Bridget Weiss, Superintendent of the Juneau School District, spoke in favor of SB 6 in front of the Senate Education Committee at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The bill is to provide money for prekindergarten education. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Bridget Weiss, Superintendent of the Juneau School District, spoke in favor of SB 6 in front of the Senate Education Committee at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The bill is to provide money for prekindergarten education. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Pre-K funding bill gives them something to talk about

Two hours of public testimony heard

The public and senators had a lot to say about a bill that could expand early education programs in Alaska.

A Senate Education Committee meeting Tuesday morning focused on providing time for public testimony on Senate Bill 6, which would allow schools to apply for three-year education development grants over the course of five years. At the end of the meeting, the bill was set aside for further consideration.

Decades of research demonstrates pre-K makes a difference,” said Stephanie Berglund, CEO for thread, a nonprofit that works to increase access to early care and education. “We can invest now or pay more later.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The proposed bill requests about $3.4 million for fiscal year 2020 for pre-K grants and $361,600 in that same period for education support and administrative services, according to the bill’s fiscal notes.

Others present who spoke favorably of expanding early childhood education included City and Borough of Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss, Executive Director for Best Beginnings Abbe Hensley, National Education Association-Alaska President Tim Parker and Sen. Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, who co-sponsored SB 6.

[City votes against funding pre-K pilot program]

Parker said strong early childhood education is part of the promise implicit in the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development’s name, which is different from what many other states call a department of education.

“We’re the Department of Education & Early Development,” Parker said. “This bill is pushing us in this direction. We should lean into that promise.”

Berglund, Begich, Hensley, Weiss, Parker and members of the public said strong pre-K programs have positive effects.

Bridget Weiss, Superintendent of the Juneau School District, spoke in favor of SB 6 in front of the Senate Education Committee at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The bill is to provide money for prekindergarten education. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Bridget Weiss, Superintendent of the Juneau School District, spoke in favor of SB 6 in front of the Senate Education Committee at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. The bill is to provide money for prekindergarten education. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

They said such programs are tied to readiness for kindergarten, improved academic performance, higher high school graduation rates, lower incarceration rates and higher future earning.

Others who gave testimony included educators and grandparents who spoke positively about pre-K programs.

However, not everyone who spoke was in favor of the bill.

David Nees of Anchorage, who called to offer testimony, said the bill had some good ideas, but he would like to see state-specific data regarding the effectiveness of pre-K programs.

“You have had many thousands of children go through the program, but you have no data,” he said.

Caller David Boyle urged committee members to do their own research and said the data provided was cherry picked to depict pre-K in a positive light and largely repudiated the idea that pre-K gives students an advantage.

Boyle is listed as a senior education policy fellow on the Alaska Policy Forum website, but said he was offering testimony on his own behalf.

He cited a recent Vanderbilt University study that showed pre-K programs do have early positive effects but students who were not enrolled in pre-K eventually catch up to their peers.

He also said pre-K programs insert the state into a role that should be filled by parents and suggested legislators consider a pilot program that would get parents more involved in early childhood education.

“I have faith in parents, and that they know their kids better than the government does,” Boyle said.

After that testimony wrapped, Begich countered by saying there are many studies that show quality pre-K advantages do not fade, and he similarly recommended committee members research the matter.

“No cherry picking here, Mr. Chairman, just the facts,” Begich said to Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, chairman for the committee.

During Weiss’ testimony, she spoke strongly in favor of pre-K and child care.

[First University of Alaska Southeast Student participates in scholarship program]

She offered anecdotal evidence that such programs make a difference and said lack of child care is a concern in Juneau.

Weiss is part of a CBJ Assembly Childcare Committee examining that matter.

Additionally, Weiss said she hopes the district will be able to put together Juneau-specific data about the impact of pre-K programs over summer.

She also cautioned educators to keep in mind there are a large number of factors that impact education statistics.

“There are so many variables,” Weiss said. “Education data is seldom scientific.”


• Contact Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.


Pre-K funding bill gives them something to talk about

More in News

Vice President Kelly Cooper speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough considers seasonal sales tax rate

Borough sales tax would be modified from a flat 3% to a seasonal model of 4% in summer months and 2% in winter months.

The Kasilof River is seen from the Kasilof River Recreation Area, July 30, 2019, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
King salmon fishing on Kasilof closes Thursday

If any king salmon is caught while fishing for other species, they may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Un’a, a female sea otter pup who was admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center in June 2025, plays with an enrichment toy at the center in Seward, Alaska. Photo courtesy of the Alaska SeaLife Center
SeaLife Center admits 2 seal pups, 1 orphaned otter

The three pups join the Alaska SeaLife Center’s ‘growing’ patient list.

James Wardlow demonstrates flilleting a salmon with an ulu during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Refuge to celebrate all things fish during weeklong event

Fish Week will take place July 16-19.

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in