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Proposed
Resolutions
Jump to Resolution number:
Alaska
Associations of Elementary and
October
2002 Fall Principal's
Conference Anchorage,
Alaska AAESP
Resolution Committee Karl Schleich, Chair
Jump to Resolution number: Alaska Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals Resolution 02-1 A resolution supporting the alignment of state requirements
and the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act.
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska
has invested significant human and financial resources to define educational
standards and develop qualifying and benchmark exams; and
WHEREAS, school districts
have been preparing students for state standards during the past several
years; and
WHEREAS, school districts have invested significantly in teacher
education and staff development to align curriculum and fully implement
the new state standards; and
WHEREAS, substantial achievement data has been accumulated as
a result fo efforts to date; and
WHEREAS, new requirements of the NCLB Act may be redundant and/or
conflict with state efforts in the area of testing and school designation;
and
WHEREAS, school districts are often caught in the middle of competing
interests when implementing state and federal level programs and regulations;
and
WHEREAS, school
districts have limited resources including the element of time with
students.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Alaska Associations of Elementary & Secondary School Principals
supports the alignment of state requirements and the "No Child Left
Behind" (NCLB) Act.
Passed
this 15th day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP President, Tim Doran AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter
Jump to Resolution number:
Alaska Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals Resolution 02-2 Supporting the creation of an Education Endowment Fund.
Submitted by the Alaska Associations of Elementary & Secondary
School Principals
WHEREAS public schools in Alaska are
predominantly funded by the state ; and
WHEREAS the state operating budget is largely influenced by economic
factors such as fluctuating oil revenues; and
WHEREAS oil revenues are projected to decline in the coming years;
and
WHEREAS the funding of public schools has not kept up with inflation
in the past decade; and
WHEREAS an education endowment fund offers a method of supplementing,
stabilizing and inflation-proofing the States' contribution to the operation
of public schools;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Alaska Associations of Elementary
& Secondary School Principals supports the creation of an Education
Endowment Fund and an open discussion and consideration of alternative
school funding solutions.
Passed this 15th
day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP President, Tim Doran AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter
Jump to Resolution number: Alaska Associations
of Elementary and Secondary School Principals Resolution 02-3 Supporting appropriate funding for the acquisition of educational
technology, staffing and staff development to take advantage of technology
in public schools.
Submitted by: Alaska
Associations of Elementary & Secondary School Principals
WHEREAS technology requires an ever increasing portion of educational
resources; and
WHEREAS technology literacy is a fundamental component of an
education; and
WHEREAS staff development is essential to the integration of
technology into the delivery of the curriculum;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Alaska Association of Elementary
School Principals supports the acquisition of educational technology,
appropriate staffing and staff development to take advantage of technology
in public schools.
Passed
this 15th day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP President, Tim Doran AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter
Jump to Resolution number: Alaska Associations of Elementary and Secondary
School Principals Resolution 02-4 Supporting
public funds for public schools. Submitted by the Alaska Associations of Elementary & Secondary
School Principals
WHEREAS schools are facing many challenges that require an increased
federal financial commitment including record high enrollments, teacher
shortages, a growing proportion of students with special learning needs,
unsafe and inadequate school buildings and facilities, and the changing
needs in educational technology; and
WHEREAS the AAESP strongly supports assuring wise use of federal
and state money and improved program effectiveness through oversight,
research, evaluation, and technical assistance; and
WHEREAS the AAESP supports adequate federal and state funds for
education programs so that all children will benefit from and have the
opportunity to receive a high-quality public education; and
WHEREAS by increasing its financial investment in successful
and cost-effective programs targeted to address national and state concerns,
the federal and state governments can do more to help local communities
maintain schools and offer programs that help all children achieve academically
and become responsible citizens; and
WHEREAS tax credits and vouchers, siphon off limited public revenues
needed for smaller classes, expanded support services, teacher training
drug and crime prevention programs, and other improvements in students'
learning environments; and
WHEREAS tax subsidies and vouchers benefit non-public schools
at the expense of public schools; and
WHEREAS public schools are open to all students and are accountable
to the public while private schools admit only those students they select;
and
WHEREAS vouchers divert public funds to private schools, which
have limited public accountability and do not have to meet the same
criteria as public schools; and
WHEREAS vouchers do not equalize educational opportunities. Vouchers
will not help the most disadvantaged families, nor will they assure
access to a quality education, especially for those with disabilities
or special needs; and
WHEREAS research conducted on voucher programs has been conflicting
at best. A clear and statistically
valid success story has not yet emerged; and
WHEREAS vouchers create unnecessary and costly administrative
burdens on states and districts. At a time when policy-makers are calling
for more education flexibility, voucher programs would impose new levels
of administrative management and oversight;
and
WHEREAS vouchers only benefit a small percentage of children.
