Legislature(2003 - 2004)
03/03/2003 01:31 PM Senate HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
STANDING COMMITTEE
March 3, 2003
1:31 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Fred Dyson, Chair
Senator Lyda Green, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Bettye Davis
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Gretchen Guess
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Confirmation Hearings:
Board of Regents
James C. Hayes
Cynthia Henry
Mark K. Hughes
Michael Snowden
Derek Miller
Board of Education and Early Development
Patsy DeWitt
Esther Cox
Shirley Holloway
Richard I. Mauer
Sylvia Reynolds
Rex Rock
Tim R. Scott
CONFIRMATIONS ADVANCED
PREVIOUS ACTION
No previous action to consider
WITNESS REGISTER
Mr. Rick Luthi
North Slope Borough School District
PO Box 1978
Barrow AK 99723
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on the nominees in general.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 03-7, SIDE A
CHAIR FRED DYSON called the Senate Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:31 p.m. and
announced the committee would take up the confirmation hearings.
Present were Senators Dyson, Wilken, Green and Davis.
MS. SHIRLEY HOLLOWAY, nominee for the State Board of Education
and Early Development, said she is just completing her 40th year
as a professional educator and 33 of them had been in Alaska.
She has devoted much of her professional life to trying to
improve public education.
SENATOR WILKEN said it had been a privilege to work with Ms.
Holloway and he looked forward to continuing to work with her.
MS. ESTHER COX, nominee for the State Board of Education and
Early Development, said that all of her educational background
has been in Alaska and she wants to be involved in helping
provide the best educational path for every child in our state.
SENATOR WILKEN asked her to comment on alternative schools in
Alaska.
MS. COX responded that she has very positive feelings about
options for children. Alaska's education delivery systems must
reflect the changes that are happening in our schools, such as
more young mothers in school.
SENATOR WILKEN asked her if she is comfortable with Alaska's
home schooling laws.
MS. COX replied that she is not very familiar with those laws,
although she had dealt with home school students at the King
Career Center. From that experience, she believes they are
working well.
SENATOR WILKEN said he wished they could replicate the situation
at the King Career Center.
MS. CYNTHIA HENRY, nominee for the Board of Regents, testified
that she had taught English in the early '70s and completed a
Masters Degree at UAF in education guidance and counseling. She
worked with the Fairbanks Borough Assembly as well. She views
this appointment as a good opportunity to use her experience.
SENATOR WILKEN thanked her for her service to the Fairbanks
community and now on a statewide basis. He hoped that she would
become the K-12 person on the Board of Regents to direct the
Board's efforts to provide a benefit that should come out of the
University but isn't there today. He asked if she would do that.
MS. HENRY replied, "Absolutely."
SENATOR WILKEN said Alaska doesn't grow its own superintendents
because the University doesn't have a doctoral program. He asked
her to look into what it would take to get one.
MS. HENRY replied that she would do that. She elaborated that
the administrative training program was moved to Anchorage but
should be in both places.
CHAIR DYSON asked how she would maintain her independence while
faced with a powerful personality like the President.
MS. HENRY replied that she has experience working with different
styles of leadership and that it's very important that the
relationships work together. She does her homework and bases her
decisions on what the facts say.
MR. JAMES HAYES, nominee for the Board of Regents, said he felt
it would be very rewarding to work in Alaska's educational
system at this statewide level.
SENATOR WILKEN thanked him for his previous service to the
public listed on his resume' and said he thought Mr. Hayes would
do a good job.
MS. MARY HUGHES, nominee for the Board of Regents, said she is a
graduate of the University and has always wanted to be a member
of the Board of Regents. She felt that higher education should
be accessible to all Alaskans, but the university needs to
balance accessibility and quality of education.
CHAIR DYSON thanked her for her willingness to serve.
MR. MIKE SNOWDEN, nominee for the Board of Regents, said he
realizes the value of the education that he got at the
University of Alaska and appreciates the challenge of serving on
the Board.
CHAIR DYSON asked Mr. Snowden whether he would have trouble
charting his own course given the University has such a powerful
president.
MR. SNOWDEN replied that he is outspoken and has met with the
president who impressed him. However, a challenge to board
members is to treat their positions like they were in their own
businesses.
MR. RICHARD MAUER, nominee for the State Board of Education and
Early Development, said the reason he wants to serve is to be
able to continue the great work that has been done statewide in
the last few years regarding student achievement, educator
preparedness and some other changes to public education.
