Legislature(2015 - 2016)CAPITOL 106
03/18/2015 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s): || Board of Education and Early Development | |
| Professional Teaching Practices Commission | |
| HB107 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 107 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 18, 2015
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Wes Keller, Chair
Representative Liz Vazquez, Vice Chair
Representative Jim Colver
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative David Talerico
Representative Harriet Drummond
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Lora Reinbold
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Board of Education and Early Development
Esther J. Cox - Anchorage
Keith J. Hamilton, D.Min. - Palmer
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
Professional Teaching Practices Commission
David E. Legg, Ed.D. - Chugiak
Martin Laster, Ph.D. - Juneau
Rebecca Himschoot - Sitka
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 107
"An Act relating to the composition of the Board of Regents of
the University of Alaska."
- HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 107
SHORT TITLE: BD OF REGENTS REGIONAL RESIDENCY QUALIF.
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) GATTIS
02/13/15 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/13/15 (H) EDC
03/18/15 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
ESTHER J. COX, Appointee
Board of Education and Early Development
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Board of
Education and Early Development.
HEATHER FUSSELL
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments during the confirmation
hearing of Esther J. Cox to the Board of Education and Early
Development.
KEITH J. HAMILTON, Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), Appointee
Board of Education and Early Development
Soldotna, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Board of
Education and Early Development.
DAVID E. LEGG, Ed.D., Appointee
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC)
Eagle River, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
MARTIN LASTER, Ph.D., Appointee
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
REBECCA HIMSCHOOT, Appointee
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC)
Sitka, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as appointee to the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
ANDREW FORD, Staff
Representative Lynn Gattis
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 107 on behalf of the sponsor,
Representative Gattis.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN GATTIS
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 107.
KIM FORD
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments during discussion of
HB 107.
JOHN DAVIES, Regent
University of Alaska Board of Regents
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Outlined concerns with HB 107.
MIKE POWERS, Regent and Vice Chair
University of Alaska Board of Regents
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided comments during discussion of
HB 107.
JYOTSNA "JO" HECKMAN, Regent and Chair
University of Alaska Board of Regents
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Expressed concern with HB 107.
RICHARD HELLER
MatSu Business Alliance, Inc.
Butte, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Indicated support of HB 107.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:47 AM
CHAIR WES KELLER called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives Keller, Seaton,
Vazquez, and Talerico were present at the call to order.
Representatives Colver, Drummond, and Kreiss-Tomkins arrived as
the meeting was in progress. Representative Reinbold was also
in attendance.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
^Board of Education and Early Development
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):
Board of Education and Early Development
8:06:51 AM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the first order of business would be
consideration of the appointment of Esther J. Cox to the Board
of Education and Early Development.
CHAIR KELLER, earlier, reminded members that signing the reports
regarding appointments to boards and commissions in no way
reflects individual members' approval or disapproval of the
appointees, and that the nominations are merely forwarded to the
full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
8:07:54 AM
ESTHER J. COX, Appointee, Board of Education and Early
Development, in response to questions regarding information
provided in members' packets, clarified that she is currently
seeking reappointment to the Board of Education and Early
Education, but at one time had also sought appointment to the
University of Alaska Board of Regents. She then provided some
personal information, including recounting some of the items
listed on her resume, such as serving on the Board of Education
and Early Development for the past 12 years, and being involved
in the field of education in Alaska since 1965. Over the years,
she remarked, many positive changes have occurred with regard to
Alaska's education system; the growth of charter schools, the
establishment of a statewide correspondence program, and [a
returning interest in a] state career and technical education
(CTE) plan, for example, have resulted in more education options
for Alaska's students. With regard to CTE, she added that she
is a proponent of it, believing that its more hands-on approach
equates with more student success. Although providing CTE that
is current is very expensive, it can keep youngsters in school
because of the relevancy of the curricula, and is therefore
worth funding.
