Read the full stored bill text
HB0358a -1- HB 358
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
34-LS1480\N
HOUSE BILL NO. 358
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVES ELAM, McCabe
Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Education, Labor and Commerce
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act establishing the career and technical education mobility grant program; 1
relating to pre-apprenticeship and work-based learning opportunities for secondary 2
school students; and providing for an effective date." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read: 5
(a) The department shall 6
(1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 7
except the University of Alaska; 8
(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 9
adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 10
performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 11
of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 12
develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 13
preparatory courses; 14
34-LS1480\N
HB 358 -2- HB0358a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 1
governing bodies and personnel; 2
(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 3
schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 4
given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 5
(5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Family and 6
Community Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held 7
in juvenile detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are 8
defined in AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 9
(6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 10
prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 11
department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 12
session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 13
whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 14
the members of each house; 15
(7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 16
marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe 17
conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 18
physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 19
private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 20
(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that 21
receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by 22
a school district for students four and five years of age, approve an early education 23
program provided by a school district that complies with the standards adopted by the 24
board under AS 14.07.165(a)(5), and revoke approval of an early education program if 25
the program does not comply with the standards adopted by the board under 26
AS 14.07.165(a)(5); 27
(9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 28
correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 29
educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 30
Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 31
34-LS1480\N
HB0358a -3- HB 358
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 1
accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 2
paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 3
licensed; 4
(11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 5
secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 6
elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 7
department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 8
construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 9
include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 10
and costs, and final contract documents; 11
(12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 12
education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 13
are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 14
unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 15
will lead to employment opportunities; 16
(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 17
(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 18
school bus driver training course; 19
(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 20
and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 21
behavior; 22
(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 23
under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 24
practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 25
(A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 26
and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 27
(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 28
AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 29
consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 30
increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 31
34-LS1480\N
HB 358 -4- HB0358a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 1
(C) a process for districts to petition the department for 2
continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 3
(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 4
education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 5
redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15); 6
(18) establish a reading program to provide direct support for and 7
intervention in the reading intervention programs of participating schools as described 8
in AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770; 9
(19) annually convene, either in person or electronically, a panel to 10
review and comment on the effectiveness of the programs created by the department 11
and the regulations adopted by the board to implement AS 14.03.410, 14.03.420, 12
AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, and 14.30.800; the panel 13
(A) shall provide recommendations and guidance to the board, 14
the department, and the legislature on how to integrate early education and 15
reading programs created under this title with tribal compacting or programs 16
focused on cultural education within the department; 17
(B) shall discuss support for reading in Alaska Native 18
languages and other non-English languages; 19
(C) must collectively represent the regions of the state and 20
include teachers of grades kindergarten through three, school administrators, 21
parents of students in grades kindergarten through three, stakeholders from 22
Indigenous language immersion programs, representatives from early 23
education stakeholder groups, and researchers of best practices for improving 24
literacy performance, including best practices for instruction of Indigenous 25
students and students whose first language is not English; 26
(20) collaborate with the Department of Labor and Workforce 27
Development under AS 44.31.020 to identify and expand pre-apprenticeship and 28
work-based learning opportunities for secondary school students, using existing 29
workforce or training programs where practicable. 30
* Sec. 2. AS 14.07.020(a), as amended by sec. 16, ch. 40, SLA 2022, is amended to read: 31
34-LS1480\N
HB0358a -5- HB 358
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(a) The department shall 1
(1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 2
except the University of Alaska; 3
(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 4
adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 5
performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 6
of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 7
develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 8
preparatory courses; 9
(3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 10
governing bodies and personnel; 11
(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 12
schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 13
given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 14
(5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Health and Social 15
Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in juvenile 16
detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are defined in 17
AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 18
(6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 19
prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 20
department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 21
session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 22
whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 23
the members of each house; 24
(7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 25
marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe 26
conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 27
physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 28
private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 29
(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that 30
receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by 31
34-LS1480\N
HB 358 -6- HB0358a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
a school district for students four and five years of age; 1
(9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 2
correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 3
educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 4
Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 5
(10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 6
accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 7
paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 8
licensed; 9
(11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 10
secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 11
elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 12
department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 13
construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 14
include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 15
and costs, and final contract documents; 16
(12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 17
education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 18
are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 19
unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 20
will lead to employment opportunities; 21
(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 22
(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 23
school bus driver training course; 24
(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 25
and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 26
behavior; 27
(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 28
under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 29
practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 30
(A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 31
34-LS1480\N
HB0358a -7- HB 358
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 1
(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 2
AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 3
consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 4
increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 5
arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 6
(C) a process for districts to petition the department for 7
continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 8
(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 9
education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 10
redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15); 11
(18) collaborate with the Department of Labor and Workforce 12
Development under AS 44.31.020 to identify and expand pre-apprenticeship and 13
work-based learning opportunities for secondary school students, using existing 14
workforce or training programs where practicable. 15
* Sec. 3. AS 14.30 is amended by adding a new section to read: 16
Article 17. Career and Technical Education Mobility Grant Program. 17
Sec. 14.30.810. Statewide career and technical education mobility grant 18
program. (a) The statewide career and technical education mobility grant program is 19
established in the department to encourage participation in career and technical 20
education programs by facilitating students who are enrolled in one school district to 21
participate in career and technical education programs offered by a different school 22
district. Grants awarded under this section are subject to appropriation. If insufficient 23
money is appropriated to fully fund the program, the department shall prioritize 24
awarding funding to host districts with small student populations, with limited 25
capacity to deliver a career and technical education program, or where distance, lack 26
of road access, seasonal travel limitations, or reliance on air or ferry transportation 27
materially increase the cost or time required for students to participate in career and 28
technical education programs. 29
(b) The department may award to a host district a grant to reimburse the 30
district for the incremental, student-specific, or participation-specific expenses the 31
34-LS1480\N
HB 358 -8- HB0358a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
district incurs by providing career and technical education to students enrolled in a 1
different school district. Allowable uses of grant funds distributed under this 2
subsection include program-specific infrastructure and equipment improvements 3
necessary to accommodate additional students. Funding awarded under this subsection 4
may not exceed the amount awarded to the school district for performance-based 5
incentive grants under (c) of this section. 6
(c) The department may award to a host district a performance-based incentive 7
grant. The department may not adopt a regulation that caps the total amount of a grant 8
that may be awarded under this subsection. In determining whether to award a grant to 9
a host district under this subsection, the department shall consider 10
(1) measurable outcomes of the host district's career and technical 11
education program, including whether the program 12
(A) results in a student gaining a certification; 13
(B) includes apprenticeships or direct-to-employment 14
placements; 15
(C) allows a student to earn both high school and college 16
credit; and 17
(D) measures a student's demonstrated improvement in 18
(i) academic skills that directly support workforce 19
participation and technical skill development; or 20
(ii) foundational academic areas, including general 21
academic engagement and attendance, when those improvements are 22
reasonably related to participation in a career and technical education 23
program; 24
(2) the number of students in the host district's career and technical 25
education program who achieve measurable outcomes such as earning a certification, 26
earning dual high school and college credit, participating in an apprenticeship, or 27
gaining employment in a field related to the student's career and technical education; 28
and 29
(3) the percentage of students who are enrolled in the host district's 30
career and technical education program who achieve a measurable outcome described 31
34-LS1480\N
HB0358a -9- HB 358
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
in (2) of this subsection. 1
(d) The department may award to a host district a facility and equipment 2
modernization grant to update or expand career and technical education facilities and 3
equipment. Allowable uses of grant funds distributed under this subsection include 4
facility safety and compliance upgrades that are required under state or federal law. In 5
determining whether to award a grant under this subsection, the department shall 6
prioritize grants for facilities or equipment that will be used by multiple school 7
districts and shall consider 8
(1) how and whether the host district's existing career and technical 9
education program uses the facilities or equipment; 10
(2) whether the host district's career and technical education program 11
meets relevant performance outcomes, as determined by the department; and 12
(3) whether the host district's career and technical program includes 13
apprenticeship agreements or industry partnerships. 14
(e) In implementing this section, the department shall try to minimize the 15
administrative burden placed on a host district by using existing reporting systems and 16
data sources when possible. 17
(f) The department shall adopt regulations necessary to implement this 18
section. 19
(g) In this section, 20
(1) "career and technical education" means classes or programs 21
designed to provide a student with technical skills, industry certifications, or 22
workforce preparation; 23
(2) "host district" means a school district providing career and 24
technical education to students enrolled in a different school district; 25
(3) "school district" means a municipal school district or a regional 26
educational attendance area. 27
* Sec. 4. AS 44.31.020 is amended to read: 28
Sec. 44.31.020. Duties of department. The Department of Labor and 29
Workforce Development shall 30
(1) enforce the laws and adopt regulations under them concerning 31
34-LS1480\N
HB 358 -10- HB0358a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
employer-employee relationships, including the safety, hours of work, wages, and 1
conditions of workers, including children; 2
(2) accumulate, analyze, and report labor statistics; 3
(3) operate systems of workers' compensation and unemployment 4
insurance; 5
(4) gather data reflecting the cost of living in various locations of the 6
state upon request of the director of personnel under AS 39.27.030; 7
(5) operate the federally funded employment and training programs 8
under 29 U.S.C. 2801 - 2945 (Workforce Investment Act of 1998); 9
(6) administer the state's program of adult basic education and adopt 10
regulations to administer the program; 11
(7) administer the programs of the Alaska Vocational Technical Center 12
and adopt regulations to administer the programs, including regulations that set rates 13
for student tuition and room and board and fees for the programs and services 14
provided by the department regarding the Alaska Vocational Technical Center; [AND] 15
(8) gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class in 16
a district by collecting career, postsecondary education, and residency data on each 17
student in the graduating class; the department shall gather the data required under this 18
paragraph every five years for 20 years after the high school graduation date of each 19
high school graduating class; the department shall publish a biennial report on the data 20
gathered under this paragraph; in this paragraph, "district" has the meaning given in 21
AS 14.17.990; and 22
(9) collaborate with the Department of Education and Early 23
Development under AS 14.07.020 to identify and expand pre-apprenticeship and 24
work-based learning opportunities for secondary school students, using existing 25
workforce or training programs where practicable. 26
* Sec. 5. Section 2 of this Act takes effect on the effective date of sec. 16, ch. 40, SLA 27
2022. 28