Alaska
State lawmakers hear public testimony on possible legislative actions to ruling on homeschooling reimbursements
JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) – As the State of Alaska appeals a ruling that would delay a decision on Alaska’s homeschool correspondence funding until the end of June, public testimony was heard Friday in Juneau on separate House and Senate bills that are viewed as possible, legislative actions to a judge’s ruling.
This is after a Superior Court judge struck down an Alaska law in April that allows parents of homeschooled students to use public dollars for private education purposes, ruling it unconstitutional. Thursday, a judge granted a delay and Friday the State of Alaska appealed Thursday’s delay as the House Education committee asked Alaska correspondence program leaders how their programs work during its invited testimony for for HB 400. Public testimony was also heard on SB 266.
On Thursday Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman issued the short-term stay on his decision, that it is a violation of the state constitution for public funds to be used to reimburse homeschool families expenses at private and religious institutions, putting lawmakers back at work on Friday to explore options for a legislative fix.
With the end of session less than two weeks away, the chairs of House Education and Senate Education said Thursday they want to get legislation passed before the end of session to provide a level of security for Alaska’s correspondence programs. Interior Distance Education of Alaska Homeschool Director Dean O’Dell showed support for HB-400. The bill would adopt regulations for individual learning plans, monitor allotments and perform annual reports for accountability.
Unlike the Senate bill, the House bill allows for unused reimbursement funds to be rolled over. O’Dell said IDEA checks to make sure families are being reimbursed for expenses that were authorized by the students’ individual learning plans. O’Dell said travel reimbursements are prohibited by the school’s local board until it’s for something specific such as a competition. O’Dell was asked why that should be an allowed expense.
“Literature organizers, in-state travel to competitions and other items are commonly provided in schools,” O’Dell said. “Among those unintended consequences, a prohibition on many of these items, including PE equipment will negatively impact rural students for more than our urban students, creating serious equity issues.”
Brian Rozell, principal of Cyberlynx Homeschool and Correspondence program, was read a memo sent in 2022.
“I’ll just read you the line that’s concerning,” said House Education co-chair Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna. “It says, ‘and be reimbursed for their private school tuition to the amount of their student allotment. I think that might give the indication that someone would be using their allotment or tuition for what they could for their tuition.”
Rozell said the memo was written in the “very early days” of his school’s understanding of what is an allowable expense under the process, telling lawmakers tuition is no longer an allowable reimbursement under his school’s program, but he, like others who testified, doesn’t see anything wrong with a family being reimbursed for a student enrolling in a non-sectarian class at a private school.
Rep. Andi Story, D- Juneau, said she found that confusing.
“I would think as the correspondence program, you would see they’re enrolled in that private school, and you would think, “Oh, that is part of what they’re getting from being enrolled in tuition,’ so I would think it would be something that you would not approve.”
Lawmakers were going through amendments late into Friday as the bill remained in committee.
One of the amendments from Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, N/A Sitka, would prevent allotments to be used for services provided to a student from a family member.
Senate Version
The Senate homeschool funding bill would repeal the current language the judge cited in his initial decision that the funding uses are unconstitutional. The bill would also reinstate components of 2005 and 2008 correspondence study program regulatory packages promoted by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Changing the term “allotment” to “fund account,” the bill still authorizes correspondence programs to provide students with monies to pay for academic instruction and materials and stipulates that funds cannot be used for private and religious school education expenses. The bill also removes the blanket opt-out provisions of statewide assessment and prevents allotments of education funds from being rolled over.
Those in opposition spoke out about the bill removing rules allowing families the ability to opt-out of statewide assessments, the bill preventing any remaining reimbursement money from being rolled over and restrictive language related to allowable expenses and private tutoring.
“My son enrolled in 2015, and I have been saving up his allotment for him to take higher education classes, pilot training, whatever he wants. We have $15,000 saved up,” parent Maria Michalski said, Palmer.
