Legislature(2023 - 2024)DAVIS 106
02/27/2023 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 | |
| Presentation(s): State of School Districts | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 27, 2023
8:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jamie Allard, Co-Chair
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Co-Chair
Representative Mike Prax
Representative CJ McCormick
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Rebecca Himschoot
Representative Andi Story
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Dan Ortiz
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): STATE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
LISA PARADY, Executive Director
Alaska Council of School Administrators
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
BRIDGET WEISS, Superintendent
Juneau School District
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
BRENDAN WILSON, President
Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
JOSH GILL, Principal
Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Elementary School
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
YODEAN ARMOUR, President
Alaska Association of School Business Officials
Klawock, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
ANDY RATLIFF, Past-President
Alaska Association of School Business Officials
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
DOUG GRAY, Professional Development Director
Alaska Staff Development Network
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
SAM JORDAN, Grant Director
Alaska Council of School Administrators
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "State of
PK-12 Education in Alaska."
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:00:52 AM
CO-CHAIR JAMIE ALLARD called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Representatives Prax,
McKay, Himschoot, Allard, and Ruffridge were present at the call
to order. Representatives McCormick and Story arrived as the
meeting was in progress. Also present was Representative Ortiz.
^PRESENTATION(S): STATE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
PRESENTATION(S): STATE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
8:01:34 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced that the only order of business would
be the State of School Districts presentation.
8:02:17 AM
LISA PARADY, Executive Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators, began the PowerPoint presentation, titled "State
of PK-12 Education in Alaska [hard copy included in committee
packet]. She provided a brief background of the Alaska Council
of School Administrators (ACSA) and provided information on
leaders who would join the discussion. She explained there are
54 school districts in Alaska, and most are represented here in
Juneau this week; however, she said she saw this as one state
and the ACSA advocates for all students. She informed committee
members that in their packets, they have the joint position
statements, which would be cross-referenced throughout the
presentation.
8:05:56 AM
BRIDGET WEISS, Superintendent/President, Juneau School District,
provided a brief background, and proceeded to slide 7, titled
"Leadership, Unity, and Advocacy for Public Education," which
showed the Alaska Superintendents Association 2022-2023 Board of
Directors. She moved to slide 8, titled "Priority Funding for
Public Education," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
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. Early
notification of funding and predictable funding are
crucial to sound financial management, as well as
recruitment and retention of quality educators.
Policymakers must recognize that continued flat
funding coupled with historic 40 year high inflation
creates a loss of purchasing power that schools cannot
sustain while keeping achievement high and meeting
legislative requirements.
MS. WEISS continued to slide 9, titled "Flat Funded BSA vs.
Inflation," which showed a pencil chart with Alaska K-12
funding, BSA fiscal year 2012-2023.
8:08:13 AM
MS. WEISS moved on to slide 10, titled "Education is
Accountable," and briefly summarized the following layers of
accountability, shown on the slide as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
? Special Education Audits
? State Monitoring of Federal Programs
? DEED Report Card Shared with the Public
? Other Alaska Student ID System (OASIS) Reporting
? Attendance and Achievement Data for Indian Education
Grants
? Program Audits
MS. WEISS added that another form of accountability is the
financial reporting done each year with the Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED). She continued to slide
11, titled "District Expenditures: District Administration,"
which showed the "big five" districts in the state and what
percentage of funding goes to district administration. She said
there would be further discussion on this. She moved to slide
12, titled "Educator Turnover," which showed pictures of
superintendents and those no longer in their positions. She
stressed the instability that results in this turnover. She
continued to slide 13, titled "New Superintendent Induction and
Support Program," which is a new cohort, she explained. The
program provides profession learning and mentorship to new
superintendents in the state for two years. She opined this
strategy, along with adequate funding, would slow leadership
turnover.
8:10:56 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE circled back to slide 12, which showed
superintendents, and asked whether they went somewhere else
within the state.
MS. WEISS affirmed that was true.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked how many superintendents on the slide
had to be brought in for the position versus moving into a
different position within the district.
MS. PARADY estimated about half and half. Since 2014, she said,
there have been almost full turnovers.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE observed municipality positions lasting only
four to five years and asked whether it was similar in the
superintendent field.
