Legislature(2007 - 2008)SENATE FINANCE 532
03/15/2008 01:30 PM Senate SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Charter Schools | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
March 15, 2008
1:35 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Charlie Huggins, Vice Chair
Senator Bettye Davis
Senator Donald Olson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Gary Wilken
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview: Charter Schools
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to report.
WITNESS REGISTER
EDDY JEANS, Director
School Finance
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
RICHARD WEBB, Chairman
Twindly-Bridge APC Board
Chairman and president of the Matsu Charter School Association,
Wasilla AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
GREG MILLER, Principal
Twindly-Bridge Charter School
Wasilla AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
BRAD FALKNER
Academic Policy Committee
Fireweed Academy
Homer AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
TONY NEUMAN, representing himself
Juneau AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
BRENDA TAYLOR, representing herself
Juneau AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
MISTY HAMILTON, Chairman
Academic Policy Committee (APC)
Kaleidoscope Charter School of Arts and Science
Kenai AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
JEFF FRIEDMAN, member
Anchorage School Board
Anchorage AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
KIKI ABRAHAMSON
Fireweed Academy
Homer AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
ANNMARIE KEEP-BARNES, President
Academic Policy Committee
Star of the North secondary school
Fairbanks AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
DANA HANDELIN
Academic Policy Committee (APC)
Anvil City Science Academy
Nome AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
DAVE JONES, Assistant Superintendent
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPSD)
Soldotna AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
CATHERINE REARDON
Staff to Senator Joe Thomas
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
BONNIE JASON, Teacher
Homer Middle School
Homer AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in overview of charter schools.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR GARY STEVENS called the Senate Special Committee on
Education meeting to order at 1:35:49 PM. Senators Huggins,
Stevens, Davis, and Olson were present at the call to order.
1:36:02 PM
^Overview: Charter Schools
CHAIR STEVENS announced the overview of charter schools.
1:36:47 PM
EDDY JEANS, Director, School Finance, Department of Education
and Early Development (DEED), said the charter school
legislation was initially passed in 1995 when the state had a
different funding formula that was based on the instructional
unit. The adjustment for elementary schools was 1 instructional
unit for every 17 children and 1 instructional unit for every 15
students in secondary schools. So it was very easy to calculate
how much money a charter school was generating in the larger
communities.
When the department went to the per-student or school-based
formula in 1998, there were concerns that the table would
promote inefficient small schools in the larger urban areas.
So, SB 36 had a component of the funding formula that said
alternative schools had to have at least 200 students to qualify
as a separate school. That legislation was amended in 2000 to
split out charter schools from the alternative school
calculation and to drop the threshold for them down to 150
students.
Currently the state has three charter schools that are serving
fewer than 150 students. Those schools are in Juneau, Nome and
Kenai. The issue has come up on an ongoing basis and the
legislature has provided supplemental funding for these small
charter schools for the last four years. At one time the
supplemental grant was as high as $250,000 and this year it is
proposed to be $100,000.
1:39:47 PM
MR. JEANS said the department had worked with various
legislators to come up with some alternative funding solutions
and what makes the most sense is for the legislature to
determine what the appropriate adjustment would be for those
schools under 150 students and to simply place a single
adjustment factor in statute for them. He referred them to the
school size adjustment table in the foundation program that has
an adjustment factor of 1.27 for schools with 75-150 students.
The spread sheet before them showed what the funding allocation
would be under two scenarios - 1.08 and 1.27.
1:41:20 PM
MR. JEANS said statute required the Juneau charter school with
68 students to be added to the largest school in the district,
which is the high school Their adjustment for FY08 is .84, which
is just a little higher than the correspondence allocation of
.80. It generated about $371,000 under that scenario. But if
they were to have a single adjustment of 1.08 in statute, their
funding would jump to $477,000. And if the adjustment were 1.27,
that would go up to $561,000.
He said the Education Funding Task Force elected not to address
correspondence or charter school funding this summer and
deferred it to the proposed standing committees.
1:43:00 PM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if the funding bills going through the
legislature right now have an impact on charter schools.
