SB 156-LAYOFF/NONRETENTION OF TEACHERS                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:34:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON announced SB 156 to be up for consideration.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BEN  STEVENS  introduced  SB   156  and  said  the  bill                                                               
establishes  a consistent  policy for  all school  districts with                                                               
regard to notifying  a teacher of layoff. Currently,  if a school                                                               
district does not  have adequate funding to rehire  a teacher for                                                               
the following  school year,  the district  must notify  a tenured                                                               
teacher by  March 16th,  but it  does not have  to notify  a non-                                                               
tenured teacher until  the last day of the school  year. It seems                                                               
logical that a  school district should be required  to notify any                                                               
teacher  of   his  or  her  discontinued   employment  after  the                                                               
district's assembly has approved the budget.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BEN STEVENS  said the  bill would  remove Section  A and                                                               
modify Section  B of AS.14.21.40  to require districts  to inform                                                               
both  tenured and  non-tenured teachers  of whether  or not  they                                                               
will be retained.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:38:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELTON remarked  the requirements  of line  6 and  line 7                                                               
seem redundant.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BEN  STEVENS  responded   the  requirements  were  taken                                                               
directly from existing statute.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:41:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  understood the  language to  mean the  district must                                                               
deliver the notification in writing  and would have the option of                                                               
delivering it by hand or certified mail.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:43:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NEIL  SLOTNICK, assistant  attorney  general,  Department of  Law                                                               
(DOL),  testified the  language would  give school  districts the                                                               
option of sending notification by certified mail or by hand-                                                                    
delivery.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELTON  expressed  concern with  the  difference  between                                                               
deadlines of  the two  delivery options.  Since hand  delivery of                                                               
notification  must be  provided  on  or before  the  last day  of                                                               
school  and certified  mail  must  be sent  by  the  last day  of                                                               
school, it is  possible that notification sent  by certified mail                                                               
could arrive after the deadline for hand delivered notification.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:45:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GREEN  moved  SB  156  from  committee  with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  no fiscal notes. Hearing  no objections, the                                                               
motion carried.