Joint Education Committee Minutes

Draft Only Approval Pending of SUMMARY P ROCEEDINGS JOINT EDUCATION INTERIM COMMITTEE COMM ITTEE M EETING I NFORMATION July 15 and 16, 2013 Central Wyoming College Little Theater (SC 104) Riverton, Wyoming JOINT EDUC ATIO N COM M ITTEE M EM BERS PRESENT Senator Hank Coe, Cochairman Representative Matt Teeters, Cochairman Senator Jim Anderson (SD02) Senator Bill Landen Senator Chris Rothfuss Representative Kathy Connolly Representative John Freeman Representative Hans Hunt Representative John Patton Representative Garry Pipparinen Representative David Northrup Representative Albert Sommers SELECT COMMITTEE ON T RIB AL REL ATIO NS M EM BERS PRESENT Senator Cal Case, Cochairman Representative Patrick Goggles, Cochairman Senator Bernadine Craft Representative Lloyd Larsen Representative Jerry Paxton COMM ITTEE M EM BERS NOT PRESENT AT M EETING Senator Paul Barnard ADDITIONAL LEGISLATORS PRESENT AT M EETING Senator Eli Bebout The Committee Meeting Summary of Proceedings (meeting minutes) is prepared by the Legislative Service Office (LSO) and is the official record of the proceedings of a legislative committee meeting. This document does not represent a transcript of the meeting; it is a digest of the meeting and provides a record of official actions taken by the Committee. All meeting materials and handouts provided to the Committee by the Legislative Service Office, public officials, lobbyists, and the public are on file at the Legislative Service Office and are part of the official record of the meeting. An index of these materials is provided at the end of this document and these materials are on file at the Legislative Service Office. For more information or to review meeting materials, please contact the Legislative Service Office at (307) 777-7881 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The Summary of Proceedings for each legislative committee meeting can be found on the Wyoming Legislature’s website at http://legisweb.state.wy.us. PAGE 2 OF 17 LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE STAFF Dave Nelson, School Finance Manager Matt Willmarth, School Finance Analyst Tania Hytrek, Staff Attorney Lily Sharpe, Staff Attorney OTHERS PRESENT AT M EETING Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Joint Education Committee (JEC) met to receive information from various educational agencies and interest groups. Topics discussed included the education of Wyoming's Native American population, alternative learning environments, early childhood education, the Hathaway Scholarship program, data and technology. The Select Committee on Tribal Relations joined the Joint Education Committee for the discussion related to educational opportunities for Wyoming's Native American Population. CALL TO ORDER Co-Chairman Coe called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic. Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda. UPDATE: EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WYOMING'S NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATION. WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Dr. Jim Rose, Interim Director of the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), spoke to the Committee about educational issues related to Wyoming's Native American population. Topics included educational programs, financial resources and student performance related to the noted population. Dr. David Holbrook, Federal Programs Division Director, WDE, briefly discussed the A-133 Compliance Monitoring of Fremont County School District #38 (FCSD #38). See Appendix 3 and 4. Dr. Rose summarized his discussions with FCSD #38 regarding the findings and recommendations of the audit and next steps related to this issue. Dr. Holbrook briefed the Committee about the financial resources provided to the districts which serve Wyoming's Native American population, including the school foundation program and federal programs and impact aid. See Appendix 5. Dr. Rose and Dr. Holbrook moved on to discussion of the academic performance of the Native American population. See Appendices 6, 7, 8 and 9. The information included discussion of graduation rates by district, performance results on the statewide assessment and adequate yearly progress. Dr. Rose and Dr. Holbrook outlined some of the difficulties faced by the districts serving these students, including substantial turn-over of school and district personnel. Dr. Holbrook also discussed the history related to the education of this population and the stigma that must be overcome culturally and the importance of receiving an education. He cited specifically to the practice of sending students to boarding schools and prohibiting the speaking of their native language as setbacks to the education of the Native American population. Dr. Holbrook also provided the Committee with information related to the Wyoming Education Native American Conference, hosted by the WDE and generally discussed the role of the tribal liaison as employed by the Wyoming Department of Education. See Appendix 10. JOINT EDUCATION INTERIM COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE http://legisweb.state.wy.us PAGE 3 OF 17 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Ms. Paige Fenton-Hughes, Coordinator for the Wyoming State Board of Education (SBE), spoke to the Committee about the issues facing the Native American student population from the perspective of the SBE. See Appendix 11. Mr. Scotty Ratliff, member of the SBE, stated the academic issues facing the Native American population is not a cultural issue, but is related to poverty and socio-economic issues. Senator Rothfuss inquired about the possibility of raising the age for compulsory attendance to age eighteen, as proposed during the 2013 session, and he inquired if the State Board would support this as a possible successful intervention. Mr. Ratliff responded that the reservation has already adopted a policy of attendance through age eighteen. FREMONT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT # 14 (FCSD #14) Ms. Michelle Hoffman, Superintendent, FCSD #14, spoke to the Committee about educational issues as experienced in the district she serves. See Appendix 12. She provided the Committee with information related to the socio-economic issues experienced by the Native American population. She also discussed the academic performance of the Native American population, noting that progress is being made. Ms. Hoffman suggested increasing the penalties associated with compulsory attendance and failure to send your children to school. In addition, she noted the importance of pre-school and kindergarten readiness in the educational success of all students. FREMONT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #21 (FCSD #21) Ms. Karen King, Board Member, FCSD #21 gave the Committee several suggestions with regard to improving the services for the Native American population, including reconsideration of assessment tools, noting that these tools are not created to assess skills and knowledge of the Native America population. She also suggested working closely with the community colleges and the University of Wyoming to focus on teaching methods to deal specifically with the Native American population. Ms. King requested the Committee learn about the history of America and the impact and importance of the Native American population. FREMONT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #38 (FCSD #38) Ms. Chantell Denson, Superintendent, FCSD #38, provided the Committee with information related to her efforts in the district she serves. She noted the systemic issues of poverty and socio-economic status that impact the performance and learning of the Native American population. Senator Rothfuss requested additional information regarding pre-school opportunities for this population. Ms. Denson responded that pre-school opportunities have been limited due in part to the decisions of the School Facilities Department. Representative Connolly inquired about the possibility of implementing a pilot pre-school program. Ms. Denson was receptive to this idea and commented that a pilot program would be useful in her district to serve the pre-kindergarten population. ST. STEPHENS SCHOOL Mr. Mike Hejtmanek, Superintendent, spoke to the Committee about the activities of St. Stephens School. See Appendix 13. He outlined various initiatives that he is instituting as the new superintendent, including utilization of a block schedule as opposed to a seven period day and shifting the focus of students to concentration on academic performance. Mr. Hejtmanek suggested that increased parental involvement would also be beneficial in relation to student learning and in turn, performance on academic assessments. JOINT EDUCATION INTERIM COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE http://legisweb.state.wy.us PAGE 4 OF 17 NORTHERN ARAPAHO BUSINESS COUNCIL Mr. Willard Gould, Northern Arapaho Business Council, echoed the comments made by the various school districts and noted his support for education and the continued learning of the Native American population. Mr. Al Addison, Northern Arapaho Business Council, also spoke to the Committee. He noted the importance of focusing on education and supporting the continued learning of the population. Mr. Addison suggested the state officials increase communication in reference to education issues and

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