Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska House Bill HB76 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	HB0076a -1- HB 76
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5	5	34-GH1082\A
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10	10
11	11	HOUSE BILL NO. 76
12	12
13	13	IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
14	14
15	15	THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
16	16
17	17	BY THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
18	18
19	19	Introduced: 1/31/25
20	20	Referred: Education, Finance
21	21
22	22
23	23	A BILL
24	24
25	25	FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
26	26
27	27	"An Act relating to education; relating to public school attendance; relating to mobile 1
28	28	communication devices in schools; relating to reading proficiency incentive grants; 2
29	29	relating to authorization of charter schools; relating to transportation of students; 3
30	30	relating to school bond debt reimbursement; relating to funding and reporting by 4
31	31	Alaska technical and vocational education programs; authorizing lump sum payments 5
32	32	for certain teachers as retention and recruitment incentives; and providing for an 6
33	33	effective date." 7
34	34	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 8
35	35	* Section 1. AS 14.03.080(a) is amended to read: 9
36	36	(a) Subject to AS 14.14.110 and 14.14.120, a [A] child of school age is
37	37	10
38	38	entitled to attend public school without payment of tuition during the school term 11
39	39	(1) in the school district in which the child is a resident; and 12
40	40	(2) except as provided in (i) of this section, upon application to a 13 34-GH1082\A
41	41	HB 76 -2- HB0076a
42	42	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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44	44	school district, at a school selected by the child's parent in or outside the school 1
45	45	district in which the child is a resident subject to 2
46	46	(A) capacity limitations of the selected school; 3
47	47	(B) a school district enrollment preference policy that 4
48	48	prioritizes 5
49	49	(i) placement of siblings in the same school; and 6
50	50	(ii) enrollment of children in the order of 7
51	51	applications received; and 8
52	52	(C) regulations that the department shall adopt to 9
53	53	(i) require a school district to accept students upon 10
54	54	application throughout the school year as capacity becomes 11
55	55	available; 12
56	56	(ii) require a school district to report to the 13
57	57	department and publish on the school district's Internet website 14
58	58	annually student enrollment data at each school, including capacity 15
59	59	and vacancies for each grade; the number of applications, 16
60	60	acceptances, and denials; and the reasons for any denial; 17
61	61	(iii) compensate a school district at the end of a 18
62	62	school year to account for a year-end ADM that is greater than the 19
63	63	district's student count data provided under AS 14.17.600; 20
64	64	(iv) establish a student transportation plan; and 21
65	65	(v) establish a procedure for appealing a school 22
66	66	district's denial of an enrollment application [SUBJECT TO THE 23
67	67	PROVISIONS OF AS 14.14.110 AND 14.14.120]. 24
68	68	* Sec. 2. AS 14.03.080 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 25
69	69	(i) Nothing in (a)(2) of this section applies to a correspondence study program 26
70	70	under AS 14.03.300. 27
71	71	* Sec. 3. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 28
72	72	Sec. 14.03.103. Mobile communication devices in schools. (a) The governing 29
73	73	body of a school district shall adopt a policy to prohibit a student from using a 30
74	74	personal mobile communication device in school under the supervision of an 31 34-GH1082\A
75	75	HB0076a -3- HB 76
76	76	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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78	78	employee of the school district except 1
79	79	(1) in the event of an emergency or a perceived threat of danger; 2
80	80	(2) when a teacher or administrator of the school grants permission to 3
81	81	the student to use the device for educational purposes; 4
82	82	(3) when use of the device is necessary for the health or well-being of 5
83	83	the student; or 6
84	84	(4) when use of the device is a required component of the student's 7
85	85	individualized education plan. 8
86	86	(b) This section does not authorize monitoring, collecting, or accessing 9
87	87	information related to a student's use of a personal mobile communication device. 10
88	88	(c) In this section, "mobile communication device" means a cellular telephone, 11
89	89	smart phone, personal data assistant, wireless tablet, computer, or a similar device 12
90	90	used for voice or visual communication. 13
91	91	* Sec. 4. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 14
92	92	Sec. 14.03.124. Reading proficiency incentive grants. (a) Subject to 15
93	93	appropriation, a school district is eligible to receive a reading proficiency incentive 16
94	94	grant of $450 for each student in 17
95	95	(1) grade kindergarten through three who performs at grade-level or 18
96	96	demonstrates improvement on expected grade-level skills on the statewide screening 19
97	97	tool adopted by the department under AS 14.30.760; and 20
98	98	(2) grade four through six who performs at grade-level or demonstrates 21
99	99	a measure of increased proficiency on a standards-based assessment in language arts. 22
100	100	(b) The department shall adopt regulations to implement this section. 23
101	101	* Sec. 5. AS 14.03.124(a), added by sec. 4 of this Act, is amended to read: 24
102	102	(a) Subject to appropriation, a school district is eligible to receive a reading 25
103	103	proficiency incentive grant of $450 for each student in 26
104	104	[(1)] grade kindergarten through [THREE WHO PERFORMS AT 27
105	105	GRADE-LEVEL OR DEMONSTRATES IMPROVEMENT ON EXPECTED 28
106	106	GRADE-LEVEL SKILLS ON THE STATEWIDE SCREENING TOOL ADOPTED 29
107	107	BY THE DEPARTMENT UNDER AS 14.30.760; AND 30
108	108	(2) GRADE FOUR THROUGH] six who performs at grade-level or 31 34-GH1082\A
109	109	HB 76 -4- HB0076a
110	110	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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112	112	demonstrates a measure of increased proficiency on a standards-based assessment in 1
113	113	language arts. 2
