SB 11-COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE  CHAIR GREEN asked Senator Therriault to present SB 11. SENATOR GENE THERRIAULT, sponsor of SB 11, explained that SB 11 was requested by a public school principal in his district. SB 11 simply amends the current statute that says that every child must begin formal schooling by the age of 7. SB 11 changes the start date from age 7 to age 6. It does not impact Section (b) of that statute, which says the child does not have to be in public school to meet those requirements. A child could be home schooled or attend an alternative school. CHAIR GREEN asked if the current statute contains exceptions. SENATOR THERRIAULT said the statute contains a long laundry list of exceptions. He pointed out that if a child or family has an emergency situation, such as an illness, Section b(8) provides for an exemption granted by the district. SB 11 will not impact that section. SB 11 also provides for optional kindergarten attendance so that a parent could place a six year old child in kindergarten or first grade. CHAIR GREEN asked if SB 11 has any application to the qualifying date for entry to school. She felt it is important for people to understand what this bill does not do. SENATOR THERRIAULT explained that when a child turns six, the child would have to be enrolled in school. CHAIR GREEN asked what would happen to a child who turned six in February. SENATOR THERRIAULT said the child would enter school the following school year. CHAIR GREEN pointed out a child must be five by August 15 for entry to school in Alaska. Number 2001 SENATOR THERRIAULT explained that the issue he is trying to get at with SB 11 deals with a small number of people who enroll their children in the public education system before age 7 but do not make the children attend, since attendance is not mandatory until age 7. Teachers must expend a lot of time and energy to keep those children up to speed with the rest of the class or not advance them at the end of the school year in the student's first year of attendance. Most agree there is some stigma associated with being held back. He believes in providing some flexibility for parents but once a child is enrolled in first grade, the parent should ensure that the child attends regularly. SENATOR LEMAN said he agrees with the problem but not with the fix. He suggested making the enrollment date the mandatory age so that students are compelled to attend. He asked Senator Therriault if he considered any other options. SENATOR THERRIAULT said he did not because the number of children who fall into this category is very small. He received statistical information that shows that in 1995, 96 percent of five and six years of age were enrolled in formal education, with the exception of children who are home schooled. If home school students are included, the percentage is about 98 percent, therefore only two out of 100 children fall in this category. SENATOR LEMAN said he believes this will only apply to a very small number of people but those people probably care about government intervention in their lives. He would be more inclined to support a fix that solves the problem without overreaching. SENATOR THERRIAULT said SB 11 does not impact the number of years a child must be in the education system. It just requires that when one starts, he or she has to stick with it. SENATOR LEMAN maintained that he does not read the bill to say one has to stick with it once one starts. CHAIR GREEN pointed to line 8, which reads, "shall maintain the child in attendance, except as provided in (b)." She asked if current statute requires parents to have their children in school except for illness or emergency. SENATOR THERRIAULT said he could not speak to each district's policy. He said he tried to draft the bill narrowly so that it gets at the issue yet maintains flexibility for parents. SENATOR DAVIS indicated that she signed on as a co-sponsor to SB 11 because she believes it is high time that the State lower the mandatory age to attend school. Most states require children to attend school at age 5. In Alaska, some students enter school at age 7 without having attended kindergarten or first grade. She said children mature earlier now and many do not have parents who will pay for them to attend preschool and get an early start. This way, those children would not be left at home and would be able to attend school because it would be mandatory. She said she would prefer to require mandatory school enrollment at age five. SENATOR THERRIAULT pointed out the fiscal note is indeterminate because the expected number of students that SB 11 will impact is very small. TAPE 01-8, SIDE B SENATOR WARD asked when and why age 7 was put in statute. MS. HOLLY MORRIS, staff to Senator Therriault, informed the committee that the ages 7 to 16 are in the statute from the Alaska Compiled Laws of the Territory, 1949. The legislative librarians found the law goes back to 1913. The statute has never been reviewed between then and now. MS. LOYOLA MCMANUS, representing the Alaska Association of Elementary School Principals (AAESP), testified from Fairbanks. She believes SB 11 addresses two issues: children who begin school at age 7 are at a disadvantage because those children are one to two years behind his or her peers. Those children are at risk of being physically, emotionally and socially out of sync with their classmates. Given that the general practice in Alaska is that 6 year olds are in school, SB 11 would provide a more appropriate and uniform starting point for all children. Second, SB 11 addresses truancy and enforcement. At the elementary level, truancy is often a family problem. If a district wants to use the court system to address school attendance, it could not do so for a six year old. This sends a message to families that early education is not important. In 1998, AAESP passed a resolution supporting early childhood education and mandatory kindergarten in Alaska. AAESP feels that in light of research on brain growth and development, and longitudinal studies on early education