MR. JEANS responded that HB 273 contained the Funding Task Force
recommendations, the first component of which contained the
district cost factors. It would implement 50 percent of the cost
factors in FY09 and an additional 12.5 percent for the next four
years until 100 percent of the cost factors are implemented. The
other component increased the base student allocation (BSA) by
$100. The last component changed the funding for the intensive
needs students from 5 times the base student allocation to 9,
then 11 then 13.
MR. JEANS stated that these three small charter schools, even
though the cost factors went up slightly and the BSA went up
$100, are probably are not going to see significant increases in
their funding because of the way the statute requires the
department to fund them with the largest school. So, if it is
the will of the legislature to direct additional resources to
the smaller charter schools, they will need to change the
statute or continue supplemental funding. He said the state has
22 charter schools and another one is projected in FY09; the
charter school statute allows up to 60 charter schools
statewide.
1:45:11 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS said he has always been a supporter of charter
schools; he was on the local school board and his wife started
one. He thought they should be looking at all charter schools
comprehensively, not just the one element of small charter
schools. He said some districts don't give local contributions
to charter schools and one of the biggest hurdles for them is
housing. Having a correspondence component helps them get
started because those don't need housing.
1:47:15 PM
CHAIR STEVENS agreed with him.
SENATOR HUGGINS said the other component is alternative schools
that have a 200-student plateau and maybe that should be lowered
to 175, for instance. He wants to see all students succeed, but
if they start an industry of small schools that starts to
expand, they might price themselves out of business.
1:48:46 PM
CHAIR STEVENS asked Mr. Jeans if he thought proliferation of
small schools was a concern.
MR. JEANS replied that would have to be a policy call; his job
is to make him aware of that as a possibility up to the
statutory cap of 60 charter schools.
SENATOR HUGGINS said a school with 200 students that loses one
would get a large hit.
1:49:31 PM
MR. JEANS said that figure is probably close to $300,000. He
said the department's position on funding is that it calculates
what the school will generate in basic need - the adjusted ADM
times the base student allocation - and that has a component of
the required local effort in it. Those charter schools that
want to participate in the excess local contribution will have
to negotiate with their local school boards.
1:50:50 PM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if there are charter schools that do receive
local contributions.
MR. JEANS replied that the charter schools receive through their
funding the required local effort. The excess local effort above
the requirement varies from district to district.
1:51:14 PM
RICHARD WEBB, Chairman, Twindly-Bridge APC Board, said he is
also chairman and president of the Matsu Charter School
Association, Wasilla. He explained that as organizations grow
and mature they seek to improve themselves and often form
associations. Over the last three years he has been involved
with getting the Twindly-Bridge school going. He wanted to
address this in terms of a broader perspective.
MR. WEBB said he believed a technological earthquake is taking
place that is web-centric, immersive, simulative, mobile and
energy independent. It is changing the economy and impact the
educational system. He said that charter schools are good at two
things in particular. They are, in essence, laboratories and can
experiment and look at new ways of doing things; they can do
pilot programs that can be taken back to the larger schools.
Secondly they are very adaptive. The people at either end of the
bell curve in regular schools are not as well served there and
can be best served in charter schools that target their needs.
Charter schools are just a different color of regular school,
but they have their own function.
CHAIR STEVENS called an at-ease at 1:56:20 PM.
CHAIR STEVENS called the meeting back to order at 2:05:36 PM.
MR. WEBB said charter schools are public schools, but should be
looked at for the unique role and character they have. A
particular number doesn't accurately reflect their value, and
that would have to be looked at comprehensively rather than just
as a funding issue.
CHAIR STEVENS asked how many schools he represents and how big
they are.
MR. WEBB replied that he represents the three current charter
schools in the Matsu Valley as well as a Spanish immersion
school that is coming on line. Twindly-Bridge has around 280
students, Matsu Academy has 226 students and Midnight Sun has
164 students. Already the Spanish program has about 120
committed students and it should have no problem reaching 150.
2:09:02 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if startup grants for charter schools are
still in effect.
MR. WEBB replied yes and no. In previous years they got
significant federal money, but this year that funding was not
applied for because of some mix-up and the association is
looking for ways of making up the shortfall. Generally speaking,
money is available, but not this year.