114	114	* Sec. 6. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 3
115	115	Sec. 14.03.254. Application for charter school to the board. (a) The state 4
116	116	Board of Education and Early Development shall prescribe by regulation a procedure 5
117	117	for the establishment of a charter school in any school district in the state by 6
118	118	application to the state board. 7
119	119	(b) The state Board of Education and Early Development shall issue a written 8
120	120	decision on an application for a charter school within 90 days after acceptance of the 9
121	121	application. If the state board approves a charter school application, the local school 10
122	122	board shall operate the charter school as provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290. 11
123	123	* Sec. 7. AS 14.07.170(a) is amended to read: 12
124	124	(a) The board may 13
125	125	(1) appoint unpaid advisory commissions; 14
126	126	(2) require school boards or school personnel to submit to the 15
127	127	department, in the form the board may require, the district budget or any information 16
128	128	or reports that are reasonably necessary to assist the department in carrying out its 17
129	129	functions; 18
130	130	(3) authorize the establishment of a charter school to operate as 19
131	131	provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290 in any school district in the state; the board 20
132	132	may delegate the authority to authorize establishment of a charter school to a 21
133	133	board committee, political subdivision of the state, or state agency, including the 22
134	134	University of Alaska; delegation under this paragraph is limited to approving or 23
135	135	denying an application for a charter school and is subject to the review and 24
136	136	appeal processes applicable to a local school board under AS 14.03.250 and 25
137	137	14.03.253. 26
138	138	* Sec. 8. AS 14.09.010(a) is repealed and reenacted to read: 27
139	139	(a) A school district that provides student transportation services for the 28
140	140	transportation of students who reside a distance from established schools is eligible to 29
141	141	receive funding for operating or subcontracting the operation of the transportation 30
142	142	system for students to and from the schools within the student's transportation service 31 34-GH1082\A
143	143	HB0076a -5- HB 76
144	144	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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146	146	area. Subject to appropriation, the amount of funding provided by the state for 1
147	147	operating the student transportation system is the amount of a school district's ADM, 2
148	148	less the ADM for the district's correspondence programs during the current fiscal year, 3
149	149	multiplied by the per student amount for the school district as follows, for the school 4
150	150	year beginning July 1, 2025: 5
151	151	DISTRICT PER STUDENT AMOUNT 6
152	152	Alaska Gateway $2,790 7
153	153	Aleutians East 416 8
154	154	Anchorage 584 9
155	155	Annette Island 244 10
156	156	Bering Strait 66 11
157	157	Bristol Bay 3,583 12
158	158	Chatham 376 13
159	159	Copper River 2,127 14
160	160	Cordova 450 15
161	161	Craig 567 16
162	162	Delta/Greely 2,221 17
163	163	Denali 2,423 18
164	164	Dillingham 1,632 19
165	165	Fairbanks 1,095 20
166	166	Galena 341 21
167	167	Haines 839 22
168	168	Hoonah 400 23
169	169	Iditarod 284 24
170	170	Juneau 809 25
171	171	Kake 364 26
172	172	Kashunamiut 7 27
173	173	Kenai Peninsula 1,227 28
174	174	Ketchikan 975 29
175	175	Klawock 783 30
176	176	Kodiak Island 1,071 31 34-GH1082\A
177	177	HB 76 -6- HB0076a
178	178	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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180	180	Kuspuk 877 1
181	181	Lake and Peninsula 515 2
182	182	Lower Kuskokwim 372 3
183	183	Lower Yukon 1 4
184	184	Matanuska-Susitna 1,220 5
185	185	Nenana 788 6
186	186	Nome 833 7
187	187	North Slope 1,502 8
188	188	Northwest Arctic 33 9
189	189	Pelican 97 10
190	190	Petersburg 503 11
191	191	Saint Mary's 259 12
192	192	Sitka 574 13
193	193	Skagway 48 14
194	194	Southeast Island 1,549 15
195	195	Southwest Region 801 16
196	196	Unalaska 869 17
197	197	Valdez 987 18
198	198	Wrangell 939 19
199	199	Yakutat 998 20
200	200	Yukon Flats 354 21
201	201	Yukon/Koyukuk 419 22
202	202	Yupiit 2. 23
203	203	* Sec. 9. AS 14.11.014(d) is amended to read: 24
204	204	(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the committee may not 25
205	205	recommend for approval an application for bond debt reimbursement made by a 26
206	206	municipality for school construction or major maintenance for indebtedness authorized 27
207	207	by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after January 1, 2015, but before 28
208	208	July 1, 2030 [2025]. 29
209	209	* Sec. 10. AS 14.11.100(a) is amended to read: 30
210	210	(a) During each fiscal year, the state shall allocate to a municipality that is a 31 34-GH1082\A
211	211	HB0076a -7- HB 76
212	212	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
213	213
214	214	school district the following sums: 1
215	215	(1) payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year two years 2
216	216	earlier for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other 3
217	217	indebtedness incurred before July 1, 1977, to pay costs of school construction; 4
218	218	(2) 90 percent of 5
219	219	(A) payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year 6
220	220	two years earlier for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding 7
221	221	bonds, notes, or other indebtedness incurred after June 30, 1977, and before 8
222	222	July 1, 1978, to pay costs of school construction; 9
223	223	(B) cash payments made after June 30, 1976, and before July 1, 10
224	224	1978, by the municipality during the fiscal year two years earlier to pay costs 11
225	225	of school construction; 12
226	226	(3) 90 percent of 13
227	227	(A) payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year 14
228	228	two years earlier for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding 15
229	229	bonds, notes, or other indebtedness incurred after June 30, 1978, and before 16
230	230	January 1, 1982, to pay costs of school construction projects approved under 17
231	231	AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 18
232	232	(B) cash payments made after June 30, 1978, and before July 1, 19
233	233	1982, by the municipality during the fiscal year two years earlier to pay costs 20
