SB0140d -1- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
33-LS0687\H
HOUSE CS FOR CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 140(RLS)
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE
Offered: 1/24/24
Referred: Rules
Sponsor(s): SENATORS HOFFMAN, Bishop, Claman, Gray-Jackson, Tobin, Kiehl, Dunbar, Olson, Stevens
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to education; providing for an effective date by repealing the effective 1
date of secs. 1, 2, and 21, ch. 61, SLA 2014; and providing for an effective date." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 4
Sec. 14.03.076. Civics curriculum and assessment requirement. (a) The 5
board shall develop and periodically review a statewide civics education curriculum 6
and assessment that are based on the civics portion of the naturalization examination 7
used by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of 8
Homeland Security and primary source documents. The curriculum and assessment 9
must also include systems of government used by Alaska Natives. A district may use 10
the curriculum to educate students in civics. 11
(b) A school may not issue a secondary school diploma to a student unless the 12
student 13
(1) has completed one semester of a civics education course taught 14 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -2- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
using the curriculum developed under (a) of this section; 1
(2) has achieved a passing score on the civics assessment developed 2
under (a) of this section; or 3
(3) is a student with a disability and receives a waiver from the 4
governing body. 5
(c) If a student has achieved a passing score on the civics assessment 6
developed under (a) of this section, the school shall document on the student's 7
transcript that the student achieved a passing score. A student may retake the 8
assessment as needed to achieve a passing score. 9
(d) In this section, "passing score" means a student correctly answers 70 10
percent or more of the questions. 11
* Sec. 2. AS 14.03.120 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 12
(k) The department shall establish and maintain a user-friendly Internet 13
website that allows a member of the public to view and download information 14
described in this subsection and to make recommendations relating to improving 15
public education in the state. The information on the Internet website must be 16
presented in a fashion that is easily understood. To the extent practicable, and without 17
disclosing information that is confidential under state or federal law, the department 18
shall make the following information available on the Internet website: 19
(1) reports required under this section and AS 14.03.078; 20
(2) copies of audits made under AS 14.14.050; and 21
(3) a description of how each district is addressing the needs of 22
students who receive special education services. 23
(l) A district may provide on the district's Internet website a link to the 24
Internet website described in (k) of this section. 25
(m) The department shall collaborate with the Department of Labor and 26
Workforce Development under AS 44.31.020 to gather data on the progress of each 27
high school graduating class in a district by collecting career, postsecondary 28
education, and residency data on each student in the graduating class. The departments 29
shall gather the data every five years for 20 years after the high school graduation date 30
of the class. 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -3- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
* Sec. 3. AS 14.03.127(a) is amended to read: 1
(a) Each fiscal year, a district in which one or more schools qualify for a 2
discounted rate for Internet services under the federal universal services program is 3
eligible to receive an amount for each school that is equal to the amount needed to 4
bring the applicant's share to 100 [25] megabits of download a second of the Internet 5
services. 6
* Sec. 4. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 7
Sec. 14.03.254. Application for charter school to the board. (a) The board 8
may authorize a charter school in a school district under regulations adopted by the 9
board. The regulations must include an application procedure and provisions for 10
establishment of an academic policy committee consisting of parents of students 11
attending the school, teachers, and school employees. 12
(b) A local school board shall operate a charter school authorized under this 13
section as provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290. 14
* Sec. 5. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read: 15
(a) The department shall 16
(1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 17
except the University of Alaska; 18
(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 19
adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 20
performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 21
of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 22
develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 23
preparatory courses; 24
(3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 25
governing bodies and personnel; 26
(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 27
schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 28
given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 29
(5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Family and 30
Community Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -4- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
in juvenile detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are 1
defined in AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 2
(6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 3
prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 4
department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 5
session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 6
whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 7
the members of each house; 8
(7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 9
marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe 10
conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 11
physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 12
private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 13
(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that 14
receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by 15
a school district for students four and five years of age, approve an early education 16
program provided by a school district that complies with the standards adopted by the 17
board under AS 14.07.165(a)(5), and revoke approval of an early education program if 18
the program does not comply with the standards adopted by the board under 19
AS 14.07.165(a)(5); 20
(9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 21
correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 22
educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 23
Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program; 24
(10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 25
accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 26
paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 27
licensed; 28
(11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 29
secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 30
elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -5- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 1
construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 2
include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 3
and costs, and final contract documents; 4
(12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 5
education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 6
are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 7
unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 8
will lead to employment opportunities; 9
(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 10
(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 11
school bus driver training course; 12
(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 13
and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 14
behavior; 15
(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 16
under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 17
practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 18
(A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 19
and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 20
(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 21
AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 22
consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 23
increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language 24
arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 25
(C) a process for districts to petition the department for 26
continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 27
(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 28
education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 29
redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15);
30
(18) establish a reading program to provide direct support for and 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -6- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
intervention in the reading intervention programs of participating schools as described 1
in AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770; 2
(19) annually convene, either in person or electronically, a panel to 3
review and comment on the effectiveness of the programs created by the department 4
and the regulations adopted by the board to implement AS 14.03.410, 14.03.420, 5
AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, and 14.30.800; the panel 6
(A) shall provide recommendations and guidance to the board, 7
the department, and the legislature on how to integrate early education and 8
reading programs created under this title with tribal compacting or programs 9
focused on cultural education within the department; 10
(B) shall discuss support for reading in Alaska Native 11
languages and other non-English languages; 12
(C) must collectively represent the regions of the state and 13
include teachers of grades kindergarten through three, school administrators, 14
parents of students in grades kindergarten through three, stakeholders from 15
indigenous language immersion programs, representatives from early 16
education stakeholder groups, and researchers of best practices for improving 17
literacy performance, including best practices for instruction of indigenous 18
students and students whose first language is not English; 19
(20) collaborate with the Department of Labor and Workforce 20
Development to gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class 21
as required under AS 14.03.120(m); 22
(21) conduct a financial audit on at least four randomly selected 23
school districts each fiscal year. 24
* Sec. 6. AS 14.07.020(a), as amended by sec. 16, ch. 40, SLA 2022, is amended to read: 25
(a) The department shall 26
(1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state 27
except the University of Alaska; 28
(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, 29
adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school 30
performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -7- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to 1
develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college 2
preparatory courses; 3
(3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school 4
governing bodies and personnel; 5
(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public 6
schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is 7
given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language; 8
(5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Family and 9
Community Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held 10
in juvenile detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are 11
defined in AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment; 12
(6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards 13
prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the 14
department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular 15
session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, 16
whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of 17
the members of each house; 18
(7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire 19
marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe 20
conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of 21
physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for 22
private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools; 23
(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that 24
receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by 25
a school district for students four and five years of age; 26
(9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary 27
correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional 28
educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any 29
Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study pro
gram; 30
(10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -8- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this 1
paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be 2
licensed; 3
(11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and 4
secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public 5
elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the 6
department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school 7
construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" 8
include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption 9
and costs, and final contract documents; 10
(12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational 11