Ms. PARADY replied that it had become similar. She added that
the positions used to be career positions, but it has become a
short tenure.
8:14:39 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD, considering the state has 54 school districts,
questioned why the state should support such a large fiscal
challenge with the huge turnover.
MS. WEISS acknowledged Co-Chair Allard's sentiments and pointed
out that Alaska had far fewer districts than many other states.
She emphasized the importance of taking in the context of Alaska
and its communities where school districts are at the heart of
these communities and provide support, as well as being the
economic driver.
8:17:10 AM
MS. PARADY added that in addition to the local decision making
and being responsive to respective cultures, and the fact
schools are the largest employer in most districts, in many
different areas throughout the state there are unique sets of
issues. In reference to cost savings, a study on district
consolidation had been done, and she encouraged the committee to
look into it.
8:18:59 AM
MS. WEISS continued on slide 15, titled "What our schools could
look like...." She explained that as educational leaders, they
ponder the challenges of what is and what could be. She added
that many students are excelling despite the challenges of the
past few years.
8:20:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY reflected on Ms. Weiss stating that state
aid is not timely, and he pointed out that there is no
organization in the state budget that gets a more definite
amount of money than the education system. The foundation
formula allots how much money will be given; therefore, he said
he did not understand how she could say it is not timely or
reliable.
MS. WEISS commented that the Juneau School District (JSD) does
not always know what the legislation is going to do for their
budget. She said this year's plan is $30 and JSD is facing a
$4.5 million deficit, so the district is having to make
programmatic decisions based on a dollar amount that could
change.
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY suggested to Ms. Weiss to assume what the
district is going to get is in the current equation and not base
the budget on what may not happen.
8:24:04 AM
BRENDAN WILSON, President, Alaska Association of Secondary
School Principals, joined the presentation and a short video was
played. He proceeded to slide 18, titled "Alaska's Education
Leaders," which showed the Alaska Association of Secondary
School Principals 2022-2023 Board of Directors. He said being
part of the group was an honor for him, and on the group's
behalf, he asked the committee to make this session about
education. He continued to slides 19 and 20, titled "Preparing,
Attracting and Retaining Qualified Educators." He stressed
staffing shortages were one of the biggest challenges in
recruiting and retention. Salary and especially benefits, he
said, was a big factor due to a loss of a solid retirement
system.
8:28:26 AM
MR. WILSON moved to slides 21 and 22, titled "School Safety."
He stated that safety is directly impacted by the base student
allocation (BSA), but he is not asking the legislature to pass
any legislation about school safety because safety in school is
provided by a supportive environment; therefore, safety is
directly impacted by the BSA in that regard. He stated he liked
slide 22, as it provided student voice. He related that there
are educators in the room who have dealt with serious school
safety issues. He then related a story about a student and her
artwork.
8:31:13 AM
MR. WILSON quickly moved through slides 24 to 26 that
encompassed the work being done for the statewide mentoring
program for principals called the Alaska School Leadership
Academy.
8:32:18 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked what the reason was that test scores have
gone down in every subject.
MR. WILSON responded that the COVID-19 pandemic created
situations where data is not reliable the last few years.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked Mr. Wilson if he was saying that prior to
the pandemic, test scores and students were where they should
be.
MR. WILSON replied that he is not expressing that, but it is
something that is always being worked on.
8:34:06 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked Mr. Wilson his opinion on vaping in
schools and a bill last session that would have increased the
age of purchasing tobacco products to 21.
MR. WILSON replied that he thought it would be a symbolic
gesture to show that the state is aware and concerned about it.
One of the challenges with vape pens is that they are hard to
see and detect, he said.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE referred to page 6 in the position statements
and the slides on the subject of attractive pay for teachers,
and he asked Mr. Wilson how Alaska compared with starting
teacher salaries in Washington, Oregon, and California.
MR. WILSON replied he did not have the numbers, but they could
be provided at a later date. He added that Alaska used to rank
much higher in terms of pay but is now falling behind.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked what the barrier is regarding raising
the starting wages.