Larry Sloan, Homer, spoke in support of the Senate bill.
“I do support this proposed bill because it does help to clarify a central, political social issue of our time, which is a so-called wall of separation between church and state,” Sloan said
There were more public testifiers who spoke in favor of the House bill versus the Senate bill.
SB-266 is is in the Senate Education committee where members have more amendments to introduce.
Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Two US soldiers were wounded by a brown bear during a training exercise in Alaska on Thursday, the US Army stated.
Anchorage Daily News reported that the soldiers were from the 11th Airborne Division, and that the exercise had been a “land navigation training event” near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
State wildlife officials said that the bear attack seemed to be a defensive one, from a bear which had recently emerged from its den. Staff members from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game collected evidence at the scene in an attempt to learn more about the bear, such as its species and gender.
“The incident is currently under investigation, and we are working closely with installation authorities and local wildlife officials to gather all relevant information and ensure the safety of all personnel in the area,” the 11th Airborne Division said in a statement, reported ABC News.
ABC News also cited an 11th Airborne Division spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Jo Nederhoed, who said that the two soldiers had been seriously wounded, but were receiving care at a hospital in Anchorage, and had shown improvement by Saturday morning.
“We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time,” Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement reported by Anchorage Daily News. “In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives.”
Both of the soldiers reportedly had and used bear spray during the attack.
The bear’s condition and whereabouts are currently unknown.
Up, up and away … that’s where most travel prices are going.
It’s true. Not only are our nation’s geopolitical thrusts in the Mideast affecting the cost of your fill-ups, every component of your trip from airfares to car rentals and hotel stays are subject to price hikes.
Imagine filling up a jetliner with jet fuel that’s doubled in price. It’s enough to melt your credit card, regardless of the number of points you get for every dollar spent!
Because the price of oil affects everything, higher prices are eating away at your travel budget in many ways.
Bag fees
There’s lots of press on this. All airlines are increasing their checked-bag fees because of the jump in fuel prices.
Back in 2009, Alaska Airlines instituted a $15 fee for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag. At the time, there was no charge for the first bag and a second bag was $25.
Last week, Alaska Airlines, along with other major airlines, increased its fees to $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second bag. Delta Air Lines charges the same.
Even if the cost of oil comes down, I don’t expect bag fees will ever be reduced.
Travelers who live in Alaska are somewhat insulated from the new hikes because both Delta and Alaska Airlines offer two free checked bags, with conditions:
1. Alaska offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are enrolled in Club 49. This does not affect other flights on Alaska. Separately, ATMOS credit card holders can get a free checked bag. Also, elite members of the ATMOS scheme get one or two free checked bags systemwide.
2. Delta offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are SkyMiles members who live in Alaska. Again, this does not apply to other Delta flights. Separately, Delta American Express cardholders can get a free checked bag.
3. Elite-level travelers with the oneworld airline cartel, including Alaska Airlines, can get one or two checked bags on American, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas or other oneworld carriers.
[Anchorage’s international airport rolls out self-driving wheelchairs]
Main Cabin vs. Basic Economy
The spread between the lowest available price, Basic Economy, and a more flexible ticket, Main Cabin, has increased. While the difference used to be $20-$30 each way when the Basic Economy scheme was introduced in 2018, the round-trip upcharge now can exceed $100.
For example, the lowest Basic fare to Portland is $337 round-trip on Alaska Airlines. The upcharge to Main Cabin, with full loyalty points, pre-assigned seats and more flexibility on changes and cancellations, is $447, a 33% upcharge.
This trend is not specifically attributable to the new Iran War. It’s just a cost that continues to rise.
