[{"_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",6253416,"mediaKeyId","3181384-81d25eb63ef59e3ea39772b21e428e47","parentId",3181384,"title","DEED outlines capital planning dashboards, recommends subcommittees to aid small districts","audioSeconds",2683,"startMs",2690000,"endMs",6627,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3181384-81d25eb63ef59e3ea39772b21e428e47&start=2690&end=6","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3181384-81d25eb63ef59e3ea39772b21e428e47/thumbnail_2690000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6253416/Alaska/DEED-outlines-capital-planning-dashboards-recommends-subcommittees-to-aid-small-districts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6253416-2a8d6f6e71078e00f9b752ed6a0d47d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770408034&Signature=Bh5WjEJK0~1AjpBlIZGdcckkxcFBiHq8KZvxsvIORhrdFa0c1PDNK3GZNl1ToC1U~qeTlDdKKGybxJ-PfWET20rGWWIjFGuMaLmKFrJ84DJKCxd80J8bh4i7Vav5jh6wVWHrWWWcpHEcmGiSJGqxEvJ4d2ltdacWl4L57ZZcsJdDseQv8WYpYQc-f8svJ-3DGH47tlNV-sfNSBvQpAumrXw2JOOzLFWi8qmu5PQPP~-dLFaC8XXHOucnGSTIO7GYRTUWzmjK0xaX~i8U7tyXVc2MiisJTgqf8GhM-yXNRsGfo9GeZpJSzXQAM04PrJuH2R2fQV7ZqdfAFWHJOol8Ng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska Legislature","date","2025-05-02T00:00:00Z","article","Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) Director Heather Heineken briefed the House Education Committee on May 2 about the Bond Reimbursement and Grant Review (BRGR) Committee’s April meeting, the department’s capital‑improvement project (CIP) priorities and the rollout of new capital‑planning dashboards intended to help districts with long‑range facility planning.

Heineken told the committee the BRGR packet for the April meeting totaled 309 pages and that the committee reviewed 18 school construction requests totaling about $349 million and 83 major‑maintenance projects totaling about $272 million. She said the REA and small municipal fund balance is about $22.8 million, which could cover the top one or two projects on the BRGR construction list but would not fully fund larger projects further down the list.

“We are unveiling what we’re calling our school district capital planning dashboards,” Heineken said. She described six interactive dashboards that compile district-level ADM projections, space‑needs calculations and cost‑model updates to help districts, legislators and stakeholders make data‑informed decisions about facilities investments.

The BRGR committee voted to form a subcommittee to examine whether a supplemental planning‑application process could help smaller districts prepare stronger CIP applications without diverting funds from approved projects. Heineken said the department had issued a draft supplemental application shortly before the April meeting and received extensive feedback; the subcommittee will report initial recommendations at the committee’s December meeting.

Committee members raised two related concerns: (1) smaller and rural districts often lack the professional planning resources (architects, engineers, detailed surveys) required for a competitive application; and (2) the current point‑based ranking rewards completed projects and reimbursable work, which can create an incentive to wait until a failure occurs. Representative Schwanke described an example in which a rural school rushed a $400,000 boiler replacement in winter after a failure; that project then pushed ahead in ranking when the district sought reimbursement.

DEED described steps it is taking to support districts: monthly training and workshops on the CIP application process, targeted site visits by DEED facilities staff, and a proposed forecasting tool to model 10‑year capital needs. Heineken also said the department’s construction cost model (fourth edition) incorporates market trends and will feed the dashboards.

On bond reimbursement, Heineken explained the moratorium on new voter bond reimbursements (in effect since 2015) reduced the flow of funds that historically recirculated to the REA and small municipal fund. She said the department expects the moratorium to lift in July 2025 and described how bond reimbursement and the REA fund interact: bond reimbursement money paid to municipal districts historically generated a calculated stream that helps capitalize the REA/small municipal fund used for REA projects.

Action: the BRGR voted to form at least three subcommittees (a supplemental‑planning application subcommittee, a preventative‑maintenance administration subcommittee, and a school space‑calculation review subcommittee) to examine ways to reduce barriers for smaller and rural districts and to advise updates to the CIP application and scoring process. The committee also approved rollout of the capital‑planning dashboards and the cost‑model updates; these are implementation and information projects rather than appropriations.

Discussion versus decision: the presentation was informational and the committee’s formation of subcommittees is a committee-level decision to study options and develop recommendations; no appropriation or change to the CIP scoring criteria was enacted at the House Education Committee hearing.

