SB 1001

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                                    SENATE BILL NO. 1001
                    IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
               THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SPECIAL SESSION
 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
 Introduced: 8/2/25
 Referred: Education, Finance
                                              A BILL
                                   FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
1 "An Act relating to public school enrollment; relating to authorization of charter
2  schools; establishing an after-school literacy grant program; and authorizing lump sum
3  payments for certain teachers as retention and recruitment incentives."
4  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
5    * Section 1. AS 14.03.080(a) is amended to read:
6(a) Subject to AS 14.14.110 and 14.14.120, a [A] child of school age is
7entitled to attend public school without payment of tuition during the school term
8(1) in the school district in which the child is a resident; and
9(2) except as provided in (i) of this section, upon application to a
10school district, at a school selected by the child's parent in or outside the school
11district in which the child is a resident subject to
12(A) capacity limitations of the selected school;
13(B) a school district's lottery policy for determining
14enrollment;
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1(C) regulations that the department shall adopt to
2(i) require a school district to accept students upon
3application throughout the school year as capacity becomes
4available;
5(ii)   require a school district to report to the
6department and publish on the school district's Internet website
7annually student enrollment data at each school, including capacity
8and vacancies for each grade; the number of applications,
9acceptances, and denials; and the reasons for any denial;
10(iii) compensate a school district at the end of a
11school year to account for a year-end ADM that is greater than the
12district's student count data provided under AS 14.17.600;
13(iv)   establish a procedure for appealing a school
14district's denial of an enrollment application; and
15(v) establish an enrollment procedure for accepting
16students by lottery [SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF
17AS 14.14.110 AND 14.14.120].
18  * Sec. 2. AS 14.03.080 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
19(i) Nothing in (a)(2) of this section applies to a correspondence study program
20under AS 14.03.300.
21  * Sec. 3. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read:
22Sec. 14.03.254. Application for charter school to the board. (a) The state
23Board of Education and Early Development shall prescribe by regulation a procedure
24for the establishment of a charter school in any school district in the state by
25application to the state board.
26(b) The state Board of Education and Early Development shall issue a written
27decision on an application for a charter school within 45 days after acceptance of the
28application. If the state board approves a charter school application, the local school
29board shall operate the charter school as provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290.
30  * Sec. 4. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read:
31(a) The department shall
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1(1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state
2except the University of Alaska;
3(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state,
4adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school
5performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement
6of the public schools; the department may consult with the University of Alaska to
7develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college
8preparatory courses;
9(3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school
10governing bodies and personnel;
11(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public
12schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is
13given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language;
14(5)     establish, in coordination with the Department of Family and
15Community Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held
16in juvenile detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are
17defined in AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment;
18(6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards
19prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the
20department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular
21session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session,
22whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of
23the members of each house;
24(7)     prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire
25marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe
26conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of
27physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for
28private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools;
29(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that
30receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by
31a school district for students four and five years of age, approve an early education
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1program provided by a school district that complies with the standards adopted by the
2board under AS 14.07.165(a)(5), and revoke approval of an early education program if
3the program does not comply with the standards adopted by the board under
4AS 14.07.165(a)(5);
5(9)    exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary
6correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional
7educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any
8Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program;
9(10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet
10accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this
11paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be
12licensed;
13(11)   review plans for construction of new public elementary and
14secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public
15elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the
16department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school
17construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans"
18include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption
19and costs, and final contract documents;
20(12)   provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational
21education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who
22are no longer attending school; the department may consult with businesses and labor
23unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that
24will lead to employment opportunities;
25(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11;
26(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a
27school bus driver training course;
28(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary
29and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent
30behavior;
31(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance,
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1under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional
2practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15); the regulations must include
3(A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies
4and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department;
5(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in
6AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three
7consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent
8increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language
9arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A); and
10(C)    a process for districts to petition the department for
11continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention;
12(17)   notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over
13education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or
14redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15);
15(18) establish a reading program to provide direct support for and
16intervention in the reading intervention programs of participating schools as described
17in AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770;
18(19) annually convene, either in person or electronically, a panel to
19review and comment on the effectiveness of the programs created by the department
20and the regulations adopted by the board to implement AS 14.03.410, 14.03.420,
21AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, and 14.30.800; the panel
22(A) shall provide recommendations and guidance to the board,
23the department, and the legislature on how to integrate early education and
24reading programs created under this title with tribal compacting or programs
25focused on cultural education within the department;
26(B)    shall discuss support for reading in Alaska Native
27languages and other non-English languages;
28(C) must collectively represent the regions of the state and
29include teachers of grades kindergarten through three, school administrators,
30parents of students in grades kindergarten through three, stakeholders from
31Indigenouse language immersion programs, representatives from early
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1education stakeholder groups, and researchers of best practices for improving
2literacy performance, including best practices for instruction of Indigenouse
3students and students whose first language is not English;
4(20) adopt regulations to implement and administer the literacy
5grant program under AS 14.14.116, including regulations that establish
6standards for grant application and award, and the measuring of the efficacy of
7tutoring services provided by a grant recipient.
