Legislature(1993 - 1994)
04/02/1993 01:50 PM Senate HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
April 2, 1993
1:50 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Steve Rieger, Chairman
Senator Bert Sharp, Vice-Chairman
Senator Loren Leman
Senator Jim Duncan
Senator Johnny Ellis
Senator Judy Salo
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Mike Miller
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 65
"An Act relating to centralized correspondence study; and
providing for an effective date."
PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION
SB 65 - No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
Senator Jim Ducan
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Prime Sponsor of SB 65
Donna Emerson
Funter Bay, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 65
Bill Elkinton
4022 Deborah Drive
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 65
Gail Haynes
300 W. 9th St.
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 65
Dave Stewart, Human Resources Manager
Department of Education
801 W. 10th St., Suite 200
Juneau, AK 99801-1894
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered information on SB 65
Marylou Purvis, Coordinator of Student Services
Centralized Correspondence School
Department of Education
3141 Channel Drive, #100
Juneau, AK 99801-7897
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on Section 2 of SB 65
Willie Anderson
NEA-Alaska
105 Municipal Way
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Offered information on SB 65
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 93-33, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIRMAN RIEGER called the Senate Health, Education and Social
Services (HESS) Committee to order at 1:50 p.m. and introduced
SB 65 (CENTRALIZED CORRESPONDENCE STUDY) as the only order of
business.
DONNA EMERSON, a 13-year resident of Funter Bay, said her two
children have been educated exclusively through the Alaska
Centralized Correspondence School, and they have found it to
be both an excellent and very supportive school curriculum.
Ms. Emerson said she is aware of the budget cuts CCS is facing
and her concern is that they be able to maintain their
excellent educational opportunities to students throughout the
state, for both students who have no alternative schooling
available and students who choose this form of education. She
pointed out that the average cost per student on CCS is $2,600
as opposed to the average cost per student attending regular
schools is $7,335.
Number 090
SENATOR DUNCAN, prime sponsor of SB 65, explained that the
Alaska Centralized Correspondence School receives its funding
through AS 14.17.022, which allows counting of only elementary
students and not secondary students, and is prorated at 65
percent of the unit value. This funding scenario has created
an inequity because the centralized correspondence unit
provides services to over 1,160 students, half of those
students being in high school. The result is that the
correspondence study program is grossly underfunded to
continue the valuable service it provides throughout the
state. Current year proposed cuts to the summer school
program causes further difficulties.
SB 65 allows the school to count enrollment of both elementary
and secondary students for funding purposes. The bill also
amends the centralized correspondence study statutes to
recognize the correspondence study program as a public school
of the state with a term of 180 days. With the bill, the
State Board of Education serves as the school board for
correspondence study teachers, and these teachers will be
fully recognized as public school teachers rather than state
employees.
Senator Duncan said he thinks the bill acknowledges the
contributions made to education in this state by the
centralized correspondence program and will enable it to
continue.
Senator Duncan directed attention to a proposed committee
substitute which was drafted at the request of the Centralized
Correspondence School Association, based on the Department of
Education's objections to some of the provisions that were
contained in the original bill.
Number 150
SENATOR SALO asked if the bill addresses the problem of the
elimination of the summer school program. SENATOR DUNCAN
answered that this would give a stable funding source to the
correspondence study program and allow them to get funding for
not only elementary students, but for secondary students as
well, so it should help solve that problem.
Number 160
BILL ELKINTON, a Centralized Correspondence School teacher
representing the membership of the Central Correspondence
School Education Association (CCSEA), presented a review of
his teaching experience and educational courses he has taken
over the years, as well as the education received by two of
his children who participated in the Central Correspondence
School.
Mr. Elkinton said correspondence is a valid type of delivery.
They are an accredited K-12 school as evaluated by the
Northwest Accreditation Association.
Mr. Elkinton said through the years, CCS has sought to meet
the need of those students who seek their services or whose
district refers them to the program. The most recent growth
in service was generated in the late eighties by the mandate
to provide summer school by mail to those youth endorsed by
their local school. The revenues generated by this service
obscured for awhile the desperate need for equity in funding.
This resulted from the sharing of some facilities, staff and
equipment with their regular school. With the virtual decease
of summer school due to the $2 million cutback last session,
CCS has been confronted with a dismal scene.
Mr. Elkinton said SB 65 seeks equity in school and teacher
status. CCS's standing as an accredited public school of
Alaska demands equity of funding, and as certified, well
trained and experienced teachers, they deserve equity of
treatment under Title 14.
Mr. Elkinton related that after receiving the Department of
Education's response in February to the original bill, the
membership of CCSEA voted to seek the committee substitute
which deletes tenure and the individual contract provisions.
He said this reflects an honest attempt to expedite this
legislation and counter some anticipated resistance on those
items by the administration. He urged the prompt
consideration and passage of the committee substitute.
Number 275
GAIL HAYNES, a counselor with the Centralized Correspondence
School and representing CCSEA, distributed pictures of a group
of academic decathlon students and discussed their academic
achievements. These five students were able to bring home
three gold medals and one silver this year. She noted that
four senior students all scored above the 90th percentile in
their SAT's and ACT's.
Ms. Haynes also discussed the importance of CCS to at-risk
students who sometimes will be in the program just a short
while and then they will choose to go back to the regular
schools, which is a positive thing that CCS strives for.
Ms. Haynes said CCS also serves a diverse body of people such
as people who are traveling around the world and are Alaska
residents; seasonal and transient people who are Alaska
residents, but spend only part of the year in the state;
missionaries in Africa and South America who are Alaska
residents; and Alaska exchange students who are supplementing
their education in other countries.
