Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
03/28/2022 08:30 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Presentation: Annual Update from the Alaska Council of School Administrators | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 28, 2022
8:33 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Roger Holland, Chair
Senator Shelley Hughes
Senator Peter Micciche
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Harriet Drummond, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky (via teleconference)
Representative Mike Prax
Representative Mike Cronk
Representative Ronald Gillham
MEMBERS ABSENT
SENATE MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Tom Begich
HOUSE MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Grier Hopkins
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Dan Ortiz
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: ANNUAL UPDATE FROM THE ALASKA COUNCIL OF SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DR. LISA PARADY, Executive Director
Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced the ACSA presentation.
DR. BOBBY BOLEN, President
Alaska Superintendents Association (ASA)
Superintendent, Bering Strait School District
Unalakleet, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators.
BRENDAN WILSON, President
Alaska Council of School Administrators
President, Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals
Principal, Begich Middle School
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators.
JENNIFER RINALDI, President
Alaska Association of Elementary School Principals (AAESP)
Principal, Willow Elementary School
Willow, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators.
ANDY RATLIFF, President
Alaska Association of School Business Officials (ALASBO)
Senior Director, Office of Management and Budget
Anchorage School District
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators.
SAM JORDAN, Grants and Outreach Administrator
Alaska Staff Development Network (ASDN)
Alaska Council of School Administrators
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators.
ROBIN JONES, Principal
Chief Ivan Blunka School
Southwest Region School District
New Stuyahok, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a gift made by school students.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:33:00 AM
CHAIR ROGER HOLLAND called the joint meeting of the Senate and
House Education Standing Committees to order at 8:33 a.m.
Present at the call to order were Senators Micciche, Hughes, and
Chair Holland; and Representatives Gillham, Cronk, Prax, and Co-
Chairs Drummond and Story. Representative Zulkosky arrived (via
teleconference) as the meeting was in progress. Representative
Ortiz was also present.
^PRESENTATION: Annual Update from the Alaska Council of School
Administrators
PRESENTATION: Annual Update from the Alaska Council of School
Administrators
8:34:17 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the presentation, Annual Update from the
Alaska Council of School Administrators. He invited Dr. Parady,
the council's executive director, to begin the PowerPoint
presentation.
8:34:56 AM
DR. LISA PARADY, Executive Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators (ACSA), Juneau, Alaska, introduced ACSA, stating
the council is a private, nonprofit, 50-year-old organization
created to represent the collective voice of school
administrators across the state.
DR. PARADY advanced to slide 2, stating the mission of ACSA is
leadership, unity, and advocacy for public education; advocacy
is the focus of this fly-in. The members are excited to share
the highest priorities of public education today.
MS. PARADY advanced to slide 3, ACSA represents the following
associations:
Alaska Superintendents Association
Represented today by Dr. Bobby Bolen
Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals
Represented today by Brendan Wilson
Alaska Association of Elementary School Principal
Represented today by Jennifer Rinaldi
Alaska Association of School Business Officials
Represented today by Andy Ratliff
Alaska Staff Development Network
Represented today by Sam Jordan
DR. PARADY advanced to slide 4, One State: 54 School Districts,
which showed a map of Alaska and the school districts therein.
She reminded legislators that members are committed to represent
the health, safety, student achievement needs, and well-being of
all students, not just the needs of each member's individual
school district and community.
DR. PARADY advanced to slide 5, 2022 Joint Position Statements,
explaining student achievement is ACSA's number one priority,
and adequate funding remains ACSA's most critical need. The
following presenter's messages center around the:
Joint Position Statements:
Unified Priorities for Supporting Alaska Students
Developed collaboratively each year by:
• Superintendents
• PK-12 Principals
• School Business Officials
• ACSA
DR. PARADY said that priorities change each year according to
needs in public education; for example, there was a priority
change related to social-emotional learning this year as a
result of COVID. She introduced the next presenter, Dr. Bolen.
8:38:14 AM
DR. BOBBY BOLEN, President, Alaska Superintendents Association
(ASA), Superintendent, Bering Strait School District,
Unalakleet, Alaska, gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators. He qualified his work
experience, stating he has 24 years in education, 14 years in
the Bering Strait School District, and the last eight years as
superintendent.
8:38:39 AM
DR. BOLEN advanced to slide 7, the ASA 9-Member Board:
Dr. Bobby Bolen
President
Bering Strait School District
Kerry Boyd
Past-President
Yukon-Koyukuk School District
Dr. Bridget Weiss
President-Elect
Juneau School District
Scott MacManus
Secretary/Treasurer
Alaska Gateway School District
Dan Polta
Director, Seat A
Denali Borough School District
Bill Hill
Director, Seat B
Bristol Bay School District
Terri Walker
Director, Seat C
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Patrick Mayer
Director, Seat D
Aleutians East Borough School District
Dr. Randy Trani
Director, Seat E
Mat-Su School District
8:39:08 AM
DR. BOLEN advanced to slide 8, Increasing Bandwidth in Under-
served Areas:
• Access to modern technology in order to innovate
learning, create efficiencies, provide online health
services, and keep pace with peers globally is
especially essential in rural and under-served
communities.
• ACSA also supports efforts by the legislature to
continue to increase innovative infrastructure
capacity through public/private partnerships and
statewide consortiums to provide all communities
with equitable access to affordable, reliable, and
high-speed internet.
DR. BOLEN said that superintendents support House Bill 363 and
are excited to sit at the table to discuss the opportunities to
support the federal [Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act]
and the opportunities it might provide the students of Alaska.
8:39:45 AM
DR. BOLEN advanced to slide 9, Closing the Opportunity Gap
Equity and reviewed the following:
• The sudden shift to virtual learning during the
pandemic has highlighted the ongoing and increasing
need for Alaska's students, educators, and leaders
to have equitable access to the digital world both
inside and outside of the school environment.
• There is no such thing as unlimited internet in
rural Alaska!
• All communities should have equitable and critical
infrastructure to support online learning!
