ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 20, 2023
8:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jamie Allard, Co-Chair
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Co-Chair
Representative Mike Prax
Representative CJ McCormick
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Rebecca Himschoot
Representative Andi Story
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 9
"An Act relating to the Board of Regents of the University of
Alaska."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 31
"An Act relating to the Alaska performance scholarship program."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 65
"An Act relating to education; increasing the base student
allocation; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 9
SHORT TITLE: ADD FACULTY MEMBER UNIV BOARD OF REGENTS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) CARRICK
01/19/23 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/23
01/19/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/19/23 (H) EDC, JUD
02/20/23 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
BILL: HB 31
SHORT TITLE: AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) STORY
01/19/23 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/23
01/19/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/19/23 (H) EDC, FIN
02/20/23 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
BILL: HB 65
SHORT TITLE: INCREASE BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) ORTIZ
02/08/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/08/23 (H) EDC, FIN
02/20/23 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE ASHLEY CARRICK
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 9.
STUART RELAY, Staff
Representative Ashley Carrick
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave the sectional analysis for HB 9 on
behalf of Representative Ashley Carrick, prime sponsor.
NELTA EDWARDS, Professor of Sociology
University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 9.
ABEL BULT-ITO, Professor of Neurobiology and Neurophysiology
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 9.
JILL DUMESNIL, Professor of Mathematics
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 9.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 31.
MIRANDA WORL, Staff
Representative Andi Story
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave the sectional analysis for HB 31 on
behalf of Representative Story, prime sponsor.
REBECCA BRAUN, Consultant
McKinley Research Group, LLC
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 31.
JENNIFER KNAGGS, School Counselor
Juneau-Douglas High School
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 31.
PATRICIA ZUGG, CTE Program Administrator
Mat-Su Borough School District
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 31.
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 65.
LON GARRISON, Executive Director
Association of Alaska School Boards
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB 65.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:00:17 AM
CO-CHAIR JUSTIN RUFFRIDGE called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Representatives Prax,
McCormick, McKay, Story, Allard, and Ruffridge were present at
the call to order. Representative Himschoot arrived as the
meeting was in progress.
HB 9-ADD FACULTY MEMBER UNIV BOARD OF REGENTS
8:01:23 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the first order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 9, "An Act relating to the Board of
Regents of the University of Alaska."
8:02:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ASHLEY CARRICK, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, gave a brief overview and explained why HB 9,
which would add a faculty member to the University of Alaska
Board of Regents, is being brought forward again for
consideration. She explained that HB 9 brings greater
representation to the Board of Regents, and noted there are also
three invited testifiers today from each of the main campuses in
Alaska.
8:05:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK impressed on the committee that there is
no "one-size-fits-all" approach to governing bodies for state
university systems around the country, and every state has a
different approach. She provided brief examples of the makeup
of other states' voting memberships.
8:08:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK explained that HB 9 is a fairly
straightforward process, which somewhat mirrors the current
process used to select a student regent. The number of regents
would be increased from 11 to 12, and the faculty senate [the
governing body for faculty at the three major universities in
Alaska] would each put forward two nominees, making a list of
six. She noted that there is the extra step of the governor
choosing an appointee and the legislature offering confirmation.
The faculty must be tenured to be considered and, if confirmed,
serve a two-year term. She explained that over the years, she
had heard consistently that there is a need for an inside
perspective and for stakeholders to have input at the board of
regents.
8:11:56 AM
STUART RELAY, Staff, Representative Ashley Carrick, Alaska State
Legislature, gave the sectional analysis for HB 9 [included in
the committee packet], on behalf of Representative Carrick,
prime sponsor. The sectional analysis read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Section 1. (Page 1) Amends AS 14.40.120 to change the
number of regents on the University of Alaska Board of
Regents from eleven (11) to twelve (12).
Section 2. (Page 1) Amends AS 14.40.130 to require one
of the twelve regents to be a current, fulltime,
tenured faculty member within the University of Alaska
system and requires that faculty regent to forfeit
their position as a regent if during their term they
are no longer tenured, employed full time, or are no
longer employed within the UA system. It also requires
the Governor to appoint a faculty regent from a list
of nominees within 60 days of the forfeiture or
vacancy of the seat.
Section 3. (Page 2) Amends AS 14.40.140 to establish
the term length of a faculty regent as two-years.
