Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/13/2023 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): National Education Association - Alaska Workforce Challenges | |
| Presentation(s): Association of Alaska School Boards Workforce Challenges | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
February 13, 2023
1:34 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Jesse Bjorkman, Chair
Senator Click Bishop, Vice Chair
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
Senator Kelly Merrick
Senator Forrest Dunbar
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - ALASKA
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
- HEARD
PRESENTATION(S): ASSOCIATION OF ALASKA SCHOOL BOARDS
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
TOM KLAAMEYER, President
National Education Association-Alaska (NEA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave an NEA-Alaska presentation on Alaska's
Public Education Workforce.
LON GARRISON, Executive Director
Association of Alaska School Boards
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation on the need to improve
the recruitment and retention of school district staff.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:34:05 PM
CHAIR JESSE BJORKMAN called the Senate Labor and Commerce
Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:34 p.m. Present at the
call to order were Senators Dunbar, Merrick, Gray-Jackson,
Bishop, and Chair Bjorkman.
^PRESENTATION(S): NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - ALASKA
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
PRESENTATION(S): NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - ALASKA
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
1:34:47 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN announced a presentation from the National
Education Association-Alaska and the Alaska Association of
School Boards.
1:35:21 PM
TOM KLAAMEYER, President, National Education Association (NEA) -
Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, gave an NEA-Alaska presentation on
Alaska's Public Education Workforce. He expressed pride in
testifying on behalf of almost 10,000 educators, including
classroom teachers, specialists, teacher aides, and other
excellent educators in schools statewide. He said the
association is committed to policies that promote equal
educational opportunity and high-quality education for all
students. He represents teachers with firsthand expertise in
delivering lessons and creating environments conducive to
learning.
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 3, stating Alaska used to be a
top destination for educators in the country. Alaska offered
competitive compensation and benefits packages that attracted
and retained top-notch educators. He recalled that when he first
applied for a teaching job at the Anchorage School District
(ASD) in 1996, he feared ASD would not hire him. That was a
legitimate fear at the time as stories abounded about teachers
subbing for three years or longer before getting hired. As the
Eagle River High School social studies department chair, he
hired for one vacancy that had 75 applicants on the "eligible to
hire" list in 2010. More teachers applied, but only 75 got
through the first vetting. He said he chose from the best
teachers in his district, applicants from across the state, and
many from the Lower 48. That was the norm at that time.
1:37:39 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 4, stating he has seen a sea
change in the workforce and a sharp decline in the number of
applicants during his tenure. At job fairs, more administrators
are in attendance than applicants. Alaska has always been an
importer of teachers, but a national teaching shortage has
intensified the demand for more teachers in recent years.
Researchers at Kansas State University estimate that the nation
has more than 36,500 teaching vacancies and more than 163,000
positions filled by teachers who are not fully certified or
fully certified in the subject area they teach. Washington state
alone has over 15,000 educators in their classrooms with only
emergency certification; a staggering 1 out of 5 teachers still
need full licensure in that state.
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slide 5, which showed a University of
Alaska "ATP Alaska Teacher Placement" website page. He said that
like with most industries, it is harder to recruit workers to
Alaska. It gets progressively difficult the further a community
is from the road system. Slide 5 indicated Alaska had 1,144 open
teaching positions as of February 9, 2023, when school districts
were well through half of the school year.
1:38:52 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slide 6, which showed a "quick facts"
data summary from the Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED) website. Slide 6 reads:
2010 - 2011
Pupil to teacher Ratio (PTR) - 15.60
Number of classroom teacher - 8,468 including part-
time
2021-2022
Pupil to Teacher Ratio - 17.17
Number of classroom teachers - 7,427
There are 1,000 fewer certificated educators
supporting student learning in Alaska's public schools
today than in 2010.
He summed up slide 6, stating over 2,100 fewer adults work with
kids in schools today than a decade ago. Educators face larger
class sizes, annual budget fights that include layoffs and pink
slips, and a growing awareness that the teacher's retirement
system puts them at financial risk. It all leads to increased
workloads, stress, and burnout, accelerating the cycle of those
that leave Alaska and the education profession.
MR. KLAAMEYER said that every day that Alaska fails to take
steps to retain the best and brightest and attract new hires to
fill vacancies, school districts would slip further and further
behind as other states step up for their kids and communities by
investing in their children's futures.
