Salmon and Cissna File Anti-Bullying Bill

House Bill 233, sponsored by Reps. Woodie Salmon (D-Beaver) and Sharon Cissna (D-Anchorage), will protect Alaska's children against bullying in public schools.

The bill requires school districts to develop and enforce policies to prohibit bullying, harassment and intimidation.

According to a nationwide survey of 1,000 students by the Families and Work Institute conducted in 2002, 32 percent of the students surveyed said they'd been bullied at least once in the month prior to the survey, and 12 percent had been bullied five times or more in the same time period. A similar survey, in 1998, showed that 30 percent of the 15,700 students surveyed had been bullied or had bullied another.

This bill is currently in the House Special Committee on Education.

Croft Bill Would Reduce Class Sizes

House Bill 247, sponsored by Representative Eric Croft (D-Anchorage) will dramatically cut the size of classes from kindergarten through third grade.

Research suggests that class sizes must be reduced to 15 or less before students really benefit. Students from smaller classes continue to perform better as they move through the educational system.

Under Representative Croft's bill, any school that commits to reducing class sizes to 15 or fewer students for grades K-3 would be eligible for a grant from the state. Grants would be administered school by school with each school committing to studying the academic progress of the students from smaller classes.

Allowing districts to decide when and how to reduce class sizes prevents problems that could be caused by a law that requires all schools to make reductions immediately.

This bill is currently in the House Special Committee on Education.

Upcoming Events-

Thursday, April 7th - 12:00 noon-Representative Max Gruenberg (D-Anchorage) will speak at the Egan Forum at the Baranof Hotel. The title of his talk is "Democratic Values."

Saturday, April 9th - Senator Bettye Davis and Representatives Sharon Cissna and Harry Crawford will hold their second constituent meeting of the 2005 legislative session from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the multipurpose room of Baxter Elementary School in Anchorage.

The three East Anchorage Democrats will talk about issues affecting the current legislative session, including education funding, the gas pipeline, health care and a long-range fiscal plan for the state. They will also take questions. Food will be served.

Saturday, April 9th - Senator Hollis French and Representatives Ethan Berkowitz and Eric Croft will hold their 2005 constituent meeting and pizza party from noon to 2:00 pm at the Spenard Recreation Center, 2020 W. 48th. For more information, please call Rep. Berkowitz at 1-888-465-4919.

Putting Alaskans First - Moving Alaska Forward