DR. BOLEN advanced to slides 10 and 11, Career and Technical
Education (CTE) and reviewed the following points:
• CTE for both rural and urban schools is critical to
high academic standards and Alaska's economic growth
and stability.
• Collaboration through professional learning with
DEED, the Department of Labor & Workforce
Development, and the University of Alaska with
educators and industry-based professionals is needed
for the academic integration of rigorous and
relevant curriculum.
• ACSA fully supports continued funding for voluntary
internships and pre-apprenticeship programs that
prepare students for high-earning, high-demand jobs.
• The alignment of CTE programs to meet the needs of
local, tribal, regional, and state labor markets
through this collaboration is also important for
improving on-time graduation rates, higher career
earnings, and decreasing dropout percentages.
• CTE programs provide students with the foundation
for high-paying, skilled jobs
• Robust CTE programs are a critical component of
schools with high academic performance and high
graduation rates
• Gives students the opportunity to build future-ready
skills in and for Alaska
DR. BOLEN reviewed the points on slide 12, New Superintendent
and Pipeline Support Programs:
• New and Incoming Superintendent Support: To address
the leadership turnover within Alaska's
superintendent ranks, ASA provides voluntary in-
depth on the job learning opportunities to first and
second year superintendents relevant to the Alaska
school district and superintendent experience and
provides individual support through a research-based
mentoring program
• Aspiring Superintendent Cohort Support
• District Office Cohort Support
8:42:31 AM
BRENDAN WILSON, President, Alaska Council of School
Administrators, President, Alaska Association of Secondary
School Principals (AASSP), Principal, Begich Middle School,
Anchorage, Alaska, gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators, stating Begich Middle School
is the largest middle school in the state and also one the most
diverse middle schools in the country. It is diverse in its
range of ethnicities and scope of learning modalities. He
praised House Bill 19 which enabled Begich Middle School to be
the first middle school in Anchorage to welcome a class of
Chinese immersion students.
8:43:06 AM
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 14, AASSP's Board Members, stating
the association prides itself on representing all Alaska regions
and keeping the executive board balanced between large and small
districts:
Brendan Wilson
President
Begich Middle School
Robin Jones
Past-President
Chief Ivan Blunka School
Rick Dormer
President-Elect
Petersburg High School
Roger Franklin
Region I Director
Shungnak School
Jennifer Mason
Region II Director
Peak and Cantwell Schools
Heather Norton
Region III Director
Kodiak Middle School
Robyn Harris
Region IV Director
Whaley High School
Dave Dershin
Region VI Director
Randy Smith Middle School
Shelli Lincoln
Region VIII Director
Burchell High School
Robyn Taylor
NAASSP Region Coordinator
Hutchison High School
Clarice Louden-Mingo
AP at Large
Lathrop High School
8:43:22 AM
MR. WILSON began with a position statement on school safety,
showing a picture of eroding shorelines near Napakiak School. He
stated that school safety presents two distinct but connected
issues, student safety and facility safety. Begich Middle School
is a gorgeous, modern facility built in 2007 thanks to bond debt
reimbursement. He contrasted it to schools in rural Alaska that
need upgrades to meet basic standards. He advanced to slides 15
and 16, School Safety, and reviewed the following points:
• ACSA supports improving the safety, physical and
mental well-being of our children, knowing this is
critical to increasing student achievement.
• ACSA supports increased funding through the
Department of Education and Early Development's
(DEED) school construction process for capital
projects and major maintenance to existing school
district facilities in order to provide students a
safe and healthy learning environment.
• ACSA supports providing school communities and their
school safety partners with quality information,
resources, consultation, and training services.
• ACSA urges that all safety improvements including
air and water quality be made a priority
• Adequate staffing and training for law enforcement
and OCS is important for the safety of our staff and
students.
• Several national polls find that at least one-third
of educators have been physically or verbally
threatened this year.
• The average school in Alaska is 40 years old. Water
and air quality was already a concern before the
pandemic.
• Providing a welcoming, caring environment remains
the most effective way to make our students feel
safe. School safety depends on having great
educators, mental health supports, and up-to-date
facilities.
• School safety is linked with every other important
educational issue.
8:44:45 AM
MR. WILSON said the following joint position statement focuses
on preparing, attracting, and retaining qualified educators. He
was asked to switch to Begich Middle School to address the high
teacher turnover, among other reasons. In his first year at the
school, he had to hire 18 new teachers out of a staff of 55,
which is nearly equal to the turnover seen in rural Alaska. He
said the issue is very personal and important.
MR. WILSON advanced to slides 17 and 18, Preparing, Attracting,
and Retaining Qualified Educators, and reviewed the following:
• Retaining effective educators and leaders is
imperative to increase student achievement and
eliminate academic disparity for all of Alaska's
students.
• ACSA strongly encourages the development of
comprehensive statewide programs to prepare,
attract, and retain high quality, diverse educators
and professionals.
• ACSA further recommends strengthening statewide and
national recruiting efforts along with a renewed
commitment to growing our own educators, teachers,
paraprofessionals, counselors, principals, and
superintendents.
• ACSA supports aligned and accredited University of
Alaska Schools of Education. Exploring innovative
alternative pathways is paramount to attracting high
quality educators to the state and the education
profession to address Alaska's unique circumstances.
• A nationally competitive compensation and benefits
package, combined with a robust state retirement
system is imperative for attracting and retaining
effective educators and leaders.
• A 2021 report by the Wallace Foundation found that
after teachers, effective principals have the
highest impact on student achievement.
• Effective principals are a key factor in teacher
recruitment and retention.
8:45:54 AM
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 19, Annual Turnover Rates
(Percent). The slide showed two charts. One chart depicted
teacher/principal turnover rates from 2012 to 2021. The
other chart compared turnover in these areas of Alaska:
rural-remote, rural-hub/fringe, urban-fringe, and urban
areas. He said the data for last year shows a decrease in
turnover. These figures are a little misleading as they
reflect the esprit de corps surrounding the difficult
circumstances of COVID. He does not know an educator who
will not tell you that this year is much harder than last
year. He fears the turnover numbers will trend back up.