234	234	of school construction projects approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 21
235	235	(4) subject to (h) and (i) of this section, up to 90 percent of 22
236	236	(A) payments made by the municipality during the current 23
237	237	fiscal year for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, 24
238	238	notes, or other indebtedness incurred after December 31, 1981, and authorized 25
239	239	by the qualified voters of the municipality before July 1, 1983, to pay costs of 26
240	240	school construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects that 27
241	241	exceed $25,000 and are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 28
242	242	(B) cash payments made after June 30, 1982, and before July 1, 29
243	243	1983, by the municipality during the fiscal year two years earlier to pay costs 30
244	244	of school construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects 31 34-GH1082\A
245	245	HB 76 -8- HB0076a
246	246	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
247	247
248	248	that exceed $25,000 and are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); and 1
249	249	(C) payments made by the municipality during the current 2
250	250	fiscal year for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, 3
251	251	notes, or other indebtedness to pay costs of school construction, additions to 4
252	252	schools, and major rehabilitation projects that exceed $25,000 and are 5
253	253	submitted to the department for approval under AS 14.07.020(a)(11) before 6
254	254	July 1, 1983, and approved by the qualified voters of the municipality before 7
255	255	October 15, 1983, not to exceed a total project cost of (i) $6,600,000 if the 8
256	256	annual growth rate of average daily membership of the municipality is more 9
257	257	than seven percent but less than 12 percent, or (ii) $20,000,000 if the annual 10
258	258	growth rate of average daily membership of the municipality is 12 percent or 11
259	259	more; payments made by a municipality under this subparagraph on total 12
260	260	project costs that exceed the amounts set out in (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph 13
261	261	are subject to (5)(A) of this subsection; 14
262	262	(5) subject to (h) - (j) of this section, 80 percent of 15
263	263	(A) payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year 16
264	264	for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or 17
265	265	other indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality 18
266	266	(i) after June 30, 1983, but before March 31, 1990, to 19
267	267	pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, and major 20
268	268	rehabilitation projects that exceed $25,000 and are approved under 21
269	269	AS 14.07.020(a)(11); or 22
270	270	(ii) before July 1, 1989, and reauthorized before 23
271	271	November 1, 1989, to pay costs of school construction, additions to 24
272	272	schools, and major rehabilitation projects that exceed $25,000 and are 25
273	273	approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); and 26
274	274	(B) cash payments made after June 30, 1983, by the 27
275	275	municipality during the fiscal year two years earlier to pay costs of school 28
276	276	construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects that exceed 29
277	277	$25,000 and are approved by the department before July 1, 1990, under 30
278	278	AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 31 34-GH1082\A
279	279	HB0076a -9- HB 76
280	280	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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282	282	(6) subject to (h) - (j) and (m) of this section, 70 percent of payments 1
283	283	made by the municipality during the fiscal year for the retirement of principal and 2
284	284	interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other indebtedness authorized by the qualified 3
285	285	voters of the municipality on or after April 30, 1993, but before July 1, 1996, to pay 4
286	286	costs of school construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects 5
287	287	that exceed $200,000 and are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 6
288	288	(7) subject to (h) - (j) and (m) of this section, 70 percent of payments 7
289	289	made by the municipality during the fiscal year for the retirement of principal and 8
290	290	interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other indebtedness authorized by the qualified 9
291	291	voters of the municipality after March 31, 1990, but before April 30, 1993, to pay 10
292	292	costs of school construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects; 11
293	293	(8) subject to (h), (i), (j)(2) - (5), and (n) of this section and after 12
294	294	projects funded by the bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by the 13
295	295	commissioner, 70 percent of payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year 14
296	296	for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other 15
297	297	indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after July 1, 16
298	298	1995, but before July 1, 1998, to pay costs of school construction, additions to 17
299	299	schools, and major rehabilitation projects that exceed $200,000 and are approved 18
300	300	under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 19
301	301	(9) subject to (h), (i), (j)(2) - (5), and (n) of this section and after 20
302	302	projects funded by the bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by the 21
303	303	commissioner, 70 percent of payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year 22
304	304	for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other 23
305	305	indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after July 1, 24
306	306	1998, but before July 1, 2006, to pay costs of school construction, additions to 25
307	307	schools, and major rehabilitation projects that exceed $200,000 and are approved 26
308	308	under AS 14.07.020(a)(11); 27
309	309	(10) subject to (h), (i), (j)(2) - (5), and (o) of this section, and after 28
310	310	projects funded by the bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by the 29
311	311	commissioner, 70 percent of payments made by the municipality during the fiscal year 30
312	312	for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other 31 34-GH1082\A
313	313	HB 76 -10- HB0076a
