HB 155-AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY  8:29:14 AM CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 155 "An Act relating to eligibility for the Alaska performance scholarship program." 8:29:46 AM CO-CHAIR STORY noted that the intent of the proposed HB 155 is to change the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) eligibility requirements to allow Career Technical Education (CTE) courses be substituted for other requirements. She stated that the APS is a financial aid vehicle for students in Alaska. She said that the bill would increase the pool of eligible applicants for the APS. 8:30:26 AM REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked for an explanation of what language is proposed to be replaced. 8:30:57 AM CO-CHAIR STORY stated that it is her intent to explain the amendment coincidental to the motion to amend the bill. 8:31:22 AM CO-CHAIR STORY moved to adopt Amendment 1, labeled 31- LS0145\M.1, Caouette, 2/21/20, which read as follows: Page 1, line 14: Delete "or" Insert "[OR]" Page 2, line 5, following "cluster": Insert "; or (C) three years of mathematics, four years  of language arts, three years of science, four years  of social studies, one year of which may be career and  technical education, and two years of a foreign  language or an Alaska Native language" 8:31:32 AM CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND objected for the purposes of discussion of the proposed amendment. 8:31:37 AM CO-CHAIR STORY explained that Representative Tuck recommended an amendment to broaden the eligibility requirements to include a third option. 8:32:25 AM CO-CHAIR STORY called attention to the chart included in the committee packet, entitled "ALASKA PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP." She explained that the proposed amendment would add an option "C", which expands eligibility so that students could retain foreign language for credit and substitute one credit CTE for social studies. 8:34:16 AM CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked to confirm that the amendment would add an option "C" and that the "Social Studies & Language Curriculum" is the curriculum option for APS applicants that would be affected by the amendment. 8:34:39 AM CO-CHAIR STORY confirmed and added that Department of Education & Early Development (DEED_ suggested that it is likely that the APS application would be updated with a third column depicting the option C for applicants. 8:35:03 AM REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON stated her understanding that the APS was established in order to optimize students' chances for success after graduation and asked if the proposed bill would retain the quality of that intent. 8:35:29 AM CO-CHAIR STORY explained that there has been a historical perception that CTE is not academically rigorous, and the evolution of CTE has allowed for cultivation of highly technical and marketable skills, including the rising educators curriculum - which is currently not recognized as meeting the requirements for students to apply for APS. She added that, in addition to required curriculum, APS applicants are also obligated to obtain minimum score requirements on standardized tests and to maintain certain Grade Point Average (GPA) in order to qualify for the scholarship. 8:38:03 AM REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked whether the intent of the proposed bill is to increase the pool of eligible applicants for the APS. She asked how many additional students are estimated to apply for the APS should this legislation become enacted. 8:38:39 AM CO-CHAIR STORY noted that DEED had previously presented statistics reflecting a decline in APS applicants despite the higher graduation and postsecondary success of APS recipients. She recalled that DEED did not project a significant increase in APS applicants should this legislation pass. She expressed her hope that more students would apply for APS with the increase in eligibility options and that those students could go on to fill jobs in Alaska which are currently experiencing worker shortages. 8:40:06 AM CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND referred to the fiscal note analysis contained in HB155-EED-ACPE-2-10-20 which states that it is not anticipated at this time that the proposed change would be sufficient to impact the annual appropriation needed to fund APS awards. She recalled earlier testimony which claimed an overall decline in APS applicants and that no additional funds would be required for ACPE to administer the changes under the proposed legislation. 8:41:10 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether the APS could fund two-year postsecondary programs. 8:42:22 AM DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Student Learning Division, Department of Education & Early Development (DEED), indicated that APS could be used for both two- and four-year postsecondary degree programs. 8:43:03 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX related his personal experience of a CTE style shop class which led him to secure a high paying job after graduation. 8:44:23 AM CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND removed her objection to the proposed amendment. There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. 8:44:48 AM CO-CHAIR STORY moved to report HB 155 as amended out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. 8:45:07 AM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected to the motion, indicating that he supports the proposed bill as amended but is objecting for the purpose of encouraging his receipt of additional information. 8:45:39 AM A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Johnson, Zulkosky, Hopkins, Story, and Drummond voted in favor of the motion to report HB 155, as amended, out of the House Education Standing Committee. Representative Prax voted against it. Therefore, CSHB 155(EDC) was reported out of the House Education Standing Committee by a vote of 5-1.