MR. WILSON replied that the finance people speaking next could
give a more detailed answer. In short, he said, it is the
budget crisis districts are facing across the country, operating
on 2016 dollars.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE stated that if the BSA were raised, it would
be the intention to raise the amount of starting salary for
teachers.
MR. WILSON responded, "We are going to have to."
8:38:22 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD commented that the Anchorage School District
(ASD) was at a $68 million deficit two years ago but continued
to spend money.
MR. WILSON said one example of what schools might look like is
what is being considered in Anchorage, as well as to reimagine
what it means to be a secondary school student, and to partner
with local businesses and universities.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked how many students left Begich [Middle
School].
MR. WILSON replied that it shrunk by about 100 kids. He added
that fewer kids equate to fewer teachers.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked if the school let the teachers go.
MR. WILSON said they did not have to "pink slip" employees.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked if the significance of a position was a
factor in cuts.
MR. WILSON said the reduction in Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR)
affects the whole building.
8:42:32 AM
JOSH GILL, Principal, Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Elementary School,
provided an introduction shown on slide 28.
8:43:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX commented on an effort to increase broadband
coverage and asked whether that would be advantageous for the
school district.
MR. GILL responded that would be addressed on the following
slides. He proceeded to slide 29, titled "Alaska Association of
Elementary School Principals," which showed the executive board
with statewide representation. He continued to slide 30, titled
"Early Childhood Education," where he stressed that teaching
reading was very difficult, and preschool would be an option to
help with that.
8:45:20 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked Mr. Gill if he had scientific data that
confirmed being in preschool helped a student by the time they
entered the third grade.
MR. GILL said he would get the data but did not currently have
it. He moved to slide 31, titled "Early Childhood Education."
He explained the chart on the left showed a long-term risk
factor due to lack of quality early childhood programs. He
added there are many challenges kids have before they even reach
school that may impact their outcome. The graph on the right,
he said, showed that early childhood programs could have a
monetary value on communities in the long term. He continued on
slide 32, titled "Social, Emotional and Mental Health," and he
reiterated the need for additional training, funding, and
staffing in order to meet all student needs. He proceeded to
slides 34 and 35, titled "Increasing Bandwidth in Underserved
Areas." He explained that the graph on slide 35 showed national
data during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Alaska, he said, some
areas have a major bandwidth issue, which can also affect
educators.
8:49:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said there was a considerable amount of
federal money coming down the pike that has not been figured out
how to be spent. Assuming it gets implemented, he asked Mr.
Gill whether that may enable some relief from the problem caused
by lack of teachers and high student:teacher ratio.
MR. GILL gave an example of a time in 2007 when he had 35 kids
K-12, and he was not able to provide highly qualified teachers
for every subject, especially math. He said broadband would
make things more powerful because it could connect students from
community to community for collaboration.
8:51:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX brought up floppy discs and said that using
them at home helped his sons catch on to certain programs. He
asked if anything similar is being offered at homes or in
districts.
MR. GILL explained families do not have the Internet, computers,
or books at home.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX pointed out the lack of parental involvement
in responsibility, and he expressed concern about not making
significant improvements until that problem is addressed.
MR. GILL pointed out that public schools do not have the luxury
of choosing who and what they deal with. Each child is accepted
no matter what their background is, and they are given the best
education possible. He gave examples of the hardships parents
face just to provide for their children.
8:53:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked whether it was common for a
school center to provide Internet to use off-hours and not just
for academics.
MR. GILL replied that often, schools and staff act beyond
teaching kids. He added that he proctors general education
development (GED) courses, helps people file taxes, and as the
hub of all the rural communities in the area, provides Internet
access and consulting.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT requested to hear from Ms. Parady.
MS. PARADY referred to the "Federal Infrastructure Act," which
has brought tremendous resources in terms of bandwidth and
connectivity to the state. She shared that the legislature had
supported education by raising broadband to 25 megabits per
second from 10 megabits per second and now connectivity can be
built out.
8:57:48 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE acknowledged the dedication and passion to
schools in rural Alaska and sought to hear more about the social
and emotional health of kids.