314	314	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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316	316	indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after June 30, 1
317	317	1998, to pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, and major 2
318	318	rehabilitation projects that exceed $200,000, are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), 3
319	319	and are not reimbursed under (n) of this section; 4
320	320	(11) subject to (h), (i), and (j)(2) - (5) of this section, and after projects 5
321	321	funded by the bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by the 6
322	322	commissioner, 70 percent of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal year 7
323	323	for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other 8
324	324	indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after June 30, 9
325	325	1999, but before January 1, 2005, to pay costs of school construction, additions to 10
326	326	schools, and major rehabilitation projects and education-related facilities that exceed 11
327	327	$200,000, are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (n) 12
328	328	or (o) of this section; 13
329	329	(12) subject to (h), (i), and (j)(2), (3), and (5) of this section, 60 percent 14
330	330	of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal year for the retirement of 15
331	331	principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other indebtedness authorized by 16
332	332	the qualified voters of the municipality on or after June 30, 1999, but before January 1, 17
333	333	2005, to pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, and major 18
334	334	rehabilitation projects and education-related facilities that exceed $200,000, are 19
335	335	reviewed under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (n) or (o) of this 20
336	336	section; 21
337	337	(13) subject to (h), (i), (j)(2) - (5), and (p) of this section, and after 22
338	338	projects funded by the tax exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been 23
339	339	approved by the commissioner, 70 percent of payments made by a municipality during 24
340	340	the fiscal year for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding tax exempt 25
341	341	bonds, notes, or other indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the 26
342	342	municipality on or after June 30, 1999, but before October 31, 2006, to pay costs of 27
343	343	school construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects and 28
344	344	education-related facilities that exceed $200,000, are approved under
345	345	29
346	346	AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (n) or (o) of this section; 30
347	347	(14) subject to (h), (i), (j)(2), (3), and (5), and (p) of this section, 60 31 34-GH1082\A
348	348	HB0076a -11- HB 76
349	349	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
350	350
351	351	percent of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal year for the retirement 1
352	352	of principal and interest on outstanding tax exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness 2
353	353	authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after June 30, 1999, but 3
354	354	before October 31, 2006, to pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, and 4
355	355	major rehabilitation projects and education-related facilities that exceed $200,000, are 5
356	356	reviewed under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (n) or (o) of this 6
357	357	section; 7
358	358	(15) subject to (h), (i), (j)(2) - (5), and (q) of this section, and after 8
359	359	projects funded by the bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by the 9
360	360	commissioner, 90 percent of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal year 10
361	361	for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding bonds, notes, or other 11
362	362	indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after June 30, 12
363	363	1999, but before October 31, 2006, to pay costs of school construction, additions to 13
364	364	schools, and major rehabilitation projects and education-related facilities that exceed 14
365	365	$200,000, are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), meet the 10 percent participating 15
366	366	share requirement for a municipal school district under the former participating share 16
367	367	amounts required under AS 14.11.008(b), and are not reimbursed under (n) or (o) of 17
368	368	this section; 18
369	369	(16) subject to (h), (i), and (j)(2) - (5) of this section, and after projects 19
370	370	funded by the tax exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by 20
371	371	the commissioner, 70 percent of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal 21
372	372	year for the retirement of principal and interest on outstanding tax exempt bonds, 22
373	373	notes, or other indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on 23
374	374	or after October 1, 2006, but before January 1, 2015, to pay costs of school 24
375	375	construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation projects and education- 25
376	376	related facilities that exceed $200,000, are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and 26
377	377	are not reimbursed under (o) of this section; 27
378	378	(17) subject to (h), (i), and (j)(2), (3), and (5) of this section, 60 percent 28
379	379	of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal year for the retirement of 29
380	380	principal and interest on outstanding tax exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness 30
381	381	authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after October 1, 2006, but 31 34-GH1082\A
382	382	HB 76 -12- HB0076a
383	383	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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385	385	before January 1, 2015, to pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, and 1
386	386	major rehabilitation projects and education-related facilities that exceed $200,000, are 2
387	387	reviewed under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (o) of this section; 3
388	388	(18) subject to (h), (i), and (j)(2) - (5) of this section, and after projects 4
389	389	funded by the tax exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness have been approved by 5
390	390	the commissioner, 50 percent of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal 6
391	391	year for the retirement of principal of and interest on outstanding tax exempt bonds, 7
