Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/23/2023 03:30 PM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (deed) | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 23, 2023
3:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Löki Tobin, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Jesse Bjorkman
Senator Jesse Kiehl
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
(DEED)
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
HEIDI TESHNER, Acting Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview of the Alaska State
Department of Education and Early Development.
LACEY SANDERS, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented an overview of the Alaska State
Department of Education and Early Development
JOEL ISAAK, Director of Tribal Affairs
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on culturally responsive
education.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:30:18 PM
CHAIR LÖKI TOBIN called the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Present at the call to order were
Senators Stevens Kiehl, Bjorkman, Gray-Jackson, and Chair Tobin.
3:31:21 PM
CHAIR TOBIN, District I, asked the committee members to
introduce themselves. She said that District I sits on the
ancestral lands of the Dena'ina people. She represents the
neighborhoods of downtown Anchorage, Fairview, South Addition,
Government Hill, JBER, and parts of Northeast Muldoon, North
Star, and Eastridge. She stated she is honored to serve as Chair
of the Education Committee and looks forward to working with
stakeholders on school funding, teacher retention and
recruitment, student mental health, implementing the Alaska
Reads Act, and other matters. She said she was born and raised
in Nome and is a product of Alaska's PreK thru university
education system. She is working on a terminal degree in
Indigenous Studies at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
3:32:59 PM
SENATOR STEVENS, District C, said he was first elected in 2000
and served on a Special Education Committee where he realized
education was getting short shrifted. Therefore, he wrote a bill
to establish education as a standing committee. He is a retired
University of Alaska History and Humanities professor. It is his
23rd year serving in the Alaska State Legislature.
3:33:42 PM
SENATOR KIEHL, District B, said he represents Juneau, Gustavus,
Klukwan, Haines, and Skagway. The district contains three
municipal school districts and one regional educational
attendance area. District B is very diverse and is the
headquarters for the University of Alaska, Southeast. He and his
daughters attended school in Alaska. Previously he was staff for
the State Board of Education and Early Development. He considers
education vitally important and looks forward to doing the work
of the committee.
3:35:17 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON, District G, said she represents Anchorage
areas, including Mid-town, Spenard, and the Campbell area. She
has been involved in public service for 38 years. She has served
on the Anchorage assembly and advocated for children and
education because they are an investment and the future. She is
honored to be on the committee and looks forward to doing what
is right for children.
3:36:09 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN, District D, stated he is from Nikiski, where
he taught Government History for fourteen years. He said
teaching is his trade and passion. His district covers most of
the northern Kenai Peninsula. It includes the cities of Nikiski,
Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling, Funny River, Hope, Cooper Landing,
Moose Pass, and Bear Creek. These areas are part of the Kenai
Peninsula School District. He expressed hope that his
involvement on the committee will reduce the cringe factor that
many Alaska legislators have when they hear politicians discuss
education policy. He wants education policies that work for
Alaska's students by enabling educators to deliver an excellent
education to every student.
3:37:49 PM
CHAIR TOBIN commented that the members of the Education
Committee comprise a breathtaking array of experience.
^OVERVIEW: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
(DEED)
OVERVIEW
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT (DEED)
3:38:02 PM
CHAIR TOBIN announced the consideration of an overview by the
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).
3:38:41 PM
HEIDI TESHNER, Acting Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, stated that in
addition to Deputy Director Lacey Sanders assisting her in the
presentation, other staff were available to answer questions,
including Joel Isaac via teleconference.
3:39:33 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER turned to slide 2 and stated that
DEED's mission is an excellent education for every student every
day. Its vision comes directly from Alaska Statute 14.03.015,
"All students will succeed in their education and work, shape
worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify the
best values of society, and be effective in improving the
character and quality of the world about them." DEED's purpose
is to provide information, resources, and leadership to support
an excellent education for every student every day. The
presentation will provide a high-level overview of Alaska's
Education Challenge, DEED's organizational structure, the
public-school funding formula, school district budget resources,
and the COVID funding dashboard.
3:39:51 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER advanced to slide 5 and said
that five years ago, stakeholders came together and created
a shared vision for improving Alaska's public education
system, which created Alaska's Education Challenge. Five
shared priorities govern the daily work of the department:
[Original punctuation provided.]