MS. COX indicated that at its next scheduled meeting, the Board
of Education and Early Development would be addressing the issue
of how to deliver education in Alaska in light of the state's
current fiscal situation. Providing more options to obtain an
education, as is the case nowadays, addresses the fact that
there are many different styles of learning amongst today's
students. During her 12-year tenure on the Board of Education
and Early Development, she relayed, the board eliminated the use
of "TerraNova" exams, addressed issues related to teacher
preparation, made changes regarding the aforementioned statewide
correspondence program, addressed the issue of variable-term
residential schools, sought waivers of federal law, has seen the
school rating system change to what she called "the five-star
system," and addressed math credits via regulation. Currently
the Board of Education and Early Development is working on
teacher evaluations.
8:25:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON questioned how the Board of Education and
Early Development views the Alaska Performance Scholarship
program.
MS. COX said the Board of Education and Early Development has
embraced the Alaska Performance Scholarship program, has helped
devise and develop the tenets of the program, and has been
working closely with the commissioner [of the Department of
Education and Early Development (EED)] on the regulations
pertaining to statewide implementation of the program. On the
latter point, she added that the Board of Education and Early
Development would be addressing the program at its next
scheduled meeting, focusing on possible regulations pertaining
to the ending of the two-year grace period for students to meet
the program's requirements.
MS. COX, in response to further questions, relayed that as a
member of the Board of Education and Early Development, she'd
been opposed to adopting the "Common Core State Standards"
developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices, and the Council of Chief State School Officers, and
felt instead that Alaskans themselves should be the ones to
develop Alaska's education standards, and that those standards
should be much more rigorous than the [national] standards, so
that upon graduating from high school, Alaska students could be
ready for a career or additional education or training. And
regardless that some of Alaska's education standards now
resemble those [national] standards - particularly since for
some subjects like mathematics, there are only so many options
available in terms of setting standards - nearly half of
Alaska's standards are indeed different from those [national]
standards.
8:33:46 AM
HEATHER FUSSELL expressed concern regarding what she referred to
as "the discernment level"; shared her belief that there's a lot
of confusion regarding Alaska's education standards "nearing"
the aforementioned Common Core State Standards; voiced distrust
of statements being made regarding the standards; and questioned
whether students' personal data is being "pulled" during
"testing."
CHAIR KELLER suggested that such issues could be better
addressed at some other time, rather than during the
confirmation hearing. With regard to the confirmation hearing,
he again noted that the nominations are merely forwarded to the
full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
8:35:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of Esther J. Cox to the Board of Education and
Early Development.
CHAIR KELLER objected, and again reminded members that signing
the reports regarding appointments to boards and commissions in
no way reflects individual members' approval or disapproval of
the appointees, and that the nominations are merely forwarded to
the full legislature for confirmation or rejection.
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND expressed concern about proposed budget
cuts to state-funded preschools, and asked Ms. Cox to comment on
that issue in terms of her reappointment to the Board of
Education and Early Development.
MS. COX said that research, as well as her own experience with
her children and grandchildren, indicates that it is a major
mistake not to take seriously the importance of having children
ready for [elementary] school - in other words, the importance
of having children attend preschool. Preschool is a pricy idea,
but then what in education isn't pricy? So although the state's
education budget is being cut, with major cuts being made to
preschools, all children [entering elementary] school need to be
ready to learn, but not every household in Alaska is capable of
ensuring that that occurs. Therefore, in order for all of
Alaska's children to be able to meet their full potential, the
State of Alaska may need to provide a helping hand to some via
state-funded preschools.
8:39:05 AM
CHAIR KELLER removed his objection to the motion to advance from
committee the nomination of Esther J. Cox to the Board of
Education and Early Development, and, after ascertaining that
there were no further objections, announced that the
confirmation was advanced from the House Education Standing
Committee.
8:39:11 AM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the next order of business would be
consideration of the appointment of Keith J. Hamilton, D.Min.,
to the Board of Education and Early Development.
