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Legislators propose three-year funding for schools

February 28, 2012 by ·

 

A measure introduced in the Alaska Legislature would ease some of the annual concerns of local educators by providing for three years of increased funding. That says bill sponsor Senator Kevin Meyer and Joe Thomas would allow districts to plan ahead and not face the annual scramble to balance the budget late in the process.

Alaska school children from state websiteMeyer and Thomas co-chair the Senate Education Committee. In their sponsor statement for Senate Bill 171, they said: “Every spring school districts around the state have the unenviable task of developing their budgets—sometimes without complete knowledge of the amount of funding they will receive for the next academic year”.

It’s not uncommon for school districts to issue pink slips to teachers before the state’s budget is set and then rehire—if those teachers are still available—in late summer.

House Speaker Mike Chenault recently spoke on the need for increased school funding…

 House Speaker’s comments

But not everyone is keen on the idea of a three-year pre-approved increase for schools. Top on the list is Governor Sean Parnell who has said it is better to give increases if needed when needed rather than commit the state ahead of time.

SB 171 passed the senate by a vote of 18 to 2 with Senators Coghill and Dyson opposing. It is currently in the House Finance Committee.

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Resources:

Bill history for Senate Bill 171

A slew of documents and testimony for Senate Bill 171

Above link will take you to the documents submitted as part of the record for SB 171. It includes:

Document Name

Alaska Report Card to the Public

Alaska Education Statistics, including Alaska’s Report Card to the Public

Link above is another great source for all kinds of information and details about Alaska’s education system and how the schools are funded.

 

 

Filed Under: Alaska Schools, Daily Radio Shows February 2012

Governor Parnell appoints 80 Alaskans to boards and commissions

February 14, 2012 by ·

Governor Sean Parnell has sent the names of 80 Alaskans to the Alaska Legislature for confirmation. The people, who live in communities all over the state, were appointed by the governor to various state offices, boards and commissions.

Top on the list is Parnell’s recent appointment for state Attorney General, Michael Geraghty, of Anchorage, who was appointed the first of February.

Alaska Attorney General Designee Michael Geraghty, of Anchorage

Alaska Attorney General Designee Michael Geraghty, of Anchorage

Parnell said in a press release that he was pleased to present the 60 names to the legislature and is proud of the people who stepped up to serve the public.

Service on a board or commission, said Parnell, provides an opportunity for Alaskans to take ownership of their government.”

Last week’s appointments include a range of boards and commissions, from the Alaska State Board of Accountancy to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission.

While many of those appointed live in Anchorage, residency ranges far and wide from Ketchikan to Unalaska and Dillingham, to Fairbanks.

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Now, I’m not going to harp on this, but those of you who are regular listeners to The LegHead Report know that I’m always suggesting that you consider putting your name in for appointment to one of the state’s boards or commission.

This recent batch of 80 Alaskans is just a part of the many appointments made throughout the year. If you figure there are more than 100

Alaska Boards and Commission Graphic

Microssoft Graphic

boards and commissions, and each has—oh say, eight members—that makes 800 total that get appointed or reappointed every three years or so.

That means—there’s a lot of opportunity out there for someone interested in having a direct say in state policy making.  As the governor said, it’s a great way for Alaskans to take ownership of their government.

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Resources:

Maggie’s Quick Tip:  If you ever go to look up info on Alaska Boards and Commissions…the tricky part to finding it on the state’s website is to look under “Office of the Governor”.

It’s easy to get lost in one department or another, each with its associated boards and commissions. But you want Office of the Governor which will lead you to all the various boards and commissions associated with the State of Alaska.

Press release from Governor Parnell’s office announcing appointments

List of Active Alaska boards and commissions and Fact Sheets on each – This page also contains links to rosters of members on each and the state’s website for each of the boards and commissions.

Information on Alaska boards and commissions

How to Apply by Fax or Mail

Send a completed boards and commissions application, a resume and a brief letter explaining your desire to serve the State of Alaska, to:

  • Office of Governor Sean Parnell
    Attention: Jason Hooley, Director of Boards & Commissions
    P.O. Box 110001, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0001
  • To contact the Boards and Commissions office
    By phone: (907) 269-7450
    By facsimile: (907) 269-7461
    By email: boards@alaska.gov

For more information, contact the staff of the Office of Boards and Commissions at (907) 269-7450 or at boards@alaska.gov.

