Legislature(2005 - 2006)BUTROVICH 205
04/22/2005 02:30 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Marital & Family Therapy | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Education and Early Childhood Development | |
| Confirmation Hearing: University of Alaska Board of Regents | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Marital and Family Therapy | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Professional Teaching Practices Commission | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Education and Early Child Development | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Psychologists and Psychological Examiners | |
| Confirmation Hearing: Board of Dental Examiners | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
April 22, 2005
2:34 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Fred Dyson, Chair
Senator Gary Wilken, Vice Chair
Senator Kim Elton
Senator Donny Olson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyda Green
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS:
University of Alaska Board of Regents - Robert Martin
Board of Marital & Family Therapy - Kerry Rassmussen, Martha
Swank
Board of Nursing - Terri Olson
The Professional Practices Commission - Karen Macklin
Board of Education and Early Childhood Development - Esther Cox,
Shirley Holloway
Board of Psychologists and Psychological Associate Examiners -
Destiny Sargent
Board of Dental Examiners - William Gerace
WITNESS REGISTER
KERRY RASSMUSSEN
Box 1122
Ward Cove, Alaska 99928
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
ESTHER COX
7705 Highlander Dr.
Anchorage, Alaska 99518
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
ROBERT MARTIN
9354 Rivercourt Way
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
MARTHA SWANK
1727 West 5th
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
TERRI OLSON
4256 Birch Run Drive
Anchorage, AK 99507
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
KAREN MACKLIN
Sitka, Alaska 99835
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
SHIRLEY HOLLOWAY, Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development
801 West 10th Street, Suite 200
Juneau, Alaska 99801-1894
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
DESTINY SARGENT
Box 34881
Juneau, Alaska 99803
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
WILLIAM GERACE
1600 E Tudor Road.
Anchorage, Alaska 99507
POSITION STATEMENT: Confirmation candidate.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR FRED DYSON called the Senate Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 2:34:57 PM.
Present were Senators Kim Elton, Donny Olson, Gary Wilken and
Chair Fred Dyson.
CHAIR DYSON announced the confirmation hearings would be heard.
2:38:02 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY
CHAIR DYSON asked MS. RASSMUSSEN the reason she desires to serve
on the Board of Martial and Family Therapy.
KERRY RASSMUSSEN said she aspires to make changes such as
requiring background checks for people in the field. She has
lived in Ketchikan since 1967 and wants to help the community.
SENATOR OLSON said, "Looking at your resume, it seems that you
have not had a lot of training in this field. How do you expect
to add to your qualifications?"
MS. RASSMUSSEN responded she has been married for 37 years and
believes that is a sufficient qualification.
2:41:11 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Cox the reason she wants to serve on the
Board of Education and Early Development.
ESTHER COX replied she has served on the board for two years and
this would be a reappointment.
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Cox the most important issue facing the
education community.
MS. COX replied providing a quality education was the biggest
challenge facing the community.
CHAIR DYSON asked her to give her opinion of groups trying to
provide educational alternatives such as charter schools and
distance education.
MS. COX responded she is fully in favor of providing educational
alternatives to children so long as they are financially viable.
SENATOR WILKEN said he was disappointed in the Board for asking
for funding for boarding schools without a long-term plan for
management. He expressed hopes that the board would plan ahead
in the future, especially with regards to boarding school
policies. He asked Ms. Cox how she feels about the state's
current funding of boarding schools.
MS. COX responded she is interested in the wellbeing of existing
boarding schools such as Edgecumbe. She looks at the boarding
schools from the perspective of academic performance, and
teacher retention and from that perspective they are
institutions that should be supported.
SENATOR WILKEN said there has been ongoing discussion about the
possibility of the state providing cash incentives for
improvements in academic performance on a school-by-school
basis. He asked Ms. Cox what she felt about that possibility.
2:48:04 PM
MS. COX responded it is a concept that should be pursued.
SENATOR WILKEN said he would be willing to release the purse
strings to help improve individual and school performance.
2:48:57 PM
CHAIR DYSON said he is disappointed in the net results of the
regulations on distance schools and the present situation in
which some parents buy materials that are academically
acceptable. They are censored because they have religious
content. He asked the witness what she felt about the
regulations.
MS. COX responded she believes that parents should be allowed
greater discretion in choosing their children's curriculum, but
she is highly cognizant of how such allowances might affect
funding for education.
CHAIR DYSON asked whether she felt that mathematicians like
Pythagoras, who viewed the world as representing some kind of
design, should be excluded from the curriculum.
MS. COX responded when the Office of the Attorney General says
that something is unconstitutional she has a responsibility as a
board member to accept its assertion as a truism.
CHAIR DYSON said:
That is absolutely inadequate and you should have the
courage to stand up to the opinion of the Office of
the Attorney General.
MS. COX said:
You seem to say that I should challenge the Attorney
General and that is a very real possibility. I suppose
that I would have to know a lot more than I now know
in order to do that.