8:39:30 AM
KEITH J. HAMILTON, Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), Appointee, Board
of Education and Early Development, mentioned that he was asked
to serve on the Board of Education and Early Development a few
weeks ago; relayed that he moved to Alaska with his family in
order to "plant" the Alaska Christian College in Soldotna; and
provided some additional personal information. In response to
questions regarding his appointment to the Board of Education
and Early Development, he indicated that he was asked by someone
in the commissioner's office of the Department of Education and
Early Development (EED) to focus on postsecondary-education
issues during his term; mentioned that he has very little
experience with K-12 education issues; and relayed that he is
fiscally conservative.
8:45:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of Keith J. Hamilton, D.Min., to the Board of
Education and Early Development. There being no objection, the
confirmation was advanced from the House Education Standing
Committee.
^Professional Teaching Practices Commission
Professional Teaching Practices Commission
8:46:26 AM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the next order of business would be
consideration of the appointment of David E. Legg, Ed.D., to the
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
CHAIR KELLER offered his understanding that the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission addresses problems with teachers.
8:47:01 AM
DAVID E. LEGG, Ed.D., Appointee, Professional Teaching Practices
Commission (PTPC), provided some personal information, and
relayed that he is currently the principal of Chugiak High
School.
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND indicated a belief that Dr. Legg would
be a good addition to the Professional Teaching Practices
Commission.
8:50:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of David E. Legg, Ed.D., to the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission. There being no objection, the
confirmation was advanced from the House Education Standing
Committee.
8:51:49 AM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the next order of business would be
consideration of the reappointment of Martin Laster, Ph.D., to
the Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
8:52:08 AM
MARTIN LASTER, Ph.D., Appointee, Professional Teaching Practices
Commission (PTPC), relayed that he's been serving on the
Professional Teaching Practices Committee as the [higher
education] representative for [the last] three years. In
response to questions regarding serving on the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission, he said:
One of the things that I think that I bring to the
commission is that I've been a teacher or principal, a
superintendent, and I'm now a professor at the
University [of Alaska], and I think one of the things
that that does is it helps me understand the
perspectives that each of the representative parties
brings, and helps facilitate resolution to issues.
I've also started a ... [superintendent endorsement]
program and invited the executive director [of the
Professional Teaching Practices Commission] to talk to
aspiring superintendents.
8:55:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of Martin Laster, Ph.D., to the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission. There being no objection, the
confirmation was advanced from the House Education Standing
Committee.
8:55:43 AM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the next order of business would be
consideration of the appointment of Rebecca Himschoot to the
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
8:55:56 AM
REBECCA HIMSCHOOT, Appointee, Professional Teaching Practices
Commission (PTPC), in response to a question, explained that
she's been following [the activities of] the Professional
Teaching Practices Commission since she became a teacher in
Alaska [back in 1994], and thinks the work that it does is
valuable. She added:
Policing our own is a huge task in Education - as with
any profession - but I can't think of anything more
important to protecting both our students and the
reputation of the teaching profession than to maintain
the highest possible standards, and I think the PTPC
plays a vital role in that. So my interest is really
two-fold: I want to make sure that students are
getting the best education they can from the best
educators they can - so I want to make sure that we
protect the profession; and at the same time I want to
make sure that a teacher brought before the PTPC has
due process - has a clear process that is fair.
8:57:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ made a motion to advance from committee
the nomination of Rebecca Himschoot to the Professional Teaching
Practices Commission. There being no objection, the
confirmation was advanced from the House Education Standing
Committee.
HB 107 - BD OF REGENTS REGIONAL RESIDENCY QUALIF.
8:58:16 AM
CHAIR KELLER announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 107, "An Act relating to the composition of the
Board of Regents of the University of Alaska."
8:59:17 AM
ANDREW FORD, Staff, Representative Lynn Gattis, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor of HB 107, Representative
Gattis, paraphrased from the sponsor statement included in
members' packets, and explained that HB 107 is proposing changes
to [the statute pertaining to] the makeup of the University of
Alaska Board of Regents. The Board of Regents currently
consists of eleven members, one of whom must be a student, and
under the changes proposed by Section 1 of the bill - repealing
and reenacting AS 14.40.130(a) - only four of the other ten
regents may serve at large, and there must be one regent each
from the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Municipality of
Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Kenai Peninsula
Borough, the City and Borough of Juneau, and a community that is
not connected by either road or rail to either Anchorage or
Fairbanks. He offered his understanding that both the
Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) valley and the Kenai peninsula, for
example, have experienced considerable population growth over
the last 40 years, but only two regents have ever been from the
Kenai peninsula and none have ever been from the Mat-Su valley.
