very carefully.
9:29:58 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Keller, said she
thinks it is well within the ACPE's mission to promote programs
[like the Taylor Scholars Program] that have meritorious
elements. She said access to postsecondary education is not
everything. People must also be prepared to be successful,
particularly if they are funding their postsecondary education
with debt. Having to take remedial courses at the start of
postsecondary education could result in debt without the person
being any further ahead.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER thanked and complimented Ms. Barrans for
her work, integrity, and openness.
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH commented that there are numerous education
programs that are available to certain people for no cost and
asked whether ACPE coordinates with these programs. He offered
his opinion that the state is excelling in some ways but just
wants to do more, for which he offered his congratulations to
ACPE.
9:34:51 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Vice Chair Munoz, explained that the
institutions participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange
(WUE) set their own criteria [as far as which career categories
they offer]. Some institutions may make all of their study
programs available because they want to increase the number of
nonresident students for diversity purposes or they may want the
extra money from the nonresident tuition that is discounted but
still higher than the resident rate. Some institutions that
have a high in-state attendance may use the WUE program to
leverage attendance in an undersubscribed program. The exchange
is supposed to be mutually beneficial, she added.
MS. BARRANS, in response to Vice Chair Munoz, agreed [that WUE
is different from the Washington-Alaska-Montana-Idaho (WAMI)
program that targets medical students]. She further explained
that the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
(WICHE) is a professional student exchange program that allows
access to graduate level programs. Through 1987 Alaska
participated in the 14 programs which included law, medicine,
veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and podiatry. But beginning in
1988 Alaska curtailed and then eventually eliminated the program
funding for the state's participation. In the late 1990s it was
reinstituted as a loan, so now individual students can borrow
the support fee that is paid on their behalf to the institution.
Because it is financed through the Alaska Student Loan
Corporation, the loans are only for those professional fields
for which there is potential employment in Alaska and an
associated income high enough to pay off the debt. Right now
there are five fields that ASLC actively participates in -
pharmacy, podiatry, dentistry, physical therapy, and
occupational therapy. In exchange for the support fee, the
students receive preference for admission. Ms. Barrans agreed
to put this information in writing for Vice Chair Munoz.
^DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT - PROFESSIONAL
TEACHING PRACTICES COMMISSION
[Due to technical difficulties, the committee was unable to hear
the scheduled speaker, Patricia Truman, calling from Anchorage.
Vice Chair Munoz asked Eddy Jeans to speak in Ms. Truman's stead
and later announced that Ms. Truman's overview would be
rescheduled for another day.]
9:39:03 AM
VICE CHAIR MUNOZ announced that the next order of business would
be a presentation on the Department of Education and Early
Development - Professional Teaching Practices Commission.
EDDY JEANS, Director, School Finance and Facilities Section,
Department of Education and Early Development, noted that he is
a sitting commissioner on the Professional Teaching Practices
Commission (PTPC). He said the commission is established in
statute and has a nine-member board appointed from various areas
of education: five classroom teachers, one principal, one
superintendent of schools, one from a higher institution of
learning, and himself representing the commissioner's office.
Commission members meet 3-4 times a year and review complaints
against teachers. Meetings may or may not include hearings, he
continued, but when there are hearings they are formal and the
board serves as both judge and jury. Members serve three-year
terms and can only serve two consecutive terms. Cases are
submitted to the commission by Ms. Truman who does most of the
legwork and makes a recommendation to the commission. Many of
the cases are resolved by Ms. Truman and the commission then
accepts or modifies the agreements. Often the cases are simple
miscommunication, he added.
9:42:06 AM
MR. JEANS, in response to Representative Gardner, explained that
complaints are against individuals and those individuals usually
have legal counsel. Cases that make it all the way to a formal
hearing are typically pretty severe, with the commission looking
at suspending a license for a year or possibly a lifetime.
There can be instances where the commission reprimands a person
holding a teaching certificate and this goes into a nationwide
database so people know that there has been some violation of
ethical conduct, but it may not be severe enough to warrant
license suspension. In further response, Mr. Jeans offered his
assumption that a fraudulent certificate means a person is
claiming to hold a certificate that he or she really does not
have.
9:44:06 AM
MR. JEANS, in response to Vice Chair Munoz, stated that Pat
Truman can conduct investigations and has the power to subpoena
testimony before her or the commission. Within the ethical
standards is a standard that says a person will not make false
claims against a coworker. So, if someone fraudulently files a
claim against a coworker, it could be reversed and the person
filing that claim could suffer consequences.
MR. JEANS, in response to Representative Wilson, deferred to Ms.
Truman for a definition of professional misconduct.
MR. JEANS, in response to Representative Buch, said the PTPC
does not have oversight over tenure. Tenure is based on the
number of years a person has been successfully employed in the
public schools and is granted through an annual evaluation
process. Also, the number of consecutive years required to
achieve tenure is set in statute. In further response, Mr.
Jeans said an annual evaluation of a teacher's performance is
conducted by the principal.
VICE CHAIR MUNOZ announced that Ms. Truman's overview would be
rescheduled for another day.
9:47:51 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:48 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| H Education Briefing Feb2009.ppt |
HEDC 2/2/2009 8:00:00 AM |
|
| PTPC Talking Points.pdf |
HEDC 2/2/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/6/2009 8:00:00 AM |