Section 4 (Page 2) Amends AS 14.40.150 to establish
that the faculty regent will be appointed by the
Governor from a list of six nominees and that the
faculty senate of each University of Alaska
institution shall elect two nominees for this list. It
also confirms that the term for the faculty regent is
two-years.
Section 5 (Page 2) Amends AS 14.40.200 to specify that
a quorum for the Board of Regents is seven members and
that a majority vote of the board is required to
approve a motion.
Section 6 (Page 2) requires the University of Alaska
to hold elections for faculty regent nominees on or
before Feb 1, 2024.
MR. RELAY also drew the committee's attention to a support
letter [included in the committee packet], from 384 United
Academic faculty members that "signed on," and the letter
illustrated how important HB 9 is for faculty members at the
University of Alaska.
8:15:17 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE invited questions from the committee before
proceeding to invited testimony.
8:15:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked if the current Board of Regents
struggled to make quorum without adding an additional member.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK stated she was almost certain they have
not struggled, but noted the invited testifiers may better speak
to that.
8:15:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY inquired if a list of current regent
members with their occupations and backgrounds could be
provided.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK confirmed that can be provided to the
committee.
8:16:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY reflected on the examples of other states
having a faculty representative and questioned how those states
handle major decisions with their representative - such as
negotiations for salaries.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK replied that she learned it is a non-
issue after having conversations with other states.
8:18:52 AM
NELTA EDWARDS, Professor of Sociology, University of Alaska
Anchorage, gave invited testimony in support of HB 9 and noted
that an insider on the board would be very helpful, especially
for logistics questions about how universities work. She urged
the committee to vote in favor of HB 9.
8:19:46 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked Ms. Edwards if she is presenting as a
member of the university or as a private citizen.
MS. EDWARDS replied as a private citizen, but she is affiliated
with the university.
8:20:30 AM
ABEL BULT-ITO, Professor of Neurobiology and Neurophysiology,
University of Alaska Fairbanks, gave invited testimony as a
faculty member in support of HB 9. He explained it would be
beneficial to the Board of Regents to have a faculty member not
only for added academic perspective, but for discussions ranging
from academic issues to a whole host of other issues that the
Board of Regents addresses. He noted he will remain for any
questions.
8:22:50 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked whether there is a problem with meeting
quorum.
MR. BULT-ITO responded there have always been at least nine or
ten board members present, and that adding an additional member
and increasing the quorum by one should not be an issue.
8:24:02 AM
JILL DUMESNIL, Professor of Mathematics, University of Alaska
Southeast, gave invited testimony in support of having a faculty
member added to the board of regents. She explained the
addition would complement the existing student regent and would
help make sure the educational missions of the university are
taken into consideration when government decisions are made.
She noted the broad support among faculty and said she believed
the addition would foster better collaboration between faculty
and the University of Alaska administration.
8:25:40 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD requested examples of not having a faculty
member being detrimental to the university.
MS. DUMESNIL responded that a faculty perspective would have
been very useful in reference to programs being cut or not, and
how the implementation may better serve students.
8:27:25 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked for confirmation that the faculty has the
ability to testify if there are issues or concerns.
MS. DUMESNIL replied yes, it is done through a one-hour call-in
testimony, and faculty is allotted two minutes [each] to speak.
8:27:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT thought of other governing bodies, such
as the Alaska Board of Fish, and asked if the board has area
expertise.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK responded she does not know the
composition of the Board of Fish, but that it is a good example
to use being that there is an effort on the part of the
administration to make sure there is a regional balance. She
explained the great value of having different industry
perspectives, and having stakeholder representation is extremely
important as part of the overall function.
8:30:46 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that HB 9 was held over.
The committee took an at-ease from 8:30 a.m. to 8:32 a.m.
HB 31-AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
8:32:09 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the next order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 31, "An Act relating to the Alaska
performance scholarship program."
8:32:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY, Alaska State Legislature, provided a
brief introduction, and began a PowerPoint, titled "HB 31:
Improving the Alaska Performance Scholarship." She explained HB
31 proposes changes that were identified in the 10-year program
review of the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) to improve
the program with the goal of increasing student participation to
help address Alaska's workforce shortage. She continued on
slide 2, titled "The Alaska Performance Scholarship," where she
reiterated past goals and that they still remain today.
