NEA-Alaska Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
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Candidate: Rita T. Allee |
Office:
Senate
E |
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 funding is in
theory a formula system. The formula
requires constant reevaluation for accuracy.
Constant reevaluation of the factors measured is required to ensure the
formula accurately measures … |
If you support needs based
funding, how would you accomplish this?
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|
2. Do you support a return to the instructional unit approach to funding schools?
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No Explain: The instructional unit approach under weighs the cost of delivering educational services in different locations. |
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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Assuring funding for full-time pupil transportation logistical
planning is necessary. |
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
Why wait a decade? |
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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Pay for
teachers with resources to support their work would help. Holding school funding hostage for
political purposes is unconscionable. |
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: Starving education budgets to pay for expensive third party audits is a waste of money because accounting assumptions can cause the audit result to be meaningless. |
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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If this law is to work in |
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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I would work to match curriculums to the assessment criteria;
devise |
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
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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 |
2. How would you see the state’s public
retirement systems meeting their increasing financial burden?
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Full funding of PERT and TRS is required. A supplemental tax deferred voluntary
retirement system would assist meeting retirement needs. |
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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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?
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Yes Explain: Security is a prerequisite to learning. |
Note: ... indicates the response has been truncated.