Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District are in Juneau this week speaking on education bills that are going through the Alaska State Legislature. The KPBSD wants residents to contact their legislator(s), testify at legislative hearings, and advocate for a state fiscal plan.
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Clayton Holland, KPBSD Superintendent, spoke on the focus of the education bills:
“SB 111 is the reading act, and it has to do with early childhood literacy and Pre-K and we are supportive of that. we are also supporting HB 272 and 273, which is to increase the base student allocation. The base student allocation has not been adjusted since 2017. We are seeking an adjustment and then 273 would then inflation proof the base student allocation. I think this is critical, more important than any one-time funding that we actually get this built into the system so every year we can plan accordingly. There’s also a bill, HB 220 which has to do with the retirement system and SB 225 is the teacher apprenticeship program. One of the things that we like is its halfway to our paraprofessionals becoming teachers and then some alternate ways for other folks to become teachers as well.”
Superintendent Holland also stated he was going to testify on a career technical education bill:
“That’s kind of the other point, we have literacy at one side and then they have that career technical education aspect on the other. I truly believe we need our Alaskan kids taking Alaskan jobs. This will be part of that.”
Holland says that this is a great time to make adjustments to education in Alaska as these much-needed changes haven’t been made in several years. He promoted the KPBSD’s mission to empower all learners to positively shape their futures.
The KPBSD encourages residents to contact their local legislator(s):
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