1:40:12 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER summarized a University of Alaska report titled "A
Plan for Revitalizing Teacher Education in Alaska." The state
could improve outcomes by attracting and keeping the best
educators in Alaska. The state needs to invest in growing and
retaining its own education workforce. Alaska graduates less
than 200 newly certificated teachers each year; he said that he
heard Steve Atwater of [SGA Education Consulting] say the number
of graduates is closer to 160. He compared the number of
certificated teachers to the number of new teachers Alaska needs
each year, which is 1,000. He cited an Alaska Public Media
article detailing the findings of a study that tracked 6,000
Alaskans after graduation. Of those class of 2005 students who
earned a two or four-year college degree in Alaska, 55 percent
had remained in the state as of 2011. However, of those that
earned their degrees outside of Alaska, only 25 percent lived in
the state by 2021. The state's university system does not
produce enough teaching graduates in Alaska, so school districts
have to recruit educators from outside. He wondered how to
attract teachers from outside Alaska without incentives. If
Alaska funded tuition assistance or tuition forgiveness to teach
in the state, more would choose to teach, and with a defined
benefit retirement option, more would choose to stay.
1:41:39 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slide 8, stating NEA believes:
Restoring a defined benefit retirement option is one
of the most effective retention tools we have
He elaborated that this is the critical component to keeping
more of Alaska's educators living and working in the state. He
said the state's actuarial analysis last year showed that it is
possible to do this and save the state over $60,000,000 in the
near term.
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 9 and thanked the governor for
his initiative, work, and his commitment to the Teacher
Retention and Recruitment Working Group. He said forthcoming
reports and an action plan will include substantial policy
recommendations. Slide 9 pictures the cover page of the April
2021 teacher retention and recruitment survey results prepared
for DEED by Dr. Barbara L. Adams of Adams Analytic Solutions.
1:42:27 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER summarized results of one survey on slide 10,
titled "Table 1.2: Personal Importance Top 15 Rankings for
Subgroups by Role." He said this was perhaps the largest survey
of certificated educators ever conducted in the state. Educators
ranked factors of personal importance that kept them in public
education in Alaska. The top four factors for certificated
educators were:
- Salary
- Working conditions
- Connecting with students
- Fixing the state's broken retirement system.
MR. KLAAMEYER said school administrators ranked retirement
benefits number one. Alaska administrators identified improved
retirement benefits as the top tool for teacher retention. The
survey had over 4,000 respondents who provided feedback and
solutions to retention challenges.
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slide 11, which discusses the survey
question on solutions to attracting and retaining educators. The
results are compelling. Of the top eight solutions, three had to
do with retirement. Respondents identified a return to a defined
benefit retirement system as the top solution. This issue is of
paramount importance for educators.
1:44:45 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slides 12 and 13 to describe why
restoring a defined benefit retirement option is important to
educators. He displayed an Anchorage Daily News opinion piece by
Janice Strickland, English Department Chair at Bettye Davis East
Anchorage High School. She wrote:
"a homegrown Alaskan, but she's leaving because we
have no retirement program?Lack of retirement also
plays a role in (the other teacher's) decision to
leave?And I hate to say this, but I believe I'm losing
two more next year."
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 14, stating Alaska ended its
pension system in 2006 and is now the only state that does not
offer teachers a defined benefits option for retirement. Teacher
retirement system (TRS) members are denied the safety net of
Social Security. Further, teachers who have earned Social
Security in other jobs before becoming a teacher, or accrued
enough earnings through summer and weekend jobs, lose a
substantial portion of those Social Security benefits because of
an arcane rule called the government pension offset (GPO) [and]
windfall elimination provision (WEP). The chart on slide 14
overviews teacher retirement offerings by state, comparing
Social Security coverage, DB access, and plan types.
1:47:17 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 15, which likened the legs of a
three-legged stool with Social Security, a pension plan, and
personal savings. With all three financial legs firmly on the
ground, one can reasonably expect stability and security in
retirement. However, without a pension or Social Security,
Alaska puts educators at financial risk in retirement. It gives
teachers a huge disincentive to stay in the state after their
five-year vesting period, taking their defined contributions
(DC) to invest elsewhere for retirement.
1:48:01 PM
SENATOR MERRICK asked about opting out of Social Security. She
expressed her understanding that teachers voted around the time
of statehood to make that decision. She asked what it would take
to reverse that decision and what the impetus was to make that
decision in the first place.