education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who 12
are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor 13
unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that 14
will lead to employment opportunities; 15
(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11; 16
(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a 17
school bus driver training course; 18
(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary 19
and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent 20
behavior; 21
(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, 22
under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional 23
practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include 24
(A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies 25
and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department; 26
(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in 27
AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three 28
consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent 29
increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments
in language 30
arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -9- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(C) a process for districts to petition the department for 1
continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention; 2
(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 3
education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or 4
redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15); 5
(18) collaborate with the Department of Labor and Workforce 6
Development to gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class 7
as required under AS 14.03.120(m); 8
(19) conduct a financial audit on at least four randomly selected 9
school districts each fiscal year. 10
* Sec. 7. AS 14.07.165(a) is amended to read: 11
(a) The board shall adopt 12
(1) statewide goals and require each governing body to adopt written 13
goals that are consistent with local needs; 14
(2) regulations regarding the application for and award of grants under 15
AS 14.03.125; 16
(3) regulations implementing provisions of AS 14.11.014(b); 17
(4) regulations requiring approval by the board before a charter school, 18
state boarding school, or a public school may provide domiciliary services; 19
(5) regulations establishing standards for an early education program 20
provided by a school district for children who are four and five years of age; the 21
regulations must include 22
(A) standards for a locally designed, evidence-based program 23
that meets Head Start Program Performance Standards and other federal 24
standards required for early education programs to receive federal funding; 25
(B) a requirement that a teacher in charge of a program hold a 26
valid teacher certificate issued under AS 14.20 and 27
(i) have satisfactorily completed a minimum of six 28
credit hours in early childhood education or complete the minimum 29
credit hours within two years of the date the teacher's employment with 30
the early education program begins; or 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -10- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(ii) have two or more years of experience teaching 1
kindergarten or another early education program and have completed 2
additional coursework related to reading instruction, as required by the 3
department; 4
(C) developmentally appropriate objectives for children four 5
and five years of age rather than academic standards appropriate for older 6
children; the objectives must allow school districts to adapt the content of an 7
early education program to be culturally responsive to local communities; 8
(D) accommodations for the needs of all early education 9
children and their families regardless of socioeconomic circumstances; and 10
(E) standards for day in session requirements appropriate for 11
children four and five years of age; 12
(6) regulations establishing standards for day in session requirements 13
appropriate for kindergarten students; 14
(7) regulations regarding establishment of charter schools by the 15
board. 16
* Sec. 8. AS 14.09.010(a) is repealed and reenacted to read: 17
(a) A school district that provides student transportation services for the 18
transportation of students who reside a distance from established schools is eligible to 19
receive funding for operating or subcontracting the operation of the transportation 20
system for students to and from the schools within the student's transportation service 21
area. Subject to appropriation, the amount of funding provided by the state for 22
operating the student transportation system is the amount of a school district's ADM, 23
less the ADM for the district's correspondence programs during the current fiscal year, 24
multiplied by the per student amount for the school district as follows, for the school 25
years beginning July 1, 2024: 26
DISTRICT PER STUDENT AMOUNT 27
Alaska Gateway $2,536 28
Aleutians East 378 29
Anchorage 531 30
Annette Island 222 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -11- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
Bering Strait 60 1
Bristol Bay 3,257 2
Chatham 342 3
Copper River 1,934 4
Cordova 409 5
Craig 515 6
Delta/Greely 2,019 7
Denali 2,203 8
Dillingham 1,484 9
Fairbanks 995 10
Galena 310 11
Haines 763 12
Hoonah 364 13
Iditarod 258 14
Juneau 735 15
Kake 331 16
Kashunamiut 6 17
Kenai Peninsula 1,115 18
Ketchikan 886 19
Klawock 712 20
Kodiak Island 974 21
Kuspuk 797 22
Lake and Peninsula 468 23
Lower Kuskokwim 338 24
Lower Yukon 1 25
Matanuska-Susitna 1,109 26
Nenana 716 27
Nome 757 28
North Slope 1,365 29
Northwest Arctic 30 30
Pelican 88 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -12- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
Petersburg 457 1
Saint Mary's 235 2
Sitka 522 3
Skagway 44 4
Southeast Island 1,408 5
Southwest Region 728 6
Tanana 581 7
Unalaska 790 8
Valdez 897 9
Wrangell 854 10
Yakutat 907 11
Yukon Flats 322 12
Yukon/Koyukuk 365 13
Yupiit 2. 14
* Sec. 9. AS 14.16.200(b) is amended to read: 15
(b) Costs that may be claimed by a district for reimbursement under (a) of this 16
section are 17
(1) one round trip on the least expensive means of transportation 18
between the student's community of residence and the school during the school year if 19
the district expends money for the trip; and 20
(2) a per-pupil monthly stipend to cover room and board expenses as 21
determined by the department on a regional basis and not to exceed the following 22
amounts: 23
(A) for the Southeast Region (Region I), $1,845 [$1,230]; 24
(B) for the Southcentral Region (Region II), $1,800 [$1,200]; 25
(C) for the Interior Region (Region III), $2,178 [$1,452]; 26
(D) for the Southwest Region (Region IV), $2,264 [$1,509]; 27
(E) for the Northern Remote Region (Region V), $2,664 28
[$1,776]. 29
* Sec. 10. AS 14.17.430 is amended to read: 30