Slide 19 read:
Turnover rates for both teachers and principals
reduced last year, but the gap between urban and rural
schools remains large.
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 20, Alaska Statewide
Leadership Development that read as follows:
Designed to provide early-career principals with a
collegial cohort that is engaged in networking, skill
building and mutual support.
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 21, Principals Supported 2018
to 2021. This program supported 103 new assistant and head
principals, served 65 percent of school districts, and
helped 85 schools over the last four years:
• Four cohorts
• 2-year induction
103 New Principals
65 percent of Alaska School Districts
85 Alaska Schools
This slide showed a map with the schools the Alaska Statewide
Leadership Development serves.
8:47:22 AM
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 22, stating that the Alaska School
Leadership Academy (ASLA) has three pillars of research-based
design:
ASLA Design
PERSONALIZED PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT OF
MENTORING NETWORKING LEADERSHIP SKILLS
He explained that personalized mentoring involves pairing an
experienced principal with an inexperienced principal. They get
the opportunity to converse privately; conversations are not
shared with supervisors and are kept confidential. The
professional network enables staff to learn and grow, problem-
solving with each other. A series of professional development
sessions are held online, covering topics like evaluating staff,
building school culture, and striving for cycles of continuous
improvement.
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 23, The Mutual Value of Mentoring.
He stated that the mentorship program is a reciprocal process.
It is a well-established fact that there is no better way to
learn something than to teach it to someone else. The mentor
grows through the process of guiding and coaching too. The slide
read:
"The process of being a mentor is helping me be a
better principal in my building with my staff. I am
reflecting on how often I am guiding and supervising
versus allowing staff to come up with answers. I have
transferred some mentoring strategies to working with
my own staff."
In a single year:
33 Mentors
767 Mentor Contacts
509 Hours of Mentoring
8:48:37 AM
MR. WILSON advanced to slide 24, Ways the State Can Help, which
read:
Continue to enhance our educator pipeline so we can
enhance "grow our own."
Continue to explore alternative pathways to teacher
certification.
Invest in infrastructure that helps attract and keep
teachers: better facilities, housing, and broadband
are all factors in rural Alaska.
Help us get more competitive with compensation,
especially by returning to a defined-benefit
retirement system.
MR. WILSON closed his presentation by sharing a story about a
recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he met with Congressman
Don Young shortly before his passing. He told the congressman
that he did not expect to get rich in education; however, he
could count on excellent health care and a stable retirement. It
offered assurance he would be okay, but the current workforce
does not have a retirement guarantee. The congressman agreed few
would find the benefits package desirable.
8:50:40 AM
JENNIFER RINALDI, President, Alaska Association of Elementary
School Principals (AAESP), Principal, Willow Elementary School,
Willow, Alaska, gave a status update as part of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators, stating she was born and
raised in Alaska. She served in education for 20 years, 14 years
in Anchorage as a teacher, and as a principal in the Mat-Su. She
presented the following two joint position statements:
- social, emotional, and mental health, and
- early childhood education
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 26 to introduce the AAESP board
members:
Jennifer Rinaldi
President, Mat-Su
Josh Gill
Pres. Elect, LKSD
Joanna Hinderberger
Vice Pres., Juneau
Linson Thompson
Treasurer, Anchorage
Eric Pederson
Past Pres., KPBSD
Aimee Kahler
Secretary, Anchorage
Doug Gray
State Rep. Anchorage
Shawna Henderson
Region Rep. Fairbanks
Jennifer Schmitz
AAESP Exec. Director
8:51:46 AM
MS. RINALDI introduced slides 27 - 33, Social, Emotional and
Mental Health. She has two beliefs that guide her when
challenges arise. One belief is that an ounce of prevention
equals a pound of cure. An incredible amount of latitude is
gained for course correcting when issues are approached from a
proactive perspective. In education, operating from a reactive
mode can affect generations to come. The second belief is the
importance of being solution-driven when problems occur.
Potential solutions must accompany identified problems. Slide 27
read:
Alaska's students endure extremely high rates of
trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The
impact of COVID-19 has elevated many Alaskan students'
ACEs scores.
The trauma felt in our schools is not just limited to
students; staff have also felt the impact of COVID-19
on their own social, emotional, and mental health.
These issues have connections in other legislative
priorities identified, such as attracting and
retaining educators and access to health care.
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 28, Social, Emotional and Mental
Health, which read:
According to the Office of Children's Services, 3,142
children were mistreated in Alaska in 2019. This was
the highest number they had seen in the past 5 years
with an increase of 18% over that time.
Alaskan children are 56% more likely to be abused
compared to the national average. Additionally,
Alaskan children have high rates of repeat child
maltreatment which results in a great chance of
encountering child welfare or the child entering the
juvenile justice system.
Data compiled from United Health Foundation and
published in Americas Health Rankings found that
Alaska ranked as the least-healthiest state in terms
of adolescent suicide, with a rate of 44.9 deaths per
100,000. In comparison, the two healthiest states were
Massachusetts and New Jersey at 5.4 deaths per
100,000.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
classifies adolescents as people between 12 and 19
years old. The suicide rate among Alaska Native
adolescents nearly doubled from 2018 to 2019.
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 29, Social, Emotional and Mental
Health. This slide categorized adverse childhood experiences
into three main segments: abuse, neglect, and household
instability. The slide read:
"Adverse Childhood Experiences" (ACEs) are stressful
or traumatic experiences, including abuse, neglect,
witnessing domestic violence, or growing up with
substance abuse, mental illness, or a parent in jail.
8:55:53 AM
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 30, and continued to discuss
Social, Emotional and Mental Health. This slide illustrated the
number of Alaskan youth 6 to 11 years old and 12 to 17 years old
who had an adverse childhood experience. She noted the slide was
ten years old and guessed the numbers had increased. The slide
indicates that many young Alaskans have experienced one or more
ACES prior to the age of 12, and 27 percent of those students
have had two or more adverse childhood experiences. Slide 30
read:
Alaska's students endure extremely high rates of
trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs),
reflected in Alaska having the highest rate of teen
suicide attempts in the nation.