2:10:27 PM
GREG MILLER, principal, Twindly-Bridge Charter School, said his
is a home school program that is unique because it offers
correspondence classes that can't be taught at home. It is in
its third year of operation. Because it is a correspondence
program, it exists off of the state foundation unit which covers
80 percent with the district taking 5 percent for indirect
costs. So he runs the program on 75 percent of the state
foundation funding.
He said charter school funding can be a blessing and a curse.
The good point is that they are free to use district money for
their needs, but the problem is that there is no other source of
revenue. As costs go up, he has to either increase his funding
or cut somewhere. So, if they freeze the funding unit, they are
also freezing his funding.
CHAIR STEVENS asked where his facility is.
MR. MILLER replied that it is in a leased building and it costs
$100,000 per year.
2:13:24 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS said correspondence schools are the easiest to
start, but Mr. Miller's is in a strip mall. They only get 80
percent of the allocation of dollars and charter schools can get
into trouble very quickly because they have to rent their space.
He said that New York State is experimenting with paying
teachers a mean salary of about $120,000 with the objective of
seeing if highly paid staff contributes to over-all achievement
of the student population.
2:15:15 PM
BRAD FALKNER, Homer resident, said he is a member of the
Academic Policy Committee of the Fireweed Academy, a school of
75 students that shares the district school building of West
Homer Elementary that has another 225 students. All 300 grade 3-
6 students in Homer go to school in the same building.
He said the charter school allows a choice in education within
the same building. When the 200-student limit that was changed
to 150 so small charter schools wouldn't break off to get more
money than their district counterparts, it didn't have a good
effect in a small town like Homer. West Homer Elementary, the
charter school, now gets 26 percent less funding per student.
The second negative effect was that it forced the school to
grow. But Homer has a total of 300 students, which means the
charter school needs to take half the students and that puts
them in competition unnecessarily with the other district
school.
The other problem with the way the funding works is that every
small charter school in every separate district is funded at a
different level. The Nome High School, for instance, has 300
students, 44 of which are in a separate charter; they are funded
at the same level as all the Nome High School students. The
Fireweed Academy with 75 students is grouped with three
alternative programs-all high schools. So gets funded like a
school of 750 students. Because of the difference in programs,
there is a 26 percent discrepancy between the same-aged kids in
the same building in the same town.
2:19:53 PM
MR. FALKNER said he thought the funding should be equal
statewide. The other problem with the initial charter school
legislation is that it doesn't provide for housing a charter
school. They really have no right to be in the West Homer
Elementary School building. When they first moved in, the
building was occupied 50 percent by students. It has pitted the
charter community against the district teachers who don't want
them in the school.
2:21:10 PM
CHAIR STEVENS said that Fireweed Academy had 75 students in 2008
and then 128 in 2009. He asked if there was an expansion.
MR. FALKNER replied that the academy was forced to plan to
expand to 150, but they were given no space to do it. They can't
pay scale for their teachers and do pay $150,000 to the district
for renting the current four classrooms. Students want to join
the school, but there isn't enough funding to expand it.
2:22:20 PM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if he saw that increase happening next year.
MR. FALKNER replied no, but they have to grow to be fiscally
responsible and they are going to be forced to contract some
classrooms somewhere and grow. That growth will come straight
out of the district's student pool putting Fireweed in direct
competition with the district school. They don't want to grow,
but they need to get to 150 or it will fail. The school has had
excellent academic success for 12 years.
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if the Fireweed Academy has to pay the
school district for the space it uses.
MR. FALKNER replied yes; they paid 4.64 percent off the top for
administrative costs in FY08. They also pay exact pro-rated
costs based on per student in the building, but they don't get
to use the computer lab or the offices. This district figures
out the costs and they end up paying twice as much for a
classroom as other charter schools are charging. They pay for
the classrooms, the janitors, the heat, lights and electricity
and share the cost of running the building pro-rated by student.
2:24:43 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked the total on an annual basis.