8:34:49 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY continued on slide 3, titled "Strengthening
tomorrow's workforce," with a graphic showing 96.9 percent of
working graduates are from the University of Alaska and are
Alaska residents. She explained that in 2021, the McKinley
Research Group, LLC published a report on APS, and that the
changes proposed in HB 31 come directly from recommendations
from this report. On slide 5, titled "Making APS more
accessible," she summarized that the bill change requires that
students get earlier notifications in their junior year that
they qualify for APS. Another recommendation, she explained, is
to increase the number of years the scholarships can be used
after high school graduation from six to eight years. Another
recommendation is to include Career Technical Education (CTE)
courses, as shown on slide 6, titled "More flexibility in
curriculum for CTE," where she reiterated the inclusion of CTE
courses, and that in the past six years, CTE concentrators had a
19 percent higher graduation rate than their counterparts. She
stated the courses must meet rigorous standards. She reminded
the committee that the accompanying standards can be found in
the committee packets.
8:39:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY moved on to slide 7, titled "Increase award
amount to keep APS competitive." She pointed out the levels of
increases and that the amounts are "affordable for Alaska." She
proceeded to slide 8, titled "Reduce barriers for eligibility,"
and explained that HB 31 would remove testing requirements as
recommended by the report, highlighting that it is more fair to
remote areas. In conclusion, she described APS as a powerful
but underused tool at Alaska's disposal and urged the committee
to support these policy changes to help make postsecondary
education more affordable and accessible, and to revitalize
student use of APS.
8:42:53 AM
MIRANDA WORL, Staff, Representative Andi Story, Alaska State
Legislature, gave the sectional analysis for HB 31, [included in
the committee packet], on behalf of Representative Story, prime
sponsor. The sectional analysis reads as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Section 1: Amends AS 14.43.820(a)(2), allowing that a
student may qualify for the Alaska Performance
Scholarship 12 months prior to graduation from an
Alaska state high school.
Amends AS 14.43.820(a), Alaska Performance Scholarship
eligibility requirement to allow career and technical
education coursework in three different pathways:
• AS 14.43.820 (a)(3)(A): Replace one year of social
studies with one year of CTE coursework (within Math &
Science Track)
• AS 14.43.820 (a)(3)(B)(ii): Replace two years of
world language with two years of CTE coursework, one
year of which is sequentially more rigorous, within a
career cluster.
• AS 14.43.820 (a)(3)(C): Replace one year of social
studies with one year of CTE coursework (within Social
Studies & Language Track)
Deletes AS 14.43.820 (a)(5), removing the college
entrance exam requirement from the Alaska Performance
Scholarship.
Section 2: Amends AS 14.43.820(g), defining "career
cluster" as a group of jobs and industries that are
related by skills or products and renumbering the
subsection accordingly.
Section 3: Adds new subsections (h)(i) to AS
14.43.820, requiring students to be notified of their
progress towards receiving the APS scholarship during
their junior year, and notifying them of an award in
the fall of their senior year. Adds new subsections
(j)(k) to AS 14.43.820, establishing that an applicant
must be signed up for any remaining course
requirements and must have a qualifying GPA. The award
would be revoked if an applicant fails to complete the
requirements. The applicant's GPA upon graduation will
be used to conclude the final award amount.
Section 4: Amends AS 14.43.25(a) by increasing the
awards and removing entrance exam requirements.
• Level one: $7,000 (was previously $4,755)
• Level two: $5,250 (was previously $3,566)
Level three: $3,500 (was previously $2,378)
Section 5: Amends AS 14.43.25(b) by increasing the
number of years a student can use the scholarship
after graduating high school from six to eight years.
8:46:08 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD questioned how many dollars are "left on the
table" not claimed by students.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY replied the student scholarships are paid
through investment earnings each year. She estimated
approximately $100 million had been spent within the program,
and noted the importance of keeping the fund high so the program
can live through investment earnings.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD commented on the $6 million that was left on the
table last year for post-secondary education, and she questioned
whether the problem was not unclaimed money, but the outreach
program.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY acknowledged the work that still needs to
be done with "getting the word out," and she said the
aforementioned report reflected that need.
8:48:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX brought up the amounts being amended in
Section 4 of HB 31 and questioned whether more help is being
given to "those who need it less" from the perspective of
getting through college.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained the students doing requirements
for APS are very dedicated top students, and the award amounts
are based on their grade point average (GPA) as well as their
testing results.
