Prior Updates - Week of:   

 Action necessary:
►Print and distribute this message to colleagues and friends.
► Send an e-mail to Senator Wilken and to your Senator (see story below)
 Calendar:
►  Feb 09 SSCE - Senate Bill 1 - Base Student Allocation - 8:00 am
►  Feb 09 Senate Finance - Education Foundation Formula overview - 9:00 am
►  Feb 12 School Districts: Informal Q&A regarding Alaska's Public School System - 12:30 pm
►  Feb 13 House Finance Subcommittee -DEED-5:00 pm
 

MEETING WITH ALL LAWMAKERS

NEA-Alaska meets with 59 of Alaska’s 60 lawmakers.  This process is time consuming but very valuable.  We get the opportunity to discuss our legislative priorities of adequate funding and retirement matters and also to bring to the immediate forefront important issues like not wasting $1.2 million on an April 3, 2007 advisory vote to allow discrimination on medical benefits.  The State spends a little over $300,000 a year on benefits for same-sex couples.  So the answer is to spend four years worth of funding on an advisory vote?  Rep. Mike Doogan summed the issue up well when he commented—

 "If our purpose is to find out what Alaskans think about same-sex benefits, we should pay 12,000 bucks and get a scientific statewide opinion poll, not pay $1.2 million for an unscientific opinion poll."  

There are still 97 days left in the 2007 session but only 54 days until an April 3^rd election. 

Another significant part of meeting with all lawmakers (minus one) is being able to hear their perspectives and ideas from all over Alaska.  A wise Senator once commented “I learn more from people I disagree with than people I agree with.”  This turns out often to be true.  To date we have met with about 75% of lawmakers and should conclude by the end of next week.  Schedules are getting busier but there has still not been much action on the House or Senate floor during the first few weeks.

SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

The SSCE will hear Senate Bill 1 (sponsored by Sen. Gary Wilken – Fairbanks) tomorrow at 8:00 am.  Senate Bill 1 as proposed by Sen. Wilken will increase K-12 education funding by $430 per student (approximately $86 million).  NEA-Alaska and our members have proposed a Base Student Allocation (BSA) of $5,953.  This is an increase of $573 per student (Approximately $115 million increase to K-12 education).  NEA-Alaska applauds Sen. Wilken for beginning the discussion at a reasonable level.  Please send a message to Senator Wilken thanking him for his efforts and to your senator asking them to amend Senate Bill 1 to a BSA of $5,953.  A BSA of $5,953 will allow schools to strive toward adequate funding and to make up for some of the losses from 1983-2002. 

The Foundation Formula program is difficult to understand.  If you have the chance, tune in to Senate Finance tomorrow at 9:00 am (or tape it) and hear an informative presentation from Eddy Jeans (Director, Division of School Finance) on the foundation formula.    Eddy has been with the Department of Education for over 20 years and the professionalism of his presentation shows his vast experience.  Please watch if possible.

The next LCS will be published on Tuesday, February 13th.  If you know anyone who wishes to receive the LCS/Legislative Update, please send us an e-mail with their home e-mail address if possible.  We are always happy to add to our list.  Keep up the advocacy for K-12 education!

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

BACK IN THE CAPITOL

The dust has settled on the 51^st Annual NEA-Alaska Delegate Assembly (with the 1:12 am adjournment on Sunday morning).  If there is one thing legislators and their staff understand it is the brutal late night/early morning adjournment of legislative sessions.  There are still 99 days left in the 2007 session, so it will be awhile before the legislature is matching the delegate assembly adjournment time. 

NEA-Alaska continues to meet with lawmakers (we have met with over 40 to date) and to stress our members’ priorities of adequate funding and retirement matters.

SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

The SSCE will hear Senate Bill 1 (sponsored by Sen. Gary Wilken – Fairbanks) on Friday morning at 8:00 am.  Senate Bill 1 as proposed by Sen. Wilken will increase K-12 education funding by $430 per student (approximately $86 million).  NEA-Alaska and our members have proposed a Base Student Allocation (BSA) of $5,953.  This is an increase of $573 per student (Approximately $115 million increase to K-12 education).  NEA-Alaska applauds Sen. Wilken for beginning the discussion at a reasonable level.  Please send a message to Senator Wilken thanking him for his efforts and to your senator asking them to amend Senate Bill 1 to a BSA of $5,953.  A BSA of $5,953 will allow schools to strive toward adequate funding and to make up for some of the losses from 1983-2002. 

The Foundation Formula program is difficult to understand.  If you have the chance, tune in to Senate Finance at 9:00 am on Friday (or tape it) and hear an informative presentation from Eddy Jeans (Director, Division of School Finance) on the foundation formula.    Eddy has been with the Department of Education for over 20 years and the professionalism of his presentation shows his vast experience.  Please watch if possible.

The next LCS will be published on February 8^th.  If you know anyone who wishes to receive the LCS/Legislative Update, please send us an e-mail with their home e-mail address if possible.  We are always happy to add to our list.  Keep up the advocacy for K-12 education!

  Bill Bjork, NEA-Alaska President
  Lydia Garcia, Interim Executive Director
 John Alcantra, Government Relations