MR. KLAAMEYER replied that it is his understanding that it
happened about 1951. The decision was made that the retirement
system offered through the territory at that time was better
than Social Security. This has become a problem since the
erosion of the state pension system because the issue has not
kept up with the times. For those in the DC program, Social
Security considers it a pension even though it is not for
purposes of GPO penalties. A number of mechanisms are available
to return to Social Security through a vote at the municipality,
borough, or school district level. Statewide it is more complex
and difficult; it would obligate districts to contribute an
additional 6.2 percent to Social Security with an employee
match, creating additional pressure on district budgets.
1:49:55 PM
SENATOR BISHOP directed attention to the chart on slide 14,
comparing teacher retirements by state. He asked whether Alabama
has Social Security coverage.
MR. KLAAMEYER replied that about one dozen states have opted out
of Social Security. He said that he could not name all of them,
but all public employees in Alabama have Social Security.
SENATOR BISHOP sought confirmation that Alabaman teachers have
both Social Security and a defined benefit plan.
MR. KLAAMEYER replied that is correct. He clarified that some
states on the chart have defined benefit access, meaning they
have hybrid plans, some are optional, and some have both DB and
DC. Alaska is the only state that has no choice for a defined
benefit.
1:50:58 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER discussed a "target date simulation exercise" on
slide 16, which explores the level of financial security a DC
plan participant could expect in retirement:
"Target Date Fund Simulation Exercise" or "multiple
probability simulation"
• Developed by the Department of Revenue at the
request of the Department of Administration in
consultation with investment consultant Callan
• Simulates 10,000 30-year-careers and shows the
probability of having enough retirement savings to
have a 30 year retirement
• Find the full analysis here:
https://bit.ly/AKmontecarlo
1:51:21 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to the chart on slide 17. Based on the
"target date simulation exercise" calculations, the chart
compares the probability of financial success PERS, Police/Fire,
and TRS employees should have in retirement.
Probability of Success
Police/
PERS Fire TRS
[by percentage]
30-Year Career, No SBS 22 22 31
30-Year Career, No SBS, With 6.13 percent
Deferred Comp. 48 48 56
30-Year Career, With SBS 69 69 *
30-Year Career, With SBS, With 6.13 percent
Deferred Comp. 83 83 *
25-Year Career, No SBS 6 6 10
25-Year Career, No SBS, With 6.13 percent
Deferred Comp. 22 22 28
25-Year Career, With SBS 43 43 *
25-Year Career, With SBS, With 6.13 percent
Deferred Comp. 61 61 *
Success in retirement is defined as having 70 percent
of your final pay available to you for 30 years.
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed the chart, stating the percentage of
teachers expected to run out of money in retirement is appalling
and unacceptable. It is no wonder teachers are leaving the
state.
1:52:01 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to the graph on slide 18. He said this
shows the same data as slide 17 but in graph format. The graph
demonstrates only the top quartile of TRS retirees are projected
to have enough money in retirement. He repeated this issue needs
to be fixed.
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slide 19 to discuss reasons pensions are
not only good for teachers but for the state too:
Why pensions?
• More efficient use of our investment dollar
• Liability to the state can be managed and/or mitigated
• Absolutely improves retention
• Reduces recruitment costs
• Increases investment in Alaska
• Keeps more taxpayer dollars in the state
• Improves student outcomes!
1:53:12 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slide 20 to address defined benefit plans
and their liability to the state. More specifically, he
addressed how the state's unfunded liability developed:
How did Alaska's unfunded liability develop?
• Escalating and generous health care costs
• Declining investment earnings during the recession of
2000 2003
• Bad actuarial advice from Mercer
"when the actuary, Milliman, audited Mercer in 2002 they
found that the number Mercer used was 14% too low. In a
lawsuit against Mercer, by the state, it was later found
that the Mercer actuaries not only erred, but lied and
covered up the errors for more than one valuation."
MR. KLAAMEYER said pensions themselves are not the problem. They
are beneficial to employees, employers, communities, and the
state if they are managed properly. The specter of an unfunded
liability is eliminated if contributions in and payments out are
managed properly.
1:55:32 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 21 and spoke to a study
conducted by the National Institute of Retirement Security
(NIRS):
A BETTER BANG FOR THE BUCK 3.0
Post-Retirement Experience
Drives Pension Cost Advantage
• Longevity risk pooling. The pooling of longevity
risk in DB pensions enables them to fund benefits
based on average life expectancy, and yet pay each
worker monthly income no matter how long they live.