SENATOR WILKEN said Mr. Mauer is familiar with the situation in
which some school districts don't contribute anything. He asked
what his philosophy is on how and whether unorganized boroughs
should participate in the funding of their schools if capable.
MR. MAUER responded that he thought the rural school districts
make a contribution in part, through the federal moneys that
come to them, even though it doesn't come out of their pockets.
He said further:
I have already told you and other members of the
legislature for years that I am willing to have you
act on my behalf as my assembly. If you feel we should
be taxed, which you may do, you may tax me. That is an
immediate source of revenue for the state as opposed
to mandatory boroughs that may take 5-7 years for you
to derive any form of benefit at all financially to
the state. So, I know there are folks out there in the
unorganized areas who agree with my philosophy...and
there are other folks who disagree....
SENATOR WILKEN asked if the federal money is Impact 8874 money.
MR. MAUER said that is correct.
SENATOR WILKEN asked if he is of the opinion that the Impact
8874 money is a local contribution.
MR. MAUER replied:
I am - in that the rural districts don't receive all
that money. As you are probably well aware that most
of that goes elsewhere and we only receive a
percentage of that.
SENATOR WILKEN asked:
You would then agree that if indeed we count it as
local contribution in unorganized Alaska, it would
then be fair to count it as local contribution in
organized Alaska.
MR. MAUER replied
Absolutely.... I don't even want to start that because
my perspective is from a statewide perspective on what
we can do with all kids and to go on with this, my
term on this board is going to have that perspective.
Yes, I am from a rural district and I do represent the
interests of the folks...but I also work in Fairbanks.
That's where I'm calling you from now. I make that
drive every day.
SENATOR WILKEN said he wanted to share a letter from the federal
government with Mr. Mauer that shows that 8874 money cannot be
used in unorganized Alaska. He clarified, "It can only be used
in proportion to local contributions."
SENATOR WILKEN added that he looks forward to working with Mr.
Mauer.
SENATOR GREEN said she was glad they were going to have another
voice of experience on the high school qualifying exit exam and
expertise on the "No Child Left Behind" mandate.
MR. REX ROCK, nominee for the Board of Education and Early
Development, said he comes from Point Hope, which has been in
existence for over 2500 years. He worked closely with his
community in the past and wants to continue giving back to it.
CHAIR DYSON asked how he thought the state should provide
choices to parents and students in rural Alaska if a school is
not producing competent students and No Child Left Behind
requires the state to give the parents another alternative.
MR. ROCK replied that his community has a can-do attitude and
wants to see its kids go on to college and succeed. He felt that
community involvement is important.
CHAIR DYSON asked if he thought regional boarding schools might
be part of the solution for some of the children, particularly
in small villages.
MR. ROCK replied that he would say no.
CHAIR DYSON thanked him for his willingness to serve.
MS. SYLVIA REYNOLDS, nominee for the Board of Education and
Early Development, said she has been involved in education for
24 years and 18 of them have been in Alaska. She is familiar
with the issues and has lived in different parts of Alaska.
SENATOR GREEN said she looked forward to having her on the Board
and highly recommended her.
CHAIR DYSON asked Mr. Luthi to testify.
MR. RICK LUTHI, North Slope Borough School District, responded
via teleconference that he just wanted to listen to the next
leaders who would be charting the course. He endorsed Ms.
Reynolds.
MS. PATSY DEWITT, nominee for the Board of Education and Early
Development, said she felt like she is the parent
representative. She has five children and has been very involved
in their education. She opined, "I think that education is the
foundation of our society and for our state...."
She said the Phoenix Program that was tried in Juneau was an
exciting way to deliver education. She believes the educational
system needs to do a better job of making sure everyone meets
the new standards and assessments.
MR. DEREK MILLER, nominee for the Board of Regents, said the
University plays an integral part in the future of this state.
CHAIR DYSON asked him what he wanted to accomplish.
MR. MILLER replied that he was going to graduate from the
University this year and his term may expire, but now he was
working on an increase in student employee wages.
SENATOR WILKEN commented that he thought Mr. Miller was "one
great kid."
CHAIR DYSON asked if Mr. Scott was available, but there was no
response. He informed the committee that he had received
favorable references from several people about Mr. Scott and he
didn't know why the committee couldn't make contact with him
today.
SENATOR GREEN moved to advance all of the nominees' names to the
full body for consideration. There were no objections and it was
so ordered.
CHAIR DYSON adjourned the meeting at 2:20 p.m.
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