experiences, this is a desirable goal. SB 41, by Senator Davis, addresses that concern. She commended Senators Therriault and Davis for their efforts. MR. DAVID PFRIMMER, principal of North Pole Elementary School, gave the following example of the problem, one student missed 75 days of kindergarten and then 45 or 50 days of first grade. The school district attempted to withdraw the child but was unable to because the child was not 7. The child missed 40 days the following year and at that time the district was able to take the case to court. With the new truancy law and DFYS intervention, the district was able to get the child back to school. By that time, the child was far behind academically, socially, and emotionally. He has met children who started school at age 7 who are one to two years behind the rest of their age group and must attend kindergarten. He noted that students can begin school in first grade but kindergarten has become more academic so first grade can be difficult without it. MS. OSSIANDER, Anchorage School Board, stated support for SB 11. Education research shows the benefit of early education and more parents are asking for a full-day kindergarten. She noted with the new move toward accountability of schools, grade 3 is a benchmark grade. Children who begin school at age 7 will have a lot of catching up to do. Children are expected to be reading at the end of first grade. Number 2083 MR. VERNON MARSHALL, Executive Director of NEA-Alaska, said NEA supports SB 11 for many of the reasons stated. NEA believes it is critical that children receive educational instruction before age 7 because they will be expected to have reached a proficient level of reading, writing and math for the third grade benchmark exam. He agrees that most six year olds are in first grade programs - SB 11 will establish compulsory attendance at age six. That standardization makes good educational sense. He thought most home school parents are attempting to educate their children at age six anyway. CHAIR GREEN asked if state law addresses truancy. MR. MARSHALL replied there is compulsory attendance by law for ages 7 to 16 and some would argue that allows for enforcement but Alaska does not have aggressive truancy laws. In general, the school year is 180 to 185 days but there is no minimum number of days of attendance for children. CHAIR GREEN asked if other states mandate the number of days of attendance. MR. MARSHALL said some states do. CHAIR GREEN said they must have exemptions. MR. MARSHALL said those laws are very similar to Alaska's law. Number 1950 SENATOR LEMAN asked Mr. Marshall to expand on his statement that most home school parents are attempting to educate their children. He asked if Mr. Marshall believes the same is true of the teachers in the NEA or whether he believes they are actually educating them. MR. MARSHALL said one has to make the attempt to educate and everyone is doing that. Home school parents have the same goal. Sometimes those attempts are successful, sometimes they are not. SENATOR LEMAN questioned whether Mr. Marshall was being pejorative about home schooling. MR. MARSHALL clarified that he should have said "an aggressive attempt." NEA wants students to succeed and will make the attempt to get them over the bars that are now in place. SENATOR LEMAN said he believes that most parents feel the same way about their children. SENATOR WARD asked if NEA has a list of the age requirements for school attendance in the other states. MR. MARSHALL said he could provide that information. Number 1827 MR. DARROL HARGRAVES, Executive Director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, said the Council agrees with most of the arguments made in favor of SB 11 today. He feels the compulsory age should be lowered to age 6 because many states have detected that early education is important. He cautioned that an evaluation process be put in place to consider exceptional children. School districts have evaluation processes in place to examine children emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially to determine whether a child is ready for kindergarten. Some children may not be able to handle all of the information they are expected to learn by grade 3. He maintained that Alaska's compulsory attendance laws do not have the teeth in them to make them meaningful. In organized areas, districts can ask the police for assistance, but many children in Alaska are truant. Compulsory attendance means that a district has a policy, but districts are unable to get help from the state troopers because they are too busy. SENATOR WARD asked if the states with a lower age requirement have a mandatory kindergarten provision. MR. HARGRAVES said some states made changes in the 1960s and 1970s based on research that showed that children are maturing faster. Research on brain development has improved. That is the argument he has heard other states make. SENATOR WARD asked if those states also mandate kindergarten. MR. HARGRAVES said he was not certain. He said that most states encourage kindergarten attendance. Number 1620 MR. EDDY JEANS, school finance manager of DOEED, pointed out that AS 14.30.030 says the governing body of a school district, including an REAA, shall establish procedures to prevent and reduce truancy. Therefore each school district must set its own policy and procedures. He believes the compulsory education law has 12 exemptions so any parent who wants to keep a child out of school will find a way. He felt Senator Therriault's concern is valid. DOEED funds the students who are enrolled. CHAIR GREEN said she is unresolved on this issue. She pointed out that when SB 98 was before the legislature in 1995-1996, the legislature attempted to tie school attendance to public assistance but it could not be done. She asked Senator Therriault to work with Senator Leman on a resolution to the problem and announced that SB 11 will be held over. She announced that the committee will hear SB 40 and SB 64 on Wednesday and it will take up the exit exam the following week. She then adjourned the meeting at 3:15 p.m.