New fees
I’m impressed at the creativity of airline people who dream up new fees. Here are some of my favorites from Alaska Airlines:
1. Phone reservations: $15
2. Partner award booking fee: $12.50
3. Pet travel fee: $100 in the cabin, $200 in the baggage compartment with a kennel
4. Left on board item return fee: $20
On Condor Airlines, operating the only nonstop service from Anchorage to Europe, travelers can choose from four different bundles in economy class. The least-expensive, Economy Zero, from $840 round-trip, features fees for travelers:
1. Carry-on bag fee, up to 8kg: $35; a small bag like a purse always is included for free
2. Checked bag: $75
3. Airport check-in: $30
All three of these fees are included in the next-highest fare bucket, Economy Classic, from $900 round-trip. It’s cheaper to buy the bundle than it is to buy the components a la carte. Seat assignments are additional, from $25 for economy.
Airfares on the rise
There are a few good deals available for travel to select West Coast/Intermountain destinations in May, including:
1. Anchorage-San Francisco on Alaska Airlines, from $307 round-trip. Fly May 15-28 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main cabin.
2. Anchorage-Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines, from $317 round-trip. May 15-25 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
3. Anchorage-Phoenix on United, Delta or Alaska, from $267-$287 round-trip. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90-$100 for Main.
4. Anchorage-Denver $357 round-trip on Delta. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
For travel to other destinations, or later in the summer, be prepared to pay more.
Flying to Hawaii? Alaska Air’s nonstop prices out at $706 round-trip between May 30 and June 6. Add $110 round-trip for Main.
Nonstop flights from Anchorage to Salt Lake City start at $669 round-trip with Delta on May 17. That’s $100 more than the cost for the same flights last month. Add $90 more for Main.
Hotel costs continue to rise, accompanied by pesky resort fees.
The Outrigger on the Beach in Waikiki is a very nice beachfront hotel. It’s not plush, or the nicest property. But it’s solid. The cost is $334 per night.
But there’s more: a $50 per night resort fee, plus a variety of taxes and charges, totaling $112.55 per night.
Down in Seattle, the Sound Hotel in the Belltown neighborhood is marketed by Hilton. The discounted rate for “Honors” members — it’s free to join — is $313.34 per night for a king room in late May. Taxes and fees add an extra $56.40 per night.
There’s no appreciable bump yet for hotel rates as a result of the oil price surge. Yet. But if these hotel rates seem high, they’re in line with hotel rates in Anchorage this summer. At the Sheraton in Anchorage in June, it’s $450 per night, plus $54 in taxes and fees, when booked at Expedia.
Car rentals are not cheap
My go-to site for car rentals is the Costco site, which compares major brands and automatically includes Costco discounts.
In Las Vegas, for a one-day rental in May, Budget charges $67 per day, which includes taxes and fees of $22.77. In Anchorage, the same kind of car, medium SUV, costs $92.97 with Alamo.
The biggest differences so far in car rental rates seems to be the bill you’ll pay when you fill up the tank before returning. There’s no appreciable jump in prices because of the new war.
When it comes to making travel arrangements for the spring and summer, it’s more risky making completely non-refundable arrangements.
I made the decision to purchase most of my summer travel plans in advance, but only after determining I would not need to change the dates. Particularly with airline tickets, it’s expensive to change your dates.
There’s lots of uncertainty regarding travel arrangements, particularly international travel. As fuel prices go up due to oil shortages, travel companies will look for ways to recoup the increased costs. In most cases, those higher costs will be borne by travelers.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a decrease in oil prices nationally, but Alaska’s senior senator said the state faces a different situation that could threaten rural communities.
“If you can’t produce power because you don’t have the diesel or you just can’t pay the prices, your little communities can collapse,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said at a Friday press conference at the Arctic Encounter Summit in Anchorage.
The price of oil has been a double-edged sword for Alaska. On one hand, the increased price of North Slope oil brings more revenue to the state, but consumer prices can also rise.
North Slope oil prices were $106.36 a barrel on Thursday.
“This is a very precarious time,” Murkowski said. “Our state has enjoyed a bounty because we have benefited from the higher prices of oil that goes into our treasury, but it’s the Alaskans in … the off-road communities that are threatened to be hit most hard.”
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