NEA-Alaska Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
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Candidate: Scott Kawasaki |
Office: House District 9 |
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: But we should also be aware of other issues like: rapid changes in
population, cost of delivery in remote areas and school construction needs. |
If you support needs based
funding, how would you accomplish this?
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Ensuring the legislature review the BSA annually is a good start.
Inflation proofing the education funding formula is another way to ensure
that education is a top priority. |
2. Do you support a return to the instructional unit approach to funding schools?
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Yes Explain: If it can be a fair way to assess the full cost of education in every region, then I would support the instructional unit approach to funding 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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I would fully fund all aspects of education,
including the safe transportation to and from school. |
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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We must be politically courageous to find a way for the state to meet
its financial obligations of education, health and safety. It will mean more
revenues and better budget …. |
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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No Explain: This is a costly expense to a school
district that is already cutting costs. The administration, teachers, PTSA’s
and the school board already do the job of deciding budget priorities. |
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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Rural and small schools are especially going to
be hard hit. This is an unfunded mandate by the federal government. Education
should be a national priority and funded accordingly. |
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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I would work with NEA to analyze the portions of
the act that can work and then challenge those that don’t apply to |
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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Yes |
2. How would you see the state’s public
retirement systems meeting their increasing financial burden?
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The state must fully fund the PERS/TRS system and
use it as a valuable tool to recruit and retain the best teachers and staff. |
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: I absolutely support a safe and drug free school and have supported the COPS program to bring a DARE officer into a local high school while on the City …. |
Note: …. indicates the
response has been truncated.