Legislature(2025 - 2026)DAVIS 106
04/14/2025 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Alaska's Workforce Future | |
| Presentation(s): Alaska Council of School Administrators Overview | |
| 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
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
April 14, 2025
8:04 a.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Rebecca Himschoot, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Maxine Dibert
Representative Ted Eischeid
Representative Rebecca Schwanke
Representative Bill Elam
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jubilee Underwood
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA'S WORKFORCE FUTURE
- HEARD
PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA COUNCIL OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS
OVERVIEW
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
EMILY FERRY, Family Engagement Manager
Alaska Association of Schoolboards
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation titled "Alaska's
Workforce Future."
LON GARRISON, Executive Director
Association of Alaska schoolboards
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation titled "Alaska
Association of School Boards Overview.".
DR. LISA PARODY, Executive Director
Alaska Council of School Administrators
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-Offered a presentation titled "Alaska
Council of School Administrators Overview."
KELLY MANNING, Deputy Director
Division of Innovation and Education Excellence
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-Offered a presentation titled "Alaska
Council of School Administrators Overview."
JENNIFER SCHMITZ, Director
Alaska Educator Retention and Recruitment Center
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-Offered a presentation titled "Alaska
Council of School Administrators Overview."
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:42 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives Eischeid, Elam,
Dibert, Schwanke, Story, and Himschoot were present at the call
to order.
^PRESENTATION(S): Alaska's Workforce Future
PRESENTATION(S): Alaska's Workforce Future
8:05:50 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT announced that the first order of business
would be a presentation titled "Alaska's Workforce Future."
8:07:30 AM
EMILY FERRY, Family Engagement Manager, Alaska Association of
Schoolboards, gave a presentation titled "Alaska's Workforce
Future." She began the presentation on slide 3, which listed six
strategies for success in Alaska's workforce future and
continued through slides 4 and 5, which highlighted the
importance of and role of career guides in Alaska. She moved to
slide 6, which outlined the lowering postsecondary education
enrollment in Alaska and continued to slide 7, which displayed a
map of the United States that emphasized Alaska's lower
performance in postsecondary enrollment as a state. She moved
through slides 8 and 9, which highlighted a possible solution to
the lowering rates of postsecondary enrollment in Alaska and
continued to slide 10, which detailed the Alaska Career Guide
Pilot Project.
8:16:02 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked Ms. Ferry to further detail the
information displayed on slide 10 and asked how subsistence use
fits into work 16-24 year-old labor statistics.
MS. FERRY explained that the Alaska Career Guide Pilot Project
is lead by trained career guides who work to coach their
students into achieving a fulfilling and successful career. She
explained that the career guide pilot program recognizes and
prioritize the importance that subsistence plays in its
student's lives.
8:21:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked what factors contribute to the
data displayed on slide 7.
MS. FERRY replied that the data on slide 7 might reflect
demographic diversity in Alaska's indigenous population and
explained that there is a high degree of correlation between
unemployment and risky or suicidal behavior. She shared a story
of a friend of hers whose life and depression were improved by
having a clear vision of a fulfilling career.
8:24:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked if the graph displayed on slide 6
was measuring postsecondary enrollment specifically and asked
the AASB to investigate the correlation between the price of
tuition and the declining enrollment rates in college. She
emphasized that there might be many factors that contribute to a
young person choosing not to attend college.
MS. FERRY answered that the Alaska Association of Schoolboards
(AASB) specifically used data from postsecondary institutions
because career and technical schools do not consistently submit
enrollment or completion data to national career guide
databases.
8:27:43 AM
MS. FERRY resumed the presentation on slide 11, which
highlighted the oftentimes non-traditional career or life routes
of young people and continued to slide 12, which highlighted a
letter of a parent from the Juneau-Douglas High School (JDHS).
