2014-04-24

Rep. Kurt Olson appears to have lost his bet – lawmakers are still in Juneau this morning, though there is light at the end of the tunnel with a compromise education bill coming out of committee.

 

Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Mike Hawker…

 

Rep. Hawker(R): “Across my caucus there’s also a diversity of opinion, and not everyone is happy, which probably means we’ve reached a good settlement.”

 

Included is a much-anticipated increase for the Base Student Allocation (BSA) of $150 million next year, with a $50 million increase in the following two years.

 

Another $150 million was also added for “incentivizing innovation and opportunities.” In layman’s terms, that means:

 

- Providing a $500 one-time credit per student for start-up charter schools

- Plan also includes more money for correspondence study programs by raising the 80% funding to 90% funding.

- Extending a pilot program for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to middle schools

- Funding for broadband to provide more opportunities for distance learning in rural and remote communities

- Allowing students to ‘test out’ of core courses while still receiving credits required for the Alaska Performance Scholarship

 

The Governor has called for an end the High School Qualifying Exam during his State of the State address…

 

Gov. Parnell: “I propose a High School student take either the SAT, the ACT or WorkKeys Test within two years of their expected graduation date. The first test they take would be State expense.”

 

The qualifying exam was scrapped by lawmakers.

 

The Governor gave his nod of approval to the compromise package, saying, “The committee’s compromise reflects the validity of concerns on both sides – those who wanted the stability and certainty of a substantial increase to the base student allocation, and those seeking more school choice and accountability. Alaska’s students and families are well served with this bill.”

 

Legislators should now be able to incorporate education funding into the capital budget and close out the 28th Legislative Session.

Show more