CHAIR DYSON said the opinion of the Attorney General is just an
opinion and he encourages board members to question and perhaps
act against that opinion.
SENATOR ELTON complemented the witness on her caution with
respect to her consideration of funding for education.
2:55:41 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA BOARD OF REGENTS
CHAIR DYSON asked Mr. Martin the reason he wants to serve on the
Board of Regents for the University of Alaska.
ROBERT MARTIN responded as an alumnus of the University of
Alaska (UA) system he has a vested interest in its wellbeing. He
said that as he was growing up he looked up to family members
who had graduated from college. Few native children have the
opportunity to look to educated people as role models and he
wanted to change that.
CHAIR DYSON applauded Mr. Martin's remarks.
SENATOR WILLKEN thanked the witness for his service.
SENATOR ELTON said he has known Mr. Martin for a long time and
that the length and excellence of his service to the state is
remarkable and highly commendable.
3:01:56 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Swank the reason she desires to serve on
the Board of Marital and Family Therapy.
MARTHA SWANK responded she has been married for 47 years and has
two children who are both married. Marriage and family have been
a very important part of her life.
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Swank what she thought about combining two
or three of the supervisory boards.
MS. SWANK responded she is in favor of combining some of the
supervisory boards.
3:04:28 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF NURSING
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Olson the reason she desires to serve on
the Board of Nursing.
TERRI OLSON said as a registered nurse who is licensed by the
Board of Nursing, she shares its mission of safety and
excellence.
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Olson what she thinks about the state's
decision to give nurses prescription authority.
MS. OLSON replied she thinks that it is wonderful, because it
brings medical services into rural areas that would not
otherwise have them.
SENATOR OLSON asked Ms. Olson why she included her Colorado
license on her resume.
MS. OLSON responded that was her first license and she only
maintains it on her resume for sentimental reasons.
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: PROFESSIONAL TEACHING PRACTICES
COMMISSION
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Macklin the reason she desires to serve on
the Professional Teaching Practices Commission.
KAREN MACKLIN said her colleagues nominated her to the current
position. It is important for a teacher to be on the commission
and she feels particularly pleased to represent a rural
prospective on it.
CHAIR DYSON said he feels the Sitka School District has an
enlightened view of education and he applauds any part that Ms.
Macklin has taken in the operation of the district.
3:10:17 PM
CHAIR DYSON asked whether the state has made any progress in the
last few years in making life easier for special education
teachers.
MS. MACKLIN replied due to the unfunded mandate of the No Child
Left Behind Act and the high stakes exit exams, the schools have
not been able to make significant progress in making things
easier for special education teachers. Many of the new special
education programs are difficult to implement since the school
districts have difficulty providing time to train teachers for
the programs.
3:12:45 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Holloway the reason she desires to serve
on the Board of Education and Early Child Development.
SHIRLEY HOLLOWAY said she wants to give something back.
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Holloway how she feels about the Board's
funding of boarding schools and its prohibition of the state's
reimbursement for religious correspondence programs.
MS. HOLLOWAY answered boarding schools should be carefully
evaluated with regards to the relationship between funding and
academic performance. The Board needs guidance from the
Legislature in developing the state's boarding school policy.
She supports performance incentives, but believes the Board
should establish a growth model for all children, not just the
children who meet the bar.
With respect to Chair Dyson's earlier question about religious
correspondence programs, it seems that the chairman has
information she has not seen. She was not aware of the audit or
of the opinion that the Attorney General sent to the state
board. She said correspondence is a wonderful concept and she
thoroughly supports it.
3:18:42 PM
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
EXAMINERS
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Sargent the reason she desires to serve on
the Board of Psychologists and Psychological Associate
Examiners.
DESTINY SARGENT said she wants to serve because she loves her
job and wants to contribute at the board level.
CHAIR DYSON asked Ms. Sargent whether she senses problems within
the field that need addressed.
MS. SARGENT said she does not know of any particular concern
except that it is important to protect the integrity of the
profession and the safety of its cliental.
3:21:47 PM
SENATOR ELTON said the witness is not only a professional who
has provided services to people in desperate situations, but she
is also an exceptionally kind person and he wholly supports her
confirmation.
^ CONFIRMATION HEARING: BOARD OF DENTAL EXAMINERS
CHAIR DYSON asked the Mr. Gerace the reason he desires to serve
on the Board of Dental Examiners.
WILLIAM GERACE said he is very happy with his experience serving
on the board. He has committed his adult life to excellence in
dentistry and considers it his duty to look out for the dental
health of the state.
3:23:59 PM
CHAIR DYSON said he has seen anecdotal evidence that an
egregious number of children in Alaska are developing serious
dental problems as a result of poor hygiene and diet.
MR. GERACE responded he would like to see more efforts directed
to addressing the serious dental problems that exist in rural
communities.
CHAIR DYSON thanked the candidates for answering the questions
of the committee. There being no further business to come before
the committee, he adjourned the meeting at 3:32:00 PM.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|