An Act relating to the calculation of employee contributions and credited service in the public employees' retirement system for non-certificated employees of school districts, regional educational attendance areas, the Alaska Vocational Technical Center, and the state boarding schools, and providing for an effective date.

Senate Bill 9 is not a new proposal. For many years the question of whether support staff of our schools should have the same retirement benefits as their certified counterparts has gone unanswered. Senate Bill 9 will fix this inequity.

Approximately 6,600 Alaskan residents are dedicated, full-time, non-certified employees in our school systems. Non-certificated employees, also referred to in many school districts as "classified" employees, include custodians, cafeteria workers, teachers aides, and administrative staff. They typically work the same schedule as our teachers, from September to May, leaving their summer schedules open to the pursuit of other seasonal employment activities. However, those seasonal employment activities rarely provide for retirement considerations. Therefore, each working year contains a three-month gap where retirement benefits do not accrue. As a consequence, a non-certificated employee having worked for 30 years, and seemingly eligible to retire, is faced with only 22.5 years of accrued retirement benefits.

Certified teachers get one full year of credit toward retirement when they complete the nine-month school year. Non-certified employees receive credit for the actual time served in the system, usually nine months. They are not afforded the option of contributing to their retirement account to reflect a year's service. Senate Bill 9 affords them that option, at their expense. It would be a completely voluntary program, paid for by the members themselves, thus adding no on-going financial burden to the State or to the local school districts.

Please join me in endorsing this legislation. It speaks to fairness, and demonstrates the appreciation that all Alaskan schools' support staff deserve.