8:52:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY questioned step 4 of the foundation funding
formula that included a step up for CTE instruction, and asked
why a student needs a scholarship for something already in the
formula. He stated there is a lot of reform [proposed] for one
bill.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY responded that this is for after students
leave high school, so they are using the CTE classes that the
districts fund while in high school, and when they go on to
post-secondary their scholarship could be used for any
vocational university degree they desire.
8:56:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked about the $6 million that Alaska
students did not collect from the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA), and if more information can be given on
why this is a requirement.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained the FAFSA is offered to students
based on their financial circumstances, and pointed out Alaska
gets the lowest amount of free federal aid due to high school
students not filling out the FAFSA. She noted it is critical
that Alaska students know there are funds available to them.
9:00:04 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked if there was an increase in the dollar
amount for the scholarships, whether it would reduce the number
of scholarships available.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY replied that currently it would not because
of the low number of students.
9:01:44 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE thanked Representative Story and turned to
invited testimony.
9:02:25 AM
REBECCA BRAUN, Consultant, McKinley Research Group, LLC, joined
for invited testimony in support of HB 31, and explained she was
part of the 2021 APS program review team. She noted a result of
the research is that the concept behind APS has been validated,
but the program's reach is short of expectations.
9:06:49 AM
MS. BRAUN turned the focus onto the positive results from the
surveys and data. Participants say the scholarship motivated
them in high school, it influenced their decision to stay in
state, and it helped them access the postsecondary education
they wanted while reducing financial stress. She explained the
reports give examples of the reasons for falling short, and that
there are statutory fixes that can help. The recommendations
are in HB 31. The testing requirements and distinctions were
highlighted, as well as increasing award levels.
9:11:31 AM
MS. BRAUN recommended working with school districts to best
balance rigor with fairness and access. In conclusion, the
research indicated the program has real potential to increase
Alaska's low rates of postsecondary training to help address the
workforce shortage and slow "out migration."
9:13:01 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD pointed out there are $6 million left on the
table but additional funds are still being requested. She asked
how the problem will be solved in regard to parents and students
being notified to receive these funds.
MS. BRAUN replied the answer is outside her area of expertise,
but the question may be better directed to the Alaska Commission
on Postsecondary Education (ACPE). She stated making the
scholarship come out earlier would be helpful, and she
anticipates districts working to let parents know. She also
noted sometimes "things are missed."
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked why the question of finding out how to
access the scholarship funds was not included on the survey.
MS. BRAUN responded that a version of the question was asked a
few years ago but she does not remember the exact verbiage; she
recalled there were a lot of "open ended" responses. She noted
she can follow up with the committee on the results of past
surveys.
9:16:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked how much is currently in the higher
education investment fund. He pointed out the fiscal note being
$11 million for fiscal year 2024 (FY 24) and questioned whether
this would be in addition to what is already there.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY replied that the fiscal note is within the
earnings of the higher education investment fund and there is a
zero change in revenue - so the money reoccurs from the interest
earnings of that total amount. She confirmed she will provide
the committee with the information on what is currently in the
investment fund at a later date.
9:18:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX referred to the CTE courses being provided
through the high schools and not available through the
university system. He asked Ms. Braun if there had been any
research into putting more focus on high school CTE rather than
university level CTE, resulting in a better return on
investment.
MS. BRAUN replied no, but stated she would support him on that.
9:22:22 AM
JENNIFER KNAGGS, School Counselor, Juneau-Douglas High School,
began by stating the APS has made a difference by being less
quantitative and more qualitative. She pointed out the first
proposed adjustment being the removing of testing requirements
and brought up examples of the hardships accessing the tests in
rural areas, and other states not utilizing the testing
requirements, thus making it more attractive for students to
seek education out of state. On the CTE inclusion, this is
where, she explained, real world learning comes together in a
practical way, and she provided examples of students who thrived
from CTE. She noted that GPA is a much better predictor of
success in the postsecondary world.
9:27:44 AM
PATRICIA ZUGG, CTE Program Administrator, Matsu Borough School
District, provided a brief introduction and pointed out her 30
years' experience serving in CTE. She noted CTE is not
vocational education; CTE has rigor and relevance which makes a
difference in today's education. She encouraged the committee
to be data driven, and to support Representative Story's bill
that modernizes APS.
9:32:54 AM
MS. ZUGG stated that scholarships should be modernized with the
goal of retaining all young Alaskans - not just the brightest
and best. She said it is imperative to embrace and deploy some
paradigm shifts, and she reiterated to the committee to be data
driven and responsive and support HB 31.
9:34:41 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that HB 31 was held over.