Ms. Haynes also emphasized the importance of family
participation and support to the schools in order for them to
do their job.
Ms. Haynes urged the committee's favorable consideration and
passage of the committee substitute.
Number 410
DAVE STEWART, Human Resources Manager, Department of
Education, outlined the following four items in the committee
substitute that the department believes are unnecessary:
(1) AS 14.14.105 & .107 relating to the sick leave bank.
The department believes that teachers in Centralized
Correspondence Study are covered by collective bargaining on
this issue.
(2) AS 14.20.220 relating to school experience for
salary scales. The CCS teachers' salaries are currently
collectively bargained. The current collective bargaining
agreement does not call for bringing in experience outside of
the Centralized Correspondence Study school.
(3) AS 14.20.280 - .350 dealing with sabbatical are
unnecessary as CCS teachers have negotiated contract language
allowing professional development. There are currently no
state supported sabbaticals. Sabbaticals outside of school
districts are either at the employee's expense or subsidized
by the school district. Language in the current collective
bargaining agreement would allow that same relationship
between teachers in the Centralized Correspondence Study
school.
(4) AS 23.40.070 - .260 relating to the Public Employees
Relations Act. The department believes that the Centralized
Correspondence Study teachers are currently covered by that
Act.
Number 435
SENATOR SALO said over the years the Centralized
Correspondence Study teachers have been a group of teachers
who basically are treated as state employees and that has
caused problems from their perspective. She asked if the
committee substitute addresses those problems. DAVE STEWART
replied that it is difficult for him to understand what it is
they want that they don't already have.
Number 453
SENATOR SHARP commented that the fiscal note shows an increase
in the source of funding for the foundation of $351,400, and
asked if that is attributable to picking up 65 percent of the
secondary students. DAVE STEWART responded that the change
in the foundation funding is a result of the change in the
elementary to secondary funding levels. In the formula, the
secondary level students are being funded at an elementary
level rather a secondary level, and the number of secondary
level students in the school has increased.
Number 485
MARYLOU PURVIS, Coordinator of Student Services, Centralized
Correspondence School, said she was present to represent the
Department of Education's position on Section 2 of SB 65. The
department supports Section 2 as an equitable way of funding
the secondary students that are currently served by
Centralized Correspondence School.
At present, CCS operates primarily on foundation funds, based
on the number of students served. The school is allowed to
use 65 percent of the elementary level. Their student
population has changed over the years and, now, approximately
50 percent of the students served by CCS are secondary
students. She said allowing secondary funding for secondary
students is critical to maintaining a quality program as there
are greater costs associated with educating secondary
students.
Ms. Purvis said overall enrollment in CCS has increased by 70
percent since 1979, thus, their enrollment of over 1,100
students places CCS as the 15th largest school district in the
state if they were to be compared to the other 54 school
districts.
CCS teachers have developed secondary courses to meet the
needs of secondary students. The costs associated with
preparing the courses, publishing the materials, ordering the
text books, distributing materials and teaching the courses
have increased. The department requests that the Senate
consider passing Section 2 of SB 65 to help maintain the
quality of their education, Ms. Purvis said.
Number 506
SENATOR DUNCAN asked Mr. Stewart if the Department of
Education supports Section 1 of the committee substitute.
DAVE STEWART answered that with the deletion of paragraphs 1,
6 and 7 in Section 1, the department would support that
section. BILL ELKINTON said he could find no objections to
having these provisions in the standard statutory language as
it is for other teachers. CCS teachers are certified,
experienced, quality teachers, and they need equity with other
teachers across the State of Alaska.
Number 550
SENATOR SALO noted her district eliminated its correspondence
programs during the last five years when they have been under
a financial crunch, and she asked Ms. Purvis if other
districts have done the same. MARYLOU PURVIS answered that
some districts have pared their programs down, but several
districts have very active correspondence programs.
Number 563
WILLIE ANDERSON, representing NEA-Alaska, noted that Senator
Rieger had, in looking at the fiscal note, asked if there
should be an offset because the students would be leaving the
public school setting. Mr. Anderson said a student in the CCS
program is not counted in a regular school program.
Currently, they are counted as correspondence students and
funded at an elementary level. All of the students in
Centralized Correspondence Study are funded at 65 percent of
the elementary level. The fiscal note reflects an increased
cost for secondary students, so that is an accurate reflection
of the cost.
TAPE 93-33, SIDE B
Number 030
CHAIRMAN RIEGER said he thought there were two issues in the
bill: one is of trying to resolve some kind of a labor issue
between CCS teachers and the Department of Education; and the
other is trying to make correspondence study monies available.
SENATOR DUNCAN agreed, saying there were two distinct sections
of the bill. DAVE STEWART reiterated that the department
supports Section 1 with the deletion of paragraphs 1, 6 and
7.
Number 070
SENATOR SALO stated that CCS teachers are certified and
experienced teachers, and she believes that they should be
able to include that experience. DAVE STEWART explained it
is not that the department objects to the inclusion of
experience outside of CCS, rather the department maintains
that the inclusion of that experience is a matter of
collective bargaining and should be discussed and that
determination be made at the bargaining table.
Number 100
SENATOR DUNCAN said he had hesitation about removing the
provisions in Section 1, but he also thinks it is important
for Section 2 to move forward.
Number 115
SENATOR DUNCAN moved to delete lines 3, 10, 11 and 12 on page
2 of the draft CSSB 65(HES) and to adopt the revised committee
substitute. Hearing no objection, the motion carried.
Number 145
SENATOR DUNCAN moved that CSSB 65(HES) be passed out of
committee with individual recommendations. Hearing no
objection, it was so ordered.
There being no further business to come before the committee,
the meeting was adjourned at 2:48 p.m.
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