8  * Sec. 5. AS 14.07.170(a) is amended to read:
9(a) The board may
10(1) appoint unpaid advisory commissions;
11(2)   require school boards or school personnel to submit to the
12department, in the form the board may require, the district budget or any information
13or reports that are reasonably necessary to assist the department in carrying out its
14functions;
15(3) authorize the establishment of a charter school to operate as
16provided in AS 14.03.255 - 14.03.290 in any school district in the state; the board
17may delegate the authority to authorize establishment of a charter school to a
18board committee, political subdivision of the state, or state agency, including the
19University of Alaska; delegation under this paragraph is limited to approving or
20denying an application for a charter school and is subject to the review and
21appeal processes applicable to a local school board under AS 14.03.250 and
2214.03.253.
23  * Sec. 6. AS 14.14 is amended by adding a new section to read:
24Sec. 14.14.116. After-school literacy grant program. (a) There is established
25in the department an after-school literacy grant program to provide grants to school
26districts for literacy tutoring services for students. Literacy tutoring services funded
27under this section must be provided outside of regular instructional hours as defined
28by the school district.
29(b) A grant may be used for costs directly associated with establishing and
30maintaining literacy tutoring services, including costs for
31(1) stipends or salaries for qualified tutors;
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1(2)   the development or purchase of curriculum and instructional
2materials; and
3(3) student assessment and program evaluation tools.
4(c)   A school district seeking a grant shall submit an application to the
5department on a form and in a manner prescribed by the department in regulation. The
6department shall award grants on a competitive basis, subject to appropriation.
7(d) A grant recipient shall provide a report to the department on the efficacy of
8the tutoring services. The report must be submitted in a format and at a time required
9by the department and include data consistent with standards established in regulation
10under AS 14.07.020(a)(20).
11(e) The total amount of grants awarded under this section may not exceed
12$10,000,000 in a fiscal year.
13   * Sec. 7. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to
14 read:
15LUMP SUM PAYMENT FOR CERTAIN TEACHERS. (a) Subject to appropriation
16 for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2027, June 30, 2028, and June 30, 2029, a certificated full
17 time teacher occupying a position requiring teaching on a regular basis during the normal
18 work period for each day or week at a classroom teaching assignment in a public elementary
19 or secondary school, excluding a person teaching as an assistant or graduate assistant or
20 teaching on a substitute, temporary, or per diem basis, is entitled to receive a lump sum
21 payment as a retention and recruitment incentive on or within a reasonable period after July 1,
22 2026, July 1, 2027, and July 1, 2028, if the teacher was employed in a full-time classroom
23 teaching position for the entirety of the school term for the school year immediately preceding
24 the date of payment and complies with the application requirements of (c) of this section. The
25 Department of Education and Early Development shall reduce the retention and recruitment
26 incentive by the amount necessary to pay mandatory employee and employer deductions,
27 including a deduction required under AS 14.25.
28(b) Subject to the application and certification requirements in (c) of this section, the
29 Department of Education and Early Development shall pay the retention and recruitment
30 incentive identified in (a) of this section as grants to school districts as follows:
31(1)   $3,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the
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1 following districts:
2(A) Anchorage School District;
3(B) Fairbanks North Star Borough School District;
4(C) Juneau Borough School District;
5(D) Kenai Peninsula Borough School District;
6(E) Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District;
7(2)     $8,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the
8 following districts:
9(A) Alaska Gateway School District;
10(B) Aleutian Region School District;
11(C) Aleutians East Borough School District;
12(D) Annette Island School District;
13(E) Chugach School District;
14(F) Copper River School District;
15(G) Cordova City School District;
16(H) Delta/Greely School District;
17(I) Denali Borough School District;
18(J) Galena City School District;
19(K) Haines Borough School District;
20(L) Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District;
21(M) Kodiak Island Borough School District;
22(N) Mount Edgecumbe;
23(O) Nenana City School District;
24(P) Nome Public Schools;
25(Q) Petersburg Borough School District;
26(R) Saint Mary's School District;
27(S) Sitka School District;
28(T) Skagway School District;
29(U) Unalaska City School District;
30(V) Valdez City School District;
31(W) Wrangell Public School District;
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1(X) Yakutat School District;
2(3) $13,000 for each eligible certificated full-time teacher teaching in the
3 following districts:
4(A) Bering Strait School District;
5(B) Bristol Bay Borough School District;
6(C) Chatham School District;
7(D) Craig City School District;
8(E) Dillingham City School District;
9(F) Hoonah City School District;
10(G) Hydaburg City School District;
11(H) Iditarod Area School District;
12(I) Kake City School District;
13(J) Kashunamiut School District;
14(K) Klawock City School District;
15(L) Kuspuk School District;
16(M) Lake and Peninsula Borough School District;
17(N) Lower Kuskokwim School District;
18(O) Lower Yukon School District;
19(P) North Slope Borough School District;
20(Q) Northwest Arctic Borough School District;
21(R) Pelican City School District;
22(S) Pribilof School District;
23(T) Southeast Island School District;
24(U) Southwest Region School District;
25(V) Yukon Flats School District;
26(W) Yukon-Koyukuk School District;
27(X) Yupiit School District.
28(c) To be eligible for the retention and recruitment incentive identified in (a) of this
29 section, a certificated full-time teacher must apply during each eligible calendar year to the
30 Department of Education and Early Development on a date not later than the final day the
31 teacher's school is in session for the school term. The teacher shall apply for the payment
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1 under this section on a form designated by the commissioner of education and early
2 development. For each teacher who applies, the school district or regional educational
3 attendance area shall certify the teacher's eligibility for payment under (a) of this section to
4 the Department of Education and Early Development.
5(d) A payment made under this section is considered compensation for the purposes
6 of AS 14.25.
7(e) The Department of Education and Early Development may adopt regulations
8 necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
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