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.

Hearings Scheduled: Advisory Task Force on Higher Education & Career Readiness

Hearings of the Advisory Task Force on Higher Education & Career Readiness have been scheduled for Thursday & Friday, July 22-23, from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., both days. The meeting location is the Anchorage LIO, room 220.

You can follow the hearing by calling 463-5009 (in Juneau), or 877-763-5073 (outside of Juneau), or at any LIO that is 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

House Members appointed to Higher Education Task Forces

House members have been named to the Joint Legislative Higher Education Scholarship Funding Task Force and the Advisory Task Force on Higher Education & Career Readiness (established by SB 221 http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=SB%20221&session=26 ). No word yet on when the task forces will begin meeting.

Members of the task forces include:
The Joint Legislative Higher Education Scholarship Funding Task Force (15 members):
Five senators: Senate President Stevens and Sens. Elllis, Hoffman, Meyer, & Thomas;
Five representatives: Reps. Seaton, P. Wilson.....

Alaska Budget Vetos, June 3, 2010

Governor Parnell signed HB 300, HB 302, and SB 230 into law on Thursday, June 3. He said the capital budget passed by the legislature was significantly larger than his proposed budget. Final education funding and a list of vetoes is contained in the Alaska Education Update, June 3, 2010 edition.

Governor Parnell said that in talking to legislators, he found that all the small school projects included in the capital budget are school district priorities, but that they would never rise to the level of being funded without earmarks from the legislature. So earmarking by legislators is an appropriate method for funding those projects. He said that legislators know what the priorities of their districts are better than he does.

There is a new web tool on the State of Alaska website with a map showing projects by geographic area:
http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room/2010-budget/budget-map.html

New Camera

I got a new camera at Costco a couple days ago.  It was the cheapest one they had - a Fujifilm Finepix JX250.  I think it works pretty good.  It takes better closeups than my old camera:

Mining Ruins, Douglas, Alaska

The shutter speed is a little faster, the flash works at a farther range, and it's smaller so it fits in my pocket.  The only thing that doesn't seem to be as good are the long-range landscape shots:

It's kind of hazy. 

But that might be from the cruiseships.

It doesn't seem like that small amount of polution from one ship could make everything so hazy.  But there are three ships in, and they're all putting out a "small" amount of polution:

So maybe it's not that the camera doesn't take long-range landscape pictures very well.  Maybe it's that the long-range landscape just doesn't look so good. 

The camera works good at medium-range landscapes, like these pictures of mining ruins in Douglas, Alaska:

 

This ruin is interesting.  I think, with the columns, it looks rather like a Roman ruin.

Most ruins just look like this, and you can't tell what they used to be.

August 24, 2010 Alaska Primary Election Candidates

Spring Alder, Juneau, May 8, 2010

Here's a link to the Div. of Elections webpage listing candidates for the August primary, if you're wondering who's running: http://www.elections.alaska.gov/ci_pg_cl_2010_prim.php

The deadline for filing is 5:00 p.m., June 1.  Several districts haven't had anyone file yet, and many have only one candidate who's filed, so there will certainly be additions to the list of candidates.  So far there is no one registered to run in:

Current Status of Passed Legislation

Most education-related legislation that passed the legislature is still awaiting transmittal to the governor.  At the end of April, Legal Services had considerably over 100 bills it was still working on enrolling (checking for errors, ommissions, and correct form).

After Legal Services completes enrollment of legislation, it has to be signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, and then it is sent to the governor. Speaker Chenault is.....

Open Education - Free, Online, College Classes

Last week my mother called me.  She didn't have a current email address for someone, and hoped she could get it from me.  I said, "I don't know, just send him a message on Facebook.  He's one of your friends, isn't he?"  It hadn't even crossed her mind that Facebook is a way to contact people. 

Technology is changing the world so fast.  Those of us in middle age and older don't know half of what is possible with technology today, let alone what may be possible just five years down the road.  That goes for the education field as well.  I heard a lot of talk in legislative hearings this year.....

I will have something to keep me busy this interim.

HCS CSSB 221(FIN) passed the House by a vote of 36 yeas and 4 nays. Voting against the bill were Reps. Doogan, Neuman, Salmon, and Thomas. The Senate later concurred with the House changes to the bill by a vote of 16 yeas, 4 nays. Voting nay were Sens. Bunde, Coghill, Dyson, and Wagoner.

HCS CSSB 221(FIN) includes.....

Sine Die

The Twenty-Sixth Alaska State Legislature adjourned their second session early in the morning on Monday, April 19.   A new legislature will convene on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 1:00 p.m.  The Senate Bipartisan Working Group held a press availability at the end of session.  Both the House and the Senate ran past midnight on the 90th day, for the first time since the 90-day session limit was enacted.

Sen. President Gary Stevens said they have an analysis on the issue from legislative attorneys that says they can go past 90 days.  Legislative attorneys have told them that if anyone sued, the legislature would probably win.  He said.....