In contrast, DC plans must receive excess
contributions to enable each worker to self-insure
against the possibility of living longer than
average.
• Higher investment returns. DB pensions realize
higher net investment returns due to professional
management and lower fees from economies of scale.
• Optimally balanced investment portfolios. DB
pensions are "ageless" and therefore can perpetually
maintain an optimally balanced investment portfolio
rather than the typical individual strategy of down-
shifting over time to a lower risk/return asset
allocation. This means that over a lifetime, DB
pensions earn higher investment returns as compared
to DC accounts.
Read the full report NIRS "A Better Bang for the Buck
3.0" at https://bit.ly/NIRSBetterbangforthebuck
1:58:00 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 22 and continued the review of
the NIRS study:
Even with updated assumptions and methodology, DB
pensions still offer substantial cost advantage over
DC plans. The analysis finds:
• A typical DB plan, with advantages based on longevity
risk pooling, asset allocation, low fees and professional
management, has a 49 percent cost advantage compared to a
typical individually directed DC plan:
• The longevity risk pooling that occurs in the DB plan
accounts for 7 percent cost savings;
• The DB plan's ability to maintain a more diversified
portfolio drives another 12 percent cost savings;
• Superior net investment returns, due to lower fees and
professional management, generate an additional 30
percent reduction in cost.
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 23, stating every other state
offers their public servants an option to earn a pension, Social
Security, or both. Many states have stable pension plans with
predictable and manageable costs. The Tax Foundation reports
Wisconsin's pension plan is 96 percent funded, Idaho's is 94
percent funded, and South Dakota's is 99 percent funded.
1:59:13 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 24 to discuss the attributes of
these solid, sustainable, affordable pension systems:
• Cautious assumptions about rate of return. Plans are
built to become overfunded over time.
• Stabilizers and triggers are built-in to mitigate
liabilities.
• Employee risk sharing mechanisms include:
• Reducing or eliminating post-retirement cost-of-living
adjustments.
• Increasable employee contributions.
2:00:23 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slides 25 and 26 to discuss additional
benefits of reinstituting a defined benefit plan. He said that
pensions provide a powerful incentive for educators to stay in
the state, which benefits the state economically. Educators who
remain in Alaska are more likely to buy homes, invest in their
communities, and put down roots. Since 2006, educational
tourists have enjoyed a five-year Alaska adventure while vesting
in their DC plan. With no compelling reason to stay, they leave,
taking their training, experience, and an estimated 40 million
in defined contribution dollars with them annually. More
teachers would stay with a defined benefit retirement option,
and more would remain after retirement. This would cause a
multiplier effect, meaning the money invested in educators is
spent in the state supporting local businesses and stimulating
the economy.
2:01:46 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR directed attention to slide 24, which mentions
employee risk-sharing mechanisms. He asked what Mr. Klaameyer
thought the details of a good, efficient retirement system would
look like for teachers.
MR. KLAAMEYER replied that one of the Alaska Teacher Retention
and Recruitment Working Group (TRR) subcommittees is on
retirement, and this subcommittee commissioned a NIRS study to
look at those mechanisms. The study should be available before
session adjourns this year. House Bill 220 from the previous
legislature included the risk-sharing mechanisms listed on slide
24: post-retirement cost of living reduction and the adjustable
employee contribution. The bill had provisions for a vesting
period, an escalating formulaic retirement based on years of
service, the option for a DC or DB plan, and the option for DC
members to convert 403(b) dollars to the defined benefit plan.
2:06:09 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER summarized slide 27. He spoke about recruitment
costs, stating the following Institute of Social and Economic
Research (ISER) numbers are from 2017. He expressed that the
costs are probably higher today. At that time, it cost school
districts $20,000 per person to recruit and retrain a
replacement teacher for one who had left for a total of
$20,000,000 statewide annually. The state reduces school
district costs if it retains more teachers. The cost to retrain
school administrators is larger, in the $75,000 or higher range
per person.
2:07:10 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER advanced to slide 28 to discuss student outcomes,
stating that student performance suffers from the ongoing
revolving door of educator turnover. Diane Hirshberg, Professor
of Education Policy, UAA Center for Alaska Education Policy
Research at ISER, researched and identified a clear connection
between teacher turnover and student outcomes. He said that it
is apparent students perform higher from stable, consistent,
experienced, talented staff that build relationships and connect
with their students in a nurturing environment. The chart below
illustrates that student performance in schools with the lowest
teacher turnover is nearly twice that of students in schools
with the highest teacher turnover:
In Alaska high teacher turnover correlated with poor
student achievement.