9:34:52 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:34 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.
HB 65-INCREASE BASE STUDENT ALLOCATION
9:35:58 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 65, "An Act relating to education;
increasing the base student allocation; and providing for an
effective date."
9:36:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DAN ORTIZ, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, explained that HB 65 would increase the BSA as
summarized in the sponsor statement which read as follows,
[original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 65 increases Alaska's Base Student
Allocation (BSA) by $1,250 to a total of $7,210 per
eligible student.
Alaskan students, parents, and teachers are dealing
with underfunded schools. Between flat funding from
the state and inflation, education funding has not
kept up with increased costs. It has resulted in fewer
education programs, staff shortages, and even school
closures.
University of Alaska's Institute of Social and
Economic Research conducted a study that found that
Alaska spent less per pupil on public education than
the national average in 2019 when spending was
adjusted for inflation and indexed to the cost of
living. Since 2012, Alaska's urban consumer price
index increased by 24.6% while Alaska's BSA only
increased by 4.2%.
Increasing the BSA by $1,250, or almost 21%, is a
significant investment in Alaska's K-12 public
education system. It would allow school districts to
recruit and retain good teachers, reduce class sizes,
and ultimately give Alaska's children the education
and tools they need and deserve.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ further summarized HB 65 by providing a
brief PowerPoint, titled "House Bill 65 Increase the Base
Student Allocation."
9:40:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ stated if the State of Alaska continues to
fund education at the current BSA level, schools will have huge
budgetary shortfalls. He provided examples of shortfalls from
Anchorage, Alaska, and Kenai, Alaska. He moved to a slide,
titled "Despite the decreased services, [school districts are]
still prioritizing funding instruction," which showed pie charts
that break down expenditure budgets by category. He thanked the
committee for thinking critically about Alaska's education
system and offered to answer questions on HB 65.
9:42:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX commented it would be helpful to hear
invited testimony before posing questions.
9:43:46 AM
LON GARRISON, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards (AASB), stated AASB strongly supports HB 65. He
explained that the AASB board of directors had adopted three
legislative priorities for the year: sufficient, sustainable,
and predictable education funding; retention and recruitment of
staff; and student wellness and safety. He established that his
testimony would focus on sufficient education funding, which is
a critical factor affecting student outcomes.
9:46:40 AM
MR. GARRISON explained that in November, the AASB delegate
assembly unanimously approved Resolution [2.2] that specified an
increase in the BSA, but the amount did not "meet the mark." He
noted that the $1,250 BSA increase proposed under HB 65 would
provide the greatest chance to even the score with inflation.
He clarified that Alaska schoolboards have no taxing authority,
and therefore must solely rely upon the revenue of the state,
the federal government, and a minimal contribution to the local
education fund.
9:50:39 AM
MR. GARRISON explained support for HB 65 is imperative and meets
the request of ASB's Resolution 2.2. He reiterated that locally
elected schoolboards rely on state, local, and federal
government for revenue. School boards implement the local
control model that has served Alaska well.
9:51:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked for clarity whether the verbiage in
the Alaska State Constitution is "establish a fund" or
"establish a system".
MR. GARRISON replied it is "establish a system".
9:52:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked if it made sense to keep throwing
money at a funding system, and if the current method of funding
the state education system is fundamentally flawed.
MR. GARRISON replied no, and through the system of local control
and the support of the Department of Education the state has the
ability to create innovation. The challenge is to use funding
effectively.
9:55:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked Mr. Garrison if he is familiar with
the situation in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School
District where over the years other districts, mainly that in
Galena, Alaska, came up with a completely different service
delivery model.
MR. GARRISON answered he was somewhat familiar with the
Fairbanks model, and it is not unusual; he explained he had seen
the model with other districts as well. He noted the Galena
correspondence program has been around for a long time and has
been successful.
9:58:20 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD expressed concerns with the formula, and she
stated she would like to see more dollars staying in the
classroom. She asked where all the funds are going because
"it's not following the child."
MR. GARRISON explained when school districts are funded, there
is a count period that happens in October - and this number is
used for the following year.
10:02:04 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked Mr. Garrison to get back to the committee
and elaborate on accountability and what the system is going to
do, specifically if a child moves to another district.
10:03:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY commented on the BSA after all the
adjustments and stated there needs to be a lot of examination of
the formula.
10:06:02 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that HB 65 was held over.
10:06:25 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:06 a.m.