SB 143-MUNICIPAL SCHOOL BOARD TERMS  4:42:51 PM CHAIR TOBIN reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 143 "An Act relating to the terms of office of municipal school board members; and providing for an effective date." 4:43:06 PM SENATOR ROBERT YUNDT, District N, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of SB 143 paraphrased the following statement: [Original punctuation provided.] Sponsor Statement  SB 143 Currently Boroughs and Municipalities are allowed to set lengths for Assembly and Mayoral terms but are not granted the same ability to decide the term lengths for School Board seats. SB 143 would grant Municipalities and Boroughs those abilities. The Mat-Su Borough for example have moved their Assembly seats to 4-year terms, which will see a cost savings to the Borough, since they no longer must host elections in the off years. However, this legislation would not mandate that terms are changed, but instead make this an option, should local governments want to change the terms of their school board seats, as they are already allowed to do for Assembly and Mayoral seats. I urge your support for SB 143. 4:44:20 PM RYAN MCKEE, Staff, Senator Robert Yundt, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, offered the sectional analysis for SB 143: Sectional Analysis  SB 143    Section 1 AS 14.12.050 adds a new subsection (d) which gives municipalities by ordinance the ability to alter terms of office. Section 2 AS 29.20.300(a) adds a new section, (c) which is exempt from a 3-year term requirement. Section 3 AS 29.20.300 adds a new subsection (c) giving a municipality the ability to alter the terms of office in (a) of this section. Section 4 sets an immediate effective date. 4:45:10 PM CHAIR TOBIN announced invited testimony on SB 143. 4:45:26 PM GEORGE HAYS, Deputy Manager, Mat-Su Borough, Palmer, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB 143. He stated that SB 143 would allow a municipality's governing body, by ordinance, to alter the terms of office for municipal school board members. He said the borough supports the bill because it strengthens local control, promotes flexibility, and allows communities to tailor governance structures to local needs. MR. HAYES explained that state law already allows municipalities to amend terms for mayors and assembly members. He noted that the Mat-Su Borough Assembly previously adjusted terms to four years for both the mayor and assembly members, and that borough elections now coincide with state and federal elections in November. He stated that moving to four-year school board terms would place those elections in even-numbered years, which would significantly enhance voter turnout. MR. HAYES outlined three primary reasons the bill matters for local governments: first, it enhances local control by recognizing differences in population, geography, and priorities across municipalities; second, it supports community engagement by potentially improving voter turnout and interest in school board service; and third, it promotes administrative efficiency by aligning school board elections with other local election schedules, thereby reducing costs and administrative burdens. MR. HAYES emphasized that SB 143 does not mandate changes but simply provides an option to municipalities. He noted that any changes would still require passage of a local ordinance and remain subject to public input, transparency, and accountability. 4:48:22 PM SENATOR BJORKMAN asked about voter participation after the borough aligned its local elections with state and federal elections. He inquired about the rate of drop-off between voters participating in top-of-the-ticket races and those voting in local assembly and other local races. 4:49:05 PM SENATOR YUNDT responded that the borough has now conducted three aligned elections2020, 2022, and 2024. He stated that during the first aligned election, the drop-off rate was close to 10 percentage points, largely due to voter confusion. He said that in subsequent elections the drop-off decreased significantly and is now almost nonexistent. He reported that turnout in the most recent local election reached 48 percent, with only a small number of voters declining to participate in local races. He attributed the improvement to voters becoming accustomed to the new system. 4:49:50 PM SENATOR STEVENS asked if SB 143 affects the number of terms a person can serve, as some people run for several consecutive terms. SENATOR YUNDT replied no and clarified that there remains no limit on the number of terms a person may serve on the school board. 4:50:25 PM SENATOR KIEHL said he found SB 143 intriguing. He stated that one reason communities in his district have not aligned local elections with federal and state elections is to give local candidates an opportunity to receive attention, rather than having it overshadowed by large, expensive statewide campaigns. He asked whether there was concern that placing school board elections on the same ballot as major statewide races could diminish focus on local contests. 4:51:07 PM SENATOR YUNDT responded that the borough has already aligned school board elections in even-numbered years, with only some seats falling in odd-numbered years due to three-year terms. He acknowledged that, as a former assembly member, there had initially been concerns about local races being overshadowed. However, he stated that in his experience, the change increased engagement. He noted that the Mat-Su Borough historically experienced very low turnout in standalone local elections, sometimes under 10 percent, but saw significantly higher participation after aligning with state and federal elections. SENATOR YUNDT said the combined elections created a more engaged electorate, with residents more aware of upcoming elections and more willing to ask questions and interact with candidates. In his view, the alignment improved the overall experience for candidates and voters, and he believed local school board and assembly members shared that perspective. 4:52:13 PM MR. MCKEE added that in the Mat-Su Borough local elections had previously occurred in October, between the state primary and general elections. He said that timing often caused local elections to be overlooked because voters focused primarily on the larger statewide races. Many residents were unaware that a separate local election was taking place between the primary and general elections. He explained that aligning local elections with the November general election increased awareness and participation. While statewide campaigns involve significant advertising that local candidates cannot match, holding all elections on the same day ensured voters knew a local election was occurring. He stated that this alignment contributed to a substantial increase in voter turnout. 4:53:21 PM SENATOR KIEHL noted that, in some smaller communities, voter turnout is consistently high, and in larger communities, turnout has improved through vote-by-mail systems. He then asked a policy question, observing that certain local governance changes, such as altering the size of a school board, require voter approval. He questioned whether changing school board term lengths should similarly require voter approval rather than action solely by ordinance. He asked whether adding voter approval would serve as an appropriate safeguard consistent with other statutory provisions. 4:54:19 PM SENATOR YUNDT replied that passing SB 143 on the state level will not force communities to change school board terms from three to four years. It just provides the option. 4:54:43 PM SENATOR CRONK said SB 143 created a win-win in that it provides local control and increases voter turnout. 4:55:22 PM KATHERINE GARDNER, Deputy Superintendent, Mat-Su Borough School District, Palmer, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB 143. She stated that the Mat-Su School Board passed a legislative priority supporting the option to expand school board member terms to four years if a municipality chooses to do so. She said the district's primary interest aligns with earlier testimony: enhancing local control, increasing voter turnout by aligning elections with even-numbered years, and improving efficiency by eliminating the need for the borough to conduct elections in odd-numbered years. MS. GARDNER added that from a school district perspective, extending terms to four years would provide additional benefit by giving new school board members more time to learn and grow into their roles. She noted that while many members bring a strong passion for education, overseeing a school system involves a learning curve. The additional year would allow members more time to gain knowledge, receive training, and become effective in their governance responsibilities. She concluded by stating that the Mat-Su School Board supports passage of SB 143. 4:56:48 PM CHAIR TOBIN asked DEED to present an overview of the fiscal note for SB 143. 4:57:01 PM DEB RIDDLE, Operations Manager, Division of Innovation and Education, Department of Education and Early Development, Juneau, Alaska, provided an overview of fiscal note OMB 2796. She stated the bill affects the Department of Education and Early Development. The appropriation falls under Education Support and Administration Services, with the allocation to Student and School. She reported that the fiscal note is zero. 4:57:34 PM CHAIR TOBIN opened public testimony on SB 143; finding none, she closed public testimony. 4:57:51 PM CHAIR TOBIN held [SB 143] in committee. 4:58:00 PM SENATOR YUNDT thanked the committee for hearing SB 143.