Education-Related Items in CSSB 230(FIN)

Major Maintenance:
• $1,700,000 – Mt. Edgecumbe deferred maintenance
• $84,337 – Nome Beltz Jr./Sr. fire alarm replacement
• $29,807 – Nome Beltz Jr./Sr. emergency generator auto switch replacement
• $1,202,914 – Metlakatla High School Renovation Alternates
• $1,762,541 – Whittier K-12 sprinkler install & interior renovations
• $123,701 – Yup’ik Voc Ed Building water service & boiler replacement
• $80,729 – Yup’ik Voc Ed Building roof replacement
• $21,306,131 – Service High School renovation
• $180,491 – Mosquito Lake Elementary mechanical upgrades

DOT/PF:
• $200,000 – Debarr Road school zone
• $1,100,000 – Fritz Cove to Auke Bay, including school intersection improvements
• $1,000,000 – Safe Routes to Schools (statewide)
• $4,000,000 – Sand Point: School Loop Road Rehabilitation
• $800,000 – Sitka: Cross Trail construction – High School to Baranof, Charles, Yaw, and Pherson Streets

DCCED Grants to Recipients:
• $300,000 – Copper River School District – Copper River Connects
• $800,000 – Toksook Bay Early Learning Center
• $140,000 – Yukon-Koyukuk School District – Jimmy Huntington High School Mold Remediation
• $520,000 – Mears Middle School Locker Replacement
• $1,140,000 – Salcha Elementary School Exterior Envelope Replacement & Upgrade
• $430,000 – Ticasuk Brown Elementary School Septic System Replacement
• $990,000 – Galena City School District Central Steam Plant Upgrade
• $100,000 – Trapper Creek Elementary School Roof Replacement
• $1,000,000 – Valdez High School Fire Alarm/Sprinkler Replacement

NPRA Impact Grants:
• $251,243 – North Slope Borough School Counselor Grant

Reappropriations:
• $12,000 – Chatham School District, for equipment purchases and upgrades (reappropriated from Chatham School District van purchase)
• $37,500 – Chatham School District, for projects, equipment, and improvements for Angoon Schools (reappropriated from Angoon road grader)

Other:
• $500,000 – Service High School Football Field Turf Design and Construction
• $500,000 – South High School Artificial Turf Field Design and Construction
• $20,000 – Central Middle School Stage Floor Refinishing, and Projector Screen, Sound System, and Curtains Replacement and Installation

HB 424 - G.O. Bonds for Education Projects

HB 424 – G.O. Bonds for Education Projects, By the House Finance Committee

Introduced today, HB 424 provides for the issuance of general obligation bonds in a principal amount of not more than $1,000,000 for the purpose of paying the cost of education projects for public schools and the University of Alaska. The bill specifies that $500,000 will be appropriated to DEED for public school projects, and $500,000 will be appropriated to the University of Alaska for university projects.

During the afternoon portion of today’s House Finance Committee meeting, Chairman Stoltze said that the $1,000,000 in HB 424 is just a place-holder amount, and will not necessarily be the final amount in the bill.

HB 424 was referred to the House Finance Committee, and is scheduled for a hearing on Thursday, April 8 at 9:00 a.m.

Moore vs. State Documents posted in BASIS

The three court orders in the Moore vs. State case have been posted on BASIS.  I am not sure they are available anywhere else online, so thought I would post a link (click on the title above to go to the documents).

MOORE vs. STATE, March 31 2010 Court Order

On Wednesday, April 7th the House and Senate Education Committees will be holding a hearing on Moore vs. State. The committees will be hearing from the plaintiffs' attorney, the state's attorney, a legislative attorney, and the administration to discuss the case.

During the Monday, April 6th House Education Committee hearing, Dept. of Education & Early Development Deputy Commissioner Les Morse said the department thought this most recent court order was going to go their way. 

But looking at the order, it appears that the judge still feels the state has some work to do.  In her 2007 decision and again in the Order on Review of 2009 Submissions, Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason said....

House Conference Committee Members Appointed, HB 300

Conference committee members have been appointed from the House for HB 300 – Operating Budget. They are Reps. Hawker, Stoltze, and Gara.

The Senate has not yet appointed conference committee members, so the Legislature is not yet under the 24-Hour Rule for hearing bills. However, any bill that has had a previous hearing in a committee can be brought up without notice under “Bills previously heard/scheduled.” So you will see committees bringing up a lot of bills for perfunctory hearings at this time. That way they can bring them up later without having to give any additional notice.

Gathering of Attorneys - April 7 in the House & Senate Education Committees

At the end of Friday's Senate Education Committee hearing, committee staff said that Judge Gleason said in her most recent ruling on Moore vs. Alaska that the legislature is responsible for the five school districts in the case. On Wednesday, April 7 at 8:00 a.m. the Education Committees will be hearing from the plaintiffs' attorney, the state's attorney, a legislative attorney, and the administration to discuss what that means.  So we should get a pretty wide-viewpoint of what that means for everyone - the state, the schools, and the kids.

Moore vs. Alaska

The House and Senate Education Committees have scheduled a joint hearing for Wednesday, April 7 to hear a presentation on an order made on March 31 by Alaska Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason in the Moore vs. Alaska case. 

During a hearing of the House Education Committee on Friday, April 2, Chairman Paul Seaton said that Judge Gleason stated in her order that the legislature is resposible for ensuring that school districts are using adequate curriculum.  Seaton said that until now, everyone had been operating under the assumption that curriculum adoption is part of local authority, but that the judge had said that is not correct.

A few notes on current action:

The House is adjourned until Monday, so I guess they are taking an Easter break. Even though the Senate passed HB 300 - Operating Budget on Tuesday, they waited until the House adjourned on Thursday before transmitting the bill back to the house, thereby postponing when the 24-hour rule will kick in. Probably that will happen Monday.

Sen. Hoffman said in floor discussion on SB 237 that there will need to be some minor changes made to the bill in the house in order to accomodate rural areas not in REAA's and not able to fund school facilities through bonding. So I believe the legislature is going to try to cover every possible situation in the state with this bill. That will make a lot of people happy, I am sure!

Rep. Doogan said in his weekly newsletter today that there is rumored to be a bond proposition in the works. Projects supposedly under consideration for the proposition include the UAF Life Sciences Facility, a gym in Anchorage (The UAA Sports Arena?), a new state library/archives/museum facility in Juneau, and several schools in rural Alaska. I'm guessing those would be schools in Alakanuk, Kipnuk, and Napaskiak.

I will try to post updates every day between now and the end of session.
Shana

SB 237 - School Construction Debt Reimbursement on Senate Calendar Thursday, April 1

Big news, an important bill is moving: SB 237 is on the Senate Calendar for tomorrow, Thursday, April 1. 
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=SB%20237&session=26

Senate Bipartisan Working Group Press Availability

Scholarship Proposal
Sen. President Gary Stevens said the Senate has been meeting with the House leadership and the Governor. Stevens said that one of the big issues the legislature is working on as the session comes to a close is.....