Alaska State Legislature
News from The Senate Majority

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 Bethel Town Meeting on School Funding Reform

For Immediate Release: November 20, 1997 Contact: Sheila Peterson at (907) 465-3709.

Juneau -- To further examine Alaska’s current education funding program, Legislative leaders will continue their series of six town meetings on school funding reform in Bethel on Monday, November 24 from 2-5 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center at 420 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway.

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 (R-Fairbanks). 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.

A listen-only telecconference service will be provided from 2-4 p.m. during the regular meeting. At 4 p.m., the teleconference will be opened so that listeners around Alaska can participate in the discussion and express their views on education funding.

For more information please call Sheila Peterson in Senator Wilken’s office at 907/465-3709.

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