MR. FORD offered his understanding that Section 2 of the bill
merely provides conforming language and doesn't change the
intent of AS 14.40.130. Section 3 provides transition language
pertaining to proposed AS 14.40.130(a)'s new residency
requirements; under Section 3, current regents may serve out
their term. In response to a question regarding Section 2, he
indicated that under it, board membership terminates when a
person appointed under Section 1's proposed AS 14.40.130(a)(1)-
(6) moves.
CHAIR KELLER questioned whether the number of regents should be
reduced.
9:06:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN GATTIS, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of
HB 107, indicated that she would be amenable to such a change.
In response to comments and questions regarding a memorandum
from Legislative Legal and Research Services dated September 10,
2014, in members' packets, she acknowledged that it is not yet
known whether the changes proposed by the bill would be found by
the court to be unconstitutional, and shared her belief that all
areas of the state should be represented on the Board of Regents
but that thus far the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has not been.
9:10:26 AM
KIM FORD, mentioning that she once chaired an "economic
development advisory council," indicated that she shared the
sponsor's belief that the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has not been
represented on the University of Alaska Board of Regents.
Ms. Ford opined that such representation is important for the
economic development of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough because
back in 2009, people hired to research certain issues
recommended that a "university medical district" be developed,
but a workgroup further researching that issue claimed that such
could never happen until someone from the Matanuska-Susitna
Borough was appointed to serve on the Board of Regents. She
proffered that the first step, therefore, would be to ensure
that the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is represented on the Board
of Regents, and opined that it should be, because of the area's
[population] growth. She also offered her belief that a lack of
such representation on the Board of Regents is preventing the
Matanuska-Susitna College from offering any four-year degree
programs. In response to a question, she indicated that she
supports HB 107.
9:15:33 AM
JOHN DAVIES, Regent, University of Alaska Board of Regents,
University of Alaska - noting that he was recently appointed to
the Board of Regents in February, and acknowledging the interest
being expressed in having certain areas of the state
specifically represented on the Board of Regents - relayed that
he nonetheless has concerns with HB 107, concerns that he
believes the entire Board of Regents shares, as evidenced by the
letter in members' packets from the chair of the Board of
Regents [dated February 24, 2015]. One of the things to
consider is that appointments to the Board of Regents are for
eight years with the expectation that since students are
generally entering four-, five-, and six-year programs, that the
policies that get developed will be long-term, will be developed
in a thoughtful way, will be implemented over a long period of
time, and any changes to them will occur in a slow and
deliberative manner. That's not to say the Board of Regents
shouldn't be responsive to new programs, but regents must be
careful to consider possible changes from a complete statewide
perspective, particularly given current budget shortfalls.
MR. DAVIS said that over the past 15 years or so, the Board of
Regents has worked very hard to reduce the focus on regionalism
and to work much more strongly as a board that represents the
entire state. This is why there are concerns with any bill that
would explicitly regionalize the appointment process.
Furthermore, the administration at the university has developed
mechanisms in order to function much more as a single system
rather than as several different systems. Passage of HB 107
could have the unintended consequence of moving backward in
terms of ensuring that the Board of Regents represents the
entire state. He then referred to the language in Section 2
that says board membership terminates if a regent ceases to meet
the residency requirements, and opined that that language flies
in the face of the intent of having eight-year appointments,
because there could be much more turnover on the Board of
Regents - something he said he doesn't think would be a good
thing in terms of ensuring the board's ability to develop long-
term, consistent policy.
