NEA-Alaska Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
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Candidate: Louis Earl Mayo |
Office: House 19 |
Candidate responses exceeding 30 words have been truncated.
Adequate Funding
1. Do you support a needs
based process for determining the level of school funding?
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Yes Explain: Each individual or group has special needs which are not same based on geographic locality, ethnic and cultural lifestyles must be assessed to allow all students to progress in modern ... |
If you support needs based
funding, how would you accomplish this?
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Higher state funding from elimination of inflation proofing of permanent
fund and gradual phase out of PFD |
2. Do you support a return to the instructional unit approach to funding schools?
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No Response Explain: Explain |
3. The recent changes in funding for pupil
transportation have had negative impacts in a number of school districts. How would you address this issue?
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Best utilization of funds could result from
consolidation of public transit resources with refined routes and schedules
to supplement school district transportation. This will release funds for areas
now negatively impacted. |
4. Will you commit to working with NEA-Alaska
and other groups in developing a long-range plan to supplement current funding
levels and achieve adequate funding for schools within a decade?
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Yes |
Attracting & Retaining Quality
Educators
1. Fiscal uncertainty has caused many “new to
the profession” educators to leave Alaskan school districts and even leave the
state. What would you do to eliminate this annual event that has cost our state
so many valuable educators?
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State guarantee of employment based on percentage of tenure for
qualified educators. |
2. Would you work to amend state statute to make
sure that district claims of financial shortfalls are verified by independent
third parties when dealing with the layoff of tenured teachers?
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Yes Explain: Political interference in this area would
be reduced through using qualified federal judge to be deciding all disputes. |
Elementary
and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB)
1. Would you support categorical funding so educators (teachers and instructional aides) can receive professional development to meet the standards set by ESEA/NCLB?
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Yes |
2. What amendments to the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) do you believe need to be made to
make the law workable in
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3. What are you willing to
do in concert with NEA-Alaska and other organizations to amend No Child Left
Behind to be “
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High Stake Testing.
1. This past year, some students did not receive
diplomas for the sole reason they did not pass the High School Graduation
Qualifying Examination (HSGQE.) Would
you support amending the law to allow schools to assess student knowledge and
abilities through a variety of means and not just through a single test?
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No |
2. Would you support funding for additional
programs/staff to specifically assist students having difficulty passing the
HSGQE?
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Yes |
3. Would you support categorical funding for
district-developed remedial programs for students who do not meet standards on
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Yes |
PERS/TRS
1. Would you support a single tier for each
public retirement system as a means of attracting and retaining quality
educators?
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Yes |
2. How would you see the state’s public
retirement systems meeting their increasing financial burden?
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Higher personal percentage of contribution should be considered with specified
penalties for early withdrawal |
Vouchers
1. Do you support the use of public money for
private and religious schools?
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Yes |
2. Would you support vouchers?
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Yes |
3. Would you support tuition tax credits
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Yes |
Safe Schools
1. Students and staff must feel safe and secure
in our schools for learning to take place.
Would you support funding for programs/staff that have been demonstrated
to increase student and staff safety?
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Yes Explain: A school should be a safe sanctuary for all children, not only from bullying, abusive parents and teachers, drugs and any other internal or external pressures regardless of cost. |