MR. GILL replied that the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD)
is a unique place to live. He related the hardships kids are
experiencing and how badly they [the school system] need the
help.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked Mr. Gill for his estimation of what the
professional need is and how many staff it would take.
MR. GILL stated he ultimately wanted to prepare kids to read and
write. In addition, he said professionals who can deal with
social-emotional issues are needed. In response to a follow-up
question, he said he would need to double his staff. He further
noted that the need for professionals is not just a rural
problem.
9:03:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX questioned if the strategy is to write off
adults, focus on the children outside the family, and "write off
a generation."
MR. GILL responded that he would give up on no child, especially
one that does not have the support at home. He said his job is
to advocate for those who cannot vote and children who have
needs.
9:05:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX stated he got the "cold question" of who
will be written off to help someone else.
9:06:19 AM
[A video was shown with a Bartlett High School graduate,
featured on slide 36].
9:07:44 AM
YODEAN ARMOUR, President, Alaska Association of School Business
Officials, provided an introduction while slide 38, titled
"Alaska Association of School Business Officials," was shown.
9:08:08 AM
ANDY RATLIFF, Past-President, Alaska Association of School
Business Officials, provided a brief personal and professional
introduction.
9:08:39 AM
MS. ARMOUR continued to slide 39, titled "Priority Funding for
Public Education." She stressed the importance of predictable
and inflation proof funding to ensure schools can continue to
use COVID-19 relief funds to address the academic and social-
emotional needs that are present. She proceeded to slide 40,
titled "Education Funding Overview," which showed the combined
54 district budgets and demonstrated instructional and non-
instructional expenditures.
9:09:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT referred to the end of COVID-19 relief
funding and "the fiscal cliff" and sought understanding of the
timelines and when the district budget is due to the municipal
assembly or council.
th
MS. ARMOUR replied that for Klawock, the deadline was July 15.
She added the district is currently working on next school
year's budget.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked when the Anchorage budget is due.
MR. RATLIFF replied it was recently passed by the board, and the
assembly will approve it in March.
9:11:30 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:11 a.m. to 9:13 a.m.
9:13:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked Mr. Ratliff whether programs
would need to be cut and then later reinstated after the budget
is submitted.
9:14:23 AM
MR. RATLIFF explained that if additional state funding is
received, it would go through the same process as developing the
budget where the superintendent and board have a say in what is
added back. He added it is dependent on how the money comes
back, such as whether it is one-time funding.
9:15:24 AM
MR. RATLIFF continued to slide 41, titled "Instructional
(Functions 100-400) = 74%." He summarized each of the points on
the slide, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
•Instruction
•Special Education Instruction
•Special Education Support
•Support Services Student
•Support Services Instruction
•School Administration (Principals)
MR. RATLIFF moved to slide 42, titled "Non-Instructional
(Functions 450-780)=26%", which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
•School Admin Support
•District Administration
•District Admin Support
•Operations & Maintenance
•Student Activities
•Community Services
9:18:41 AM
MR. RATLIFF proceeded to slide 43, titled "Transportation
Funding," which he described as another joint position
statement, and pointed out that transportation had not been
adjusted since 2016.
9:20:09 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked Mr. Ratliff about the budget for ASD
and whether it was taken from general funds, and if so, how
much.
MR. RATLIFF replied not this year or next year; however, the
district received tax levies from the assembly to be able to
support transportation.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked Mr. Ratliff if COVID-19 relief funds were
used for transportation costs.
MR. RATLIFF said a small slice for recruitment and retention was
used, but not for ongoing contracted costs.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD sought clarification whether COVID-19 relief
funds were used for bonuses or wages.
MR. RATLIFF affirmed the full-time equivalent (FTE) was paid
for, but there were no bonuses using COVID-19 relief funds.
9:22:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY noted a document he handed out to the
committee that could also be found on the ASD dashboard
regarding COVID-19 monies. He quoted that 62 percent was spent
on salary and benefits. He asked whether Mr. Ratliff was
cautioned by the federal government that that should not be
done.
MR. RATLIFF explained that about 480 teachers were hired. In
response to a follow up question, he said it was DEED's guidance
to try to not use that money.