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 31, Social, Emotional and Mental
Health (continued), which stated ACEs have life-long impacts.
The slide illustrated the mounting life-long consequences of
ACEs, beginning with disrupted neurodevelopment as a toddler;
social, emotional and cognitive impairment during childhood;
high-risk behaviors during adolescence; and ending with disease,
disability and social problems during adulthood.
MS. RINALDI said it is difficult to find updated information
related to COVID implications, but slide 32 shows the effects of
the pandemic on teen mental health and the percent of parents
noticing a new problem or worsening of an existing problem.
8:57:35 AM
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 33, Social, Emotional and Mental
Health (continued), stating the key to solutions is adequate
staffing and support. She paraphrased the following solutions:
• ACSA urges the state to provide funding and
resources so schools can partner with local
communities to implement comprehensive,
culturally responsive, school-based mental health
programs to foster the health and development of
students.
• ACSA supports targeted funding to enable schools
to recruit, retain, and increase students' access
to school counselors, school social workers,
school psychologists, nurses, and mental health
specialists and to provide additional
professional development for all staff to meet
the increasing and diverse needs of all students
MS. RINALDI stated that the responsibility for the social,
emotional, and mental health of students cannot fall solely on
the teaching staff; the load has affected staff and their
families on an incredible level.
8:58:09 AM
MS. RINALDI introduced the next joint position statement on
slides 34 to 36, Early Childhood Education. She said an
important factor leading to positive generational outcomes is
access to early childhood education. Slide 34 read:
According to the Alaska Developmental Profile, nearly
70% of Alaska's students enter kindergarten lacking
foundational preparation for learning and reaching up
to almost 90% in some communities. This includes over
50% of entering kindergarteners who lack critical
foundations in literacy.
ACSA supports the definition of elementary education
to include universal Pre-K, thus ensuring equitable
access to fully funded, sustainable, birth to age five
learning programs and nutrition services.
ACSA supports adequate, sustainable early childhood
education and Pre-K funding as part of the base
student allocation.
8:58:32 AM
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 35, Early Childhood Education
(continued). This slide includes statistics on the need for and
the positive impacts on early childhood education. The slide
read:
• According to a grant funded study (The Early Childhood
Alaska project) recently published,
• 15% of Alaska children birth through 5 years of age
live in poverty; 29% in rural areas live in poverty.
• About 10% of children in Head Start/Early Head Start
are homeless.
• About 1/3 of Alaska kindergarteners meet 11 of 13
Alaska Developmental Profile standards,
• The Abecedarian Project (2021) demonstrated that young
children who receive high-quality early education from
infancy to age 5 do better in reading and math and are
more likely to stay in school longer, graduate from high
school, and attend a four-year college.
• Research also shows that quality early care and education
help close achievement gaps so all children can thrive,
enables parents and caregivers to work or study and
increases economic mobility, underpins a robust economy,
reduces need for special education, improves lifelong
health and reduces rates of crime in adulthood.
8:59:22 AM
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 36, Early Childhood Education
(continued). This slide contained cost/benefit analyses
demonstrating the range of benefits to society based on a per
dollar investment in early childhood programs. The analyses were
based on three different studies and criteria:
Three rigorously studied early childhood programs, the
Perry Preschool Project, the Abecedarian project, and
the Nurse Family Partnership, show a range of sizable
returns to the participants and to the public for
every dollar invested. Source: Karoly et al (2005);
Heckman et al (2009). Credit: Center on the Developing
Child.
MS. RINALDI advanced to slide 37, Early Childhood Education and
Social, Emotional, and Mental Health, which read:
Early childhood programs don't just give our children
a way to enter school ready to learn and to have a
better chance at overall success in life, they can
also help to reduce the cases of child abuse and
neglect by working to support families and connecting
them to agencies that provide education and support.
Children from all socio-economic levels and
backgrounds should have access to these resources.
Early childhood education programs in partnership with
strong school counseling and mental health supports
are fundamental in keeping students safe and providing
them opportunities for success. Funding and supporting
these programs will make our homes, towns, cities and
state stronger and healthier places to be. There is no
more important investment that could make a greater
impact for our students and communities.
MS. RINALDI said that as educators learn more about students and
their development, they face more challenges. The state cannot
leave education and education funding the same. Alaska has work
to do and can get there by addressing the challenges,
identifying the resources, and providing the support needed in
schools.
9:00:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY joined the meeting (via teleconference).
9:01:02 AM
ANDY RATLIFF, President, Alaska Association of School Business
Officials (ALASBO), Senior Director, Office of Management and
Budget, Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska, gave a
status update as part of the Alaska Council of School
Administrators. He qualified his experience, stating he has
worked with the Anchorage School District for over 16 years in
various accounting, finance, and payroll positions. He now works
on the budget. ALASBO professional organization focuses on
professional development, promoting high standards in school
business. The organization includes mostly business managers,
but also includes human resources, information technology,
transportation, and other business-related offices.
9:01:35 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 39, introducing the ALASBO board
members:
Andy Ratliff, President
Anchorage School District
Yodean Armour, President-Elect
Klawock City School District
Jimmy Love, Past-President
Kenai Peninsula Borough Schools
Cassee Olin, Treasurer
Juneau School District
Heather Heinekin, Secretary
Yukon Koyukuk School District
Phil Hulett
Seat A
Dillingham School District
Megan Williams
Seat B
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Robbie MacManus
Seat D
Alaska Gateway School District
Katie Parrott
Seat E
Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District
David Nielsen
Seat F
Aleutians East School District
9:01:41 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 40, ALASBO's Mission, Vision, and
Values, which read:
Mission: To promote the highest standards in school
business practices.
Vision: Educating stakeholders in the effective use
of resources for the benefit of Alaska's
children.
Values: Ethical standards
Sharing knowledge and expertise
Advancing the interests of all members
Accurate, objective, consistent information
Collegiality
Efficiency
Collaboration
9:01:54 AM
MR. RATLIFF said slide 41 contains the joint position statement
about priority funding for education. It read:
Priority Funding for Education
• The State of Alaska must provide timely, reliable, and
predictable revenue for schools, funding the actual cost
of education in all districts and providing full and
equitable funding for all initiatives, laws, and mandates
that require additional resources.