MR. FALKNER replied that it is about $150,000 for 75 students,
and another $25,000 - $28,000 covers administrative costs to the
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. He ended up by saying
that he appreciated all the work the legislature has done on
this issue.
2:25:40 PM
TONY NEUMAN, Juneau resident, said he has two children who
attend the Juneau Community Charter School (JCCS) that serves 65
students and is in its 11th year of operation. It fills a unique
roll in education in the Juneau community.
BRENDA TAYLOR, Juneau resident, said she also has two children
who attend the Juneau Community Charter School. She said public
schools were created nearly 200 years ago to provide equal
opportunities for all students. But now one size does not fit
all and students succeeding in different learning environments
is what the charter school movement is about. The Alaska charter
school statute was created to encourage educational innovation
and provide choice for Alaskan families within the public school
system. She understood that the funding formula was designed to
discourage a proliferation of small schools; however it has had
some unforeseen consequences that limit the innovation that the
law was supposed to promote.
MS. TAYLOR said there are several good reasons for charter
schools to be under 150 students. One reason is factors outside
of the school's control, which happened for Bethel's Yup'ik
Immersion School where several parents were deployed in Iraq and
their families moved to Anchorage. The school went below 150
students and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result.
Schools that lose funding like that run the risk of closing.
A second reason for schools to be below the 150-stendent
threshold is if the student population they are targeting is
less than 150 kids. A third reason is that the school district
can't support a charter school of more than 150 students without
having an adverse impact on its neighborhood schools which is
what is happening with Fireweed. The fourth reason is that some
children really need small learning environments.
2:29:19 PM
MS. TAYLOR said it's important to recognize that a small school
is a good educational tool that the school districts also
appreciate having. She wanted to clarify that when they say
small schools they mean entire enrollment of the school and not
just the class size. A small environment allows for multi-age
classes of grades K-1, 2-3 and 4-5 for two years in a row. Small
size is a great educational asset, but it is also a great
financial liability. They get 30 percent less state funding than
any other school in the state outside of correspondence schools.
2:32:47 PM
JCCS has been able to scrape by for 11 years with penny pinching
and volunteer hours, but not having funding keeps them from
reaching some of the more diverse families they would like to
reach. The barriers to that diversity are lack of transportation
and not enough funds to pay for support staff like a counselor
or a nurse. They would appreciate more equitable funding.
CHAIR STEVENS said he asked the department to come up with some
options and they came up with about $100,000 for her school.
Would she support that?
2:34:34 PM
MS. TAYLOR replied that would be great.
CHAIR STEVENS ask her to explain in more detail what she meant
about charter schools targeting certain students.
MS. TAYLOR replied that she was talking about two different
kinds of groups. They would like to have more free and reduced
lunch students - the ones that are in a lower socio-economic
status. These are also the ones that can't drive their children
to school; so they would also want transportation for them.
Secondly, she said they would like help with the principals in
finding which students match well with charter schools - kids
who are hands-on learners, for instance, and have a hard time
sitting at a desk, but flourish in doing more arts and science
centered activities. If a parent came to a principal and asked
for a different opportunity, for instance, and they could see
the charter school not in competition with the rest of the
district, but as a different option.
2:36:33 PM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if JCCS works through the Juneau School
Board.
MS. TAYLOR replied that the school board is in charge of its
charter and it just got renewed for another eight years. Every
year its contract has to be approved and that is primarily
centered around proving academic success and that they can
survive with the amount of money they get.
SENATOR HUGGINS said charter schools run a gauntlet in renewing
their contracts every year, which is a healthy process and he
remembered a couple in Anchorage that didn't make it. "They are
held to a very high standard that is unique to charter schools -
that you have to have a contract renewed."
2:39:01 PM
MS. TAYLOR said their administration costs are 6.9 percent of
their funding.
MR. NEUMAN said the JCCS pays $60,000 for rent to occupy the
basement of a privately owned building. It has no playground, no
gymnasium, no teachers' lounge, no cafeteria and not even a
lobby. They want to stay downtown to have access to the civic
and cultural opportunities.