1. Support all students to read at grade level by the
end of third grade.
2. Increase career, technical, and culturally relevant
education to meet student and workforce needs.
3. Close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable
educational rigor and resources.
4. Prepare, attract, and retain effective education
professionals.
5. Improve the safety and well-being of students
through school partnerships with families,
communities, and tribes.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER stated that the Alaska Reads Act
passed last May, and the department has been working to develop
regulations and supports to help districts with its
implementation. The act will go into effect on July 1, 2023. The
Alaska State Board of Education is scheduled to see the first
round of Reads Act regulations on January 25, 2023; additional
stakeholder and formal public input will then be heard. She
stated that an Alaska Reads Act website discusses each of its
programs. There are also weekly webinars to break down the
implementation of the Alaska Reads Act into variable chunks to
help educators.
3:41:18 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER moved to slide 6 and said that
Director Susan McKenzie developed the Alaska Strategic Reading
Plan last April. The plan contains six buckets: professional
development, evidence-based materials, early learning frameworks
for success, the science of reading, resources, data and
communications, and teacher preparation. The Reads Act is
embedded in the plan. The Alaska Reading Playbook is a resource
developed a year ago as an online tool to provide educators with
clear step-by-step examples of evidence-based instructional
practices. It was written by Alaskans for Alaskans.
3:44:09 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER turned to slide 7 to highlight the
second priority of Alaska's Education Challenge, which is to
increase career, technical, and culturally relevant education to
meet student and workforce needs. Alaska career and technical
education (CTE) camps have been held in partnership with Alaskan
industries to immerse students in industry-based career and
technical skills exploration. The camps help broaden a student's
perspective and interest in various careers. DEED has hired a
statewide coding and computer science career coordinator to work
on a computer science state plan for Alaska. The plan is slated
to be in place by June. In September, DEED secured a license
with Microsoft for Minecraft, Education Edition. Professional
development is available to help teachers teach students how to
code. Finally, DEED is looking to increase its cultural lens to
all its initiatives.
3:45:59 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER said that the third priority is to
close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable educational
rigor and resources. She said DEED is in its third year of
school recognition and support work, where it works to revamp
the school improvement processes for schools that need
improvement. She said the Alaska Empowerment Playbook is an
interactive guide for superintendents, principals, staff, and
communities on how to engage in the continuous cycle of school
improvement. The guide assists administrators in recognizing the
unique assets and challenges of communities within their
schools. The Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR) is an
assessment designed to streamline the testing experience for
grades 3-9 in English Language Arts and Mathematics subjects. It
is a balanced approach that connects fall and winter MAP growth
in term assessments and the Alaska Spring summative assessment.
It provides a comprehensive assessment system that improves
efficiency, cohesion, and the ability to drive student outcomes
by prioritizing teaching and learning. The assessment literacy
toolkit is provided to districts to promote the importance of
assessments and help make data-informed decisions around student
outcomes. DEED has stackable, instructionally embedded portable
science (SIPS) to support equitable education. Alaska is working
with a few states on the project. Although the project has just
begun, the goal is to create a bank of instructionally embedded
science assessment tasks, build state and local educators'
capacity and engage educators, students, and parents. The
project will increase Alaska's resources in the area of science
and will be free to districts.
3:48:16 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER stated that Teacher Recruitment and
Retention (TRR) pertains to priority four of the Alaska
Education Challenge. TRR is multi-phased. In 2020, the first
phase established a governor's task force, followed by the
publication of a TRR survey and action plan. Currently, DEED is
in the implementation phase. Four subcommittees are working on
recommendations for implementation. The subcommittees are:
â?¢ Organizational health.
â?¢ A recruitment task force.
â?¢ A retirement working group.
â?¢ An alternative certification team.
Final recommendations are expected within a couple of months.
Professional development opportunities are also being provided
to districts, including Science of Reading symposiums and
professional development for the Reads Act and math. DEED is
also progressing to an online educator application and
certification hub called TEACH-AK.
