02/28/2011 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Yupiit School District Superintendent | |
| HB104 | |
| Presentation(s): University of Alaska Chancellors | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 104 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 28, 2011
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Alan Dick, Chair
Representative Lance Pruitt, Vice Chair
Representative Eric Feige
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): YUPIIT SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 104
"An Act renaming the Alaska performance scholarship and relating
to the scholarship and tax credits applicable to contributions
to the scholarship; establishing the Alaska performance
scholarship investment fund and the Alaska performance
scholarship award fund and relating to the funds; making
conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
PRESENTATION(S): UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA CHANCELLORS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 104
SHORT TITLE: ALASKA PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIPS
SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/11 (H) EDC, FIN
02/09/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/09/11 (H) Heard & Held
02/09/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/14/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/14/11 (H) Heard & Held
02/14/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/21/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/21/11 (H) Heard & Held
02/21/11 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/25/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/25/11 (H) <Bill Hearing Postponed to 2/28/11>
02/28/11 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
HOWARD DIAMOND, Superintendent
Yupiit School District
Akiachak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview of the Yupiit School
District.
DIANE GEORGE, Assistant Superintendent
Yupiit School District
Akiachak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during an overview of
the Yupiit School District.
DR. KIM LANGTON, Assistant Superintendent
Yupiit School District
Akiachak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during an overview of
the Yupiit School District.
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the discussion during the
presentation of the Yupiit School District.
MIKE HANLEY, Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation
by the Yupiit School District.
DIANE BARRANS, Executive Director
Postsecondary Education Commission
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during
discussion of HB 104.
BRIAN ROGERS, Chancellor
University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF)
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during a
presentation by the University of Alaska Chancellors.
TOM CASE, Chancellor Appointee
University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during a
presentation by the University of Alaska Chancellors.
JOHN PUGH, Chancellor
University of Alaska Southeast (UAS)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during a
presentation by the University of Alaska Chancellors.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:15 AM
CHAIR ALAN DICK called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives Dick, Feige,
Seaton, Kawasaki, and Pruitt were present at the call to order.
Representatives P. Wilson and Cissna arrived as the meeting was
in progress.
8:05:01 AM
^PRESENTATION(S): Yupiit School District Superintendent
PRESENTATION(S): Yupiit School District Superintendent
CHAIR DICK announced that the first order of business would be a
presentation by the Superintendent of the Yupitt School
District.
8:08:01 AM
HOWARD DIAMOND, Superintendent, Yupiit School District,
referring to the handout, "Yupiit School District Presentation,"
[Included in members' packets] said that the school district was
comprised of three schools situated on the Kuskokwim River,
north of Bethel, and was accessible only by small plane, boat,
or snow machine. The schools were about 20 miles apart, built
in 2004 and 2005. He affirmed that the school district welcomed
the elders and the community members as a part of the schools.
He reported that the Yupiit School District was an Intervention
Plus district, under the direction of the Department of
Education and Early Development (EED), and that EED provided
Content Support Specialists. These specialists were highly
qualified, competent educators, who averaged 1-2 days each month
at each school, as well as a retired superintendent, who
averaged 10 days each month at the three schools and the
district office.
8:10:58 AM
MR. DIAMOND moved on to page 6, "Challenges," and declared that
teacher housing was a challenge for teacher retention. He
emphasized that the low AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) status
and the high dropout rate were both causes for concern. He
explained that a strong administrative focus had resulted in
significant progress. He pointed to page 7, "District
Initiatives," which included: a home based pre-school program
(Our Future Leaders) to focus on early literacy, a research
based reading program for grades K-6, and a required two week
summer orientation program for new teachers.
8:15:06 AM
MR. DIAMOND detailed the two week summer orientation program,
which included working with master teachers in summer school,
living in the residence and the village where they will teach,
and then staying with a local family and participating in the
subsistence life style. He listed a school improvement grant,
an ExCELL project (Expediating Comprehension for English
Language Learners), and a pilot STEPP (Step Towards Educational
Progress and Partnership) as programs toward student
improvement.
