State Senate sends bill on state-tribal compacts for school to House

The state Senate has passed a bill providing for state-tribal school demonstration projects for elementary and secondary schools that would be operated by tribes and essentially as part of the public education system.

Senate Bill 34 passed the Senate 13 to one. The bill is a priority this year for rural legislators and Alaska Native groups who feel tribally-operated schools can provide a more culturally-responsive form of education for Alaska Native children than traditional schools.

SB 34 is likely to get a friendly reception in the state House, which is managed by a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Stevens is also in an influential position to shepard the bill through to final passage.

He chairs the Senate Rules Committee, which sets the agenda of what gets voted on in the Senate. That gives him clout.

SB 34 is now in the House Tribal Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Tiffany Zulkoski, D-Bethel.

Stevens’ bill would limit the compact demonstration project to five schools for five years. The Legislature would also have to approve the demonstrations once they are developed and agreed on by tribes and the state Department of Education and Early Development, or DEED.

Timelines in the legislation allow one or more tribes to apply to the state DEED for a tribal-state compact after Dec. 31, 2022 and for the state Board of Education to meet with the applicants by March 2023.

The compact would be between a tribe and the education department. A “report” on the finalized negotiations between the state and one or more tribal applicants will be sent to the Legislature, which must pass a bill authorizing the compact.

“Passage of this legislation will provide tribes the opportunity to voluntarily apply to establish a state-tribal compact school,” Stevens said.

“Alaska is an incredibly culturally and linguistically diverse state, with at least eleven distinct Alaska Native cultures and twenty State-recognized official Alaska Native languages. As a state, we have much to gain from providing a pathway for our education system to reflect this wealth of diversity and possibility,” he said.

“Partnering with tribes to deliver education will reestablish a sense of ownership and pride in the public educational system, and has the potential to substantially improve educational outcomes,” Stevens said.

Alaska, like many states, has a staunch policy of local control as regards education policy and budget decisions. State-tribal compact schools will provide another avenue for addressing existing challenges and ensuring that children are prepared to be healthy, productive community members and to be positioned for success,” he said.

The bill moved through the Republican-controlled Senate at a fast clip. It was voted from the Senate Education Committee March 18 and from the Judiciary Committee March 30. It went to the Senate floor for approval April 4.

The Judiciary Committee modified the version it received from the Senate Education Committee require that a school district in which an application for a tribal school is made be at the table is discussions but will not be a party to negotiations. meaning the district is not a party to approval.

The Alaska Federation of Natives has voiced strong support for the bill.

In a white paper published in December, AFN said: “Schools not only teach reading, writing, and math; they help shape the way students think about the world and prepare them to live in that world. Academic research has clearly established that for Alaska Native children to become confident, knowledgeable adults … it is critical that they remain linguistically and culturally connected.”

“The incorporation of Native language and culture into the classroom has been successful and appreciated; but it is also clear that just teaching about culture is not enough to change educational outcomes. To influence those outcomes and improve our children’s future, we need our schools to implement pedagogies based on and provided through Alaska Native cultural perspectives,” which is best done under the leadership of Native elders in communities.

“There has been much welcomed progress over the years in many Alaskan schools that adopted the teaching recommendations of Alaska Native leaders, tribes and tribal organizations, educators, and academic experts. Native language education is now part of the curriculum and many schools have found ways to present other aspects of Native culture to students,” AFN said in a white paper on tribal compacting written in December.