3:50:39 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER said the final priority of improving
the safety and well-being of students through school
partnerships with families, communities, and tribes is being
addressed through the passage of tribal compacting. DEED, Native
tribes, and the State Board of Education are negotiating to
determine what tribal compacting will look like for Alaska. In
March, the selection of participating tribes will be finalized.
In April, negotiations will begin, and by next January, a report
will be provided to the Alaska Legislature. Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is another program DEED and
some districts are engaged with to provide frameworks for the
promotion of a positive climate and culture within schools. The
final program mentioned was eLearning. DEED offers 79 courses
through the eLearning platform. Courses offered include child
nutrition, special education, health and safety, suicide
prevention, and many others. Some of the courses help teachers
maintain their certification. There are 34,500 users.
3:53:12 PM
SENATOR STEVENS paid tribute to former commissioner Dr. Michael
Johnson for being a visionary leader. He stated his belief that
Dr. Johnson was responsible for Alaska's Education Challenge.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER commented that she talked with an
educator from Valdez who gave an excellent review of the Science
of Reading Symposium.
3:54:35 PM
LACEY SANDERS, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, stated she would walk
through the DEED framework and organization structure. She
advanced to slide 12, which shows that the Commissioner of DEED
reports to the State Board of Education and Early Development.
The governor-appointed board consists of nine members, including
a military and student advisor. The commissioner provides
leadership and policy direction to the department. There are
five core PreK-12 divisions:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Division of Innovation & Education Excellence
Director, Susan McKenzie
Division of Finance & Support Services
Vacant
Division of Administrative Services
Director, Sabrina Javier
Mt. Edgecumbe High School
Director Suzzuk Huntington
Division of Libraries, Archives & Museums Director
Dr. Amy Chan
MS. Sanders stated that the Alaska State Council on the Arts,
the Professional Teaching Practices Commission, and the Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education are administratively under
DEED.
3:56:38 PM
MS. SANDERS stated that DEED has 290 positions and nine
divisions. The nine divisions are Executive Administration,
Administrative Services, Finance and Support Services,
Innovation and Education Excellence, Libraries, Archives and
Museums, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Professional Teaching
Practices Commission, Alaska State Council on the Arts, and the
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. She briefly spoke
about the duties of each division as outlined on slides 13-14.
3:58:32 PM
CHAIR TOBIN asked how many of the 290 positions are currently
vacant and what is the percent change from 10 years ago.
MS. SANDERS replied that she would provide the information to
the committee.
4:01:06 PM
MS. SANDERS moved to slide 15 and said the pie chart provides a
snapshot of how the 267 full-time positions within DEED are
distributed. She stated that when support corporations and
specific division positions are divvied out, 110 positions are
left to support 54 school districts.
4:02:11 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER advanced to slide 17 and stated that
the legislature provided a formula for funding school
operational costs. The school funding formula is a statutorily
defined calculation to determine the amount of state aid paid
annually to each school district. The formula is intended to
achieve an equitable distribution of aid for education
throughout the state. The current formula was adopted in 1998
under Senate Bill 36 and was implemented in 1999. It has
undergone several amendments since its inception. It
incorporates factors intended to recognize and adjust individual
district funding for the financial consequences of variables in
school size, geographic cost differentials, special needs
vocational education, and intensive needs student populations.
The formula also considers correspondence programs, federal aid,
and the ability of communities to provide local contributions. A
school district is only eligible for foundation funding
calculated under the formula in Alaska Statute 14.17.410.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER said the first step in determining
state aid for a district is determining the average daily
membership (ADM) for each school. She noted that a link was
provided to the school finance website on slide 17, where
detailed information such as formula reports, funding history,
and federal Impact Aide disparity tests can be found. In
addition, a second link to an overview of the public school
funding program was provided.
4:04:45 PM
SENATOR STEVENS stated the formula is very complex, and he
recalled when it was amended. He asked if the department and
board were content with the formula.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER replied that the department is
comfortable with the formula. However, it recognizes that the
Base Student Allocation (BSA) has not kept up with inflation.
Also, the district cost factors were created more than ten years
ago and probably need to be updated. There have been discussions
on whether to update cost factors. Previously when the cost
factors were updated, it was a multi-year process with
implementation occurring over five years.
