Y
THE
Happy Finding the perfect gift can be challenging Community/C-1
K
Sunday
On Ice SoHi Stars tangle with Homer Mariners Sports/B-1
CLARION P E N I N S U L A
JANUARY 26, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 99
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Gov: $200 hike in student formula over 3 years BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sean Parnell’s education proposal would increase the per-pupil funding formula by about $200 over current levels over three years, a level that critics say is insufficient to meet the needs of districts. The bill would raise the base student allocation by $85 the first year, from $5,680 to $5,765, and then by $58 each of the next two years, bringing it to $5,881. Parnell’s office, in a release, said the proposed in-
crease was based upon percentage increases in recent public employee contracts. The total overall cost of the formula increase would be almost $50 million, according to the fiscal note. The increase is part of an overall education proposal introduced Friday that includes changes that Parnell said are aimed at giving kids more opportunities and parents more choice in options in where to send their kids to school. The bill, SB139 in the Senate and HB278 in the House, also would replace the high school
exit exam with taking the SAT, ACT, or WorkKeys skills test as a requirement to graduate. A student who did not take one of those tests and did not get a waiver but met other graduation requirements would get a “certificate of achievement.” Regulations implementing the test provisions and waiver standards would be left to the state board of education. The bill also would allow for high school students to test out of classes they’ve proven mastery in and receive course credit. It also would allow charter school applicants denied by
local school boards to appeal to the state education commissioner and it addresses residential schools and tax credits for certain education contributions. Parnell, who had been reluctant to increase the formula in the past, in part citing the need to see greater results, said he was proposing one now as a way to bring the two sides on the funding debate together to have a discussion about education in Alaska. Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, said he’s a big charter school supporter and agrees
with part of what Parnell is proposing. But he said the proposed funding increase falls far short. “Telling public school children that they have to do with fewer teachers, with bigger class sizes, with less curriculum and fewer job counselors, is telling the next generation we’re basically writing them off,” he said. The base student allocation
has not been raised in several years though lawmakers have approved funding for other, targeted needs, like rising energy costs. Gara’s office reached out to school superintendents in the Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks North Star Borough districts to see what kind of increase they would need to avoid the kind of cuts they’re facing. The responses ranged (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell gestures during a news conference he conducted on Thursday, in Juneau. Parnell says a per-pupil funding increase would be part of an overall education package he introduces.
Thousands hit with PFD glitch ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Some 16,000 applicants had difficulty with the new electronic signature feature when filing their Permanent Fund Dividend application online. There were no problems encountered filing the application itself and being issued a confirmation number, the Anchorage Daily News reported. But some people’s computers froze when trying to submit the electronic signature. And when some people exited the window, they didn’t continue to the “Pick. Click. Give.” page to donate a portion of their return to one of about 500 nonprofits.
C
Y
Above: Cody Grimes laughs as he hangs onto Josie Jones who lead a “Snake” dance during a Jabila’ina dancer’s performance at the Native Youth Olympics Saturday in Kenai. Right:Bengimin Ambrosiani stares into the distance as he competes with his twin Nickolas Ambrosiani during the Indian Stick Pull at the Native Youth Olympics in Kenai, Alaska. Photos and story by Rashah McChesney
Inside today Passing Showers 41/33
All for fun By Rashah McChesney Peninsula Clarion
The group of children sat, fidgeting, whispering, giggling and watching until the referee called two names. Two girls moved quickly onto the mat, crossed legs, each grabbing the other’s ankle and then hooking one of their arms together and waiting for the word to go. Suddenly, an explosion of action and both girls are making fists and straining to grip, to slip is to lose. Finally, one gets the edge and starts to lean backward,
pulling hard until the other girl slips and stops. The two shake hands and move back to the circle, waiting to cheer for the next duo. The gym at Kenai Middle School rang with cheers as groups of junior and senior athletes competed in the annual Native Youth Olympics, part of the weekend’s 38th annual Peninsula Winter Games. Fallon Hughes, 9, sat in the circle of girls competing in the arm pull, looking at Anevay Ambrosiani, 10, whose arm was red from the competition. “It kind of hurts,” Hughes See GAMES, page A-2
Officials said most glitches have been fixed, and people may log back on and go to the donation page. The majority of problems filing occurred during the first three days of the application period. March 31 is the deadline to file for PFDs, but people can add, change or delete a charitable contribution through Aug. 30. On the application page, a green button reads “Add or Change Your Pick. Click. Give Donation.” Officials recommend anybody completing the signature process use a computer rather than a mobile device.
Lawmakers see terms for AK LNG By TIM BRADNER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
More details are becoming available on the agreement signed by officials of Gov. Sean Parnell’s administration with the North Slope producers and TransCanada Corp. on the proposed large natural gas pipeline and liquefied natural gas export project. Companies engaged in the project endorsed the agreement for the Alaska LNG Project. “This agreement integrates the resources of all parties be-
hind this potential Alaska LNG project. It sets out guiding principles for the parties to negotiate project-enabling contracts once the Alaska Legislature passes the enabling legislation,” BP spokeswoman Dawn Patience said. The “Heads of Agreement,” or HOA, signed by the parties acknowledges the project is in the Pre-Front End Engineering and Design, or pre-FEED, phase, long a key goal sought by Parnell. However, before the $400 million pre-FEED work fully ramps up, the Legislature See GAS, page A-5
Proposed AK marijuana initiative finds support from some on Kenai Peninsula
For complete weather, see page A-14
By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Opinion......................... A-4 Alaska........................... A-5 Nation........................... A-7 World............................ A-9 Cops/courts................ A-12 Sports........................... B-1 Community................... C-1 Weddings...................... C-1 Dear Abby..................... C-2 Crossword..................... C-2 Horoscope.................... C-2 Classifieds................... C-3 Mini Page...................... C-7 TV...................... Clarion TV
Soldotna trial lawyer Eric Derleth has been writing articles in favor of marijuana legalization since he was 16. He makes no apologies about being a cannabis user and will readily debate the benefits of marijuana when compared to other legal vices, like alcohol and tobacco. “I think it’s clear (marijuana) is not terribly dangerous,” he said. “We have things that are legal that are extremely dangerous. Medical research shows alcohol is far and away the most dangerous drug, well above tobacco and heroin. It’s like looking at Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record so far above everyone else.” Alaskan supporters of the legalization of marijuana turned in more than 46,000 signatures to the state election office on Jan. 8 aiming to get the measure put on the Aug. 19 ballot. If approved, the ini-
Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584. AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill
Katrin Haugh, left, and Carol Thompson, of the Absentee and Petition Office, begin processing 20 boxes of over 46,000 signatures for a proposed ballot initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana in Alaska, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. C
M
Y
K
tiative would provide the state authority to tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana making it the third state to do so, behind Washington and Colorado. Under the proposed measure, cannabis use would be legal for adults 21 years old or older, allowing personal use possession of one ounce or less and no more than six marijuana plants, according to the proposed bill submitted to Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and the Alaska Department of Law. One of the co-sponsors of the initiative is Tim Hinterberger, a professor from the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington D.C. nonprofit policy reform group, is financing the coalition. Last August, Hinterberger spoke with Derleth on Sound-Off, a Kenai-area radio show, to provide the community information on the marijuana initiative. The owner of the Lucky Raven Tobacco See LEGAL, page A-2