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HOUSE BILL NO. 333
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE BYNUM
Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Education, Finance
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to technical readiness and career training education in public schools." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 3
to read: 4
LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the legislature that the Alaska technical 5
readiness and career training system will serve as the foundation of a statewide framework for 6
comprehensive career and technical education by providing dedicated and direct funding to 7
school districts to offer high quality, hands-on learning opportunities for students in grades six 8
through 12, through the incentivized integration of technical readiness, career training, and 9
work-based learning alongside traditional academic curricula and programs. 10
* Sec. 2. AS 14.17.420(a) is amended to read: 11
(a) As a component of public school funding, a district is eligible for special 12
needs and secondary school vocational and technical instruction funding and may be 13
eligible for intensive services funding as follows: 14
(1) special needs funding is available to a district to assist the district 15
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in providing special education, gifted and talented education, vocational education, 1
and bilingual education services to its students; a special needs funding factor of 1.20 2
shall be applied as set out in AS 14.17.410(b)(1); 3
(2) in addition to the special needs funding for which a district is 4
eligible under (1) of this subsection, a district is eligible for intensive services funding 5
for each special education student who needs and receives intensive services and is 6
enrolled on the last day of the count period; for each [SUCH] student, intensive 7
services funding is equal to the intensive student count multiplied by 13; 8
(3) in addition to the special needs and intensive services funding 9
available under (1) and (2) of this subsection, secondary school vocational and 10
technical instruction funding is available to assist districts in providing vocational and 11
technical instruction to students who are enrolled in a secondary school; a secondary 12
school vocational and technical instruction funding factor of 1.025 [1.015] shall be 13
applied as set out in AS 14.17.410(b)(1); in this paragraph, "vocational and technical 14
instruction" excludes costs associated with 15
(A) administrative expenses; and 16
(B) instruction in general literacy, mathematics, and job 17
readiness skills. 18
* Sec. 3. AS 14.17 is amended by adding a new section to article 2 to read: 19
Sec. 14.17.530. Minimum expenditure for technical, career, and work-20
based instruction. A district shall budget for and spend at least 80 percent of the 21
funds obtained for vocational and technical instruction under AS 14.17.420(a)(3) on 22
directly offering and supporting technical readiness, career training, and work-based 23
learning opportunities for students in grades six through 12. 24
* Sec. 4. AS 14.30 is amended by adding new sections to read: 25
Article 17. Career and Technical Education. 26
Sec. 14.30.810. Alaska technical readiness and career training system. (a) 27
The Alaska technical readiness and career training system is established in the 28
department to help develop and expand technical readiness and career training 29
programs across districts and to support the ongoing maintenance of the programs. 30
(b) A technical readiness and career training program developed under this 31
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section may include classroom instruction, laboratory-based technical education, 1
industry-aligned certification programs, hands-on training, apprenticeships, 2
internships, cooperative education, and other work-based learning opportunities. Each 3
technical readiness and career training program must 4
(1) be structured so that a student is evaluated based on the student's 5
degree of mastery of defined knowledge, skills, and abilities, as determined by the 6
program instructor; 7
(2) be designed to provide students with 8
(A) career pathways; 9
(B) credentials that build progressively on one another over 10
time and collectively contribute toward additional credentials, postsecondary 11
degrees, advanced training, or career achievements within a defined career 12
pathway; and 13
(C) opportunities through technical readiness, career training, 14
or work-based learning programs that are accepted for credit toward high 15
school graduation, postsecondary education, or advanced standing or 16
placement in a public or private educational or training institution; 17
(3) be developed in collaboration with partners in the private sector, 18
labor organizations, tribal entities, postsecondary educational institutions, private 19
training providers, and municipal governments to ensure the program is aligned with 20
current and future workforce needs; 21
(4) integrate technical readiness and work-based learning by providing 22
students with 23
(A) foundational academic knowledge; 24
(B) industry-recognized technical skills; and 25
(C) practical competencies necessary for successful entry into 26
the workforce, apprenticeships, technical training programs, or postsecondary 27
educational institutions. 28
(c) In this section, "industry-aligned certification program" means a course of 29
education or training that prepares students for the attainment of credentials that are 30
recognized, endorsed, or required by employers, industry associations, labor 31
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organizations, or regulatory bodies within a specific industry or occupational field and 1
that reflect current or projected standards of workforce skills and employment needs 2
as identified through collaborations with private sector, labor, tribal, or postsecondary 3
partners. 4
Sec. 14.30.820. Technical readiness and career training system 5
coordinator. A technical readiness and career training system coordinator is 6
established in the department to oversee the Alaska technical readiness and career 7
training system established in the department. The coordinator shall 8
(1) develop and maintain a repository of career and technical education 9
resources in the department, including resources relating to curricula, best practices, 10
and industry-aligned training modules; 11
(2) support districts with developing, implementing, and maintaining 12
technical readiness and career training programs; 13
(3) facilitate partnerships between districts, industry partners, labor 14
organizations, tribal entities, private training programs, and postsecondary institutions 15
to support technical readiness and career training programs; 16
(4) regularly evaluate the effect of career and technical education on 17
student outcomes and workforce readiness; 18
(5) provide recommendations for program improvements; 19
(6) collect and analyze data on technical readiness and career training 20
program enrollment and completion rates and the number of career and technical 21
education students who are placed in apprenticeships, obtained employment, and 22
attended postsecondary educational institutions; and 23
(7) create and maintain a model agreement for districts and partner 24
entities to use as provided under AS 14.30.830(a). 25
Sec. 14.30.830. Technical readiness and career training in our 26
neighborhood program. (a) A district may enter into an agreement with a partner 27
entity to allow high school students to earn school credit for participation in technical 28
readiness, career training education, and work-based learning opportunities provided 29
by the partner entity. To take effect, an agreement must be ratified by the school board 30
and approved by the technical readiness and career training system coordinator. A 31
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district and partner entity may use the model agreement created and maintained by the 1
coordinator under AS 14.30.820(7) or develop another agreement to establish the 2
terms of participation. A district shall allow school credits earned under an agreement 3
to apply toward meeting the requirements for a certificate of graduation from high 4
school. 5
(b) Subject to appropriation, a district is eligible to receive $150 for each half-6
unit of credit earned by a student through an agreement with a partner entity, up to a 7
maximum of $450 a student each school year. 8
(c) On or before the 10th legislative day of each regular session of the 9
legislature, the department shall submit a report on education offered under this 10
section, including, for the previous school year, the total amount awarded to each 11
district under (b) of this section, the number of students in each grade level for whom 12
each district received funding under (b) of this section, and the names of partner 13
entities that have entered into agreements with districts authorized under (a) of this 14
section. The department shall deliver a copy of the report to the senate secretary and 15
the chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature that the report 16
is available. 17
Sec. 14.30.840. Definitions. In AS 14.30.810 - 14.30.840, 18
(1) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.900; 19
(2) "partner entity" means an in-state postsecondary educational 20
institution, tribal entity, labor organization, business, nonprofit, or municipal 21
government with which a district has entered into an agreement under AS 14.30.830. 22