8:17:45 AM
MR. DIAMOND detailed page 8, "School Improvement Grant." He
noted that the academic day had been extended to include Yup'ik
Culture. He pointed to the partnership with the Chugach School
District's Voyage to Excellence program, which connected the
curriculum with job opportunities. He directed attention to the
Professional Development program, which gave teachers an
opportunity to learn skills in the diverse student learning
styles of the Yup'ik culture. He elaborated on a tuition
reimbursement program to encourage classified staff to continue
their education. He referenced the recruitment video and the
Math in a Cultural Context training, which was created for
Yup'ik children. He read the "Mission Statement," page 9, which
stated that the district was "working with Yuuyaraq as a
foundation, to ensure all children are successful and able to
learn and succeed in any environment." He defined "yuuyarag" as
the Yup'ik way of life.
8:20:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if the 40 minute video was
available.
MR. DIAMOND replied that he would send a copy.
8:21:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if renewable energy was being
considered for the area.
MR. DIAMOND, in response, shared that a science class
presentation had been made about wind turbines and other means
to provide resources for school operations.
8:23:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked how the success of the students was
measured.
8:24:04 AM
MR. DIAMOND replied that all of the required tests were
administered, although measurement went well beyond these tests.
He announced that there were efforts made to combat substance
abuse, suicide, and bullying. He clarified that success was
measured by the options for the student at the next level, and
by the self confidence and the personal skills to manage their
lives in other settings. He allowed that there was not a
specific formula for success.
8:26:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if the home based pre-school program
was a pilot project or a locally established project.
8:27:07 AM
DIANE GEORGE, Assistant Superintendent, Yupiit School District,
replied that this was federally funded through the Alaska Native
Education Grant, and was currently in the second phase of the
grant.
8:27:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked how many students were participating
in the Voyage to Excellence program.
8:27:48 AM
DR. KIM LANGTON, Assistant Superintendent, Yupiit School
District, replied that about 30 students had participated at
various levels, but that the goal was for all interested high
school students to participate. He explained the phases of the
program, which included exposure to a variety of jobs so to
better understand the necessary required curriculum; resume
writing and job shadowing; and internships.
8:29:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, Alaska State Legislature, stated that
he was the representative for the Yupiit School District. He
asked about the current status of the intervention summit held
in December, 2010. He expressed his concern regarding the
challenging attitude projected by the Department of Education
and Early Development (EED), and asked if any changes had
resulted with the change of administration.
8:31:24 AM
MR. DIAMOND replied that it was necessary for the Yupiit School
District to be represented when decisions were made on a state
level which affected the district. He acknowledged that
meetings had been held with Mike Hanley, Commissioner of EED,
and that Commissioner Hanley had been invited to visit the
district. Noting that the Content Support Specialists were only
available for brief site visits each month, he asked that this
model be amended to allow for full time participation.
8:34:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON repeated his question of whether the
Yupiit School District and EED were moving forward together.
MR. DIAMOND replied that things had not progressed since the
intervention. He offered his belief that the model used by the
state had proven to be ineffective. He established that the
upcoming meeting with Commissioner Hanley would include
discussion of a revised model that would be more beneficial to
the school district.
8:35:55 AM
DR. LANGTON suggested the necessity of a model based on the
local needs. He agreed that cooperation was important, and that
the process to develop the model had to include agreement and
"buy in" by the local community.
8:38:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON suggested that he and the House Education
Standing Committee members meet with Commissioner Hanley in
order to hear both sides of the discussion.
8:38:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked what prevented the Yupiit School
District from developing its own model, similar in process to
the aforementioned Chugach School District.
8:39:34 AM
DR. LANGTON clarified the importance for a collaborative process
to develop a model, as had been done for the Chugach School
District model. He agreed that some aspects would be common
with the current model. He stressed the need for the model to
be "owned by the local people, it wouldn't be imposed."
8:41:34 AM
MIKE HANLEY, Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner,
Department of Education and Early Development (EED), reported
that he had met with representatives of the Yupiit School
District earlier, and he agreed that there were challenges. He
acknowledged that the status quo was not working, and he
expressed his desire to work for the best solution.