Heineken closed by encouraging districts to use the dashboards and to submit updated facility information so the tools can be refined, and she said the department will continue workshops and outreach through the summer and fall.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","05/02/2025 08:00 AM House EDUCATION","oneSentenceSummary","Department of Education and Early Development Director Heather Heineken briefed the House Education Committee on May 2 about BRGR’s April meeting, CIP priority lists, a $22.8 million REA/small municipal fund balance and new capital‑planning dashboards.","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},6253423,"House Education Committee advances bill to expand voluntary pre-K funding",1740,931000,2671000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3181384-81d25eb63ef59e3ea39772b21e428e47&start=931&end=2671","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3181384-81d25eb63ef59e3ea39772b21e428e47/thumbnail_931000.jpg","/articles/6253423/Alaska/House-Education-Committee-advances-bill-to-expand-voluntary-pre-K-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6253423-cd2c75d50120db9ca6eced79423aa95e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770408034&Signature=nWL8Mv3beSoFRwMNk0R2hBldDrLPDw3Efd7XGIULFPxkS3Y8PRq3WIYECG-Qfpr8qxprIfLGSUXUho8SewnS~FVTE1UOlafF89jTNRFchrnm-bjuOKWGZvBZe1Rgsa9JDMWLct4186g0OZctjsv-YmFzizYfekZNdzGd8C9AREpXzEn1hhEvlHmAf0wfcOBe8VIvZ1HwS7BeBUeJvHiSyruMk1A4dfNUoFI~pxGWdHftjT2te40WurVlgxQL~cknZOvYuZV9DR21ukVD-PHc7rgC7lWY14EFwMm51Ofblad6wcxQSRyfH2~TV78Jwe66YYk9t7NPmQ8h~WKhblgxBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 183, which would expand voluntary prekindergarten funding by moving districts from 0.5 to 1.0 average daily membership (ADM), was moved out of the House Education Committee on May 2 with an attached fiscal note and committee recommendations.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Story, told the committee the measure is intended to increase access to quality pre-K across Alaska and align with the goals of the Alaska Reads Act by supporting early literacy and reducing later remediation and special-education costs.

Supporters said the bill would make funding available to more districts by increasing that per‑student funding level, and they noted regulatory and administrative barriers remain that affect how many programs qualify. Director Heather Heineken of the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) told the committee the fiscal estimate is uncertain because DEED must forecast how many additional districts will qualify for early education program grants under current information.

Representative Story said, “This bill moves the current funding from a half a FTE for our pre-K programs to a full FTE, which will really help our districts be able to offer quality pre-K.” She framed the change as part of a strategy to improve third-grade reading outcomes by investing earlier in children’s learning.

DEED’s Heather Heineken provided the committee detail on the fiscal note and the base student allocation (BSA) assumptions. She said the current BSA used in the fiscal estimate was $5,960 and that a proposed BSA increase of $700 (to $6,660) was used in an updated calculation. Heineken described the fiscal-note uncertainty this way: “As we move forward, adding programs into the qualifying list, we don’t have exact numbers. . . . It’s kind of a moving target for us.”

Mike Mason, staff to Senator Lukey Tobin, summarized legislative context: a prior change in last year’s House Bill 148 removed the requirement that some programs meet full Head Start standards; DEED regulations to reflect that change are expected in June, and many observers expect more districts to qualify once the regulations are issued. “The change that is before you today . . . simply moves that 0.5 ADM to the full ADM,” Mason said, calling the bill a measure that could “turbocharge pre‑K” if regulatory and participation factors align.

Committee members pressed DEED on fiscal-year projections and the uneven pattern in the fiscal note that showed a larger initial year cost followed by lower annual amounts. Heineken explained the first-year increase includes both the BSA change and an anticipated initial “bolus” of districts coming online; subsequent years were projected with slower growth, but DEED cautioned that larger districts (she named Fairbanks and Matsu as examples) could substantially increase costs if they apply and are approved.

Action: Representative Deibert moved HB 183, version A, from the House Education Committee with the attached fiscal note and recommendations; there were no objections and the committee advanced the bill with the attached fiscal note and individual recommendations. The committee record does not show a roll-call vote; the motion carried by unanimous consent. (Motion text read on the record; no amendment was adopted at the committee hearing.)

Discussion versus decision: the committee’s vote to move the bill was a formal action. Substantive discussion about regulatory changes (House Bill 148), how DEED implements the Alaska Reads Act, and fiscal‑note uncertainty were discussion elements that committee members and DEED staff acknowledged would affect implementation and cost.

The bill now proceeds from committee with the attached fiscal note and recommendations; DEED and sponsors identified outstanding regulatory and participation questions as the primary uncertainties affecting the program’s ultimate cost and reach.","The House Education Committee on May 2 forwarded House Bill 183, which would move funded pre‑K enrollment from 0.5 ADM to 1.0 ADM and is tied to an increase in the base student allocation; lawmakers and DEED officials cautioned that fiscal impacts depend on how many districts qualify.","actionData","errors"]

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DEED outlines capital planning dashboards, recommends subcommittees to aid small districts

House Education Committee advances bill to expand voluntary pre-K funding