[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6100899,"mediaKeyId","2810994-5b95ef7020444ddd8e1d28915bf227cc","parentId",2810994,"title","House Education Committee adopts substitute for HB 98 to set class-size maximums; debate centers on funding and metrics","audioSeconds",266,"startMs",4019000,"endMs",4285000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2810994-5b95ef7020444ddd8e1d28915bf227cc&start=4019&end=4285","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2810994-5b95ef7020444ddd8e1d28915bf227cc/thumbnail_4019000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6100899/Alaska/House-Education-Committee-adopts-substitute-for-HB-98-to-set-class-size-maximums-debate-centers-on-funding-and-metrics","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6100899-952348770d4e5f1f755af0bf9c62c980/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411815&Signature=Y2Gphzz1SsAuRZygukmc9QQErKI0gGBgSgBNraQ-~WMvu7BdAG4ezyYvhbP4sp8M~ygyeH42BtXDHu-mAPmcGXwym0HD6A-1cWIHho7ZRASn-lCGps1FiLVUd8KPY5d534pwB7OqDnVDkau8eDLC0TjseSL7msnuczQpA1jlrYsglbVhfa8HnUl1-pKu2FVePqISVZvDUym1uIC3B-fD8VMrKAkv5rgO~ElBQsmZdYQ8cDHR2c0CK1hMJ1cO5G3v4e2XUyshvu0Y7g8duV1S1BmNxXxvfyXnlljwPpQVPdbH0KkPtqGLd8eW7RnCqMAkaB0Duu1eKO2n8wO2rwvOaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-03-28T00:00:00Z","article","The Alaska House Education Committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 98 on March 20, changing the bill's metric from a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) average to a maximum class-size standard and limiting initial application to districts with an average daily membership of 35,000 students or more.

Representative Rhett Fields, the bill sponsor, told the committee the substitute's central change is to replace PTR, a staffing average, with a hard maximum for class size because PTR can mask individual classrooms that are \u001eunteachable,\u001c he said. Fields said the substitute as drafted would affect the Anchorage School District and that he was open to expanding coverage if other legislators request it.

\u001eThe primary difference between the original bill and the committee substitute is the committee substitute changes our class size metric from pupil teacher ratio, or PTR, which is an average, to maximum class size,\u001c Fields said, adding the substitute also lowers the threshold for covered districts from 40,000 to 35,000 average daily membership.

The committee adopted the substitute by voice after a brief procedural objection was removed; no roll-call vote was recorded on the motion. The sponsor then presented the bill for invited testimony and committee questions; the committee held the bill for further consideration after testimony.

Invited testifiers offered differing emphases but general agreement that class-size extremes harm instruction. Tom Claymeier, president of NEA Alaska and a high-school social-studies teacher in Eagle River, urged either statewide caps or at minimum inclusion of the state's large districts. Claymeier said PTR and simple averages conceal the distribution of students across classrooms and described concrete classroom impacts.

\u001eThe average class size at Huffman Elementary in Anchorage is 24.9,\u001c Claymeier said, and then described that in that school \u001efully nine of those 12 classes are above that average\u001c — a distribution the average conceals. He recommended class-size and special-education caseload caps and said any limits should be paired with adequate funding.

Mike Bronson of the NAACP Anchorage education committee told lawmakers his group's data show a large share of kindergarten entrants in Anchorage score \u001ewell below benchmark\u001c on district screening, and he urged the committee to use incentives or grants — not exemptions — to reduce overcrowding. Caroline Storm, executive director of the Coalition for Education Equity, testified in public comment that the bill draws attention to chronic underfunding and that increased funding (including prekindergarten investment) is necessary to hire the teachers HB 98 would require.

Committee members asked about the evidence base (Fields cited randomized studies such as Tennessee's STAR and an adequacy analysis he referenced to frame trade-offs), whether class-size maximums should target early elementary grades first, and how a state-level mandate would interact with local budgeting and collective bargaining. Witnesses and members repeatedly emphasized that additional funding or a grant mechanism would be necessary to make mandated maximums binding and sustainable.