Average Average Percent of
Teacher students scoring
Turnover proficient in Reading
5 Lowest Turnover Districts 8.7 percent 85.8 percent
5 Highest Turnover Districts 37.9 percent 46.9 percent
UAA Center for Alaska
Education Policy Research
University of Alaska Anchorage
2:08:35 PM
MR. KLAAMEYER reviewed slides 29 and 30, stating that the state
needs to act before it worsens. He presented a story about James
Harris, 2017 Alaska Teacher of the Year. The Alaska Teacher of
the Year award is the highest distinction bestowed on a teacher
in the state. Mr. Harris was a published author and a hockey
coach and had an incredible personal story of overcoming
childhood trauma and adversity. He was an inspiration to his
students and community. The financial risk of staying in the
state as an educator outweighed his love for Alaska and his
students. He felt he had no choice but to leave. A phenomenal
teacher and role model was lost. Mr. Harris was the face of the
best and brightest. Alaska will continue to lose these teachers
until state entities work together to change the system and
invest in students, educators, schools, communities, and the
state's financial future.
2:09:53 PM
SENATOR BISHOP asked if he had an estimate of how many
foreigners are teaching in Alaska.
MR. KLAAMEYER replied that he does not. He said that he heard
there is a significant number of J-1 VISAs and that there is
supposed to be a cultural exchange. However, there have been
difficulties with that. It is a good stop-gap measure to
ameliorate teacher vacancies, but foreigners can only stay for
two years. The program's success has mixed results; it certainly
is not a retention tool.
SENATOR BISHOP said this might be a good data point for future
meetings for those who like Alaska hire.
2:11:02 PM
At ease.
^PRESENTATION(S): ASSOCIATION OF ALASKA SCHOOL BOARDS WORKFORCE
CHALLENGES
PRESENTATION(S): ASSOCIATION OF ALASKA SCHOOL BOARDS
WORKFORCE CHALLENGES
2:12:43 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN reconvened the meeting and announced a
presentation from the Association of Alaska School Boards. He
invited Mr. Garrison to put himself on the record and begin the
presentation.
2:12:59 PM
LON GARRISON, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards (AASB), Juneau, Alaska, gave a presentation on the
crucial need to improve the retention and recruitment of school
district staff. He read the following letter, shown on slides 1
and 2, into the record:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Senate Education Committee Supporting Retention and
Recruitment - Testimony
Lon Garrison, Executive Director
Association of Alaska School Boards.
February 13, 2025 [2023]
Good afternoon Chair Bjorkman and members of the
Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. My name is Lon
Garrison. I serve as the Executive Director of the
Association of Alaska School Boards. We are a
nonprofit association established in 1954 and serve 52
of Alaska's 54 school districts. Thank you for this
opportunity to speak to you today about the crucial
need to improve the retention and recruitment of
school district staff.
2:13:27 PM
AASB's Board of Directors has adopted three
legislative priorities for this year. They are:
• Sufficient, sustainable, and predictable education
funding
• Retention and recruitment of teachers,
administrators, and staff
• Student wellness and safety
These priorities and the supporting resolutions and
beliefs of the AASB membership are appended to this
testimony.
School districts face an unprecedented crisis of
retaining and recruiting qualified, effective
teachers, administrators, and support staff. This
personnel crisis seriously hinders our ability to
provide Alaska students with a quality education. It
makes it extremely difficult for school boards to
fulfill the state's constitutional responsibility to
provide a quality public education for every student
every day.
Public schools are a complex system of students,
personnel, policy, regulation, standards, assessments,
curriculum, and governing boards of education. To make
all of this work, we rely upon a multitude of staff
and elected officials playing their part.
2:14:44 PM
As you have heard many times before, one of the single
most important determinants of whether a student
succeeds in school is the quality of the educator that
works with the student. While effective learning
requires a high-quality teacher, the entire school
system must support that crucial opportunity for that
teacher and student to be together. This means a
multitude of other staff is needed to make the
learning experience the best that it can be.