She moved to slide 13, which highlighted Danielle Carlson's
quote about Indigenous students in the University of Alaska (UA)
system and continued to slide 14, which emphasized the UA's low
cost of attendance as it is compared to other states. She moved
through slides 15 and 16, which reiterated slides 3 and 6. She
concluded the presentation on slides 17 and 18, which
highlighted the opportunities that are available to Alaska's
young people.
8:35:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID shared his experience working as an 8th
and 9th grade science teacher and commented that education is an
"ecosystem".
8:36:47 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if the Alaska State Legislature was in its
second year of a partnership with the Alaska Department of Labor
and Workforce Development (DLWD) to place career guides around
the state.
MS. FERRY confirmed that the Alaska State Legislature was in a
partnership with the DLWD.
8:38:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked if there was more that the Alaska
State Legislature could do to entice young people to their
prospective career.
MS. FERRY pointed to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)'s
10:1 student-faculty ratio that has had an outsized impact on
the positive outcomes of its students. She said that real-life
exposure to career and technical programs could be a big help in
exciting a young person to follow through with a career guide
and emphasized the importance of giving kids opportunities to
experience "bite-sized" pieces of different careers.
^PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Council of School Administrators
Overview
PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Council of School Administrators
Overview
8:43:04 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT announced that the first order of business
would be a presentation titled "Alaska Association of School
Boards Overview."
8:43:22 AM
LON GARRISON, Executive Director, Association of Alaska
schoolboards, gave a presentation titled "Alaska Association of
School Boards Overview.". He began the presentation on slide 2,
which displayed a map of all of the AASB member school districts
in Alaska and moved to slide 3, which gave a brief background of
the AASB. He continued to slide 4, which highlighted the 20
staff members that make up the AASB and moved to slide 5, which
detailed the governance rules of the AASB. He continued to
slide 6, which displayed a graph that highlighted three
conditions to be met to attain educational success and moved to
slide 7, which listed various state and private entities that
contribute to a partnership for school improvement and student
achievement. He continued to slide 8, which emphasized the
AASB's focus on governance and moved to slide 9, which listed
some of the board aligned services that the AASB offers to
school districts. He continued to slide 10-11, which
highlighted a series of board development opportunities within
the AASB and moved to slides 12-13, which described key
conditions for learning that the AASB works to meet. He
continued to slide 14, which listed a series of aligned
resources and services that the AASB offers to school districts.
8:56:22 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Mr. Garrison to further detail the school
climate and connectedness survey as it was mentioned on slide
14.
MR. GARRISON answered that the school climate and connectedness
survey is administered to elementary, middle, and high school
students, parents, and staff. He said that the data from the
survey "facilitates the opportunity to drive discussions and
programs that promote growth."
8:59:47 AM
MR. GARRISON resumed the presentation on slide 15, which further
listed a series of aligned resources and services that the AASB
offers to school districts and moved to slide 16, which
described the AASB's "associated support" that it offers to
school districts. He continued to slide 17, which gave three
examples of conditions for learning programs and concluded the
presentation on slide 18.
9:01:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked why the Matanuska-Susitna School
Board left the AASB.
MR. GARRISON explained that the Matanuska-Susitna School Board
left the AASB because of a "difference in perspective."
^PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Council of School Administrators
Overview
PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Council of School Administrators
Overview
9:03:53 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT announced that the next order of business
would be a presentation titled "Alaska Council of School
Administrators Overview."
9:04:47 AM
DR. LISA PARODY, Executive Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators, Co-offered a presentation titled "Alaska Council
of School Administrators Overview." She gave a broad overview of
the Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA) and began the
presentation on slide 2, which displayed a map of all of the
school districts in Alaska. She moved through slides 3-6, and
continued to slide 7, which displayed a graph that compared
teacher salaries in Alaska to the U.S. national average.
9:18:44 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Dr. Parody if she had any idea of how many
school administrators were working with special education
students.
DR. PARODY said that she would follow-up with more information
later.
9:19:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT asked if a defined-benefit retirement
system could help with the recruitment and retention of teachers
in Alaska.