8:43:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA expressed a need to be mindful of the
audience being served.
8:45:11 AM
COMMISSIONER HANLEY agreed that local ownership and local
control were necessary in every school district. He confirmed
that there was no separation between community and school in
rural districts.
8:45:54 AM
CHAIR DICK opined that the greatest challenge was geographical.
8:46:49 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON commented that his constituents had found
the atmosphere of the previous meeting to be punitive.
8:47:47 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
8:48:05 AM
HB 104-ALASKA PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIPS
CHAIR DICK announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 104, "An Act renaming the Alaska performance
scholarship and relating to the scholarship and tax credits
applicable to contributions to the scholarship; establishing the
Alaska performance scholarship investment fund and the Alaska
performance scholarship award fund and relating to the funds;
making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective
date." [In front of the committee was the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HB 104, Version I, adopted as the work draft
on February 9, 2011]
8:51:20 AM
CHAIR DICK stated that discussion needed to focus on the needs
based component, mentoring, university capacity, funding
sources, and qualification by students from smaller schools.
8:52:02 AM
DIANE BARRANS, Executive Director, Postsecondary Education
Commission, Department of Education and Early Development (EED),
specified that she had participated on the task force for higher
education funding. She reported that a lot of discussion prior
to the task force questioned the adequacy of the level of
funding for the needs based program, the AlaskAdvantage
Education Grant. She pointed out that this grant was available
to any resident attending an in-state educational institution,
but that funding had only been sufficient for a small percentage
of those eligible. She noted that the task force had
recommended a supplemental component, but she opined that this
was not necessary, as sufficient funding for the needs based
grant program would provide the opportunity to fund non-
traditional students. She pointed out that the Senate had
recommended sufficient funding for the AlaskAdvantage Education
Grant program, instead of the creation of a supplemental
component to the scholarship program. She opined that this
maintained clarity and consistency between the merit based and
needs based programs.
8:55:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked which program served the top 10
percent of each school.
8:56:25 AM
MS. BARRANS replied that it was the University of Alaska (UA)
scholars program, funded through the UA resources.
8:56:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked what percentage of those who
applied for the AlaskAdvantage [Education Grant] program
received funds.
8:57:10 AM
MS. BARRANS replied that funding was available for 15-20 percent
of those eligible.
8:57:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON remarked that this was pathetic.
8:57:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI, stating that the federal PELL Grants
had been severely cut back, asked which students would be most
affected.
8:57:54 AM
MS. BARRANS clarified that although a reduction in the PELL
Grant program had been proposed in Congress, it had not yet
occurred. She stated that students from families of four with
an income less than $40,000 were eligible for PELL grants. She
declared that the ripple effect of these reductions would affect
the AlaskAdvantage Education Grant program. In response to
Representative Kawasaki, she stated that the need by the
applicants would be greater.
8:59:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked if all of the AlaskAdvantage
Education Grant funds were being expended. He asked what
criteria were used for the allocation of the funds.
8:59:55 AM
MS. BARRANS said that the fund allocation was strictly needs
based. She explained that the entire eligible pool was ranked
highest need to lowest need. She declared that priority was
given to full time students. She added that a student who had
shown higher academic achievement through ACT/SAT test scores
and students enrolled in career areas designated as "a workforce
shortage area" were eligible for larger grants. She listed some
of the shortage areas to be education, health, social protective
services, and resource process extraction. She announced a
growth in the number of students eligible in workforce shortage
areas.
9:02:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked if students would be eligible while
attending institutions included in the Western Undergraduate
Exchange program agreement.
MS. BARRANS replied that eligibility was limited to students
attending school in Alaska, as the idea was to retain a trained
workforce.
9:04:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked how many student grant
applications were not accepted, and of these, how many were
unable to attend school as a result.
9:04:38 AM
MS. BARRANS replied that there was not any data for the students
who did not attend school. She offered her belief that there
were 4,200 eligible students while fewer than 1,000 had received
grants. She added that these students were already enrolled in
school, and that generally the grant was not a determiner for
enrollment, but was used for the management of their other
school expenses.