He said the facility issue is faced by charter schools around
the country and often aren't able to participate in the bonding
process. He said JCCS doesn't have a gymnasium, but there is one
just two blocks away in the Terry Miller Building that is unused
all day. Right now their kids have to do physical education in
an empty classroom or outside no matter what the weather. He
asked if someone could help them with that.
CHAIR STEVENS said he envisioned having problems with people
being able to work on the next floor with basketballs going all
day.
2:42:17 PM
MR. NEUMAN responded that there are things like yoga and
meditation that don't have a lot of noise.
He said that a comprehensive approach to charter schools is
needed, but more immediately three small schools are struggling
to stay alive. Part of the reason that more new charter schools
aren't being created is because of the 150-student threshold. A
quick way to address that is through a more equitable formula.
CHAIR STEVENS suggested that he talk to Senator Cowdery who is
the chairman of Legislative Council. He saw problems with using
the gym during the work day, but maybe there was a time the gym
could be used.
2:44:07 PM
MS. TAYLOR said the small charter school grant that Senator
Huggins has helped them with each year is a boon to them, but
the money doesn't get divvied up until January or February when
the year is almost done and it has to be spent by May. It
doesn't encourage great budgetary planning.
CHAIR STEVENS agreed that they need to move beyond just a band-
aid approach.
MISTY HAMILTON, Chairman, Academic Policy Committee (APC),
Kaleidoscope Charter School of Arts and Science located in
Kenai, said Kaleidoscope was established four years ago and
began as a 1-3 grade for 88 students. Next year it will be a K-6
program with 234 students.
She said the mission of Kaleidoscope is to develop responsible
citizens and life-long learners. All subjects are taught with
rigor and depth and are carefully interwoven to create meaning.
Teachers plan collaboratively. There is an emphasis on arts and
science. All subjects are put together by theme and have a lot
of parent involvement. Students are enthusiastic, have a sense
of ownership and grow quickly.
2:48:41 PM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if she has transportation assistance.
MS. HAMILTON replied that they have chosen to provide bussing
for their students through the school's funding.
JEFF FRIEDMAN, Anchorage School Board, said the 150-student
limit is a serious challenge. Two Anchorage charter schools have
closed and dropping below that limit was the most significant
factor for both. Startup is also difficult because people don't
want to sign up until they see it is successful and it can't be
successful without reaching the 150-student mark. So, adding
flexibility at the beginning of a new charter would be a big
help. In Anchorage getting facilities has been the largest
problem facing charter schools. Rented facilities have to meet
the same educational building codes that other schools do for
things like sprinklers and fire exists. Landlords hesitate to do
that kind of remodeling for a school until they see it's going
to be successful.
CHAIR STEVENS asked him to review the board's relationship with
charter schools.
2:51:33 PM
MR. FRIEDMAN said the board reviews the initial charter school
applications; they have a work session with those trying to
start a school and then have a formal board hearing in which the
application is approved or rejected. Sometimes the charter
school works with the association for a few years to prepare an
application. The board reviews their charter financially and
academically every year.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if he had an opportunity to target certain
groups would he create opportunities for smaller schools - like
a language academy or a music school.
MR. FRIEDMAN replied that Anchorage has a German immersion
school and they wouldn't want those to be smaller. He saw a role
for targeting at-risk high school students who might need a
smaller school. But for the most part, neither the department
nor school boards would allow broadly opening a huge number of
small schools just to be small, because for one thing, it
wouldn't be fiscally responsible.
2:54:12 PM
SENATOR DAVIS asked if starting a charter school requires having
at least 150 students.
MR. FRIEDMAN replied that number is not a technical requirement,
but as a practical matter, the funding level is so different,
that he didn't think any school could start below that.
SENATOR OLSON said a 23rd charter school is coming on line in
the next year and asked if it has more than 150 students.
MR. FRIEDMAN answered that he thought it would have over 150
students.
2:55:39 PM
KIKI ABRAHAMSON, Fireweed Academy, Homer, said the charter
school movement came out of "No School Left Behind" and can
document successes nationally as well as statewide. It is a good
way to provide choice and promotes innovation in education and
keeps public education money in the public schools.
