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.

To subscribe to full reports, contact Shana Crondahl at (907) 500-7069 or akedupdate@gci.net. To subscribe to blog posts, submit your email:

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Upcoming Task Force Hearings

Joint Legislative Higher Education Scholarship Funding Task Force:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m., Friday, August 27

Location: Anchorage Legislative Information Office, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Agenda: Opening Remarks and Introduction of Task Force Members; Historical Review of Alaska Scholarship: Taylor Plan, Governor’s Performance Scholarship, SB 224/HB 297, SB 221 – Alaska Merit Scholarship Program; Current Activities regarding Alaska Scholarship: Establishment of Regulations, Programmatic and Administrative Start-up, Expenditures and Financial Obligations to Date; Member Discussion; Closing Remarks & Adjournment

Advisory Task Force on Higher Education & Career Readiness:
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Wednesday & Thursday, Sept. 1 & 2
Location: UAF Regents' Conference Room (Rm. 109), Butrovich Building, 910 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks
Agenda: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_hearing.asp?session=26&Chamb=B&Date1=090110&Date2=090210&Comty=&Root=&Sel=1&Button=Display

You can follow hearings at any Legislative Information Office open during the interim. For a list of LIOs and whether they are open during in the interim go to: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/misc/lios.php .  If you are not in a location with an open LIO, send me an email or call me at (907) 500-7069 and I will give you the phone number to call to join the teleconference. Staff at the Juneau Legislative Information Office said it is preferable that you go to an LIO, if possible, since there are a limited number of teleconference ports available.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Fountains, Alaska State Museum

Does anyone remember the fountains at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau?  I'm sad they are no longer there.  My brother and I loved playing in them when we were kids.  Here is a photo I found on VILDA http://vilda.alaska.edu/

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Moore v. State: who has control, the Alaska Legislature, the Dept. of Education & Early Development, or Local School Boards?

During the July 30 Legislative Budget & Audit hearing the agenda was a request for a DEED audit and testimony from the plaintiffs' attorneys in the Moore vs. State of Alaska case. It was a very interesting discussion of legislative versus departmental versus local control of education.

Judge Gleason’s 2007 Decision, pages 173-174, says:
1. “The Alaska Constitution requires that the Legislature.....

Monday, August 2, 2010

Moore vs. State of Alaska Links

The 2007, 2009, and 2010 court decisions:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_documents.asp?chamber=HEDC&session=26&bill=&date1=20100407&time2=0800

From the plaintiffs' attorneys: order summaries and the draft Blueprint for Constitutional Compliance:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_documents.asp?chamber=SBUD&session=26&bill=&date1=20100730&time2=1200

Review of the Alaska Constitution's Education Clause in Moore v. State 2007 Decision

Pages 147-154 of the Moore vs. State of Alaska 2007 Decision contain a summary of Alaska court interpretations of the Alaska Constitution's Education Clause.  They are very interesting.  Follow the title link above to access documents related to the case, including the pages referenced above.