Sec. 14.17.430. State funding for correspondence study. Except as provided 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -13- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
in AS 14.17.400(b), funding for the state centralized correspondence study program or 1
a district correspondence program, including a district that offers a statewide 2
correspondence study program, includes an allocation from the public education fund 3
in an amount calculated by multiplying the ADM of the correspondence program by 4
the special needs factor in AS 14.17.420(a)(1) [90 PERCENT]. 5
* Sec. 11. AS 14.17.470 is amended to read: 6
Sec. 14.17.470. Base student allocation. The base student allocation is $6,260 7
[$5,960]. 8
* Sec. 12. AS 14.30.272 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 9
(c) A school district shall 10
(1) provide a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who 11
the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, with comprehensive, 12
neutral, and unbiased information regarding 13
(A) hearing technology, including hearing aids, bone-anchored 14
hearing aids, cochlear implants, and remote microphone systems; 15
(B) different methods of communication for a child who is deaf 16
or hard of hearing, including listening and spoken language, a bilingual 17
approach, cued speech, and total communication; 18
(C) services and programs that are designed to meet the needs 19
of children who are deaf or hard of hearing; and 20
(D) support and advocacy services offered by public and 21
private agencies and other entities knowledgeable about the needs of children 22
who are deaf or hard of hearing; 23
(2) allow the parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who 24
the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, to choose the method of 25
communication that the parent determines is most appropriate for the child and 26
provide services using the parent's chosen method of communication for the child; and 27
(3) deliver services to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who 28
the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, through professionals with 29
training, experience, and a background in the chosen method of communication. 30
(d) A school district shall inform a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -14- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
hearing, or who the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, of the 1
school district's duties and of the parent's rights provided under (c) of this section. 2
(e) In this section, 3
(1) "bilingual approach" means the development of both sign language 4
and English language literacy skills as a child's mode of receptive and expressive 5
communication; 6
(2) "cued speech" means a visual communication system that uses 7
hand shapes and placements in combination with the mouth movements of speech to 8
identify the phonemes of spoken language that look similar to one another; 9
(3) "deaf" means possessing hearing levels that, with or without 10
hearing technology, substantially affect a child's ability to understand spoken 11
language; 12
(4) "hard of hearing" means possessing hearing levels that, with or 13
without hearing technology, affect a child's ability to understand spoken language; 14
(5) "listening and spoken language" means communication that 15
focuses on maximizing listening through the use of hearing technologies, professional 16
intervention, and family involvement and support to facilitate the acquisition and 17
development of the spoken language of the child's home and community; 18
(6) "total communication" means the combined use of signs, speech, 19
speech-reading, auditory training, visual aids, manual gestures, and writing to convey 20
information. 21
* Sec. 13. AS 14.30.276 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 22
(b) The department shall establish and operate a centralized program for the 23
deaf to be made available to deaf students in the state. The program must provide 24
residential services as part of its educational program. The program may be operated 25
by a school district under an agreement with the department. If a school district 26
operates the program, the school district shall annually submit a plan of operations to 27
the department for approval and shall perform all duties of a local school district 28
related to special education under state and federal law, except that the school district 29
is only required to offer transportation to students who reside in the district. If a school 30
district determines that placement at the program is appropriate for a child who resides 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -15- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
in the district, the school district that makes the placement retains the school district's 1
responsibilities for special education for that child under state and federal law. The 2
department shall provide funding for the students who attend the program operated by 3
a school district under this subsection to the school district that operates the program. 4
* Sec. 14. AS 44.31.020 is amended to read: 5
Sec. 44.31.020. Duties of department. The Department of Labor and 6
Workforce Development shall 7
(1) enforce the laws and adopt regulations under them concerning 8
employer-employee relationships, including the safety, hours of work, wages, and 9
conditions of workers, including children; 10
(2) accumulate, analyze, and report labor statistics; 11
(3) operate systems of workers' compensation and unemployment 12
insurance; 13
(4) gather data reflecting the cost of living in various locations of the 14
state upon request of the director of personnel under AS 39.27.030; 15
(5) operate the federally funded employment and training programs 16
under 29 U.S.C. 2801 - 2945 (Workforce Investment Act of 1998); 17
(6) administer the state's program of adult basic education and adopt 18
regulations to administer the program; and 19
(7) administer the programs of the Alaska Vocational Technical Center 20
and adopt regulations to administer the programs, including regulations that set rates 21
for student tuition and room and board and fees for the programs and services 22
provided by the department regarding the Alaska Vocational Technical Center; 23
(8) gather data on the progress of each high school graduating 24
class in a district by collecting career, postsecondary education, and residency 25
data on each student in the graduating class; the department shall gather the 26
data required under this paragraph every five years for 20 years after the high 27
school graduation date of each high school graduating class; the department shall 28
publish a biennial report on the data gathered under this paragraph; in this 29
paragraph, "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990. 30
* Sec. 15. Sections 1, 2, and 21, ch. 61, SLA 2014, and sec. 38(b), ch. 101, SLA 2018, are 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -16- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