On the flip side, charter schools have to meet achievements,
follow all the district, state and federal policies, laws and
regulations without any facility provisions and, in the case of
small charter schools, with inequitable funding. She thought
that ethical and legal issues must be brought into the
conversation at this point. If they follow all these laws and
take part in the same tests and hold teachers accountable to
same standards, are the charter schools really public schools?
How does it make sense that they are not provided equal access
to facilities along with equal funding?
MS. ABRAHAMSON said she was confused about how charter schools
funding provisions read. They say all charter schools will be
funded in the same manner as other schools, but then they are
not. The law needs to reflect the intent of legislators. She
said she appreciated all the work they are doing on this issue,
but charter schools have been getting the short end of the
stick.
3:00:42 PM
CHAIR STEVENS said he has asked the department for suggestions.
One of them was state aide for Fireweed Academy would go from
the current $538,000 to $631,000.
MS. ABRAHAMSON responded that she would support that.
CHAIR STEVENS said it looks like it would raise it to the 1.08
level.
MS. ABRAHAMSON said she would be in favor of that, but it still
isn't equitable.
3:02:39 PM
ANNMARIE KEEP-BARNES, President, Academic Policy Committee, Star
of the North Secondary School, Fairbanks, said that her school
has 7-12 graders. It is chartered to intervene for students who
are in danger of academic failure or not achieving their high
school diploma and has 200 students. It is doing really well and
has a good relationship with their school district. They get the
additional funding, but in her case almost all of the additional
funding goes into facilities. They provide public transportation
for her students where needed between their two campuses.
She said her life's work is working with students who are in
academic danger and may be disengaged for whatever reason. Every
community has a percentage of young people who are not going to
fit into the traditional school model and the smaller
populations won't be able to pull the 150 students.
3:07:15 PM
She said each of her district's three charter schools contain
about 1 percent of the school district's population.
CHAIR STEVENS asked how her school got started.
MS. BARNES replied that she helped start Chinook Charter School
and had thoughts about what she would do differently if she
would open another one. She took over an existing alternative
program in North Pole for a couple of years and when that was in
danger of closing, she closed it and opened it up again as a
charter school. It was inspired by the needs that the teachers
saw.
3:09:36 PM
SENATOR OLSON asked what she is doing for these students and
what her success rate is.
MS. BARNES replied her 200-student school has four distinct
programs. One is a 7-8 grade program with 40 students. They are
really beating the bushes in North Pole to let people know the
school wants to intervene for kids. That program is a close
knit, family centered middle school that teaches to their
spirits as well as their minds. Their ninth-grade intervention
program goal was to take 20 students and make sure they ended
the year with all six credits and that has been very successful.
This program was started because predictably students who are
failing their ninth grade year will fail in high school. So they
give them a solid ninth grade year based on their interests,
gifts and talents. Both of their campuses have a 10-12 grade
program and graduate about 70 students per year - kids who would
not have earned high school diplomas without them.
3:12:23 PM
DANA HANDELIN, Academic Policy Committee (APC), Anvil City
Science Academy, Nome, agreed with the previous comments. Her
contract with the school limits their enrollment to 44 students
based on the physical space the district can provide. An average
of 11 students is usually on the waiting list, which is
troubling, because their limited number of students also limits
the funding.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if she is working with a target group.
MS. HANDELIN replied yes; their program is 5-8 grade and focuses
on science and technology.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if they provide transportation.
3:14:59 PM
MS. HANDELIN replied that the school district provides
transportation.
CHAIR STEVENS asked how long she has been in this position.
MS. HANDELIN answered that she had been on the APC Board for
four years and has two children in the program; one is attending
Mt. Edgecumbe as a ninth grader.
3:15:49 PM
DAVE JONES, Assistant Superintendent, Kenai Peninsula Borough
School District (KPSD), said his district has four charter
schools and he supports them because they provide alternative
choices for students. They have all been successful
academically. Three of them are above the 150 student level, but
Fireweed Elementary in Homer is not.
He said basically the statute requires inequitable funding. A
possible solution to the small school problem is to put a
historical component into the requirements that says schools
smaller than 150 students could be counted as a separate school.