• Policy makers must recognize the diminishing value of
flat funding in relation to inflation. Early notification
of funding and forward funding are crucial to sound
financial management, as well as recruitment and
retention of quality educators.
• Diversified revenue streams are critical in the current
fiscal climate to address any deficit and ensure the
ability to fund service increases associated with
economic development, inflation, and deferred maintenance
capital requirements.
• ACSA opposes cost shifting state expenditure
responsibilities to local governments
9:02:32 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 42, the Foundation Formula. The
formula is designed to provide equitable funding, not equal
funding. The illustrations detail the six steps of going from an
average daily membership (ADM) to an adjusted ADM:
- Step 1 involves a school size adjustment which accounts for
economies of scale. The graph at the bottom illustrates how
school size matters in calculating the ADM value.
- Step 2 factors in the location differential for the cost of
doing business in different districts.
- Step 3 factors in a 20 percent increase for bilingual,
special, gifted and talented, and vocational education.
- Step 4 factors in another 1.5 percent increase for CTE.
- Step 5 factors in a multiplier of 13 for each intensive needs
student.
- Step 6 factors in a correspondence student count multiplied by
.90.
MR. RATLIFF said the formula works well and only suggests making
periodic adjustments as some factors change over time.
9:05:16 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 43 to review the Base Student
Allocation (BSA):
Data Source: Legislative Finance
Current BSA $5,930
BSA Increased 4.4% from 2011 to 2022
Line shows inflation adjustment to FY11 Value BSA of
$5,930 in FY22 has an FY11 Value of $5,052 when
adjusted for inflation
MR. RATLIFF explained that the pencil chart depicts K-12 funding
FY 2011 ~ FY 2022. The blue line across the pencils indicates
the loss of purchasing power due to inflation.
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 44 that depicts an Anchorage
School District (ASD) funding bar graph. The BSA is flat, but it
does not mean schools have been flat-funded. The legislature has
provided money outside of the formula, such as stimulus money.
He described adjustments that were made in years where inflation
outpaced BSA funding. He said the bar graph design emphasizes
the upcoming (ASD) fiscal cliff in FY24. He indicated many
school districts around the state have a chart with a similar
impending budgetary shortfall.
9:07:02 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 45, ASD School Funding 2017-2026.
He extended the bar graph on slide 44 out two years and overlaid
the house bills currently under consideration. It shows ASD
would have enough support if the bills were enacted.
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 46, showing the budget
expenditures on a pie chart:
Combined Alaska School Districts
General Fund (School Operating Fund)
Budgeted Expenditures - Fiscal Year 2022
75 percent - Instructional Functions 100-400
25 percent Non-instruction Functions 450-780
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 47, illustrating the breakdown of
funds used for instructional and non-instructional expenditures
on two pie charts.
The non-instructional pie chart accounts for 25 percent of the
total 2022 expenditures, broken down as follows:
- 14 percent Operations and Maintenance
- 5 percent District Administrative Support
- 3 percent School Administrative Support
- 2 percent District Administration
- 2 percent Student Activities
- 0 percent Community Services
The instructional pie chart accounts for 75 percent of the total
2022 expenditures, broken down as follows:
- 41 percent Instruction
- 14 percent Special Education Instruction
- 9 percent Support Services Instruction
- 4 percent each to School Administration
- 4 percent Support Services for Students
- 4 percent Special Education Support
9:10:08 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 48 to explain the factors driving
costs:
Costs are Higher in Alaska:
CPI Increased by 11.5% from 2011 to 2021
• Alaskan health care costs are the most expensive in the
nation. Examples of other school district annual benefit
costs per employee:
• Atlanta ($11,340)
• Seattle ($12,312)
• Portland ($15,341 - $18,662 depending on bargaining
group)
• Anchorage ($21,000)
• Matsu ($23,525)
• Kenai Peninsula ($26,600)
• Lower Yukon ($38,110)
• High cost of workers' compensation; direct correlation
with health care costs.
• Higher energy costs vary widely between urban and rural
areas of the State.
• Nationwide increases in liability insurance
MR. RATLIFF said liability insurance has increased 100 percent
over the last few years fueled by nationwide factors like trans
and sexual abuse claims, school violence, and traumatic brain
injuries.
• Must provide teacher housing in remote school districts.
• Shipping and transportation costs are very high.
9:11:36 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 49, showing a map of the United
States that illustrated a nationwide composite cost of living
index, the 2021 annual average cost of living per state. The
index for Alaska is probably predominately based on Anchorage.
He expressed his belief that the index for outlying areas would
probably be exponentially higher than Anchorage. Slide 49 read:
Factors Affecting the Cost of Operations in Alaska
• Most geographically dispersed state in the nation
• Fuel and supplies must be delivered in the summer
when rivers or oceans are open or it must be
flown in, increasing total cost
• Impact of reduced and/or eliminated Alaska Marine
Highway System
• Increasing reliance on air transportation by
school districts for supplies, staff, and
students
9:11:58 AM
MR. RATLIFF advanced to slide 50, Additional Education Business
Resources, which read:
• Legislative Budget & Audit Reports:
http://lba.akleg.gov/documents/publications/
• DEED Uniform Chart of Accounts:
https://education.alaska.gov/publications/
chart_of_accounts.pdf
• Alaska Association of School Business Officials
(ALASBO): http://www.alasbo.org/
• Comparison of Alaska K-12 Expenditures to
National Averages: http://www.alasbo.org/
wp-content/uploads/2019/04/White-PaperAlaska-
compared-to-US-Average-JAN-2020-final.pdf
9:12:21 AM
SAM JORDAN, Grants and Outreach Administrator, Alaska Staff
Development Network (ASDN), Alaska Council of School
Administrators, Palmer, Alaska, gave a status update as part of
the Alaska Council of School Administrators. He qualified his
experience, stating he has been a public educator for 20 years
and a proud parent of two great kids in the Mat-Su Borough
School District. ASDN is a private, nonprofit organization and
the largest provider of educational-professional development
outside of school districts.