DR. PARODY answered that the lack of a defined-benefit
retirement system in Alaska is having an impact on school
district's ability to hire and retain quality educators.
9:21:24 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked why a teacher might transition to an
administrative position within their school district.
DR. PARODY replied that offering paths for advancement
internally was found to be an effective tool to grow school
administrative leadership in Alaska. She emphasized the
necessity of offering internal advancement paths, given the need
for quality professionals across all sectors of Alaska's
economy.
9:28:37 AM
KELLY MANNING, Deputy Director, Division of Innovation and
Education Excellence, Department of Education and Early
Development, Co-offered a presentation titled "Alaska Council of
School Administrators Overview." She picked up the presentation
on slide 9, which highlighted national teacher "supply and
demand" statistics and moved to slide 10, which emphasized the
high rates of educator turnover in Alaska.
9:30:56 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked if the educator turnover in Alaska was
inevitable to be consistently over 20 percent.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MANNING explained that the acute nature of
educator turnover nationally has placed a more extreme burden on
Alaska.
9:33:24 AM
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MANNING resumed the presentation on slide 12,
which highlighted the increasing number of first day-of-school
certified teacher vacancy rates.
9:35:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID asked how higher rates of certified
teacher vacancy rates affect student achievement.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MANNING answered that the ultimate goal of
teacher retention is to obtain a higher level of student
achievement.
9:37:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked if the teacher turnover metric is
affected by a teacher changing jobs within a school district.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MANNING said that a teacher moving within a
school district would not be considered turnover.
9:38:15 AM
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MANNING resumed the presentation on slide 13,
which detailed the establishment of the Teacher Retention and
Recruitment (TRR) plan and moved to slides 14-15, which
displayed a chart that listed a series of potential solutions
proposed by the TRR plan.
9:41:55 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked how the recommendations of slide 15
could be fit into a suite of legislative solutions.
DR. PARODY replied that the Alaska Council of School
Administrators (ASCA) is currently working on an omnibus bill
that would address the recommendations put forward on slide 15.
9:44:53 AM
JENNIFER SCHMITZ, Director, Alaska Educator Retention and
Recruitment Center, Co-offered a presentation titled "Alaska
Council of School Administrators Overview." She picked up the
presentation on slides 17-19, which detailed 8 reasons that
educators in Alaksa are leaving and what the Alaska Educator
Retention and Recruitment Center (AERRC) is doing to address it.
She moved to slide 20, which detailed the three branches of the
Alaska Educator Retention and Recruitment Center (AERRC). She
continued to slide 21, which highlighted a series of events that
the AERRC has hosted and moved to slide 22, which displayed a
graphic that highlighted the TRR "playbook implementation."
9:52:36 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked which entity is directing an exit study
for teachers leaving Alaska.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MANNING answered that the exit survey was being
completed by the Institute for Social and Economic Research
(ISER).
9:54:06 AM
MS. SCHMITZ resumed the presentation on slide 25, which
highlighted statistics of the AERRC's virtual job fair and moved
through slides 26-27, which described the AERRC's work in
international TRR. She touched on slide 29 and concluded the
presentation on slide 30.
9:57:15 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT thanked the invited testifiers and delivered
committee announcements.
9:58:09 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:58 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| ACSA-JtPositionStmts 2025.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| ASDN_ Prof Dev Catalog-Spring25.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| AASB_AKCollege-Career Guidance_RptAug23.pdf.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| About AASB-1 pg.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Presentation ACSA_AERRC_TRRPlaybook Update 4.25.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Presentation AASB Career Guides & Workforce Future 250414.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| AlaskaTRR Playbook DEED 8.31.23.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| AK Workforce Future_Mar 25.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Presentation AASB Overview_Governance_Bd. Dev4.25.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| AASB Fed & State grant-contracts overview 24-25.pdf |
HEDC 4/14/2025 8:00:00 AM |