Here is a sample of the staff required to make a
student and teacher's learning opportunity worthwhile:
School secretaries, facility maintenance staff,
janitors, cooks, para-professionals and classroom
aides, librarians, bus drivers, principals, special
education directors, curriculum directors, principals,
assistant superintendents, and superintendents to name
a few.
So while we focus on retaining and recruiting
certified staff, we must remember the importance of
all positions, working together to make that hour of
language arts, math, science, social studies, and
don't forget ART, the best that it can be.
As we think about improving student outcomes, we must
recognize the collective impact that all the pieces of
this complex system have on educating every student
every day.
2:16:24 PM
School districts across the state struggle to fill
many of these critical positions. School boards have
few options to entice staff to stay on or new staff to
join the team. So what can be done?
1. An increase in school funding through the BSA is
essential to providing the resources to hire and
appropriately compensate the staff necessary to
support good teaching and learning.
2. The state must institute a competitive retirement
and health benefits system to attract both out-of-
state candidates and, more importantly, motivate our
citizens to take up a career in education.
3. Improve and expand our teacher preparation and
certification programs within Alaska. Alaskans have
the greatest propensity to stay in our communities
and provide long-term, positive impacts on student
outcomes.
4. Our public education system needs to do far more to
facilitate and guide Alaskan students to
postsecondary opportunities, whether that is college
or a skilled trade. We have untapped and frankly
neglected resources (our students, our businesses,
our tribes, and local governments) that can
significantly aid in filling the workforce deficit.
5. We can stop the finger-pointing, the vitriol, and
the distrust. Instead, lets roll up our sleeves,
come together as Alaskans and solve this issue by
agreeing to focus on what is best for students and,
in turn, the state of Alaska.
2:18:08 PM
Locally elected school boards have been delegated the
authority to implement a system of public education on
behalf of the state of Alaska. Public education is a
complex system that requires a comprehensive approach,
and this committee's leadership and support are
crucial to its success. School boards implement the
local control model that has served Alaska well, but
they depend on your support. AASB strongly encourages
your efforts to address policies and regulations that
will create competitive benefit programs, grow-our-own
workforce development, and assist our own students in
taking advantage of opportunities for postsecondary
training.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
Lon D. Garrison, Executive Director, AASB
2:20:46 PM
SENATOR BISHOP directed attention to bullet number 4 and read,
"Our public education system needs to do far more to facilitate
and guide Alaskan students to postsecondary opportunities." He
said the state created career pathways for this in 2010. It was
endorsed by the Department of Education and Early Development
(DEED), the Department of Labor and Workforce Development
(DOLWD), and the University of Alaska (UA). Every school
district has a copy of it. The template is there, and it has
been revised. Twenty-five percent of graduating seniors need to
attend college, and the other 75 percent need to learn a trade.
He said the state is not hitting those marks, and all involved
need to double down on the pathways and hit those marks.
SENATOR BISHOP stated accountability is determined by more than
kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) outcomes, which are
important factors, but do not encompass all elements in
measuring accountability. He recalled a 2005 DOLWD 10-year post-
graduation study, stating the full measure of accountability
includes what happens after high school graduation. Some pupils
may not be A, B, or C students, but if they get a trade and
start contributing to society after graduation as skilled
tradespersons, that's success. He expressed his opinion that
this is what the system should be doing.
2:23:19 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked how school districts are innovating to
incentivize and win over prospective employees.
MR. GARRISON replied that is a tough question because there is
not a lot districts can do. He said it is difficult to
incentivize educators to teach in rural areas, especially areas
that lack basic amenities like running water that people from
urban areas are accustomed to having. Signing bonuses are the
most common incentive. Other incentives, depending on school
district constraints, include compensation in the form of
professional development and advancement in the step and lane
system [salary schedule]. An alternate idea is doing the best
marketing job possible, highlighting the unique experience of
rural teaching, village life, and the people. Without incentives
for retirement and wage security, it is difficult to compete
with positions in the Lower 48 that offer financially viable,
long-term plans.
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked whether the communities on the road system
that resemble communities in the Lower 48 can compete for the
best employees.
2:25:46 PM
MR. GARRISON answered it is a bit easier for communities on the
road system; however, the gap between roadside and rural
communities is diminishing. A contributing factor is high PTRs,
which the Anchorage school district is experiencing. Their
pupil-teacher ratios are beginning to increase dramatically. He
explained that teachers with 30 6th or 7th graders experience
burnout; this does not incentivize teachers to stay on. Fewer
teachers correlate to fewer auxiliary staff that help support
teachers in the classroom, creating a compounding effect. He
expressed his opinion that the disparity between roadside and
remote districts is diminishing, and urban and rural districts
are coming together to advocate for practically the same thing.