392	392	notes, or other indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on 8
393	393	or after July 1, 2030 [2025], to pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, 9
394	394	and major rehabilitation projects and education-related facilities that exceed $200,000, 10
395	395	are approved under AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (o) of this 11
396	396	section; 12
397	397	(19) subject to (h), (i), and (j)(2), (3), and (5) of this section, 40 percent 13
398	398	of payments made by a municipality during the fiscal year for the retirement of 14
399	399	principal of and interest on outstanding tax exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness 15
400	400	authorized by the qualified voters of the municipality on or after July 1, 2030 [2025], 16
401	401	to pay costs of school construction, additions to schools, and major rehabilitation 17
402	402	projects and education-related facilities that exceed $200,000, are reviewed under 18
403	403	AS 14.07.020(a)(11), and are not reimbursed under (o) of this section. 19
404	404	* Sec. 11. AS 14.11.100(s) is amended to read: 20
405	405	(s) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner may not 21
406	406	approve an application for bond debt reimbursement made by a municipality for 22
407	407	school construction or major maintenance for indebtedness authorized by the qualified 23
408	408	voters of the municipality on or after January 1, 2015, but before July 1, 2030 [2025]. 24
409	409	* Sec. 12. AS 14.11.102(c) is amended to read: 25
410	410	(c) The commissioner may not allocate funds to a municipality under 26
411	411	AS 14.11.100 for the retirement of the principal of and interest on outstanding tax- 27
412	412	exempt bonds, notes, or other indebtedness authorized by the qualified voters of the 28
413	413	municipality on or after January 1, 2015, but before July 1, 2030 [2025]. 29
414	414	* Sec. 13. AS 14.16.200(b) is amended to read: 30
415	415	(b) Costs that may be claimed by a district for reimbursement under (a) of this 31 34-GH1082\A
416	416	HB0076a -13- HB 76
417	417	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
418	418
419	419	section are 1
420	420	(1) one round trip on the least expensive means of transportation 2
421	421	between the student's community of residence and the school during the school year if 3
422	422	the district expends money for the trip; and 4
423	423	(2) a per-pupil monthly stipend to cover room and board expenses as 5
424	424	determined by the department on a regional basis and not to exceed the following 6
425	425	amounts: 7
426	426	(A) for the Southeast Region (Region I), $1,845 [$1,230]; 8
427	427	(B) for the Southcentral Region (Region II), $1,800 [$1,200]; 9
428	428	(C) for the Interior Region (Region III), $2,178 [$1,452]; 10
429	429	(D) for the Southwest Region (Region IV), $2,264 [$1,509]; 11
430	430	(E) for the Northern Remote Region (Region V), $2,664 12
431	431	[$1,776]. 13
432	432	* Sec. 14. AS 14.17.410(b) is amended to read: 14
433	433	(b) Public school funding consists of state aid, a required local contribution, 15
434	434	and eligible federal impact aid determined as follows: 16
435	435	(1) state aid equals basic need minus a required local contribution and 17
436	436	90 percent of eligible federal impact aid for that fiscal year; basic need equals the sum 18
437	437	obtained under (D) of this paragraph, multiplied by the base student allocation set out 19
438	438	in AS 14.17.470; district adjusted ADM is calculated as follows: 20
439	439	(A) the ADM of each school in the district is calculated by 21
440	440	applying the school size factor to the student count as set out in AS 14.17.450; 22
441	441	(B) the number obtained under (A) of this paragraph is 23
442	442	multiplied by the district cost factor described in AS 14.17.460; 24
443	443	(C) the ADMs of each school in a district, as adjusted 25
444	444	according to (A) and (B) of this paragraph, are added to the number obtained 26
445	445	for correspondence study under AS 14.17.430; the sum is then multiplied by 27
446	446	the special needs factor set out in AS 14.17.420(a)(1) and the secondary school 28
447	447	vocational and technical instruction funding factor set out in 29
448	448	AS 14.17.420(a)(3); 30
449	449	(D) the number obtained for intensive services under 31 34-GH1082\A
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451	451	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
452	452
453	453	AS 14.17.420(a)(2) is [AND THE NUMBER OBTAINED FOR 1
454	454	CORRESPONDENCE STUDY UNDER AS 14.17.430 ARE] added to the 2
455	455	number obtained under (C) of this paragraph or under (H) and (I) of this 3
456	456	paragraph; 4
457	457	(E) notwithstanding (A) - (C) of this paragraph, if a school 5
458	458	district's ADM adjusted for school size under (A) of this paragraph decreases 6
459	459	by five percent or more from one fiscal year to the next fiscal year, the school 7
460	460	district may use the last fiscal year before the decrease as a base fiscal year to 8
461	461	offset the decrease, according to the following method: 9
462	462	(i) for the first fiscal year after the base fiscal year 10
463	463	determined under this subparagraph, the school district's ADM adjusted 11
464	464	for school size determined under (A) of this paragraph is calculated as 12
465	465	the district's ADM adjusted for school size, plus 75 percent of the 13
466	466	difference in the district's ADM adjusted for school size between the 14
467	467	base fiscal year and the first fiscal year after the base fiscal year; 15
468	468	(ii) for the second fiscal year after the base fiscal year 16
469	469	determined under this subparagraph, the school district's ADM adjusted 17
470	470	for school size determined under (A) of this paragraph is calculated as 18
471	471	the district's ADM adjusted for school size, plus 50 percent of the 19
472	472	difference in the district's ADM adjusted for school size between the 20
473	473	base fiscal year and the second fiscal year after the base fiscal year; 21
474	474	(iii) for the third fiscal year after the base fiscal year 22
475	475	determined under this subparagraph, the school district's ADM adjusted 23
476	476	for school size determined under (A) of this paragraph is calculated as 24
477	477	the district's ADM adjusted for school size, plus 25 percent of the 25
478	478	difference in the district's ADM adjusted for school size between the 26