9:13:14 AM
MR. JORDAN reviewed slide 52, Alaska's Statewide Resource for
Professional Development for Almost 40 years, which read:
Our Mission: To improve student achievement by
providing researched-based professional development
programs for Alaska's teachers and school
administrators.
Annually we:
• Host almost 6,000 overall professional learning
registrations, serving more than 3,000 educators --
almost 40 percent of the classroom teachers in
Alaska.
• Serve over 2,500 with online classes. We Offer 80
self-paced, high-quality professional development
courses.
• Offer 8 webinar series with national education
experts that serve almost 1,000 Alaskan educators
• Host the largest K-12 professional development
conference in Alaska with 1 in 10 Alaskan educators
in attendance
MR. JORDAN said ASDN serves as a lead professional development
partner for several federal grants.
9:14:46 AM
MR. JORDAN advanced to slide 53 to discuss the Alaska Effective
Instruction Conference. This conference is in its 11th year and
provides Alaskan educators with an opportunity for reflection
and deep learning about their profession. The conference is held
locally in Anchorage, a substantial cost-saving for school
districts. It brings world-class voices to Alaska, so teachers
do not have to travel to the Lower 48. ASDN researches the
education space nationally and brings the most important K-12
voices in education to Alaska. This year the conference
initiatives focused on Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-
Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The keynote presenters were
dynamic, ranging from Hadi Partovi, who spoke on the future of
computer science as a foundational skill for K-12 education, to
imminent literacy educator Dr. Anita Archer and world-renowned
mathematics educator Jo Boaler. The slide read as follows:
Alaskan Education Conferences
Annual RTI / MTSS
Effective Instruction Conference
• Served almost 1,300 Alaskan educators from 44
districts in 2022
• Largest statewide PK-12 Conference in Alaska
• Cost savings for districts to stay in-state and
receive high quality professional learning
9:16:17 AM
MR. JORDAN advanced to slide 54, stating ASDN hosts the Alaska
School Leadership Institute (ASLI). It will target supporting
leaders from rural and small schools but is open to anyone that
would like to attend. Many district teams use this time to
strategize and plan for the next school year. This year's
institute will focus on instructional leadership and creating
productive school cultures as teachers return to in-school
instruction. This conference also supports meetings for the new
and incoming superintendents' cohort and the Alaska School
Leadership Academy cohorts that Principal Brendan Wilson
mentioned.
MR. JORDAN advanced to slide 55, stating ASDN is leading the
advancement of computer science instruction in Alaska. ASDN
serves as the Code.org regional partner for Alaska, which is in
its 4th year of empowering educators across the state to teach
computer science. Code.org is the world's leading resource on
computer science instruction, providing an accessible and
exciting computer science curriculum taught across Alaska in
rural and urban areas. Alaska has an excellent opportunity for
advancing computer science; it has enormous implications for the
job market for young Alaskans and the economy. ASCA will
continue promoting this and invites partnership along the way.
9:18:46 AM
MR. JORDAN advanced to slide 56, which read:
Our Alaskan Schools Blog
Sharing the Great Things Happening in Alaska's Schools
3 Years of stories from Alaska's classrooms and
schools
Slide 56 showed a snapshot of the website highlighting blog
stories featured this past year.
MR. JORDAN said that he has two ASDN passion projects. The first
is serving as the Alaska School Leadership Academy lead, which
supports early career principals. The second is Our Alaskan
Schools blog. ASDN staff can be in constant contact with
educators across the state, hearing what they are excited about
and what they are doing. ASDN staff saw the remarkable things
happening at the school and classroom levels and recognized
these things did not make it into the public discourse. ASDN put
together a blog four years ago highlighting the positive,
exciting stories in public schools. To date, there are about 120
stories written by or with educators. He encouraged committee
members to read some stories, which are searchable by region and
topic. The stories are dynamic and exciting, reflecting great
instructional practice.
9:20:41 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND invited committee members to ask questions.
9:21:05 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked Mr. Ratliff what the cost of liability
insurance is statewide.
MR. RATLIFF said that he does not have the statewide data on-
hand but will get it.
SENATOR MICCICHE indicated that the committee needs to
understand, in detail, costs affected by outside factors. He
asked for a collection of costs that are beyond the control of
business/budget managers, so the committee could explore ways to
provide relief.
9:22:18 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND requested Mr. Ratliff review the factors
affecting the cost of liability insurance for the Anchorage
School District and its increase over a relevant period of time.
MR. RATLIFF expressed his belief that liability insurance is in
the $1 to $2 million range. There are claims costs for workers'
compensation and liability. He explained nationwide trends are
driving costs and are not necessarily specific to the schools in
Anchorage. He said factors affecting nationwide costs are sexual
abuse claims, school violence claims, and traumatic brain
injuries incurred in sports. It has been more challenging to get
insurance. In the past, the district had insurance renewals
completed by this time of year. Now, renewals are completed in
June/July, just before the next school year starts. Many
carriers are dropping school districts altogether, so the prices
are escalating. He committed to get the committee the exact
numbers and the percentage increases over time.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND inquired whether schools could operate without
liability insurance, asking what happens on July 1 if a
liability insurance contract is not signed.
MR. RATLIFF expressed his belief that a school technically could
operate without liability insurance; however, a significant
event could expose the district to some costly claims. A school
shooting claim like Parkland is enormous. If an event like that
happens without insurance, solvency is at stake.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND thanked Mr. Ratliff for the information,
stating the details were sobering.
9:24:59 AM
SENATOR HUGHES commented on broadband and coding. She said the
money for broadband infrastructure will allow access where none
existed, stimulating rural economies. She knew a fellow that
worked in a cabin in Delta. He had good Wi-Fi and worked for a
big New York company making $300,000 - $400,000. She expressed
hope that rural schools, students, and communities are
dialoguing about potential job opportunities in their villages.
SENATOR HUGHES expressed grief over the social, emotional, and
mental health situations in schools. The focus should be on
academics, but schools are now tasked with much more. She
wondered whether schools have explored partnering with
organizations, making space available in schools for partners to
address non-academic issues, thus freeing-up educators to focus
on teaching.