9:24:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY pointed out that the legislature fully
funded education, and he noted that he paid his property taxes
fully throughout the pandemic. He observed that Mr. Ratliff had
tax money to handle and used COVID-19 money on top of that.
Now, he said, there is the big push to increase the BSA to cover
these recurring expenses.
MR. RATLIFF replied when the state fully funds education, it
does not account for inflation. He added that the state has to
pay staff and increases, and when there is no additional
revenue, shift into COVID-19 monies.
9:25:59 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD pointed out there was $68 million in deficit,
and questioned acquiring more.
MR. RATLIFF said the funding had not changed since 2017. He
reiterated that the deficit just keeps growing without having
the BSA reset.
9:26:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked about the teachers' bargaining
unit agreement and, in addition, what kind of increases they
received over the years.
MR. RATLIFF replied there was a 3 percent increase the first
year, a 1.5 percent overall increase the second year and then a
2 percent increase.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT inquired as to the level of inflation
at the time of the 1.5 percent increase.
MR. RATLIFF said he would go back and look.
9:28:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY referred to the third bullet under
transportation funding [on slide 43] and sought further
clarification where it stated that "transportation should be
adjusted to match actual costs."
MR. RATLIFF said there was a per student amount in Anchorage
which was fully reimbursable. The cost of transportation would
be submitted to DEED to get paid. He said DEED have moved away
from this due to more stable and predictable funding on the
state side. He proceeded to the chart on slide 44, titled
"Statewide Transportation Revenue and Expenditure History,"
which showed expenditures and revenue from fiscal year 2013 (FY
13) to FY 21. He said the chart displayed the experiences with
transportation.
9:31:10 AM
MR. RATLIFF summarized slide 45, titled "Education is
Accountable," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
? DEED Approved Budgets Publicly Published
? Annual Financial Audits
? GEER/ESSER Reporting Requirements through DEED for
COVID Expenditures
? TRS/PRS Audits
? Title I comparability reporting
? Program Audits
9:32:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY sought clarity on a previous comment about
the state approving COVID-19 expenditures.
MR. RATLIFF replied that the state is aware of expenditures that
are submitted and what money is being spent on. He confirmed
that DEED approved the expenditures shown on their COVID-19
dashboard.
9:32:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked whether federal law prohibited
the use of those funds.
MR. RATLIFF replied it weas DEED's recommendation; however,
federal law allowed them to use the money for salaries.
9:33:16 AM
MS. ARMOUR rejoined the presentation on slide 46, titled "What
our schools could look like...." She said as business
officials, the association must rely on timely, predictable, and
inflation proof funding so it can issue contracts to staff and
continue to be good stewards of public dollars.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD commented about hiring more teachers during the
pandemic and expressed concern about educators who did not show
up online. She asked how spending more money is justified being
that educators were not present.
MR. RATLIFF explained they did not hire more teachers but kept
the staff they had. It was the funding source that changed, he
said.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked what the total yearly budget for ASD
was.
MR. RATLIFF replied it was $850 million including all funding
sources.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked how much of the COVID-19 funds of $180
million had been expended.
MR. RATLIFF replied $20 million was expected to remain by the
end of the year.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked how many fiscal years COVID-19 relief
funds have been used.
MR. RATLIFF replied the first allocation was received in March
2020 and has been used through FY 24.
9:36:31 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked whether other areas to cut back on were
considered.
MR. RATLIFF responded that the plan is for the $20 million to
support teachers.
9:37:20 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked whether it was an accurate statement
that COVID-19 funds accounted for about 7 percent of all school
district funding over the last three fiscal years.
MR. RATLIFF replied he could get the exact numbers for Co-Chair
Ruffridge.
9:38:37 AM
DOUG GRAY, Professional Development Director, Alaska Staff
Development Network, joined the presentation on slide 47 with
his introduction. He moved to slide 48, titled "Alaska's
Statewide Resource for Professional Development," which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
Our Mission: To provide Alaskan educators with
multiple pathways to refine instructional practice and
maintain certification.
