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SENATE BILL NO. 1001
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SPECIAL SESSION
BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
Introduced: 8/2/25
Referred: Education, Finance
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to public school enrollment; relating to autho rization of charter 1
schools; establishing an after-sc hool literacy grant program; a nd authorizing lump sum 2
payments for certain teachers as retention and recruitment incentives." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 14.03.080(a) is amended to read: 5
(a) Subject to AS 14.14.110 and 14.14.120, a [A] child of school age is 6
entitled to attend public school without payment of tuition during the school term 7
(1) in the school district in which the child is a resident; and 8
(2) except as provided in (i) of this section, upon applicatio n to a 9
school district, at a school selected by the child's parent in or outside the school 10
district in which the child is a resident subject to 11
(A) capacity limitations of the selected school; 12
(B) a school district's lottery policy for determining 13
enrollment; 14
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(C) regulations that the department shall adopt to 1
(i) require a school district to accept students upon 2
application throughout the sch ool year as capacity becomes 3
available; 4
(ii) require a school district to report to the 5
department and publish on the school district's Internet websit e 6
annually student enrollment data at each school, including capacity 7
and vacancies for each grade; the number of applications, 8
acceptances, and denials; and the reasons for any denial; 9
(iii) compensate a school district at the end of a 10
school year to account for a year-end ADM that is greater than the 11
district's student count data provided under AS 14.17.600; 12
(iv) establish a procedure for appealing a school 13
district's denial of an enrollment application; and 14
(v) establish an enrollment procedure for accepting 15
students by lottery [ S U B J E C T T O T H E P R O V I S I O N S O F 16
AS 14.14.110 AND 14.14.120]. 17
* Sec. 2. AS 14.03.080 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 18
(i) Nothing in (a)(2) of this section applies to a corresponde nce study program 19
under AS 14.03.300. 20
* Sec. 3. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 21
Sec. 14.03.254. Application for ch arter school to the board. ( a ) T h e s t a t e 22
Board of Education and Early Deve lopment shall prescribe by reg ulation a procedure 23
for the establishment of a charter school in any school distric t in the state by 24
application to the state board. 25
(b) The state Board of Educati on and Early Development shall i ssue a written 26
decision on an application for a charter school within 45 days after acceptance of the 27
application. If the state board approves a charter school appli cation, the local school 28
board shall operate the charter school as provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290. 29
* Sec. 4. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read: 30
(a) The department shall 31
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(1) exercise general supervis ion over the public schools of th e state 1
except the University of Alaska; 2
(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of th e state, 3
adopt or recommend plans, adminis ter and evaluate grants to imp rove school 4
performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 5
of the public schools; the depar tment may consult with the Univ ersity of Alaska to 6
develop secondary education requi rements to improve student ach ievement in college 7
preparatory courses; 8
(3) provide advisory and consu ltative services to all public s chool 9
governing bodies and personnel; 10
(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 11
schools; the regulations must pr ovide that, if a course in Amer ican Sign Language is 12
given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 13
(5) establish, in coordination w ith the Department of Family a nd 14
Community Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held 15
in juvenile detention facilities or juvenile treatment faciliti es, as those terms are 16
defined in AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 17
(6) accredit those public sc hools that meet accreditation stan dards 18
prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations s hall be adopted by the 19
department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 20
session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 21
whichever is earlier, unless di sapproved by a resolution concur red in by a majority of 22
the members of each house; 23
(7) prescribe by regulation, af ter consultation with the state f i r e 24
marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure he althful and safe 25
conditions in the public and priv ate schools of the state, incl uding a requirement of 26
physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schoo ls; the standards for 27
private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 28
(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs t h a t 29
receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by 30
a school district for students four and five years of age, appr ove an early education 31
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program provided by a school distr ict that complies with the st andards adopted by the 1
board under AS 14.07.165(a)(5), and revoke approval of an early education program if 2
the program does not comply with the standards adopted by the b oard under 3
AS 14.07.165(a)(5); 4
(9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 5
correspondence study programs offered by municipal school distr icts or regional 6
educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 7
Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 8
(10) accredit private schools th at request accreditation and t hat meet 9
accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the departm ent; nothing in this 10
paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or oth er private schools to be 11
licensed; 12
(11) review plans for construc tion of new public elementary an d 13
secondary schools and for additi ons to and major rehabilitation of existing public 14
elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regula tions adopted by the 15
department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 16
construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 17
include educational specifications , schematic designs, projecte d energy consumption 18
and costs, and final contract documents; 19
(12) provide educational opport unities in the areas of vocatio nal 20
education and training, and basi c education to individuals over 16 years of age who 21
are no longer attending school; th e department may consult with businesses and labor 22
unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 23
will lead to employment opportunities; 24
(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 25
(14) establish, in coordination w ith the Department of Public Safety, a 26
school bus driver training course; 27
(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 28
and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disr uptive or violent 29
behavior; 30
(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 31
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under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 1
practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 2
(A) a notice provision that alert s the district to the deficie ncies 3
and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 4
(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 5
AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and ( 15), after the district dem onstrates three 6
consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than tw o percent 7
increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 8
arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 9
(C) a process for districts to petition the department for 10
continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 11
(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction ove r 12
education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.0 7.030(a)(14) or 13
redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15); 14
(18) establish a reading program to provide direct support for and 15
intervention in the reading intervention programs of participating schools as described 16
in AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770; 17
(19) annually convene, either in person or electronically, a p anel to 18
review and comment on the effectiv eness of the programs created by the department 19
and the regulations adopted by the board to implement AS 14.03. 410, 14.03.420, 20
AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, and 14.30.800; the panel 21
(A) shall provide recommendati ons and guidance to the board, 22
the department, and the legislature on how to integrate early e ducation and 23
reading programs created under this title with tribal compactin g or programs 24
focused on cultural education within the department; 25
(B) shall discuss support for reading in Alaska Native 26
languages and other non-English languages; 27
(C) must collectively represent the regions of the state and 28
include teachers of grades kindergarten through three, school a dministrators, 29
parents of students in grades ki ndergarten through three, stake holders from 30
Indigenouse language immersion programs, representatives from e arly 31
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education stakeholder groups, a nd researchers of best practices for improving 1
literacy performance, including best practices for instruction of Indigenouse 2
students and students whose first language is not English; 3
(20) adopt regulations to implement and administer the literac y 4
grant program under AS 14.14.116, including regulations that es tablish 5
standards for grant application and award, and the measuring of the efficacy of 6
tutoring services provided by a grant recipient. 7
* Sec. 5. AS 14.07.170(a) is amended to read: 8
(a) The board may 9
(1) appoint unpaid advisory commissions; 10
(2) require school boards or s chool personnel to submit to the 11
department, in the form the board may require, the district bud get or any information 12
or reports that are reasonably necessary to assist the departme nt in carrying out its 13
functions; 14
(3) authorize the establishment of a charter school to operate a s 15
provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290 in any school district in the state; the board 16
may delegate the authority to aut horize establishment of a char ter school to a 17
board committee, political subdivision of the state, or state a gency, including the 18
University of Alaska; delegation under this paragraph is limite d to approving or 19
denying an application for a ch arter school and is subject to t he review and 20
appeal processes app licable to a local school board under AS 14 .03.250 and 21
14.03.253. 22
* Sec. 6. AS 14.14 is amended by adding a new section to read: 23
Sec. 14.14.116. After-school literacy grant program. (a) There is established 24
in the department an after-school literacy grant program to pro vide grants to school 25
districts for literacy tutoring services for students. Literacy tutoring services funded 26
under this section must be provide d outside of regular instruct ional hours as defined 27
by the school district. 28
( b ) A g r a n t m a y b e u s e d f o r c o s t s d i r e c t ly a s s o c i a t e d w i t h e s tablishing and 29
maintaining literacy tutoring services, including costs for 30
