Alaska State Legislature
News from the Office of Representative Eldon Mulder

Representative Eldon Mulder
State Capital, Room 501
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
ph: (907) 465-2647 fax: (907) 465-3518
web site: www.akrepublicans.org/Mulder.htm

Working to Save Alaska’s Troubled Youth

Mulder Bill Would Partially Fund Youth Corps ChalleNGe Program

For Immediate Release: February 12, 1998 Contact: Rep. Eldon Mulder at (907) 465-2647.

Juneau -- Representative Eldon Mulder (R-Muldoon/Fort Richardson) Thursday introduced legislation (HB 403) to include the Alaska National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in the State Foundation Formula.

The ChalleNGe program was designed to help troubled youths become productive, self confident members of society. The program uses the proven methodology of the United States armed forces to provide an intense, disciplined, structured, military style environment where the students are taught educational subjects, vocational skills, life coping skills, citizenship, health and hygiene, community service, teamwork and physical fitness.

"This is a program that has proven time and time again that it can meet it’s goals. We need to ensure that the ChalleNGe program continues to give the otherwise forgotten youths of Alaska, the chance to receive the education the State has promised them." said Mulder.

The Alaska ChalleNGe program has received its accreditation as a secondary school from the Northwest Association of Schools & Colleges and is a sanctioned General Educational Development (GED) testing site. Nearly 80% of Alaska ChalleNGe Program graduates received their State of Alaska High School Diplomas by examination through the Youth Corps.

The ChalleNGe program was started as a federally funded pilot program back in January of 1994. Each year the federal share of the matching funds for the program have declined and the states share has increased. The federal government has dropped the programs "pilot" status and will now require the state to increase its matching funds by 5% each year until the contributions reach 40%.

"The idea was that the federal government would fund the program for the first couple of years, and then, if it was seen to provide a valuable service, the state would make the commitment to provide the funding so that the program could continue," Mulder said. "This service has repeatedly been proven valuable and this funding commitment is a great investment for Alaska," Mulder said. "Without this change in the education foundation formula we will probably lose this valuable program."

# # #

Broadcasters note: Actuality is available at 1-800-478-6540
= Eldon Mulder, 44 K