9:07:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked how much money would be required
to fund all the eligible grant applications.
9:07:28 AM
MS. BARRANS offered an estimate of $4.5 million to fund the
current base allocations.
9:08:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if there was a fiscal note for
Version I.
9:08:26 AM
MS. BARRANS replied that there was not a fiscal note for the
needs based component.
9:08:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON emphasized the need for a fiscal note. He
pointed out that the prior proposed legislation with a needs
based component, which did not include the non-traditional
students, had an estimated fiscal note of $17-$20 million. He
directed attention to the current cap of $4,000 in the proposed
committee substitute, clarifying that there had not been a cap
for the needs based component in previous legislation. He
reflected that the needs based component and the merit based
component had required similar funding. He asked how the
addition of the non-traditional students within the needs based
component could now result in an estimated cost that was half
the merit based component.
9:11:22 AM
MS. BARRANS noted that a key difference for the cost of each
program was the current cap on the needs based aid. She pointed
out that the prior legislation had included escalating costs
tied to the cost of education. She stated that it was unknown
how many qualifying students would come from low income
families. She pointed out that the demographics of scholarship
recipients in many other states reflected a disproportionate
scholarship distribution to families with a history of going to
college. She noted that these families often had a higher
socio-economic standing. She emphasized the importance of
having two programs which worked well together, needs based and
merit based. She agreed that it was important to have an
estimate for cost, but that an exact fiscal note would be more
difficult until there was a history to draw from. She stated
that the AlaskAdvantage Education Grant program cost was based
on the last three years of program cost. She said that this
history would reflect both traditional and non-traditional age
students in coming years.
9:14:17 AM
MS. BARRANS, in response to Representative Seaton, stated that
only students scoring in the top tier of test takers would
qualify for the priority level. She shared that one suggested
modification proposed by the task force had been to review the
academic priority for the needs based grant, and make the
scholarship eligible students equate to the academic trigger to
allow them grant priority. She opined that the programs would
still work well in conjunction, and still maintain distinct
scholarship and needs based programs.
9:15:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if this could be best
accomplished in statute or in regulation.
9:15:52 AM
MS. BARRANS replied that currently this could be accomplished
through regulation, but that the legislature could make a
statutory change.
[HB 104 was held over.]
9:16:45 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease.
^PRESENTATION(S): University of Alaska Chancellors
PRESENTATION(S): University of Alaska Chancellors
9:18:23 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the final order of business would be a
presentation by the University of Alaska Chancellors.
9:18:43 AM
BRIAN ROGERS, Chancellor, University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF),
said that the needs based and merit based scholarships were
necessary for improving the graduation rate from the University
of Alaska system. He stated that all three institutions
collaborated and cooperated in teacher education, engineering,
health education, and research areas.
9:20:43 AM
TOM CASE, Chancellor Appointee, University of Alaska, Anchorage
(UAA), praised the progress that had been made on all fronts,
especially for the focus on student and state needs.
9:22:35 AM
JOHN PUGH, Chancellor, University of Alaska Southeast (UAS),
applauded the increase in Alaska high school students graduating
and attending the University of Alaska campuses. He lauded the
improvement in post-secondary education, freshmen retention
rate, expanded workforce programs, and high need programs, such
as nursing, accounting, and business management. He recounted
the successful development of the mine training and the marine
operations training programs. He stated that the increased
funding was instrumental. He pointed out that 40 percent of the
students take at least one course as an e-learning (electronic)
course. He expressed a commitment for improvement to the
graduation rate.
9:27:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON expressed concern with the increase in
tuition, and she opined that it should not get any more costly.
9:28:47 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS, in response to Representative P. Wilson, said
that university tuition rates were being kept within the low
mid-range of the public universities in the other western
states. He pointed out that the legislature had deemed that the
UA budget would rely less on state general funds. He noted that
the only other revenue source controlled by the university was
tuition rates.
9:29:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON pointed out that the performance
scholarship was limited to the amount of tuition for 2010.
9:31:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI observed that the UA budget had been
recently approved, with less state funding. He agreed that
charitable donations could be "difficult to come by at times."