(1) stipends or salaries for qualified tutors; 31
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(2) the development or purchase of curriculum and instructiona l 1
materials; and 2
(3) student assessment and program evaluation tools. 3
(c) A school district seeking a grant shall submit an applicat ion to the 4
department on a form and in a ma nner prescribed by the department in regulation. The 5
department shall award grants on a competitive basis, subject to appropriation. 6
(d) A grant recipient shall provide a report to the department on the efficacy of 7
the tutoring services. The report must be submitted in a format and at a time required 8
by the department and include dat a consistent with standards es tablished in regulation 9
under AS 14.07.020(a)(20). 10
(e) The total amount of grants a warded under this section may not exceed 11
$10,000,000 in a fiscal year. 12
* Sec. 7. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 13
read: 14
LUMP SUM PAYMENT FOR CERTAIN TEACHERS. (a) Subject to appropria tion 15
for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2027, June 30, 2028, and J une 30, 2029, a certificated full 16
time teacher occupying a position requiring teaching on a regul ar basis during the normal 17
work period for each day or week at a classroom teaching assign ment in a public elementary 18
or secondary school, excluding a p erson teaching as an assistan t or graduate assistant or 19
teaching on a substitute, temporary, or per diem basis, is enti tled to receive a lump sum 20
payment as a retention and recruitment incentive on or within a reasonable period after July 1, 21
2026, July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028, if the teacher was employ ed in a full-time classroom 22
teaching position for the entirety of the school term for the school year immediately preceding 23
the date of payment and complies with the application requireme nts of (c) of this section. The 24
Department of Education and Earl y Development shall reduce the retention and recruitment 25
incentive by the amount necessary to pay mandatory employee and employer deductions, 26
including a deduction required under AS 14.25. 27
(b) Subject to the application and certification requirements in (c) of this section, the 28
Department of Education and Earl y Development shall pay the ret ention and recruitment 29
incentive identified in (a) of this section as grants to school districts as follows: 30
(1) $3,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher te aching in the 31
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following districts: 1
(A) Anchorage School District; 2
(B) Fairbanks North Star Borough School District; 3
(C) Juneau Borough School District; 4
(D) Kenai Peninsula Borough School District; 5
(E) Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District; 6
(2) $8,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher te aching in the 7
following districts: 8
(A) Alaska Gateway School District; 9
(B) Aleutian Region School District; 10
(C) Aleutians East Borough School District; 11
(D) Annette Island School District; 12
(E) Chugach School District; 13
(F) Copper River School District; 14
(G) Cordova City School District; 15
(H) Delta/Greely School District; 16
(I) Denali Borough School District; 17
(J) Galena City School District; 18
(K) Haines Borough School District; 19
(L) Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District; 20
(M) Kodiak Island Borough School District; 21
(N) Mount Edgecumbe; 22
(O) Nenana City School District; 23
(P) Nome Public Schools; 24
(Q) Petersburg Borough School District; 25
(R) Saint Mary's School District; 26
(S) Sitka School District; 27
(T) Skagway School District; 28
(U) Unalaska City School District; 29
(V) Valdez City School District; 30
(W) Wrangell Public School District; 31
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(X) Yakutat School District; 1
(3) $13,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher t eaching in the 2
following districts: 3
(A) Bering Strait School District; 4
(B) Bristol Bay Borough School District; 5
(C) Chatham School District; 6
(D) Craig City School District; 7
(E) Dillingham City School District; 8
(F) Hoonah City School District; 9
(G) Hydaburg City School District; 10
(H) Iditarod Area School District; 11
(I) Kake City School District; 12
(J) Kashunamiut School District; 13
(K) Klawock City School District; 14
(L) Kuspuk School District; 15
(M) Lake and Peninsula Borough School District; 16
(N) Lower Kuskokwim School District; 17
(O) Lower Yukon School District; 18
(P) North Slope Borough School District; 19
(Q) Northwest Arctic Borough School District; 20
(R) Pelican City School District; 21
(S) Pribilof School District; 22
(T) Southeast Island School District; 23
(U) Southwest Region School District; 24
(V) Yukon Flats School District; 25
(W) Yukon-Koyukuk School District; 26
(X) Yupiit School District. 27
(c) To be eligible for the retention and recruitment incentive identified in (a) of this 28
section, a certificated full-time teacher must apply during eac h eligible calendar year to the 29
Department of Education and Earl y Development on a date not lat er than the final day the 30
teacher's school is in session for the school term. The teacher shall apply for the payment 31
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under this section on a form designated by the commissioner of education and early 1
development. For each teacher who applies, the s chool district or regional educational 2
attendance area shall certify the teacher's eligibility for pay ment under (a) of this section to 3
the Department of Education and Early Development. 4
(d) A payment made under this section is considered compensati on for the purposes 5
of AS 14.25. 6
(e) The Department of Education and Early Development may adop t regulations 7
necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. 8