EDUCATION FUNDING: RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text includes a retroactivity clause (July 1, 2025), but the official status indicates it was 'Heard & Held' and has not yet been enacted into law. Therefore, stating it applies retroactively is speculative until final passage and signing are confirmed.

SB 257: Changes to Funding for Residential Schools

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 This Bill 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 Names or Affects

• School districts that operate or send students to residential schools
• The state department responsible for determining education funding rates

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.

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.

Official Summary Text

EDUCATION FUNDING: RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
An Act relating to funding for residential schools; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

SB0257A -1- SB 257
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS1489\A

SENATE BILL NO. 257

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY SENATOR CRONK

Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Education, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to funding for residential schools; and providing for an effective date." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 14.16.200(b) is amended to read: 3
(b) Costs that may be claimed by a district for reimbursement under (a) of this 4
section are 5
(1) one round trip on the least expensive means of transportation 6
between the student's community of residence and the school during the school year if 7
the district expends money for the trip; and 8
(2) a per-pupil monthly stipend to cover room and board expenses as 9
determined by the department on a regional basis and not to exceed [THE 10
FOLLOWING AMOUNTS]: 11
(A) for the Southeast Region (Region I), the amount of the 12
base student allocation set out in AS 14.17.470 multiplied by 37 percent 13
[$1,230]; 14
(B) for the Southcentral Region (Region II), the amount of the 15
34-LS1489\A
SB 257 -2- SB0257A
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

base student allocation set out in AS 14.17.470 multiplied by 36 percent 1
[$1,200]; 2
(C) for the Interior Region (Region III), the amount of the 3
base student allocation set out in AS 14.17.470 multiplied by 44 percent 4
[$1,452]; 5
(D) for the Southwest Region (Region IV), the amount of the 6
base student allocation set out in AS 14.17.470 multiplied by 45 percent 7
[$1,509]; 8
(E) for the Northern Remote Region (Region V), the amount 9
of the base student allocation set out in AS 14.17.470 multiplied by 53 10
percent [$1,776]. 11
* Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 12
read: 13
RETROACTIVITY. This Act is retroactive to July 1, 2025. 14
* Sec. 3. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 15