479	479	base fiscal year and the third fiscal year after the base fiscal year; 27
480	480	(F) the method established in (E) of this paragraph is available 28
481	481	to a school district for the three fiscal years following the base fiscal year 29
482	482	determined under (E) of this paragraph only if the district's ADM adjusted for 30
483	483	school size determined under (A) of this paragraph for each fiscal year is less 31 34-GH1082\A
484	484	HB0076a -15- HB 76
485	485	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
486	486
487	487	than the district's ADM adjusted for school size in the base fiscal year; 1
488	488	(G) the method established in (E) of this paragraph does not 2
489	489	apply to a decrease in the district's ADM adjusted for school size resulting 3
490	490	from a loss of enrollment that occurs as a result of a boundary change under 4
491	491	AS 29; 5
492	492	(H) notwithstanding (A) - (C) of this paragraph, if one or more 6
493	493	schools close and consolidate with one or more other schools in the same 7
494	494	community and district and, as a result of the consolidation, basic need 8
495	495	generated by the district's ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under 9
496	496	(A) - (C) of this paragraph decreases, the district may use the last fiscal year 10
497	497	before the consolidation as the base fiscal year to offset that decrease for the 11
498	498	first four fiscal years following consolidation according to the following 12
499	499	method: 13
500	500	(i) for the first two fiscal years after the base fiscal year, 14
501	501	the district's ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under (A) - 15
502	502	(C) of this paragraph is calculated by dividing the sum of the district's 16
503	503	ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under (A) - (C) of this 17
504	504	paragraph for the base fiscal year by the sum of the district's ADM of 18
505	505	the consolidated schools for the base fiscal year without adjustment, 19
506	506	and subtracting the quotient obtained by dividing the district's ADM of 20
507	507	the consolidated schools for the current fiscal year as adjusted under 21
508	508	(A) - (C) of this paragraph by the sum of the district's ADM of the 22
509	509	consolidated schools for the current fiscal year without adjustment, 23
510	510	multiplying that number by the sum of the district's ADM of the 24
511	511	consolidated schools for the current fiscal year without adjustment, and 25
512	512	adding that number to the sum of the district's ADM of the consolidated 26
513	513	schools for the current fiscal year as adjusted under (A) - (C) of this 27
514	514	paragraph; 28
515	515	(ii) for the third fiscal year after the base fiscal year, the 29
516	516	district's ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under (A) - (C) 30
517	517	of this paragraph is calculated by dividing the sum of the district's 31 34-GH1082\A
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519	519	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
520	520
521	521	ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under (A) - (C) of this 1
522	522	paragraph for the base fiscal year by the sum of the district's ADM of 2
523	523	the consolidated schools for the base fiscal year without adjustment, 3
524	524	and subtracting the quotient obtained by dividing the sum of the 4
525	525	district's ADM of the consolidated schools for the current fiscal year as 5
526	526	adjusted under (A) - (C) of this paragraph by the sum of the district's 6
527	527	ADM of the consolidated schools for the current fiscal year, 7
528	528	multiplying that number by the sum of the district's ADM of the 8
529	529	consolidated schools for the current fiscal year without adjustment, 9
530	530	multiplying that number by 66 percent, and adding that number to the 10
531	531	sum of the district's ADM of the consolidated schools for the current 11
532	532	fiscal year as adjusted under (A) - (C) of this paragraph; 12
533	533	(iii) for the fourth fiscal year after the base fiscal year, 13
534	534	the district's ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under (A) - 14
535	535	(C) of this paragraph is calculated by dividing the sum of the district's 15
536	536	ADM of the consolidated schools as adjusted under (A) - (C) of this 16
537	537	paragraph for the base fiscal year by the sum of the district's ADM of 17
538	538	the consolidated schools for the base fiscal year without adjustment, 18
539	539	and subtracting the quotient obtained by dividing the sum of the 19
540	540	district's ADM of the consolidated schools for the current fiscal year as 20
541	541	adjusted under (A) - (C) of this paragraph by the sum of the district's 21
542	542	ADM of the consolidated schools for the current fiscal year, 22
543	543	multiplying that number by the sum of the district's ADM of the 23
544	544	consolidated schools for the current fiscal year without adjustment, 24
545	545	multiplying that number by 33 percent, and adding that number to the 25
546	546	sum of the district's ADM of the consolidated schools for the current 26
547	547	fiscal year as adjusted under (A) - (C) of this paragraph; 27
548	548	(iv) to calculate the district's basic need for each fiscal 28
549	549	year, the number obtained through the calculation in (i), (ii), or (iii) of 29
550	550	this subparagraph is added to the number obtained under (C) of
551	551	this 30
552	552	paragraph for the remainder of the district; 31 34-GH1082\A
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554	554	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
555	555
556	556	(I) if the basic need calculated under (H)(i) - (iii) of this 1
557	557	paragraph for one of the first four fiscal years after consolidation is less than 2
558	558	the basic need calculated under (A) - (C) of this paragraph for that fiscal year, 3
559	559	the basic need may not be adjusted under (H) of this paragraph for that fiscal 4
560	560	year; 5
561	561	(J) a district may not offset a decrease under (H) of this 6
562	562	paragraph if 7
563	563	(i) a new facility is constructed in the district for the 8
564	564	consolidation; or 9
565	565	(ii) the district offset a decrease under (E) of this 10
566	566	paragraph in the same fiscal year; 11
567	567	(K) a district that offsets a decrease under (H) of this paragraph 12
568	568	may not reopen a school that was closed for consolidation in the district until 13
