Senators Joe Paskvan, Dennis Egan, and Gary Stevens during the closeout hearing of the Senate Finance DEED Subcommittee, March 20, 2012
This blog contains highlights from the Alaska Education Update. The update is issued daily during session and contains detailed summaries of education issues under consideration by the Alaska State Legislature. If there is a hearing on a Monday, a report will, with few exceptions, be released by Tuesday morning. There is also a weekly edition of the update. During interim, reports are issued only when there has been action. Interim action may include hearings, bill signings, the release of the Governor's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, and other items that may be of interest to the education community.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Senate Finance and the FY11 Operating Budget

The Senate Finance Committee heard subcommittee reports during today’s hearing. The committee adopted the subcommittee reports and a committee substitute incorporating the subcommittee reports. Chairman Lyman Hoffman said the goal is to live within the state’s means, but still deliver the services Alaskans expect.

Amendments from committee members are due by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. During the amendment process, Hoffman said the committee will.....
need to address oil and gas appropriations, domestic violence and sexual assault appropriations, the fuel trigger and travel reductions, correctional officers, and technical issues.

Jesse Keihl, staff to DEED Subcommittee Chairman Dennis Egan, reviewed the subcommittee report for the Dept. of Education & Early Development. The subcommittee’s recommendations largely mirror the governor’s budget request. However, the subcommittee recommends moving the positions that help struggling districts out of executive administration to a new allocation in Teaching & Learning Support. The subcommittee also recommends funding the three content specialists in reading, writing, and mathematics, and locating those positions in the new allocation.

Mr. Kiehl said the subcommittee added $600,000 for Best Beginnings and Parents as Teachers. DEED would have discretion for allocation of those funds. The subcommittee deferred decision on approving carry-forward for ARRA funds to the full committee, but recommends the committee authorize carry-forward of those funds.

Chairman Hoffman said he does not think the budget is restrained, since there will be an additional $50 million for the foundation formula. He noted that funding education, as recommended by the Joint Legislative Education Funding Task Force, is a priority of the Senate Bipartisan Working Group.

A link to Legislative Finance Budget Reports: http://www.legfin.state.ak.us/

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