News from The Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
716 West 4th Avenue, Suite 510
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Phone: 907/258-8184
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

Senate Announces Town Meetings on School Funding Reform

For Immediate Release: November 7, 1997 Contact: Sheila Peterson at (907) 465-3709

Fairbanks -- To examine Alaska’s current education funding program, Legislative leaders will hold a series of six town meetings on school funding reform beginning November 12, at the Ted Ferry Civic Center in Ketchikan from 5-7 p.m., followed by an Anchorage meeting November 13 from 5-7 p.m., at West High School Library, 1700 Hillcrest Drive.

The town meetings are sponsored by the Senate Finance Committee, Co-Chaired by Senators Drue Pearce and Bert Sharp, and the Senate Health, Education and Social Services Committee, Chaired by Senator Gary Wilken.

"If we are truly going to reform Alaska’s education system, we must address the disparity existing between school districts in our current funding program," Wilken said. "I hope people will participate in this grass roots opportunity to share their opinions with legislators. By generating positive two-way dialogue, we can begin the process of rewriting our education funding program to make it more fair and easy to understand."

The meeting format will include presentations from Senators John Torgerson (R-Kasilof) and Gary Wilken. Torgerson will provide a brief summary of bills relating to funding currently in the legislative process. Wilken will provide a more detailed discussion of current funding problems and present some ideas to foster discussion. Following the presentations there will be a question and answer session with the audience and testimony from the public.

Following the hearings in Ketchikan and Anchorage, the Senate HESS and Finance Committees will conduct hearings in Wasilla, Soldotna, Bethel and Fairbanks. Each town meeting will be teleconferenced on a listen-only basis.

The Ketchikan meeting will be held in conjunction with the Alaska Municipal League’s annual conference. For more information please call Sheila Peterson in Senator Wilken’s office at (907) 465-3709.

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