2:27:58 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR recollected that his school had two teachers who
taught about 20-25 students, one taught K-6th grade, and the
other taught 7-12th grade. He said it is incredibly challenging
to teach that many grade levels simultaneously. He commented
that his question has to do with various ways to measure
outcomes.
SENATOR DUNBAR said one of the arguments against increased
funding is that Alaska has one of the worst outcomes in the
nation. This argument conflates the outcomes of uniquely
challenged school districts, like he just described, with
districts like Anchorage, which performs reasonably well
relative to its demographics and economics. He said when it is
advantageous to do so, statewide school district outcomes are
conflated to substantiate the argument against increased funding
based on poor outcomes.
SENATOR DUNBAR asked whether outcomes have improved or declined
over the last 20 years.
MR. GARRISON answered outcomes have not improved as much as
school districts would like to see, and in some cases outcomes
have declined. He said one of the reasons for the decline is
that the state has not adequately invested in Alaska's
education, which has meant eliminating important programs.
2:30:28 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR said if it is the case that the state has had
declining outcomes over the past 20 years, the single largest
change during this period was switching to a defined
contribution system. He suggested the legislature establish
accountability measures for its policy choices; past policy
choices appear to have not worked. The legislature's policy
choices increased workforce turnover, it had damaging effects,
and over the last five years, education was flat-funded, all of
which exacerbated student outcomes. He expressed his opinion
that accountability measures are very important. Looking at the
largest change in the last twenty years that has driven the
decline in outcomes, policy choices shifted to a defined
contribution plan that adversely affected teacher recruitment
and retention.
MR. GARRISON added that the result needs more context when
statewide outcomes are combined to calculate a mean. A lot of
districts have done a lot of good, and graduation rates have
increased dramatically. The focus on literacy has increased. He
said that it is more appropriate to say student outcomes have
not increased the way districts would like them to; rather than
student outcomes are worse overall. He emphasized that
investment means the state should see increased outcomes but has
not done that.
2:32:20 PM
SENATOR BISHOP dovetailed on student outcomes, stating
standardized testing has changed three times in the last ten
years. He said getting a good measure of outcomes is difficult
if the benchmark is constantly changing. He agreed that there
are school districts out there doing a marvelous job.
2:33:07 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN brought up a previous statement about school
district class sizes and the correlation to support staff. He
sought confirmation that when school districts choose to have
larger PTR numbers, they have already eliminated support staff
and programs that ensure students get a holistic and healthy
education.
MR. GARRISON clarified that school boards, like the legislature,
must allocate a finite resource. School boards make decisions
that keep the system running and best benefit those in their
charge, including determining the number of pupils in a
classroom and whether to increase the PTR. The discussion
usually begins with the primary grades, then moves up through
middle and high school. These decisions come down to funds and
priorities, meaning there may be insufficient funds to hire
support staff for a classroom of 30 1st-graders. It is difficult
for superintendents and school boards to figure out how to fund
their schools, administrators and the board grapple with this
dilemma every year at this time.
2:35:32 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked whether there is a trade-off between larger
class sizes and outcomes according to scholarly journals and
research based on PTR and class size.
MR. GARRISON replied that the data is pretty clear that lower
PTRs generally result in higher student outcomes in literacy,
reading, mathematics, and science. He recalled standards were
changed when he was first elected to the school board. The
standards were the first big change, followed by multiple test
changes. He expressed his belief that it is hard for the state
to monitor outcomes when tests are changed every three years.
Still, maintaining the lowest possible PTRs, especially in the
elementary grades, is one of the biggest factors in ensuring
students will be more successful for the rest of their
educational careers. It provides a greater opportunity to ensure
students are proficient in reading by third grade.
2:37:21 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Bjorkman adjourned the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting at 2:37 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 02.13.23 NEA-Alaska Presentation to SL&C.pdf |
SL&C 2/13/2023 1:30:00 PM |
NEA-Alaska presentation to SL&C |
| 02.13.23 AASB Presentation to SL&C with attachments.pdf |
SL&C 2/13/2023 1:30:00 PM |
AASB Presentation to SL&C 02.13.23 |