This would not address the startup concerns. He said the KPSD
offers transportation to the charter schools; they can either
opt in or opt out of riding the same buses used for the other
schools. If they opt in, they have to share in the cost; they
also share any deficit at the end of the year.
3:19:08 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS said he thought charter schools were grouped
with district students and therefore the funding would be the
same.
MR. JONES replied that the charter school statutes say any
schools under 150 students are put into the size factor chart
with the largest school in the district. In his district that is
Soldotna High School; so it is funded at that size. West Homer
Elementary students are at different levels.
CHAIR STEVENS said the department prepared two options for
school financing. One option is to increase state aide for
schools to 1.08, which the statute would apply to schools with
150-250 students. Another option is to increase it to 1.27,
which would apply to schools of 75-150 students.
CATHERINE REARDON, staff to Senator Joe Thomas, said she also
has two children in the JCCS and has served on its Academic
Policy Committee. She said the APCs are the governing board of
the schools and it is elected by the parents.
3:23:04 PM
She said that Alaska's charter school law has some strengths
that other state don't necessarily share like requiring that the
charter schools be part of their local school district and get
their approval. It does mean that the education that all the
kids get is unified at that level. It also means that the
charter school teachers and other employees are school district
employees. They have the same collective bargaining contracts
and government is doing the bookkeeping.
The reason Senator Thomas introduced a bill that put funding at
the 1.27 level is because the Effie Kokrine Charter School in
his district dropped below 150 students last year and lost
several thousand dollars. That was a problem not only for the
school that suddenly had to reduce its program and didn't know
until the October count that it was 10 students under, but also
for the district that is left holding the bag financially.
MS. REARDON said it comes down to "the cliff" she referred to in
a chart that she made on school size. Senator Thomas' idea in
using 1.27 was that the regular school-size factor would be used
above 150 students, but below 150 you wouldn't get into the
situation where you have a 10-kid school and get basically
almost four kids worth of money for each kid. If you went to a
level that was reasonable for the state to fund, that the state
is now funding, that would mean that the cliff wouldn't be so
steep and you would have equitable funding and perhaps not
excessive funding.
CHAIR STEVENS asked where the bill is.
MS. REARDON replied that it is in the Senate Finance Committee
where it hasn't had a hearing. She explained that the 1.27 level
is about the amount per kid that is being provided now for
schools of at least 250 students. The way she got to that figure
is by looking at the base amount in the school size factor and
the multiplier and took into account the fact that there is a
large base amount being provided for bigger schools.
CHAIR STEVENS said he wanted to get the bill referred to this
committee so they could look at it.
3:28:58 PM
MS. REARDON summarized that the goal should be not to fund
charter schools at a higher level than other schools, but to
decide what level the legislature is willing to fund schools and
apply that principle to charter schools, as well - and not
penalize districts for having charter schools by lowering the
amount of state funding that is provided when they have them.
3:29:52 PM
SENATOR HUGGINS said it is very difficult to compare charter
school funding with the funding for a school of 250 because that
is not what actually goes to the school. Charter schools have to
pay for overhead, too. That is the difference for the most part.
The amount per student can't be calculated based on the formula.
MS. REARDON responded that in Juneau, overhead is at 6.9
percent.
3:31:05 PM
BONNIE JASON, teacher at Homer Middle School, said she has had a
child at both the Fireweed Academy and the Middle School and had
a slightly different perspective to offer. She said Fireweed
Academy is competing for space with the neighborhood schools. If
it grows to the 150-number in the next few years as they are
being forced to do, those students would have to come at the
expense of the other neighborhood schools. Homer Middle School
would stand to lose 30 or more students out of their fewer than
200 projected students. That would be more than one full staff
position and the negative impact on their program which is
already bare bones "would be monstrous."
3:32:45 PM
CHAIR STEVENS said he appreciated her courage in coming forward
with that. He asked how she felt about changing the funding of
the smaller schools.
MS. JASON replied that she would be very supportive; she is a
huge proponent of their program even though she has watched it
deteriorate over the past few years.
CHAIR STEVENS thanked her for her comments. There being no
further business to come before the committee, he adjourned the
meeting at 3:34:05 PM.
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