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Legislative House Candidate
Questionnaire
Campaign 2006
Candidate: Scott Kohlhaas House District: 20
Candidate responses exceeding 30 words have been truncated.
ADEQUATE FUNDING
1. Presently three methods are recognized by
experts and the courts as reliable means to determine adequate funding: resource cost, best schools, and professional
judgment. Do you support the use of a
recognized, research based study to determine the adequate funding level of
K-12 schools?
Yes
Explain:
My votes
for education will be votes for every child in Alaska. I am distressed by the
lack of equality between the schools in my district and others. We need ...
If you
support an adequate funding study, how would you accomplish this?
Co sponsor
legislation that will provide a study with funding necessary to study equitable
funding for our schools.
2. Do you support the use of area cost
differential factors to provide equity in school funding?
Yes
Rationale
We must be
realistic about and sensitive to differing economic factors in our large,
diverse state.
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?
This
deserves attention. We have given more
choice to parents and students in the ASD but without transportation, district
20 residents have far fewer choices.
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
Rationale
The
constitution of the state of Alaska says it will provide adequate funding – but
it is not. This must be remedied.
5. Would you support adequate funding of
Alaska’s public schools to meet the constitutional mandate prior to funding of any other programs not
constitutionally mandated?
Yes
Rationale
Again, the
constitution states this must be done. I
would work with anyone to achieve adequate funding and beyond.
LONG-RANGE FINANCIAL PLAN
The 23rd
and 24th Legislatures identified several revenue sources for
consideration: alcohol tax, cruise ship tax, fuel tax, income tax, sales tax,
and use of the Permanent Fund earnings.
Please list,
in priority order, the sources you would utilize to create a long-range fiscal
plan.
Land
grants (such as UAA’s)
Tax
incentives to support schools
Spending
cuts in other areas of budget
Work hard
to find $$$
PERS/TRS
1. What percentage of their salary at retirement
do you believe public employee retirees should have to retire with dignity?
66% - 75%
2. Given that most public school employees will
not be able to collect Social Security benefits due to the federal law
(GPO/WEP), the employees’ retirement income must come from their pension plan
and personal income. Do you believe a
defined contribution plan with a 15% of salary contribution will generate a
pension that will provide a retirement with dignity?
No
If not,
what do you propose to do to provide public employees access to a pension plan
that provides a retirement with dignity?
It doesn’t
seem that 15% would be enough. We need incentives to attract the best and the
brightest. I propose to support
retirement with dignity.
3. Would you support returning to a defined
benefits retirement plan as a means of attracting and retaining quality
educators?
Yes
Rationale
Yes, of course. Being able
to define a retirement with dignity is crucial for recruitment of quality
educators.
4. According to recent actuarial reports, PERS
and TRS have unfunded liabilities. How
do you see the state eliminating these unfunded liabilities to meet their
financial obligations to retirees?
By any
means necessary. A promise is a promise. The state should honor its contracts
and be forced to live up to them, if necessary.
5. Will you commit to consulting with NEA-Alaska
and other employee organizations whose members are participants in TRS and PERS
when changes to the retirement plans are being considered?
Yes
Rationale
They are
highly esteemed in my view and I would seek their input.
ATTRACTING & RETAINING QUALITY EDUCATORS
The #1
factor in student achievement is a quality teacher supported by quality
administrators and support staff. It is
well known that Alaska is facing a teacher shortage. The legislature held several hearings on the
matter, but has done little to address the issue.
1. What do you believe are the three essential
factors in recruiting and retaining quality teachers?
Safe learning
environments
Quality
facilities
Attractive
compensation and retirement
2. As a legislator, what will you do to address
these factors?
I will
work tirelessly with anyone, but especially principals and other educators to
keep morale high. I will be their best employee, their hardest worker.
3. Fiscal
uncertainty has caused many “new to the profession” educators to leave Alaskan
school districts and even leave the state. According to Commissioner Roger
Sampson, the out-of-pocket cost to a school district of losing a teacher is
$12,000. What would you do to eliminate
this annual turnover that has cost our state so many valuable educators?
Factors of time and space in this state are difficult to overcome. We must make the position attractive enough
to overcome these difficulties.
4. 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
Rationale
Our lack
of advance budgets cause great upheaval each year for our schools and
teachers. We should have a longer range
budget / plan.
CLASS SIZE
An
important factor in student achievement is small class size. Bills were introduced in the legislature, but
little has been done to address the issue.
Would you support a bill that sets recommended class size by grade level
and provides for additional funds to schools that meet the standards.
Yes
Rationale
I believe
in this. The larger the class, the more
of a chance of someone slipping through the cracks.
If yes,
would you introduce such a bill and seek co-sponsors?
Yes
Rationale
I think 15
students per class is about right, but I would like to consult educators to see
what opinion they have.
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
Rationale
Absolutely. Safety is fundamental and must be addresses.
2. A safe learning environment is a key factor
in student achievement. Would you
support the use of restraining orders for individuals who threaten or endanger students
or public school employees in the public school environment?
Yes
3. Would you support legislation to
make a school-related assault on an education employee an
aggravating factor in sentencing?
Yes
HIGH
STAKES TESTING
1. For the past three years, 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 categorical funding for
district-developed remedial programs for students who do not meet standards on
Alaska’s benchmark exams?
Yes
SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
What
additional ideas do you have to improve K-12 education in Alaska?
Emergency
equipment is woefully lacking in some (half) of our schools. More opportunities should be provided,
including a resumption of community schools.