Directing attention to the 12 percent fee increase, he opined
that it was "shameful that in one of the wealthiest states that
we have to do that." He expressed agreement with Representative
P. Wilson and other members of the legislature who opposed high
tuition. He observed that it was not a clear mandate from the
legislature to "put your entire budget on the backs of
students."
9:32:19 AM
CHAIR DICK asked if funding could be generated through research
studies.
9:32:55 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS replied that commercialization of university
research was a significant opportunity. He shared that the
primary research at UAF was through federally funded programs.
He allowed that some areas offered opportunities to patent and
license the intellectual property. He admitted that UA had not
invested significantly in that process, but there was now the
Office of Intellectual Property Commercialization that worked
with faculty to help them understand the process. He pointed
out that the private sector had to be ready to receive the
intellectual property.
9:36:14 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS offered his belief that the mission of a land
grant university was to support the development of the state.
9:37:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT ascertained that the transfer of credits
between the universities had proven difficult.
9:38:04 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS, in response, said that credit transfers did
occur, but that it required a review of each course. He pointed
out that it was common to transfer credits of core curriculum
within the University of Alaska system.
9:39:44 AM
CHANCELLOR PUGH called attention to the unified programs being
established throughout the system. He pointed to the success of
the health sciences, accounting, general education, and special
education core programs.
9:41:55 AM
[CHAIR DICK passed the gavel to VICE CHAIR PRUITT]
9:42:07 AM
CHANCELLOR PUGH acknowledged that the core programs saved money
for the students and the system by sharing the faculty
resources.
9:42:26 AM
CHANCELLOR APPOINTEE CASE stated that there were challenges and
advantages to multiple high level accreditations. He reported
that progress was being made for increasing the transferability
of credits, while protecting the accreditations.
9:43:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI, reflecting on the collaboration of the
three institutions within one system, asked why the School of
Fisheries and Ocean Science would be based at UAF, the furthest
campus from an ocean, and why the School of Engineering was
based at UAA, when the best research institution was in
Fairbanks.
9:45:03 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS replied that the program sites were spread
throughout Alaska, even though the administrative center was
often located elsewhere.
9:46:59 AM
CHANCELLOR APPOINTEE CASE pointed out that the distributive
nature of programs within the University of Alaska was similar
to the health sciences cooperative arrangement with the other
states in the Pacific Northwest region.
9:48:18 AM
CHANCELLOR PUGH agreed that fisheries were a statewide industry,
and currently an effort was being made to identify the needs of
the fishing industry, from workforce to research. He noted that
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had
offered funding. He suggested that availability of courses was
more important than location.
9:50:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, reflecting on the findings of the task
forces on higher education and scholarship, expressed concern
that the courses necessary for a four year degree were offered
on a five year rotating schedule. He pointed out that HB 104
included a provision requesting the University of Alaska to
provide "a pathway for every degree that can be accomplished
within the time period." He shared concern that the Bachelor of
Arts degrees required a significant number of extra credit
hours. He asked for a response to both of these concerns.
9:53:01 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS listed three concerns for timely graduation:
financial aid, better academic advice, and better course
sequence. He listed a shortage of faculty as a problem for
course sequence. He reported that expansion of summer school
courses would also resolve problems with course sequence. He
stated that there was a program review of the few Baccalaureate
programs which still required more than 120 credit hours. He
noted that the curriculum was the responsibility of the Faculty
Senate.
9:54:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if a statutory framework was
necessary to provide direction.
9:55:14 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if there was any means for
students to know whether a credit was transferable.
9:56:02 AM
CHANCELLOR ROGERS replied that most of the issues with credit
transfers were connected to remedial classes or courses
completed with a "D" grade or lower.
9:56:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON acknowledged that remedial classes
should not be necessary at the university level.
9:57:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA established a necessity for the secondary
schools to link with the university for students who were
continuing on an academic path. She expressed concern that
advanced health degrees were not available at UAA. She declared
that Alaska was a national leader in behavioral health problems,
and she offered her belief that University of Alaska should be a
leader in behavioral health research.
10:02:46 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:02 a.m.
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