Association of Alaska School Boards

Legislative Bulletin

A weekly digest of activity by the Alaska Legislature and U.S. Congress for Alaska’s School Board Members. AASB Tel. 907-586-1083, Fax 907-586-2995. Executive Director, Carl Rose, crose@aasb.org; Editor, John Greely, Review past issues of the Bulletin on the AASB website at http://www.aasb.org. To unsubscribe send an email requesting the same to jgreely@aasb.org

**This bulletin is distributed by email only. School districts should copy for board members not online.**

February 15, 2008

AASB MEMBERS SET PRIORITES FOR 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

One hundred education leaders from across the state carried a unified message on the needs of Alaska public schools during the 2008 Leadership Conference and Legislative Fly-in. The AASB event, which began Feb. 9 with the Leadership Conference and ended Feb. 12, resulted in agreement on a four-point priority list for the session. The list includes education funding, PERS-TRS retirement, the capital budget and the Consortium for Digital Learning (CDL). Details of the priority list can be found here:

http://www.aasb.org/Frontpage/Feature1.html

EDUCATION FUNDING – AN UPDATE

SB 240, implementing the recommendations of the Education Funding Task Force, received unanimous support during a statewide teleconference today (Friday) before the Senate Finance Committee. The committee heard from a dozen witnesses, including representatives of five school districts, the Department of Education & Early Development and AASB Executive Director Carl Rose. SB 240 was held by the committee for further action. An identical bill, HB 273, is pending in the House Rules Committee before going to the full House for a vote. Legislative leaders have indicated they intend to approve the major changes to the K-12 funding formula by March 1.

RETIREMENT – PERS/TRS

SB 125, which sets in statute and institutionalizes public employer costs for retirement benefits, has moved to a conference committee of the House and Senate. Six legislators have been appointed to negotiate a final version of the bill. They are: Reps. Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage (chair); Ralph Samuels, R-Anchorage; and Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau; and Sens. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel (chair); Charlie Huggins, R-Wasilla; and Con Bunde, R-Anchorage. The first meeting of the conference committee is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20. Different versions of SB 125 passed both houses last year, but each would lower employer costs for Teachers’ Retirement System benefits to 12.56 percent of payroll, and to 22 percent for the Public Employees’ Retirement System. Gov. Sarah Palin has requested $408 million to fund the lower employer costs next year.

CAPITAL BUDGET – AN UPDATE

Gov. Palin has submitted amendments to the FY 2009 capital (construction) budget to fund one additional school maintenance project. In December, Palin announced she would request $80.7 million for 20 major maintenance projects statewide. The amendment adds the Klawock K-12 school gym structure repair to the list, for 21 projects totaling $81.2 million. The only new construction in the governor’s proposed budget would replace the Susitna Valley High School, which burned last year, at a cost of $19.1 million.

EDUCATION BILLS UP FOR HEARINGS NEXT WEEK

Monday, Feb. 18, 1:30 pm House Finance Committee

HCR 13 District Cost Factor Commission

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 8:00 am Conference Committee

SB 125 Retirement systems unfunded liability

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 8:00 am Senate Education Committee

SCR 16 District Cost Factor Commission

Thursday, Feb. 21, 1:30 pm House Finance Committee

HB 310 FY 09 Operating Budget

HB 311 FY 09 Capital Budget

Thursday, Feb. 21, 3:00 pm Joint HESS Committees

Civic Education Task Force final report

Thursday, Feb. 21, 3:30 pm House HESS Committee

HB 274 University of Alaska teacher training/retention report

Friday, Feb. 22, 8:00 am Senate Finance Committee

HB 61 Tax credit for contributions to vocational education

Friday, Feb. 22, 1:30 pm House Finance Committee

HB 310 Operating Budget (public testimony)

HB 311 Capital Budget (public testimony)

Saturday, Feb. 23, 10 am House Finance Committee

HB 310 Operating Budget (public testimony)

HB 311 Capital Budget (public testimony)