4:06:13 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER moved to slide 18 to discuss the
annual account period. She said state aid to school districts is
calculated annually based on student enrollments. Alaska Statute
determines the count period, which is the starting point of the
Public-School Funding Formula. The formula uses the current
average daily membership (ADM), which is the term that defines
student count data. It is the number of enrolled students during
the 20-day school count period, which ends on the fourth Friday
of October every year. The school year count period for 2022 -
2023 was October 3 - 28. Reports are due within two weeks after
the end of the count period.
4:07:27 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER turned to slide 19 and said the Hold
Harmless provision, enacted in 2008, is intended for school
districts experiencing a reduction in their brick-and-mortar
average daily membership after it has been adjusted for school
size in the foundation formula. Eligibility is determined after
the district's adjusted for school size ADM is calculated and
totaled up for all schools. She noted that the five percent
reduction is not just for one school but all schools included in
the calculation. The total of a district's adjusted for school
size ADM is compared to the prior fiscal year total adjusted for
school size ADM to determine if there is a decrease of five
percent or more. If there is a decrease of five percent or
greater, then the prior fiscal year is locked in as a base year
for three years. The provision is intended to help districts
adjust to a smaller budget based on a step reduction of 75
percent in the first year, 50 percent in the 2nd year, and 25
percent in the final year.
4:08:52 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER said slides 20 and 21 provide a
walkthrough of the steps of the formula. Slide 20 shows what it
takes to determine District Adjusted ADM and slide 21 shows who
pays. The average daily membership (ADM) is adjusted for school
size and considers the Hold Harmless provision. Factors within
the school size tables then increase that amount. The size of a
school determines the adjustment amount, which is set in
statute. Once the school size amount is determined, it is
multiplied by district cost differentials, special needs
factors, vocation education factor, special education intensive
factor, and correspondence ADM to determine the District
Adjusted ADM. The District Adjusted ADM is then multiplied by
the base student allocation (BSA) to determine a district's base
operating need. She noted that on July 1, 2023, the BSA will
increase from $5,930 to $5,960 for FY 24. The required city and
borough contribution and Impact Aid reduce the state aid
provided to a school district's base need. A quality schools
grant increases state aid by multiplying a district's adjusted
ADM by $16.
4:11:36 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER moved to slide 22 and stated that
since 1999 the BSA had increased 12 times, and it will increase
again in 2024. The chart on slide 22 also shows the amounts of
11 additional outside funding formula appropriations to
districts. She stated that the distribution is usually based on
District Adjusted ADM. In 2023, outside the funding formula
appropriations are 57 million.
SENATOR KIEHL requested that the y-axis be started at zero
because starting it at $3,000 makes the BSA look like it has
more than doubled.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER stated the request could be
fulfilled.
4:12:53 PM
SENATOR BJORKMAN suggested clarifying the pencil graph on slide
22 by including inflation-adjusted numbers on a per capita
basis. The adjusted numbers would provide a better idea of what
the numbers mean in real dollar purchasing power when school
districts pay for educators and materials.
4:13:29 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER said the department could provide
the inflation-adjusted numbers.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER moved to slide 23 and stated that
the graph depicts the history of Alaska's total state aid versus
the total average daily membership (ADM). Since 2017 the ADM has
been trending downward, with a slight increase in FY 22. The FY
24 projected ADM is a little more than FY 22 actuals. The
projected total ADM for the next school year is $128,579.50. She
stated that DEED is willing to run scenarios based on the
information the legislators and BSA provide to the department.
4:14:58 PM
CHAIR TOBIN commented that there had been a pandemic from 2020
to the present, and many students have had different educational
experiences. She asked if there is a way to include the number
of students receiving correspondence programs or not enrolled in
the public education system.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER stated that DEED could separate the
number based on brick-and-mortar and correspondence education.
However, the department does not have access to non-public
school information.
4:15:36 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER said slide 25 provides what the
department has regarding school district budgets and actual
reporting. Every July, districts must submit their operation
budget to DEED, and DEED reviews them. Statute no longer
requires school districts spend to 70 percent of their operation
fund budget on instruction. While this is no longer in statute,
the department still reviews school district budgets to ensure a
balance. Reports are on DEED's website showing actual budget
spending. DEED also has audited financial statement reports.