Public schools educate 90% of our nation's students; and
WHEREAS vouchers can divide communities and prevent substantive education reforms from moving forward; and
WHEREAS policies should focus on strengthening public schools,
not promoting proposals that split the community and only help a select
few students;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the AAESP & AASSP supports public funds for public schools and opposes using tax dollars to finance education vouchers for non-public schools.
Passed
this 15th day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP
President, Tim Doran
AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter
Jump to Resolution number: Alaska Associations of Elementary and Secondary
School Principals Resolution 02-5 Supporting full funding for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Submitted by: Alaska Associations of Elementary & Secondary
School Principals
WHEREAS the "No Child Left Behind" law (PL 107-110), reauthorizes
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA); and
WHEREAS a major theme of the updated law is increased flexibility
in the use of federal education funds in exchange for increased accountability;
and
WHEREAS the Fiscal Year 2003 Federal budget proposal increases
the funding for only a few educational programs at the expense of many
others including the School Leadership initiative (funded at $10 million
in FY02); and
WHEREAS the Senate Appropriations committee passed version of
the FY03 Federal Education programs calls for an increase of $4.2 billion
for all K-12 and post-secondary, $2.4 billion over what the President
has proposed;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the AAESP & AASSP supports full funding for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
Passed
this 15th day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP President, Tim Doran AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter
Jump to Resolution number: Alaska Associations of Elementary and Secondary
School Principals Resolution 02-6 Supporting mandatory
full funding and associated reforms for the Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA).
Submitted by: Alaska Associations of Elementary & Secondary
School Principals
WHEREAS Federal statute mandates services for children with special
needs; and
WHEREAS many of the mandated services have not been funded to
the level as promised in the original legislation; and
WHEREAS Congress has authorized the federal
government to pay 40 percent of the excess cost of special education;
and
WHEREAS Congress has at no time met this
40 percent goal and presently contributes only 17 percent of the cost
of IDEA; and
WHEREAS State and local school districts
have struggled to keep up with the spiraling special education costs
and need relief now; and
WHEREAS special education paperwork has
become overwhelming which has contributed to a high turn-over rate of
Special Education teachers; and
WHEREAS the dual discipline system in
place sometimes treats students unfairly and can create an unsafe environment
for students and staff; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the AAESP & AASSP supports mandatory full funding and associated reforms for the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Passed
this 15th day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP President, Tim Doran AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter
Jump to Resolution number:
Alaska Associations of Elementary and Secondary
School Principals Resolution 02-7 Supporting passage of the 2002 General
Obligation Bonds for Schools.
Submitted by: Alaska Associations of Elementary & Secondary
School Principals
Whereas, school districts are working
hard to meet multiple challenges facing them, including increasing student
performance in core academic subjects, combating a statewide teacher
shortage, implementing the goals of the State of Alaska Quality Schools
Initiative and the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (Leave
No Child Behind Act); and
Whereas, school districts are also struggling
to maintain, replace, and modernize their local school buildings; and
Whereas, for FY 2003, Alaska's school
districts reported an immediate need for 58 new school buildings at
an eligible cost of $547.6 million, and 115 major maintenance projects
at an eligible cost of $189.6 million; and
Whereas, Alaska has 842 school buildings
valued at $4.2 billion that will require an annual appropriation of
$100 million to address unmet school construction and major maintenance needs; and
Whereas, the Twenty-Second Alaska Legislature
passed and Governor Knowles signed HB 2002, a $236 million general obligation
bond package that will go before voters in November 2002 as Bonding
Proposition C; and
Whereas, Bonding Proposition C features
$170 million in school construction and major maintenance projects,
mainly in rural Alaska, and includes 13 school construction projects
totaling $113.9 million, and 39 major maintenance projects totaling
$56.2 million; and
Whereas, passage of Bonding Proposition
C will trigger an important school construction program for urban schools,
whereby the State of Alaska will reimburse municipalities in the organized
cities and boroughs for up to 70 percent of the cost of local school
construction projects approved by local voters; and
Whereas, Bonding Proposition C, if passed,
will help many rural and urban school districts and communities begin
to catch up with unmet school construction and major maintenance needs
so that student achievement is supported by safe, healthy, and appropriate
facilities; so
Therefore, the Alaska Associations of
Elementary and Secondary School Principals strongly endorses Bonding
Proposition C and encourages Alaska voters to consider the foregoing
facts and make an informed decision on Bonding Proposition C on Election
Day, November 5, 2002.
Passed
this 15th day of October 2002.
_________________________________ __________________________________ AAESP
President, Tim Doran
AASSP President, Dorothy Oetter |