Association of Alaska School Boards

Legislative Bulletin

A weekly digest of activity by the Alaska Legislature and U.S. Congress for Alaska’s School Board Members. AASB Tel. 907-586-1083, Fax 907-586-2995. Executive Director, Carl Rose, crose@aasb.org; Editor, John Greely, Review past issues of the Bulletin on the AASB website at http://www.aasb.org. To unsubscribe send an email requesting the same to jgreely@aasb.org

This bulletin is distributed by email only. School districts should copy for board members not online.

May 4, 2007

--SENATE OKS RETIREMENT RELIEF; OTHER KEY ED BILLS PENDING

--LOOSENING THE RULES FOR STUDENT SURVEYS

--HOUSE APPROVES FUNDING FOR HEAD START

--NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (EDITORIAL)

--EDUCATION BILLS SCHEDULED FOR HEARINGS NEXT WEEK

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SENATE OKS RETIREMENT RELIEF; OTHER KEY ED BILLS PENDING

By a vote of 14-3, the Alaska Senate today (Friday) adopted a bill lowering retirement costs for public employers, including school districts. SB 125, now headed to the House, sets employer rates for retirement benefits under the Teachers’ Retirement System at 12.56 percent in FY 08. The rate was due to rise to 54 percent. But the Legislature is providing $270 million in cash to relieve school districts of the higher rate. SB 125 also lowers employer costs for retirement benefits under the Public Employees’ Retirement System to 22 percent, at a cost of $193 million.

SB 125 is one of the key bills sought by AASB member districts as the Legislature approaches a May 16^th deadline to adjourn its regular session. Other important bills would establish the Base Student Allocation and District Cost Factor in the foundation funding program for K-12 schools. Those bills remained in the Finance Committees of each chamber, but they could be moved quickly when legislative leaders reach an agreement on them.

For a closer look at bill offering retirement relief, click here:

http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/story/8852366p-8752995c.html

LOOSENING THE RULES FOR STUDENT SURVEYS

A bill allowing school districts to administer some student surveys without first receiving written parental permission moved through a key committee in the Alaska House this week. HB 207, by Rep. Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, loosens the rules for surveys when they are anonymous or “concerns a matter of public record or public observation.” Under current law, almost all student surveys require prior written permission from a parent, a privacy protection that has prevented many school districts from gathering basic information about student health and safety.

HB 207 won approval of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The committee’s version of the bill allows schools to survey their students unless parents deny permission. For a text of the bill, click here:

http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill_text.asp?hsid=HB0207C&session=25

HB 207 is now in the House Rules Committee.

HOUSE APPROVES FUNDING FOR HEAD START

The U.S. House approved more money for the popular Head Start program Wednesday after rejecting a GOP-led attempt to allow religious groups participating in the program to hire and fire staffers based on religious grounds. The bill, passed 365-48, approves $7.4 billion in spending in fiscal 2008 for the 42-year-old program that helps low-income children prepare for school, up from $6.9 billion in the current year. See full story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/02/head.start.ap/index.html

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND (EDITORIAL)

From her own experience as a parent, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski knows the kind of absurdity that the No Child Left Behind Act can produce. Her children attended Government Hill Elementary in Anchorage. One year, the school failed to make “adequate yearly progress” as dictated by the federal law. The reason? Two or three students in one ethnic sub-group were absent on testing day. See full editorial here:

http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/8849170p-8749822c.html

EDUCATION BILLS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK

(NOTE: The Legislature has entered the period of time in its session when it is required to give only 24-hours notice, not five-days notice, before scheduling bills for public hearings. AASB will send more frequent notices of education bills up for public hearing as needed).