Legislators to decide handling of school cost factors

Gov. Sarah Palin is leaving the contentious school funding issue of district cost factors up to state lawmakers.Two bills in the Legislature would set up temporary work groups to study the issue and develop updateable models to help the state account for differing costs of education in different areas.

One bill calls for an 11-member group comprised mostly of lawmakers appointed by legislative leaders. The other, sponsored by Sen. Gary Wilken, R-Fairbanks, calls for an eight-member group appointed by the governor and including only two lawmakers. At a hearing on the two bills Wednesday morning, Eddy Jeans, director of school finance for the state’s Department of Education and Early Development, said the administration preferred the legislative group.

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The Senate Special Committee on Education, which heard the proposals, held both bills for further consideration. The bills are SCR 16 and SB 219. Members of the House Finance Committee on Wednesday discussed a separate bill that would implement recommendations of the task force dealing with district cost factors, the base student allocation, and funding for students with intensive needs. That bill is HB 273.

Read the full story here: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

 

Lawmaker warns against altering education funding

The head of a legislative task force charged with fixing the state’s school funding warned lawmakers Tuesday that tinkering with any proposed changes could cause a “long-fought, well-discussed compromise” to collapse.Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, told the House Finance Committee that it was premature to consider the $200 increase proposed by Gov. Sarah Palin to the base student allowance, or BSA. That allowance is the starting amount in a formula the state uses to determine how much a school district receives from the state per student.

Read the full story at Juneau Empire