SENATOR HUGHES asked Mr. Ratliff whether new teachers receive
the same level of health care benefits as Tier I and II
employees and what percentage of district budgets go to the cost
of health care.
MR. RATLIFF answered that almost 20 percent of the ASD budget
goes to health care. It is about a 100-million-dollar line item.
Teachers have access through the public education health trust,
and the rest of the district is mostly self-insured. The
district purchased a clinic, the Vera Clinic. It offers primary
and acute care for employees. The model limits profit margins.
The city of Anchorage opened a clinic and ASD partnered with
them, offering reciprocity between the two organizations. The
district tries to limit health care costs; however, the costs
keep escalating. The health insurance renewal increased by about
10 percent this year. He spoke to the question on health care
for new teachers, asking if the question pertains to health
insurance in retirement or as active teachers through the
district.
SENATOR HUGHES said that Mr. Wilson mentioned health insurance
was different for new teachers. She expressed her understanding
that retirement health insurance is different, and new teachers
have the same health care package as Tier I and II employees.
MR. RATLIFF confirmed that the district's health insurance plan
is the same.
9:29:31 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY said it is painful to hear about students'
social, emotional, and mental health needs. She acknowledged the
challenge of teaching when students struggle with these issues.
It is difficult for children to function at higher levels when
distressed. Recognizing these complications, she brought up the
subject of academic gaps. She specifically asked about reading,
stating it is crucial to the foundation of learning. She
inquired about the interventions in schools to strengthen
reading.
DR. BOLEN answered that learning gaps are a major concern.
Superintendents want students to achieve their highest
potential. Many basic needs require tending before students even
walk into the school, particularly in rural Alaska. The time
spent on closing the achievement gap diminishes during the
school day as meeting basic needs, like food, clothing, and
attendance detracts from academics. He recalled a former, long
serving colleague from the Bering Strait School District that
said one of his biggest concerns was never making a huge change
in student outcomes. This is attributable to many factors,
including the lack of an assessment system. The state has not
had a reliable state assessment program since the [University
of] Kansas [fiber optic cable] problem shut down and suspended
testing. He said standardized testing is not the only growth
measure, but schools are mostly judged by it, and
superintendents often use it to calculate student gains.
Overloading teachers with tasks that focus on the well-being of
students does not necessarily register in academic achievement
scores. Alaska now uses the Northwest Evaluation Association
(NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing three times
per year, and educators are excited about the new Alaska System
of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) assessment that will show
growth.
MS. RINALDI further explained that every educator knows the term
"Maslow before Bloom." It means children need their basic needs
met before they are able to effectively receive academic
instruction. Students who are hungry, unhealthy, unloved,
uncared for, or feel unsafe have difficulty switching attention
from their basic needs to academic education. She said meeting
the needs of students has never been this challenging for
schools in her 20-year experience. She addressed Senator Hughes'
suggestion that schools partner with outside agencies to manage
the situation. Willow Elementary did not have a school
counselor. The Mat-Su Health Foundation was instrumental in
obtaining one for the school. She wrote a grant partnering with
Sunshine Community Health [Center] for an in-school counselor
one day per week, which expanded to include Talkeetna for
2019/2020/2021. The Mat-Su School District now works with the
Mat-Su Health Foundation to provide counseling services.
However, Willow Elementary needs counseling services more than
one day per week for its 130 students. She estimated that the
school needs a counselor 2 1/2 to 3 days per week. The counselor
has a long waiting list of students that need support. Schools
need counselors, and even if funds were available to hire more,
there is a nationwide nursing and counselor shortage. She
recommended the state address workforce and labor development to
remedy the problem in Alaska.
9:36:51 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY said districts are working towards trauma-
informed schools to support students and address basic needs.
She asked what interventions are employed at Willow Elementary
when children underperform at grade level in reading.
MS. RINALDI answered special education staff support reading
interventions. Tier 3 students are divided into small groups.
Tier 3 interventions include pulling a student out to offer
reading support, or available staff will push in to support a
teacher in the classroom.
MR. WILSON added that schools identify Tier 3 students ready to
advance to the next level of instruction and move them to a more
inclusive, co-taught classroom environment where a special
education professional might work alongside a teacher. He spoke
to the cochair's point about trauma-informed schools, stating
educators look at restorative practices when children make
mistakes and try interventions that do not involve too much time
out of school on suspension.
9:39:09 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked Ms. Rinaldi who pays Sunshine Community
Health Center for counseling services to Willow Elementary
students.
MS. RINALDI answered the initial grant was for $10,000 through
the Mat-Su Health Foundation. It was a direct pass-through. She
used $5,000 in title funds the second year, and Talkeetna came
on board. The grant covered both schools with the addition of
$5,000 each. She did not write the grant this year but assumes
Medicaid is paying a lot and possibly funds come from the
district.
MR. WILSON said Begich Middle School has clinicians and is
trying to expand using funds Volunteers of America grants
provided. Begich Middle School has a Volunteer of America
counselor available to students on a walk-in basis, and this
year it opened to staff too. Alaska Behavioral Health is a
partner that provides one more clinician. He uses title funds to
pay for a counselor who targets family engagement, making
families feel more comfortable reaching out for help.
9:41:05 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE said slides 48 and 49 of the presentation
convey the big-picture factors affecting operational expenses in
Alaska. However, the committee needs detail to explore methods
of providing relief and to get a handle on what is driving
uncontrollable costs. Earlier, Mr. Ratliff expounded on the
price hike of liability insurance, shedding light on the
problems affecting insurance costs. He asked school districts to
separate and quantify the following uncontrollable costs:
energy, transportation, housing, and health care and to compile
the data with a focus on rural Alaska. The data will help people
understand Alaska's cost differences. He also wondered what
percentage of Alaska's schools are off the road system and if
other states have schools off their road systems.
MR. RATLIFF said the state has the data; a chart of accounts
allows it to be separated out. To ensure the data is useful, he
asked whether the compilation would be more helpful organized by
district or aggregated statewide.
