The House Education Committee hears from Trevor Jepsen, staff to Anchorage Republican Rep. Tom Mckay, before advancing an education bill to the finance committee Monday, April 8, 2024 in Juneau. cleared its first hurdle Monday, advancing to the finance committee with less than six weeks left in the legislative session.
McKay’s bill passed the House Education Committee 0n Monday during a heated and testy hearing on a 5-2 vote. “That local board can say, ‘Yes, we have the capacity for this charter school,’ or, ‘Here’s how we could shape this charter school to make it even better,’” said Himschoot, who sponsored the amendment, adding, “This just adds a layer of local input.”
According to data from the Alaska Association of School Boards, there were 836 students statewide on charter school waitlists last month. Anchorage School Board member Kelly Lessens, testifying on her own behalf, said by email Monday that in Anchorage, her data showed there are currently 199 students on waiting lists solely for charter schools. That represents less than 0.5% of the total Anchorage student body, she said.
Several of the amendments that failed addressed funding by proposing to boost the BSA by $1,413; adding another BSA increase next year, and inflation-proofing the funding formula for one year.