NEA-Alaska Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
|
Candidate: Bettye Davis |
Office: Senate K |
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?
|
Yes Explain: This is an issue that should be addressed during the session by the
Legislature, the Department of Education and Board of Education. That is why I want to return to …. |
If you support needs based
funding, how would you accomplish this?
|
See part one |
2. Do you support a return to the instructional unit approach to funding schools?
|
Yes 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?
|
Encourage the Department and the Board of
Education to go back to the old method of funding pupil transportation or fix
it in state law. |
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?
|
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?
|
We should allocate the funding for the school districts early enough so
they will know how much they will get for the next year from the State. I have introduced …. |
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?
|
Yes Explain: I believe we should do all we can to
protect tenure for teachers. This helps provide statbility in the school
system. |
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?
|
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?
|
Since this is a federal act and they are not
willing to amend the act, we must continue to lobby for the exceptions that
we need in |
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?
|
I am willing to do what ever is necessary to make
the act more " |
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?
|
Yes |
2. Would you support funding for additional
programs/staff to specifically assist students having difficulty passing the
HSGQE?
|
Yes |
3. Would you support categorical funding for
district-developed remedial programs for students who do not meet standards on
Alaska’s benchmark exams?
|
Yes |
PERS/TRS
1. Would you support a single tier for each
public retirement system as a means of attracting and retaining quality
educators?
|
Yes |
2. How would you see the state’s public
retirement systems meeting their increasing financial burden?
|
Make sure that the Legislature addresses the
funding that is needed. |
Vouchers
1. Do you support the use of public money for
private and religious schools?
|
No |
2. Would you support vouchers?
|
No |
3. Would you support tuition tax credits
|
No |
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?
|
Yes Explain: I agree with the above statement. Teachers need to spend their time teaching, not discipling students. |
Note: …. indicates the
response has been truncated.