MR. RATLIFF segued to a previous ASD liability insurance
question to address the scope of cost escalations, stating:
Property insurance was $864,000 in 2019 and $1.3 million is
budgeted for next year.
Liability insurance was $658,000 in 2019 and $1.66 million is
budgeted for next year.
SENATOR MICCICHE said it would be helpful if the data was
organized by both school districts and aggregated statewide.
Because liability insurance does not have a rural reference, it
should be kept separate.
9:47:39 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked how spending in the classroom is
affected by the escalation in uncontrollable costs.
MR. RATLIFF answered that to the extent districts pay more in
some areas from general fund dollars, less is available for
expenditures elsewhere. That is the way it is without increased
funding.
9:49:06 AM
DR. PARADY answered a previous question from Senator Micciche,
stating 30 percent of Alaska schools are off the road system.
The school administrators will work with ALASBO and the state to
provide that information.
DR. PARADY made two points. Larger districts are represented
today, but the committee should recognize that rural and remote
districts are experiencing the same issues, but more deeply. She
invited members to join the Heart through Student Art reception
to see the fabulous projects happening in public education. The
student art is remarkable, the auctioneer is Senator Micciche,
and the art will look good in your offices. She introduced Robin
Jones to present handmade gifts crafted by Chief Ivan Blunka
School students.
9:51:17 AM
ROBIN JONES, Principal, Chief Ivan Blunka School, Southwest
Region School District, New Stuyahok, Alaska, relayed that she
holds the title of Alaska's Principal of the Year for two more
weeks. She presented handmade thank you cards from New Stuyahok
students. The cards show how bright, deserving, and talented the
students are. They serve as a reminder of the things that are
working together at Chief Ivan Blunka School, and these things
are producing beautiful student outcomes. She thanked committee
members for supporting public education, especially their
efforts to close the opportunity and equity gaps in rural
Alaska.
9:52:47 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND agreed the cards were beautiful. He referenced
slide 45, ASD School Funding 2017 - 2026, stating funding is a
constant tug-of-war and dollars have to come from somewhere. One
idea to reverse child poverty is to pay a permanent fund
dividend. Education is essential, but he is uncertain whether
these two funding sources are mutually exclusive. He is
concerned the state has allowed irresponsible growth of the
permanent fund when there are competing efforts for funds and
money in the bank to pay for some of these obligations. He
concluded, saying the cards are beautiful and he hates to
distract from them.
9:54:35 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE amended a previous request for data. He asked
that the data include an urban aggregate and a rural aggregate,
keeping liability insurance separate because the housing
differential is substantial.
9:55:10 AM
DR. BOLEN provided liability insurance numbers for a rural,
large Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA). The liability
insurance was $160,000 in 2018, jumped to $354,000 in 2019,
increased to $436,000 in 2020, and this year the cost was
$486,000.
9:55:55 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that making priorities work with the
budget is one of the complex jobs of lawmakers. Legislators need
to remember that the Permanent Fund value went from $83 billion
to $80 billion recently. The ebb and flow of this investment
affects the budget.
9:56:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM asked whether school districts have
explored alternative insurance carriers or combined government
offices to purchase a group insurance package to reduce costs.
DR. PARADY expressed her belief that every district tries to
find the best and least expensive insurance. She receives texts
on different insurances. She mentioned cyber insurance as an
option that school districts may want to research. Many borough
schools have few insurance choices because they are piggy-backed
on the borough's insurance, which is a consideration in terms of
uncontrolled costs. Conversations about merging public entity
health insurance and other types of insurance have swirled
around the legislature for many years. There has been movement
in that direction, but it has yet to gain traction. Any relief
the legislature offers to support schools with these costs,
which school districts have no control over, is welcome.
9:58:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK said he is a product of the rural Alaska
school system. He attended the University of Alaska-Fairbanks,
became a teacher, and served as a regional school board member,
giving him a broad view of the education system. The question is
which costs school districts can control. A lot of schools,
especially rural schools, are old. He asked how much effort
school districts have made to ensure the buildings use
electricity efficiently. Saving money on operations means more
money to invest in teachers in classrooms.
9:59:31 AM
DR. PARADY answered that school maintenance and capital
construction backlogs are of major concern to school districts.
The lists the Department of Education and Early Development
developed only include a portion of Alaska's school maintenance
projects. She explained that it costs approximately $10,000 for
each district to pursue adding a project to the list. The
projects on the list still need to be fully funded.
Representative Cronk's point is well taken. School districts
need to make their buildings more efficient, and to do that
major maintenance and school capital construction projects need
funding.
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK said that falls under building the proper
infrastructure to reduce those costs. The bottom line is that
the legislature and education administrators need to have some
hard conversations about how to do better, whether in health
insurance costs or being more efficient. He expressed his belief
that no one is having those conversations and that the issues
will not be resolved until everyone, as a group, does. Just
asking for more money does not fix the problems. He would like
to participate in problem-solving conversations.
DR. PARADY spoke on behalf of the school administrators, stating
they were more than happy to have problem-solving conversations
with policymakers on these important issues. She clarified that
school administrators were not just asking for more money. They
are hurting, and the situation is not stable in many ways. They
have no control over some things, so administrators want to work
with the legislature to find solutions. She asked legislators to
include the experts in the room in problem-solving discussions.
She expressed hope that committee members know how tirelessly
educators and administrators work on behalf of students every
day for their safety, well-being, and instructional needs. The
legislature and school administrators are partners in helping to
stabilize schools.
10:02:41 AM
SENATOR HOLLAND asked who the Alaska School Principal of the
Year is.
DR. PARADY replied Robin Jones.
10:03:27 AM
There being no further business before the committee, Chair
Holland adjourned the joint meeting of the Senate Education
Standing Committee and the House Education Standing Committee at
10:03 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 ACSA Joint Position Statements.pdf |
HEDC 3/28/2022 8:30:00 AM |
ACSA |
| 2022 ACSA Joint Education Presentation.pdf |
HEDC 3/28/2022 8:30:00 AM |
ACSA |