9:19:25 AM
MIKE POWERS, Regent and Vice Chair, University of Alaska Board
of Regents, University of Alaska - mentioning that he has thus
far served four years of his eight-year term - relayed that upon
joining the Board of Regents, he was struck by the regents'
collegiality and their statewide perspective - not regional
perspective. He, too, acknowledged the interest being expressed
in having certain areas of the state specifically represented on
the Board of Regents, but surmised that everyone also has an
interest in ensuring that the Board of Regents makes the best
use of precious resources operating the state's three
separately-accredited universities and associated community
campuses. The current fiscal situation is requiring that the
Board of Regents therefore prioritize the academic programs
being offered at the state's various universities/campuses, and
discontinue certain programs, and this in turn requires that
regents maintain a statewide perspective, rather than the
regional perspective that would result from the passage of
HB 107.
9:23:43 AM
JYOTSNA "JO" HECKMAN, Regent and Chair, University of Alaska
Board of Regents, University of Alaska - mentioning that she,
too, has thus far served four years of her eight-year term -
referred to the aforementioned letter she'd provided to the
committee, and to a letter provided by regent Mary K. Hughes
[dated March 14, 2015,] also expressing concerns with HB 107.
Ms. Heckman said that although the regents can understand and
appreciate the reasoning behind HB 107 - that of having the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough specifically represented on the Board
of Regents - creating geographical constituencies and promoting
an atmosphere of regionalism by instituting regional residency
requirements, as would occur under the bill, is of concern,
particularly given the university's current budgetary
constraints, because it would impede the Board of Regents'
ability to make difficult decisions and take prompt action.
Under the bill, any time a regent moves, actions and decisions
by the Board of Regents would have to be delayed until a new
regent is appointed, confirmed, and brought up to speed, and all
regents must be able to make decisions involving the welfare of
the university as a whole and all of its students across the
state, but the bill could result in the formation of regional
factions within the Board of Regents, thereby further delaying
decisions and actions. Furthermore, passage of the bill could
result in constitutional issues arising, issues that would have
to be dealt with by the court, and this, too, could result in
delays on the part of the Board of Regents.
9:29:46 AM
RICHARD HELLER, MatSu Business Alliance, Inc., provided some
information about himself, the campus at the Matanuska-Susitna
College, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; offered his
understanding that only one regent has ever been from the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough; and indicated that his organization
is in complete support of HB 107, believing that its passage
will address certain issues at the campus and will help the
Matanuska-Susitna Borough continue to grow.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON referred to the term "residency" as used
in the bill, and asked to be provided with a definition.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTIS, in response to a question, indicated that
some believe the area's population growth warrants requiring the
Board of Regents to have a regent from the Matanuska-Susitna
Borough.
REPRESENTATIVE VAZQUEZ read items from a table entitled, "Break
Down of the University's Board of Regents 1917-2015" produced by
Representative Gattis's Office and provided in members' packets,
and said it appears that there is a wide, dramatic inequity in
terms of regional representation on the Board of Regents. She
suggested that the committee conduct more research on the issue.
CHAIR KELLER referred to some of the other items in members'
packets, and reminded members that the committee would soon be
considering the governor's recent appointments to the University
Of Alaska Board Of Regents.
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked whether a resolution has ever been
passed recommending that the governor consider geographic
[representation], and, if not, why that approach wasn't taken
this time, particularly in light of the potential for the bill
to be subject to a legal challenge.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTIS indicated that the thought was that
addressing the issue [of geographic representation on the Board
of Regents] via a resolution would not accomplish the goal.
CHAIR KELLER closed public testimony on HB 107, and indicated
that HB 107 would be held over.
9:39:31 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:39 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB107.pdf |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/27/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Sponsor Statement.PDF |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Press and Public Input.PDF |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Fiscal Note UA-SYSBRA-3-12-15.pdf |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Fiscal Note UA-SYSBRA 3-12-15.pdf |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Supporting Documents.PDF |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Support MSB Resolution in Support.pdf |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Support Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce.pdf |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |
| HB107 Opposing Hughes.pdf |
HEDC 3/18/2015 8:00:00 AM |
HB 107 |