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Alaska2026Passed Legislature

SB278

School Funding Rules for Enrollment Drops and Closures

Last scannedSep 20, 2026, 12:32 AM

In one sentence

This bill changes how Alaska calculates school funding to help districts keep money when student numbers drop by at least five percent or when schools close and merge.

What it does

  • It allows a district to use past enrollment numbers if its adjusted student count drops by five percent or more in one year.
  • It lets districts recover lost funding over three years after an enrollment drop, using percentages of the difference from the previous high year (75%, 50%, then 25%).
  • It sets up a similar recovery plan for four years when schools close and merge with other schools in the same community.
  • It states that these rules do not apply if student numbers fall because of boundary changes under AS 29.

Who it affects

  • City or borough school districts in Alaska
  • Schools within those districts that experience enrollment drops or consolidation

Limits and unknowns

  • The bill text is cut off before listing all conditions that stop a district from using these rules after closing a school.
  • The effective date for when this law starts is not listed in the provided source material.
  • The specific math formulas used to calculate funding recovery are complex and depend on exact student counts.

Plain language

Terms to know

ADM (Average Daily Membership)
A count of students used to calculate how much funding a district receives.
Basic Need
The total amount of money calculated for a school district based on student numbers and factors like special needs or vocational classes.
Consolidation
When one or more schools close and merge with other schools in the same area.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill text

Official summary

LOCAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS An Act relating to the required local contribution made by a city or borough school district for public school funding; and providing for an effective date.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. (S) REFERRED TO FINANCE2683
  2. (S) FN2: (EED/FUND CAP)2683
  3. (S) FN1: ZERO(EED)2683
  4. (S) DP: YUNDT2683
  5. (S) NR: TOBIN, KIEHL, STEVENS2683
  6. (S) EDC RPT CS 3NR 1DP NEW TITLE2683
  7. (S) Moved CSSB 278(EDC) Out of CommitteeText
  8. (S) EDUCATION at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  9. (S) Heard & HeldText
  10. (S) EDUCATION at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  11. (S) -- Invited & Public Testimony -- -- MEETING CANCELED --Text
  12. (S) EDUCATION at 03:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  13. (S) EDC, FIN1954
  14. (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS1954