The Department of Education and Early Development provided a departmental fiscal note stating no fiscal impact to DEED; Representative Fields said the bill's intent is to identify the total funding needed to achieve particular class-size limits and that actual costs to implement (for example, lowering K\u00133 class sizes to 15) would require further fiscal analysis. Committee members discussed applying the measure to the \u001cbig five\u001d districts, tailoring approaches for small rural districts, and possible phasing tied to appropriations.

Action at a glance: the committee adopted the committee substitute for HB 98 (change PTR to maximum class size; threshold 35,000 ADM) and held the bill for additional hearings and fiscal analysis. No final passage or statutory change occurred at this session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/28/2025 08:00 AM House EDUCATION","oneSentenceSummary","The Alaska House Education Committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 98 on March 20, substituting maximum class-size limits for pupil-teacher ratio and targeting districts with average daily membership of 35,000 or more.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6100906,"House Education Committee hears governor's appointee Pat Freymark for Professional Teaching Practices Commission",1788,618000,2406000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2810994-5b95ef7020444ddd8e1d28915bf227cc&start=618&end=2406","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2810994-5b95ef7020444ddd8e1d28915bf227cc/thumbnail_618000.jpg","/articles/6100906/Alaska/House-Education-Committee-hears-governors-appointee-Pat-Freymark-for-Professional-Teaching-Practices-Commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6100906-3e320e5c220bf7c6731c030756bce19b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770411815&Signature=FPYUYQBeGNgJ0ZhE9beGoL49n2b4KKw1f2DCoUCrETd-cr~VxazPuxukbL46EdGi-Oxv2Vq5Ooszd1OvtCG~Fiq3fjtAz~ugzTLZqKhwbSDWk-SaxOU3PdmRY36O0acDSM9ZX-msszbadoX1YDGK21p95DUBK10GFRJZxP8Q9bNb6XvN9825d5MfiXg1bpjaOt6dqmxjoKx-m9Ea75OM8UrOg5KhTpiEG1lcm5bjEsEJnCO~YIWUmxBhaBdojXbJsNMQQLM8Jz07WB~J9Yen5vvvw82H-hX-pxQ5fLti-L1QvXRqxS8h9ymfvvOnqsEEvQ3KVpuphTB2qlJD0RrK9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Pat Freymark, the governor's appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission, spoke to the Alaska House Education Committee on March 20 in the Davis Room about his teaching background and reasons for seeking the commission seat.

Freymark, who identified himself as a Fairbanks resident and longtime classroom teacher, said he began teaching after earning a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and several years as a substitute. He told the committee he joined the Fairbanks Education Association's teacher rights team to support colleagues and that the experience exposed him to \u001eprofessional and ethical dilemmas\u001c that require balancing advocacy with student safety.

\u001eEveryone is entitled to be heard, that everyone is entitled to due process, and that even serious infractions can create opportunities for reflection and growth,\u001c Freymark said, describing how he approaches disciplinary and ethical concerns. He also said he recently completed coursework for a Type B administrative certificate and that he intends to remain in a classroom-teacher seat while serving on the commission.

Committee members asked Freymark how he counsels colleagues about difficult conversations with families and staff and about his experience with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). He said his approach is to assume colleagues are \u001ewell intentioned,\u001c to seek to understand motivations, and to focus on clear expectations and relationships with students when addressing classroom management and behavior.

The committee opened and closed public testimony on the appointment without receiving in-person or online public speakers. Committee staff then prepared and signed the formal hearing report. Committee members were explicit on the record that the signature does not indicate a vote for or against confirmation at any later floor action.

The hearing proceeded without a confirmation vote. The committee recorded the conclusion of the hearing in accordance with a committee notice referencing Alaska standards 39.05 0.08 and moved on to other agenda items.","Pat Freymark, the governor's appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission, spoke to the Alaska House Education Committee on March 20 in the Davis Room about his teaching background and reasons for seeking the commission seat.","actionData","errors"]

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House Education Committee adopts substitute for HB 98 to set class-size maximums; debate centers on funding and metrics

House Education Committee hears governor's appointee Pat Freymark for Professional Teaching Practices Commission