569	569	(i) seven or more years have passed since the school 14
570	570	closure; and 15
571	571	(ii) the district provides evidence satisfactory to the 16
572	572	department that the schools affected by the consolidation are over 17
573	573	capacity; 18
574	574	(L) a district may not reopen and reconsolidate a school that 19
575	575	was consolidated in the district more than once every seven years for purposes 20
576	576	of the calculations made under (H) of this paragraph; 21
577	577	(M) a district offsetting a decrease under (H) of this paragraph 22
578	578	shall provide the department with the list of schools participating in the 23
579	579	consolidation and the corresponding ADM; 24
580	580	(2) the required local contribution of a city or borough school district is 25
581	581	the equivalent of a 2.65 mill tax levy on the full and true value of the taxable real and 26
582	582	personal property in the district as of January 1 of the second preceding fiscal year, as 27
583	583	determined by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic 28
584	584	Development under AS 14.17.510 and AS 29.45.110, not to exceed 45 percent of a 29
585	585	district's basic need for the preceding fiscal year as determined under (1) of this 30
586	586	subsection. 31 34-GH1082\A
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588	588	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
589	589
590	590	* Sec. 15. AS 14.17.420(a) is amended to read: 1
591	591	(a) As a component of public school funding, a district is eligible for special 2
592	592	needs and secondary school vocational and technical instruction funding and may be 3
593	593	eligible for intensive services funding as follows: 4
594	594	(1) special needs funding is available to a district to assist the district 5
595	595	in providing special education, gifted and talented education, vocational education, 6
596	596	and bilingual education services to its students; a special needs funding factor of 1.20 7
597	597	shall be applied as set out in AS 14.17.410(b)(1); 8
598	598	(2) in addition to the special needs funding for which a district is 9
599	599	eligible under (1) of this subsection, a district is eligible for intensive services funding 10
600	600	for each special education student who needs and receives intensive services and is 11
601	601	enrolled on the last day of the count period; for each such student, intensive services 12
602	602	funding is equal to the intensive student count multiplied by 13; 13
603	603	(3) in addition to the special needs and intensive services funding 14
604	604	available under (1) and (2) of this subsection, secondary school vocational and 15
605	605	technical instruction funding is available to assist districts in providing vocational and 16
606	606	technical instruction to students who are enrolled in a secondary school; a secondary 17
607	607	school vocational and technical instruction funding factor of 1.04 [1.015] shall be 18
608	608	applied as set out in AS 14.17.410(b)(1); in this paragraph, "vocational and technical 19
609	609	instruction" excludes costs associated with 20
610	610	(A) administrative expenses; and 21
611	611	(B) instruction in general literacy, mathematics, and job 22
612	612	readiness skills. 23
613	613	* Sec. 16. AS 14.17.420 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 24
614	614	(d) If a district offers secondary school vocational and technical instruction, in 25
615	615	order to receive funding under (a)(3) of this section, the district must file with the 26
616	616	department a program plan that indicates how the district's implementation of the 27
617	617	program will improve student achievement. A district that receives funding under 28
618	618	(a)(3) of this section shall file an annual expenditures report indicating how the funds 29
619	619	were used by the district in the prior year. 30
620	620	* Sec. 17. AS 14.17.430 is amended to read: 31 34-GH1082\A
621	621	HB0076a -19- HB 76
622	622	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
623	623
624	624	Sec. 14.17.430. State funding for correspondence study. Except as provided 1
625	625	in AS 14.17.400(b), funding for the state centralized correspondence study program or 2
626	626	a district correspondence program, including a district that offers a statewide 3
627	627	correspondence study program, includes an allocation from the public education fund 4
628	628	in an amount equal to the ADM of the correspondence program [CALCULATED 5
629	629	BY MULTIPLYING THE ADM OF THE CORRESPONDENCE PROGRAM BY 90 6
630	630	PERCENT]. 7
631	631	* Sec. 18. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 8
632	632	read: 9
633	633	LUMP SUM PAYMENT FOR CERTAIN TEACHERS. (a) Subject to appropriation 10
634	634	for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2027, June 30, 2028, and June 30, 2029, a certificated full 11
635	635	time teacher occupying a position requiring teaching on a regular basis during the normal 12
636	636	work period for each day or week at a classroom teaching assignment in a public elementary 13
637	637	or secondary school, excluding a person teaching as an assistant or graduate assistant or 14
638	638	teaching on a substitute, temporary, or per diem basis, is entitled to receive a lump sum 15
639	639	payment as a retention and recruitment incentive on or within a reasonable period after July 1, 16
640	640	2026, July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028, if the teacher was employed in a full-time classroom 17
641	641	teaching position for the entirety of the school term for the school year immediately preceding 18
642	642	the date of payment and complies with the application requirements of (c) of this section. The 19
643	643	Department of Education and Early Development shall reduce the retention and recruitment 20
644	644	incentive by the amount necessary to pay mandatory employee and employer deductions, 21
645	645	including a deduction required under AS 14.25. 22
646	646	(b) Subject to the application and certification requirements in (c) of this section, the 23
647	647	Department of Education and Early Development shall pay the retention and recruitment 24
648	648	incentive identified in (a) of this section as grants to school districts as follows: 25
649	649	(1) $5,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the 26
650	650	following districts: 27
651	651	(A) Anchorage School District; 28
652	652	(B) Fairbanks North Star Borough School District; 29