School districts are required to submit annual audits to the
department by November 15th of each year. Budgets are reported
by district and function. The functions are divided into
instructional and non-instructional, so it can be ascertained
what is being spent on support services, district administrative
support, or operations and maintenance. This is done per the
Uniform Chart of Accounts. It is posted on DEED's website, along
with the annual revenue reports required by statute. She
reiterated that these and other reports are available on DEED's
website.
4:17:47 PM
CHAIR TOBIN stated that the Reads Act has additional reporting
that will come from the department to drill down on what occurs
within schools. DEED's website has a wealth of information on
school funding that is easily accessible to citizens curious to
know more.
4:18:19 PM
MS. SANDERS advanced to slide 27 and stated that all states
receive funding to support K-12 education thru three acts. The
first was the COVID Virus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act
(CARES), signed into law on March 27, 2020. The second was the
Corona Virus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act
(CRRSA), signed on December 27, 2020, and the third was the
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed on March 11, 2021.
MS. SANDERS said Alaska received over $616 million for
Education. The funding was allocated based on federal guidance
to: school districts, DEED, the Office of the Governor, and non-
public schools. Per federal guidance, 90 percent, or more, was
allocated for school districts. DEED created a COVID Relief
Funding Resources page on its website to address, track, and
manage the federal COVID funds that were received. Guidance
information, school district plans, and other materials were
organized to provide resources for people working in the school
district, families, and the public. DEED also created the
Federal COVID Funding Dashboard drill-down website. Through the
dashboard, individuals can find how much money was received,
allocated, and spent for each of Alaska's 54 school districts.
The dashboard also coordinates the three acts through color
coordination.
4:22:21 PM
CHAIR TOBIN inquired about staff morale considering news reports
of high attrition rates, busing problems, and funding issues.
4:22:42 PM
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER stated she had received good
feedback from staff. However, employees are feeling overworked
as there are vacancies in the department that need to be filled.
Overall morale is positive.
CHAIR TOBIN stated she is looking forward to the commissioner
being hired.
4:23:18 PM
MS. SANDERS stated DEED moved locations from the Michael J.
Burns building to the 9th floor of the State Office Building.
The move occurred because of a telework-friendly environment.
Staff are happy to be in the new location, and morale is good.
CHAIR TOBIN asked what is being done to be more culturally
responsive in education.
ACTING COMMISSIONER TESHNER responded that Director McKenzie and
Mr. Isaak have been looking into immersion programs similar to
what has been done by the Lower Kuskokwim School District in
Bethel. They have received materials from LKSD and will visit
the school district to learn more. The department has been
looking into what it will take to build a screener and is
considering using COVID reserve funds to start the process.
4:26:09 PM
JOEL ISAAK, Director of Tribal Affairs, Department of Education
and Early Development, Juneau, Alaska, stated that presentations
were given at the Science of Reading Symposium last April on
what it looks like to teach reading through a culturally based
lens and in target languages. The State Board of Education
passed regulations that included Alaska Native languages as
world languages. The department has also focused on Alaska
Native-specific education components and finding a balance to
include other cultures. An Alaskan Native newsletter has been
established, and subscriptions have grown from 250 to 700 in
less than one year.
MR. ISAAK stated that he and Director McKenzie have been working
to determine what it looks like to support Alaska Native
languages as part of the Science of Reading Symposium. So, there
will be a pre-symposium Alaska Native Language Summit to support
what it looks like to read in an Alaska Native language.
SENATOR STEVENS asked for an update on what is happening with
tribal schools and rural funding.
4:28:42 PM
MR. ISAAK said there is a question around federal funding for K-
12 operation and school construction, known as the Steven's
rider, which is still in place. There were conversations at a
congressional field hearing last May. There are also
conversations with the Department of Education regarding
specific Alaskan Native Language grants or Alaska Native
Education grants and how funding mechanisms could be better
suited for tribes in Alaska.
4:30:11 PM
CHAIR TOBIN thanked the presenters and committee members.
4:31:48 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Tobin adjourned the Education Standing Committee meeting
at 4:31 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DEED Overview for Senate Education 01.20.2023.pdf |
SEDC 1/23/2023 3:30:00 PM |