 

Filed Under: Boards and Commissions

Automatic updates are easy way to keep up with legislative activities

February 12, 2012 by ·

Here is an easy way to keep tabs on what’s going on in the Alaska Legislature.

Sign up for email notices or RSS feeds of activities.

The various caucuses in both the House and Senate regularly send emails and notices on what their group is doing. And the legislature’s official website has programs that can keep you posted by email.

But my favorite is the House Majority’s Bill Activity releases.

To give you an idea of how informative these little jewels are, here is a quick rundown on the one I got this morning. Generally they tell you the number and name of a bill, give a brief description, tell you which committees its moving from and to, and include a contact person and number for more details.

The way I use these it to give them a quick scan and see if anything catches my eye. If so, I’ll follow up, and if it’s particularly interesting, I’ll let you know about it in one of my LegHead Reports.

Here’s a rundown of the bills mentioned in today’s release:

  • HB 184 dealing with Fish Business Taxes and Municipalities
  • HB 235 deals with vehicle rentals and service contracts
  • HB 253 outlaws controlled substances called “bath salts”
  • HB 311 deals with filings with the Alaska Public Offices Commission or APOC
  • And finally, HCR 10, a resolution encouraging the use of waste as an energy source.

See, that didn’t take long and now we’ve learned a bit about fish taxes,  car rentals, controlled substances, political filings and plans in the works to use garbage and other wastes as energy.

Now a lot of bills going through the system will never make it out of one committee or the other, but it’s good to know what issues the legislature is considering. And, if one piques your interest, you can follow up or maybe even make a comment on it to your legislators.

Now, how easy was that?

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council

February 10, 2012 by ·

 

  • How it works

  • How you can work with itFisherman from NPFMC site

 

The trick to using the NPFMC’s website is to not get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of information, all the legal documents and all the weird words.

You can scan or search for what you’re looking for, or if you’re just checking things out,  look for something that interests you. Then go from there.

 

Link to NPFMC’s website

How to get involved with Council and what it does?

Guide to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council & FAQ

Trawler from NPFMC site

Fishermen from NPFMC site

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Tell a volunteer you appreciate them

February 9, 2012 by ·

We all know someone who does a lot to help our favorite community groups or the community itself.

Or, maybe you’d really like to volunteer more or be more active in local actions, but really just don’t have the time. Cannot put one more item on your To Do list.

Hey, don’t feel like you can’t do anything. The First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Awards offers a great way to encourage those who do the work you can’t.

It can be lots of fun. And it only takes about a half an hour at the computer.

Why not submit the name of someone who volunteers a lot to your community—or to the state as a whole—to the First Lady’s annual Volunteer of the Year award? And here’s the best part. Even if your person doesn’t win, they will be honored and tickled pink—and maybe even embarrassed—that you submitted their name. Don’t get all hung up on whether or not they’ll win. The point is to send in their name and then later, tell them that you did so. What a great pat on the back.

The First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Awards recognize men, women and youth who make a significant impact in Alaska through their charitable activities and volunteerism.

An executive committee made up of Alaskans from around the state will select award recipients from the nominees, and winners will be recognized at a ceremony in May.

The deadline for entries is March 1st, so get to it. You can get more information about the awards and how to submit a name by going to the governor’s website, or to make it even easier, go to our website leghead.com and you’ll find links there.

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I really like these First Lady Volunteer Awards. It’s a great way to say Thank You to someone you know. Even if they don’t win, you can let them know that you thought enough of them to enter their name…that in itself is a big compliment.

Twice I have entered Kodiak people into the competition, and both of the people won. One year a friend and I schemed up the idea of submitting the name one of Kodiak’s long-time Fishermen’s Wives. We hear lots about fishermen and their lives, but the wives are often forgotten in the background. Barb Burch graduated from Seward High School in the late 1950s. She married a fishermen and has been involved in fishing safety for decades.

The second time I nominated Joe Stevens, who still volunteers tons of time to Kodiak’s public radio station KMXT—which broadcasts the LegHead Report. I can’t remember how long ago it was that Barb and Joe won their awards, but it was a lot of fun for them and for me, and occasionally someone will still mention their awards to me.

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Resources:

For more information on the First Lady’s Volunteer Awards and how to nominate someone, go to:

http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/governors-office/volunteer-awards.html

 

 

Filed Under: Daily Radio Shows February 2012
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