repealed. 1
* Sec. 16. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 2
read: 3
LUMP SUM PAYMENT FOR CERTAIN TEACHERS. (a) Subject to appropriation 4
for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027, a certificated full-5
time teacher occupying a position requiring teaching on a regular basis during the normal 6
work period for each day or week at a classroom teaching assignment in a public elementary 7
or secondary school, excluding a person teaching as an assistant or graduate assistant or 8
teaching on a substitute, temporary, or per diem basis, is entitled to receive a lump sum 9
payment as a retention and recruitment incentive on or within a reasonable period after July 1, 10
2024, July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026, if the teacher was employed in a full-time classroom 11
teaching position for the entirety of the school term for the school year immediately preceding 12
the date of payment. The Department of Education and Early Development shall reduce the 13
retention and recruitment incentive by the amount necessary to pay mandatory employee and 14
employer deductions, including a deduction required under AS 14.25. 15
(b) Subject to the application and certification requirements in (c) of this section, the 16
Department of Education and Early Development shall pay the retention and recruitment 17
incentive identified in (a) of this section as grants to school districts as follows: 18
(1) $5,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the 19
following districts: 20
(A) Anchorage School District; 21
(B) Fairbanks North Star Borough School District; 22
(C) Juneau Borough School District; 23
(D) Kenai Peninsula Borough School District; 24
(E) Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District; 25
(2) $10,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the 26
following districts: 27
(A) Alaska Gateway School District; 28
(B) Aleutian Region School District; 29
(C) Aleutians East Borough School District; 30
(D) Annette Island School District; 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -17- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(E) Chugach School District; 1
(F) Copper River School District; 2
(G) Cordova City School District; 3
(H) Delta/Greely School District; 4
(I) Denali Borough School District; 5
(J) Galena City School District; 6
(K) Haines Borough School District; 7
(L) Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District; 8
(M) Kodiak Island Borough School District; 9
(N) Mount Edgecumbe; 10
(O) Nenana City School District; 11
(P) Nome Public Schools; 12
(Q) Petersburg Borough School District; 13
(R) Saint Mary's School District; 14
(S) Sitka School District; 15
(T) Skagway School District; 16
(U) Unalaska City School District; 17
(V) Valdez City School District; 18
(W) Wrangell Public School District; 19
(X) Yakutat School District; 20
(3) $15,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the 21
following districts: 22
(A) Bering Strait School District; 23
(B) Bristol Bay Borough School District; 24
(C) Chatham School District; 25
(D) Craig City School District; 26
(E) Dillingham City School District; 27
(F) Hoonah City School District; 28
(G) Hydaburg City School District; 29
(H) Iditarod Area School District; 30
(I) Kake City School District; 31 33-LS0687\H
HCS CSSB 140(RLS) -18- SB0140d
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(J) Kashunamiut School District; 1
(K) Klawock City School District; 2
(L) Kuspuk School District; 3
(M) Lake and Peninsula Borough School District; 4
(N) Lower Kuskokwim School District; 5
(O) Lower Yukon School District; 6
(P) North Slope Borough School District; 7
(Q) Northwest Arctic Borough School District; 8
(R) Pelican City School District; 9
(S) Pribilof School District; 10
(T) Southeast Island School District; 11
(U) Southwest Region School District; 12
(V) Tanana City School District; 13
(W) Yukon Flats School District; 14
(X) Yukon-Koyukuk School District; 15
(Y) Yupiit School District. 16
(c) To be eligible for the retention and recruitment incentive identified in (a) of this 17
section, a certificated full-time teacher must apply during each eligible calendar year to the 18
Department of Education and Early Development on a date not later than the final day the 19
teacher's school is in session for the school term established by the governing body of that 20
teacher's school district or regional educational attendance area. The teacher shall apply for 21
the payment under this section on a form designated by the commissioner of education and 22
early development. For each teacher who applies, the school district or regional educational 23
attendance area shall certify the teacher's eligibility for payment under (a) of this section to 24
the Department of Education and Early Development. 25
(d) A payment made under this section is considered compensation for the purposes 26
of AS 14.25. 27
(e) The Department of Education and Early Development may adopt regulations 28
necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. 29
* Sec. 17. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 30
read: 31 33-LS0687\H
SB0140d -19- HCS CSSB 140(RLS)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. Before the first day of the First Regular Session of the 1
Thirty-Fourth Alaska State Legislature, the senate and house education committees shall 2
jointly prepare a report, deliver a copy of the report to the senate secretary and the chief clerk 3
of the house of representatives, and notify the legislature that the report is available. The 4
report shall contain 5
(1) recommendations for any change to public school foundation funding the 6
department supports; 7
(2) a survey of each school district's curriculum, programs, and services and 8
an explanation of whether there is any duplication of the curriculum, programs, and services 9
within the district; 10
(3) a definition of "accountability" as that term applies to measuring school 11
and student performance; and 12
(4) recommended metrics for determining school and student performance 13
other than the standardized testing that is currently used. 14
* Sec. 18. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 15
read: 16
TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The stat e Board of Education and Early 17
Development may adopt regulations necessary to implement the changes made by secs. 3 and 18
6 this Act. The regulations take effect under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act), but 19
not before the effective date of the law implemented by the regulation. 20
* Sec. 19. Section 37, ch. 61, SLA 2014, and sec. 40, ch. 101, SLA 2018, are repealed. 21
* Sec. 20. Section 6 of this Act takes effect on the effective date of sec. 16, ch. 40, SLA 22
2022. 23
* Sec. 21. Section 18 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 24
* Sec. 22. Except as provided in secs. 20 and 21 of this Act, this Act takes effect July 1, 25
2024. 26