NEA-Alaska Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
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Candidate: George Owletuck |
Office: House 6 |
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: Needs-based budgeting is us parents and school employees together
preparing needs-based budgets. Our
localized assessments address the chronic funding shortfalls. Over the past 15 years, we have fallen
three-quarters of ... |
If you support needs based
funding, how would you accomplish this?
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I support the Education Funding Task Force's A+ Strategy for Year Two Funding recommendation: The Base Student Allocation in the Foundation Formula should increase at least $108 per student plus ... |
2. Do you support a return to the instructional unit approach to funding schools?
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Yes Explain: Because it provides more needed revenue for schools. |
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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Restore funding. |
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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Our teacher shortage problem is not a problem of attracting people to |
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: Because it needs to be verified by an auditor to make sure money is going to the classroom where it can most benefit students of Alaska. |
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 Alaska?
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Maintain NCLB Act funding to its original authorized funding; if funding is below that level, then restore funding to that level. Eliminate requirement that all teachers to be “fully qualified”... |
3. What are you willing to
do in concert with NEA-Alaska and other organizations to amend No Child Left
Behind to be “Alaska friendly” and to gain full funding of the Act?
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Urge Congress to restore full funding and address
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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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Yes |
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
Alaska’s benchmark exams?
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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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No
Response |
2. How would you see the state’s public
retirement systems meeting their increasing financial burden?
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Alaska must develop its resources, attract and build a US Navy Base in Southeast Alaska, develop world class sea and air ports with rail connections to Mexico to facilitate international ... |
Vouchers
1. Do you support the use of public money for
private and religious schools?
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No |
2. Would you support vouchers?
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No |
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: As a
father of four daughters, I am quite concerned for school safety. Our school
disciplinary and safety program plans must include: standards for student
behavior that reflect community standards ... |
Note: ... indicates the response has been truncated.