Senate Education Committee forwards three nominees to Professional Teaching Practices Commission

Juneau — The Alaska Senate Education Committee on April 7 recommended that three governor’s appointees to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission be forwarded to a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature for consideration.

The committee, meeting at 3:36 p.m. in the Beltz Committee Room at the State Capitol in Juneau, moved the names Angie Alston, Catherine Baird and Patrick Frymark to a joint session. "The Senate Education Committee has reviewed the qualifications of the governor's appointees ... and recommends the following names be forwarded to a joint session for consideration," President Stevens said during the committee's closing remarks. He added that the committee recommendation "does not reflect the intent of any of the members of the education committee to vote for or against these individuals during the joint session to consider confirmations."

The Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC) reviews complaints and can impose discipline, including probation or revocation of educator certification, to enforce ethics and safety standards for Alaska teachers. The committee held separate confirmation hearings for each nominee but took no public testimony; the chair closed public testimony after finding no speakers in the room or online.

Angela Alston introduced herself as "an assistant professor in the secondary education department in the School of Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks" and described 18 years of classroom experience in the Bering Strait School District. She told the committee, "I believe that all students in Alaska deserve good teachers," and said she values supporting teachers who are new to rural schools and helping them build relationships with students and families.

Catherine Baird spoke about prior legal and prosecutorial experience and her current work as a third-grade teacher. She said her work in law required approaching matters neutrally and applying precedent — skills she said translate to PTPC service. "Ensuring a safe quality education for all of Alaska students is vital to our future," Baird said.

Patrick Frymark described classroom and advocacy experience in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, including work as a teacher-rights representative. He said the commission exists to balance due process and student safety: "Everyone is entitled to be heard, that everyone is entitled to due process," Frymark told the committee.

Committee members questioned each nominee about the PTPC code of ethics and whether changes were needed. All three nominees called the current code generally "robust" and said any potential improvements would depend on seeing how the commission applies standards in particular cases. Several senators asked whether the commission should ever act differently than a local school board; nominees said decisions would depend on the facts, the potential for ongoing harm, and the commission’s review of mitigating and aggravating circumstances.

The committee completed its review and will forward the names to a joint session; members were asked to remain after adjournment to sign the committee report. Chair remarks also noted that Senate Bill 13 (summer EBT benefits for children) was removed from the committee’s April 7 agenda and rescheduled for the committee’s April 9 hearing, where the committee will also hold first hearings on Senate Bill 8 (education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students) and Senate Bill 143 (municipal school board term limits). The April 9 hearing will include interpreters in the committee room.

No formal roll-call vote on the confirmations was recorded in the committee hearing; the committee issued a recommendation to forward the three names to a joint session for final confirmation action.