653	653	(C) Juneau Borough School District; 30
654	654	(D) Kenai Peninsula Borough School District; 31 34-GH1082\A
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656	656	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
657	657
658	658	(E) Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District; 1
659	659	(2) $10,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the 2
660	660	following districts: 3
661	661	(A) Alaska Gateway School District; 4
662	662	(B) Aleutian Region School District; 5
663	663	(C) Aleutians East Borough School District; 6
664	664	(D) Annette Island School District; 7
665	665	(E) Chugach School District; 8
666	666	(F) Copper River School District; 9
667	667	(G) Cordova City School District; 10
668	668	(H) Delta/Greely School District; 11
669	669	(I) Denali Borough School District; 12
670	670	(J) Galena City School District; 13
671	671	(K) Haines Borough School District; 14
672	672	(L) Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District; 15
673	673	(M) Kodiak Island Borough School District; 16
674	674	(N) Mount Edgecumbe; 17
675	675	(O) Nenana City School District; 18
676	676	(P) Nome Public Schools; 19
677	677	(Q) Petersburg Borough School District; 20
678	678	(R) Saint Mary's School District; 21
679	679	(S) Sitka School District; 22
680	680	(T) Skagway School District; 23
681	681	(U) Unalaska City School District; 24
682	682	(V) Valdez City School District; 25
683	683	(W) Wrangell Public School District; 26
684	684	(X) Yakutat School District; 27
685	685	(3) $15,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the 28
686	686	following districts: 29
687	687	(A) Bering Strait School District; 30
688	688	(B) Bristol Bay Borough School District; 31 34-GH1082\A
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690	690	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
691	691
692	692	(C) Chatham School District; 1
693	693	(D) Craig City School District; 2
694	694	(E) Dillingham City School District; 3
695	695	(F) Hoonah City School District; 4
696	696	(G) Hydaburg City School District; 5
697	697	(H) Iditarod Area School District; 6
698	698	(I) Kake City School District; 7
699	699	(J) Kashunamiut School District; 8
700	700	(K) Klawock City School District; 9
701	701	(L) Kuspuk School District; 10
702	702	(M) Lake and Peninsula Borough School District; 11
703	703	(N) Lower Kuskokwim School District; 12
704	704	(O) Lower Yukon School District; 13
705	705	(P) North Slope Borough School District; 14
706	706	(Q) Northwest Arctic Borough School District; 15
707	707	(R) Pelican City School District; 16
708	708	(S) Pribilof School District; 17
709	709	(T) Southeast Island School District; 18
710	710	(U) Southwest Region School District; 19
711	711	(V) Yukon Flats School District; 20
712	712	(W) Yukon-Koyukuk School District; 21
713	713	(X) Yupiit School District. 22
714	714	(c) To be eligible for the retention and recruitment incentive identified in (a) of this 23
715	715	section, a certificated full-time teacher must apply during each eligible calendar year to the 24
716	716	Department of Education and Early Development on a date not later than the final day the 25
717	717	teacher's school is in session for the school term. The teacher shall apply for the payment 26
718	718	under this section on a form designated by the commissioner of education and early 27
719	719	development. For each teacher who applies, the school district or regional educational 28
720	720	attendance area shall certify the teacher's eligibility for payment under (a) of this section to 29
721	721	the Department of Education and Early Development. 30
722	722	(d) A payment made under this section is considered compensation for the purposes 31 34-GH1082\A
723	723	HB 76 -22- HB0076a
724	724	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
725	725
726	726	of AS 14.25. 1
727	727	(e) The Department of Education and Early Development may adopt regulations 2
728	728	necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. 3
729	729	* Sec. 19. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 4
730	730	read: 5
731	731	REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE. (a) The house and senate education committees 6
732	732	shall jointly prepare a report to the legislature that provides 7
733	733	(1) recommendations for any change to public school foundation funding; 8
734	734	(2) a survey of each school district's curriculum, programs, and services and 9
735	735	an explanation of whether there is any duplication of the curriculum, programs, or services 10
736	736	within the district; 11
737	737	(3) a definition of "accountability" as that term applies to measuring school 12
738	738	and student performance; and 13
739	739	(4) recommended metrics for determining school and student performance 14
740	740	other than the standardized testing that is currently used. 15
741	741	(b) The house and senate education committees shall deliver a copy of the report to 16
742	742	the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives, and notify the 17
743	743	legislature that the report is available, before the first day of the First Regular Session of the 18
744	744	Thirty-Fifth Alaska State Legislature. 19
745	745	* Sec. 20. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 20
746	746	read: 21
747	747	TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The Department of Education and Early 22
748	748	Development may proceed to adopt regulations to implement this Act. The regulations take 23
749	749	effect under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) but not before the effective date of the 24
750	750	law implemented by the regulations. 25
751	751	* Sec. 21. Section 6, ch. 3, SLA 2015, as amended by sec. 5, ch. 6, SLA 2020, is amended 26
752	752	to read: 27
753	753	Sec. 6. AS 14.11.014(d), 14.11.100(s), and 14.11.102(c) are repealed July 1, 28
754	754	2030 [2025]. 29
755	755	* Sec. 22. Section 5 of this Act takes effect June 30, 2034. 30
756	756	* Sec. 23. Sections 9 - 12 and 21 of this Act take effect June 30, 2025. 31 34-GH1082\A
757	757	HB0076a -23- HB 76
758	758	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
759	759
760	760	* Sec. 24. Section 20 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 1
761	761	* Sec. 25. Sections 4, 8, and 13 - 19 of this Act take effect July 1, 2025. 2
762	762	* Sec. 26. Except as provided in secs. 22 - 25 of this Act, this Act takes effect July 1, 2026. 3