Alaska2026Passed Legislature
SB257
SB 257: Changes to Funding for Residential Schools
Last scannedSep 14, 2026, 12:32 AM
In one sentence
This bill changes how the state calculates monthly payments for room and board at residential schools by using percentages of base student funding instead of fixed dollar amounts.
What it does
- Allows school districts to claim one round trip on the least expensive transportation between home and school if they pay for it.
- Changes the method for calculating monthly stipends for room and board from set dollar amounts to percentages based on base student allocation.
- Sets specific percentage rates for each of Alaska's five regions, ranging from 36 percent in Southcentral to 53 percent in Northern Remote areas.
Who it affects
- School districts that operate or send students to residential schools
- The state department responsible for determining education funding rates
Limits and unknowns
- The bill does not list specific dollar amounts, so the actual payment depends on future changes to the base student allocation.
- The text defines regional percentages but does not explain how a district determines which region applies if boundaries change.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Residential school
- A school where room and board expenses are covered by a per-pupil monthly stipend.
- Base student allocation
- The standard amount of money set out in AS 14.17.470 used to calculate funding percentages.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
EDUCATION FUNDING: RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS An Act relating to funding for residential schools; and providing for an effective date.
Official activity
Bill history
- (S) Heard & HeldText
- (S) EDUCATION at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
- (S) REFERRED TO EDUCATION1754
- (S) EDC, FIN1754
- (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS1754