HB 137-COMPACT: EDUCATION OF MILITARY CHILDREN 8:04:26 AM CHAIR SEATON announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 137, "An Act relating to an interstate compact on educational opportunity for military children; amending Rules 4 and 24, Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure; and providing for an effective date." 8:04:52 AM CHAIR SEATON asked if there was further public testimony on HB 137. There being none, public testimony remained closed. 8:05:02 AM LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner, Department of Education and Early Development (EED), related that his support for HB 137 is driven by 30 years worth of experiences working in a school district with a substantial military population. 8:05:40 AM EDDY JEANS, Director, School Finance, Department of Education and Early Development (EED), related his understanding that the Anchorage School District supports HB 137. Mr. Jeans highlighted that the fiscal note for HB 137 is for $22,300. He explained that the interstate compact requires an annual membership fee. The fee is $1 per military child in the state. Alaska has approximately 16,200 students who are military dependents. The remaining $6,100 would be for travel expenses for the mini cabinet in Alaska that oversees the implementation of the compact. The department, he related, would advise that the cabinet consist of the commissioner of EED and the superintendents of the Anchorage and Fairbanks School Districts. The department would also recommend that a state legislator be appointed to the council as well as the military advisor who is currently appointed to EED. Mr. Jeans reminded the committee that the interstate compact is a compact between state agencies and governments. He explained that Section 1 outlines the enactment of the compact at the state level. Article II, page 2, specifies the definitions the compact will use. Article III, the applicability provision, outlines who is covered by the compact, which is basically all of the military families. Article IV, Educational Records and Enrollment, specifies the timelines for record receipt. 8:09:03 AM MR. JEANS informed the committee that although Alaska is already performing 95 percent of what is included in the compact, there are a few areas in the compact that are different than existing state law. For example, existing state immunization records are required to be provided prior to a child attending a public school. However, HB 137 allows families up to 30 days to produce immunization records. The state currently has an agreement with the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) that provides homeless children 30 days to produce immunization records as well. Another difference is that existing state law has a waiting period, 90 days, for students wishing to participate in school athletic activities. The [compact] includes a waiver provision for which districts can apply. Through the waiver, military students would be allowed to participate in school athletic activities immediately. In response to Chair Seaton, Mr. Jeans relayed that the [athletic] associations don't have any objections to that. 8:10:42 AM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER, referring to subsection (c) of Article III, surmised that there is no prohibition against applying the compact to those who aren't otherwise defined. MR. JEANS stated his agreement. In further response to Representative Gardner, related his belief that military families likely have more readily available access to immunization records. 8:12:02 AM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER related her understanding that the existing prohibition against students being allowed mobility in terms of athletics is an effort to discourage students from moving simply because of athletics. Representative Gardner said that she would have many of these provisions apply to all students, save the athletic provision. COMMISSIONER LEDOUX noted his agreement that generally transfer rules are in place to prevent recruiting of students for high school athletic teams. He commented that serving four years on the State Athletic Board has illustrated to him that there can't be enough rules to stop the aforementioned. 8:13:53 AM MR. JEANS, continuing his review of differences between current state practices and the proposed compact, explained that the compact specifies that military students don't have to wait to be placed in advanced classes. In fact, military students who are said to have taken advanced placement courses at their prior school will be placed immediately in the receiving school. The other difference is that the compact specifies that those students who have passed a High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE) in another state would be exempt from the receiving state's test. Furthermore, those military students who are high school seniors would be exempt from the receiving state's HSGQE. He noted that the aforementioned is already in [EED's] regulation. In response to Chair Seaton, Mr. Jeans related his understanding that the compact wouldn't require athletic tryouts to be redone when a military student arrives. The premise is that the student would be accepted to the athletic team or the advanced placement course, if space is available. If a position became available at a later date, students would be able to apply for the open position. 8:18:22 AM COMMISSIONER LEDOUX noted that most schools have protocols established to address transferring students and acceptance onto athletic teams. The [compact] doesn't guarantee a spot above other students. 8:19:04 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ asked if military students entering schools in Alaska have been hindered by current regulations. She noted her support for HB 137. COMMISSIONER LEDOUX provided an example of a student who arrived five days prior to graduation at the student's prior school. The sending district wouldn't grant credit to the student, and therefore the student faced not graduating. Commissioner LeDoux said that he chose to offer credit for all of that student's classes. "That shouldn't have occurred," he opined. Commissioner LeDoux characterized HB 137 as a law of common sense. In fact, most Alaska schools follow the protocols in the proposed compact. Therefore, he said he viewed HB 137 as a statement of what Alaska wants other states to do in regard to military youth. 8:21:30 AM REPRESENTATIVE WILSON suggested that perhaps there was a lack of communication between the family of the student who moved five days prior to graduation and the school. She questioned why the parents wouldn't have requested that the student be allowed to take the final exams prior to moving. COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said that the school knew exactly what it was doing when it refused the student credit. He then related that the stress on military families when they move is real. Furthermore, sometimes the bureaucracy of a school becomes more important than the student. This proposed legislation places a higher value on the student. 8:22:56 AM REPRESENTATIVE WILSON moved to report HB 137 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, it was so ordered.