Annually we:
•Host over 5,000 overall professional learning
registrations
•Serve over 2,000 with online classes. We Offer 70
self-paced, high-quality professional development
courses.
•Offer 8 webinar series with national education
experts that serve over 700 Alaskan educators
•Host the largest K-12 professional development
conference in Alaska with 1 in 10 Alaskan educators in
attendance
9:40:24 AM
MR. GRAY continued to slide 49, titled "Alaskan Education
Conferences," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Annual RTI / MTSS Effective Instruction Conference
•Served over 1,000 Alaskan educators from 44 districts
in 2023
•Largest statewide PK-12 Conference in Alaska
•Cost savings for districts to stay in-state
MR. GRAY added that the highlight of the conferences were to
hear the research that had been conducted in the Lower 48 with
national presenters and speakers, which he said was a great
opportunity.
9:41:49 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE referred to the professional development
resources and asked how many are attached to The Science of
Reading or The Alaska Reads Act implementation.
MR. GRAY replied that the Alaska Staff Development Network
offered a Science of Reading webinar to presenters who were
highly skilled in the Alaska Reads Act and will offer it again.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked what the feedback on the webinars and
exit poll were.
MR. GRAY replied it was about 90 percent positive.
9:44:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether a credit was given for
classes so that teachers meet the requirements in the Alaska
Reads Act. In addition, she inquired about a fee.
MR. GRAY stated that most are tied to a credit whenever it can
be done. In response to a follow up question, he replied that
it is dependent on what pay system is used, but one credit is
$75.
9:45:18 AM
SAM JORDAN, Grant Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators, joined on slide 50 with his introduction, and
moved on to slide 51, titled "ASCA District Partnerships," which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
? Federal and State grants portfolio
? Help school districts extend their ability to
provide professional learning and instructional
opportunities
? Examples of innovative projects:
? Performance-Based compensation models
? Support for National Superintendent
Certification cohort
? Support for National Board Certification cohort
? College and career preparation for rural
students/families
? Indigenous language assessment
? Computer science instruction in rural and
correspondence schools
9:48:47 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE requested more information about the
performance-based compensation models.
MR. JORDAN explained that the U.S. Department of Education has
grant programs that focus on innovative ideas such as
performance-based compensation models. He added that financial
incentives would be provided to educators to "up their game" and
work on professional development. It is a three-year grant, he
said.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked what the performance metrics are.
MR. JORDAN replied that it differs and there is a lot of choice
involved from a district perspective. It depends on what values
the districts wish to incentivize, he said.
9:50:56 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD commented that the committee is in their favor,
and she offered her support to move the state forward. She
acknowledged the current fiscal "dire straits" in the state, and
that the committee must address the hard questions and issues.
9:52:18 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked how funds are targeted to do what is
in the Alaska Reads Act, referring to the $30 funding from last
year.
MS. WEISS replied that the $30 equates to about $250,000 for
JDS. She added that for a number of years, the priority and
part of the strategic plan had been around reading. She
explained that JDS attempted to use some of its Elementary and
Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to lower PTR
which means lowering class sizes while trying to compensate for
the $4.5 million deficit.
9:55:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked how many principals there were in
Alaska.
MS. PARADY replied 419.
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked what happened with bus drivers during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
MR.RATLIFF confirmed that bus drivers did not lose their
employment.
9:57:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX inquired about the future promotion of
reading and if what is currently being done is enhancing
reading. In addition, he asked if there would be additional
expense involved.
MS. WEISS responded that there is a need to do supplemental work
regarding the Alaska Reads Act. In response to a follow up
question, she related that JSD has trimmed away things it can
get by without.
9:58:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked Ms. Weiss which programs might be
cut when the budget is submitted to the assembly. She also
inquired what programs might be reinstated if the legislature
produced an increase.
9:59:56 AM
MS. WEISS replied that when staffing force must be reduced, and
later the district receives funds, the pools are gone, which
makes it difficult to fill positions.
10:00:50 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD entertained comments from the committee.
10:11:12 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:11 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| ACSA Joint presentation 2023.pdf |
HEDC 2/27/2023 8:00:00 AM |
ACSA Joint Presentation |