SB 84-LANG. IMMERSION SCHOOLS/TEACHER CERTS.    4:14:15 PM CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced the consideration of SB 84. JACQUELYN BOYER, Intern, Senator Donny Olson, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of SB 84, presented information related to SB 84. She read from following sponsor statement: As a father, I know firsthand that children are not only my future, but Alaska's future. For that future to be sound, we need to encourage our children to seek a further understanding of the world around them: how it operates, different viewpoints, and how diversity makes us stronger. Having students not only learn a second language but be immersed in a second language creates a greater capacity for growth. Some schools in Alaska have already started immersion programs. Spanish immersion is offered at Fronteras in the Mat-Su and German at Rilke Schule in Anchorage. Japanese, Russian, and Spanish immersion programs are also available in the Anchorage School District. Schools in rural Alaska, such as Ayaprun Elitnaurvik in Bethel and Nikaitchuat Ilisagvait in Kotzebue are using immersion education to revitalize endangered Alaskan Native languages. SB 84 creates a designation for language immersion charter schools, which have the specific mission to produce bilingual students, preserve or revitalize endangered languages, or provide a learning experience consistent with a foreign culture. These language immersion schools have high statutory standards for both the teachers and the school structure. Teachers will be well qualified individuals who are both capable instructors and fluent in the language of instruction. These schools are unique in that they will have an academic policy committee that includes not just teachers, employees, and parents, but language and cultural experts. Some of Alaska's languages have few speakers remaining, often only elders. For these languages, local governments best know who in their communities are good with children and fluent in the language. This bill allows the state to approve teacher certificates issued by local tribes to teach in local language immersion charter schools. Lastly, the bill allows children being taught in a different language to test in that language, if high quality benchmark tests exist. More language immersion programs would be a great asset to Alaska, both helping keep indigenous languages alive and fostering greater understanding of foreign languages and cultures. She noted the fiscal note does not reflect that the bill requires testing in the language available. 4:18:39 PM CHAIR DUNLEAVY thanked Ms. Boyer. SENATOR GARDNER noted that charter schools are home grown and they operate under a charter in their district, and are exempt from some requirements. She said the alternative school is set up by the district. She asked why the immersion school is a charter school and not an alternative school. She suggested having the immersion school set up by the district. 4:20:24 PM CHAIR DUNLEAVY added that charter schools usually have a mission. He asked if the bill is limited to native languages. MS. BOYER said it was for all languages. 4:21:10 PM CHAIR DUNLEAVY opened public testimony. 4:21:39 PM DEENA PARAMO, Superintendent, Mat-Su School District, testified in support of SB 84. She said, as a district who highly values choice in educational programs and delivery, the bill will provide for specific certification and recognition of teachers at language immersion charter schools. It will allow school districts the flexibility they need to hire non-traditional teachers and the ability to retain staff in the time of shortage. She suggested that an effective date for transitioning to the new certificate would allow ample time to communicate to employees for which the certificate applies. 4:23:51 PM SENATOR STEVENS asked Ms. Paramo if she can hire non- certificated teachers now. MS. PARAMO said they can hire Type M certificates now in career and technical areas. SENATOR STEVENS noted that they are similar to contracts for certificated teachers. MS. PARAMO yes, but there is no tenure. 4:25:00 PM JENNIFER SCHMIDT, Principal, Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School, Mat-Su School District, testified in support of SB 84. She concurred with the previous speaker. She described the difficulty with hiring non-certificated personnel for Fronteras. The bill would alleviate that issue. She spoke in favor of having standardized testing in the target language, as provided in Section 8. SENATOR GARDNER referenced Section 8 and asked if there are any comparable tests that exist other than in English. MS. SCHMIDT replied not for high-stakes testing. Progress monitoring is done in Spanish up to third grade. PEGGY COWAN, Superintendent, North Slope Borough School District, testified in support of SB 84, with changes. She recommended that Section 4, lines 19 - 22, contains a valuable clause and they don't want it removed. She explained how it's used in her district. The provision repeats on page 4, line 31 and page 6, line 11. She referred to page 5, line 27, which requires teachers to be fluent in their indigenous language and suggested allowing teachers that are working on fluency to be hired. She also suggested that the districts be allowed to develop their own tests, which is different than what's set forth on page 7. 4:34:20 PM SENATOR GARDNER asked what she means by "developing your own tests." MS. COWAN replied that it's a recommendation from their Inupiat education director. The bill doesn't prohibit it, but they'd like to develop their own language tests. SENATOR GARDNER asked if she's just talking about a separate test for cultural understanding. MS. COWAN replied they want to test on their own criteria. CHAIR DUNLEAVY suggested she send the recommendation to the sponsor. MS. COWAN agreed. 4:36:36 PM LANCE TWITCHELL, representing himself, testified in support of SB 84. He said he is a professor of Native languages at UAS. He thanked the sponsor and others for working on this legislation. He opined that immersion schools would help take native cultures out of language and cultural loss and revitalize indigenous languages. He shared statistics related to indigenous cultures and stressed the importance of native languages and immersion charter schools. He spoke of a number of ways to fund these schools. 4:42:38 PM CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced he would hold SB 84 in committee.