SB 52 — An Act relating to education; requiring the Department of Education and Early Development to provide information relating to public schools on an Internet website; relating to information on the post-secondary education, career path, and residency of graduates from high schools in the state; relating to transportation of students; relating to state funding for districts operating residential schools; increasing the base student allocation; and providing for an effective date.

the department may consult with businesses and labor unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that will lead to employment opportunities;

(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11;

(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a school bus driver training course;

(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent behavior;

(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15);

the regulations must include (A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department;

(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A);

and (C) a process for districts to petition the department for continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention;

(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15);

(18) establish a reading program to provide direct support for and intervention in the reading intervention programs of participating schools as described CSSB 52(EDC) -4- SB0052B New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0369\S in AS 14.30.765 and 14.30.770;

(19) annually convene, either in person or electronically, a panel to review and comment on the effectiveness of the programs created by the department and the regulations adopted by the board to implement AS 14.03.410, 14.03.420, AS 14.30.760 - 14.30.770, and 14.30.800;

the panel (A) shall provide recommendations and guidance to the board, the department, and the legislature on how to integrate early education and reading programs created under this title with tribal compacting or programs focused on cultural education within the department;

(B) shall discuss support for reading in Alaska Native languages and other non-English languages;

(C) must collectively represent the regions of the state and include teachers of grades kindergarten through three, school administrators, parents of students in grades kindergarten through three, stakeholders from indigenous language immersion programs, representatives from early education stakeholder groups, and researchers of best practices for improving literacy performance, including best practices for instruction of indigenous students and students whose first language is not English;

(20) collaborate with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class as required under AS 14.03.120(m).

* Sec.

3.

AS 14.07.020(a), as amended by sec.

16, ch.

40, SLA 2022, is amended to read:

(a) The department shall (1) exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state except the University of Alaska;

(2) study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state, adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement of the public schools;

the department may consult with the University of Alaska to develop secondary education requirements to improve student achievement in college preparatory courses;

SB0052B -5- CSSB 52(EDC) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0369\S (3) provide advisory and consultative services to all public school governing bodies and personnel;

(4) prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public schools;

the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language;

(5) establish, in coordination with the Department of Family and Community Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in juvenile detention facilities or juvenile treatment facilities, as those terms are defined in AS 47.12.990, in the state during the period of detention or treatment;

(6) accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department;

these regulations shall be adopted by the department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session, whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of the members of each house;

(7) prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will ensure healthful and safe conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools;

the standards for private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools;

(8) exercise general supervision over early education programs that receive direct state or federal funding, including early education programs provided by a school district for students four and five years of age;

(9) exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional educational attendance areas;

the department may also offer and make available to any Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program;

(10) accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department;

nothing in this paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be licensed;

CSSB 52(EDC) -6- SB0052B New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0369\S (11) review plans for construction of new public elementary and secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school construction or major maintenance project;

for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans" include educational specifications, schematic designs, projected energy consumption and costs, and final contract documents;

(12) provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who are no longer attending school;

the department may consult with businesses and labor unions to develop a program to prepare students for apprenticeships or internships that will lead to employment opportunities;

(13) administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11;

(14) establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a school bus driver training course;

(15) require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent behavior;

(16) establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance, under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or (15);

the regulations must include (A) a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department;

(B) an end date for departmental intervention, as described in AS 14.07.030(a)(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in language arts and mathematics, as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(1)(A);

and (C) a process for districts to petition the department for continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention;

(17) notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over SB0052B -7- CSSB 52(EDC) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0369\S education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(a)(14) or redirecting public school funding under AS 14.07.030(a)(15);

(18) collaborate with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class as required under AS 14.03.120(m).

* Sec.

4.

5.2.

ASThis 14.17.470,Act astakes amendedeffect byon the effective date of sec.

426, ofch. this Act, is amended to read:

Sec.

14.17.470.

Base student allocation.

The base student allocation is $7,308 [$6,960].

* Sec.

6.

AS 14.17.470 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(b) On July 1, 2025, the department shall increase the base student allocation by a percentage equal to the average percentage of increase over the preceding four calendar years in all items of the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for urban Alaska prepared by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

* Sec.

7.

AS 44.31.020 is amended to read:

Sec.

44.31.020.

Duties of department.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development shall (1) enforce the laws and adopt regulations under them concerning employer-employee relationships, including the safety, hours of work, wages, and conditions of workers, including children;

(2) accumulate, analyze, and report labor statistics;

(3) operate systems of workers' compensation and unemployment insurance;

(4) gather data reflecting the cost of living in various locations of the state upon request of the director of personnel under AS 39.27.030;

(5) operate the federally funded employment and training programs under 29 U.S.C.

2801 - 2945 (Workforce Investment Act of 1998);

(6) administer the state's program of adult basic education and adopt CSSB 52(EDC) -8- SB0052B New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 33-LS0369\S regulations to administer the program;

and (7) administer the programs of the Alaska Vocational Technical Center and adopt regulations to administer the programs, including regulations that set rates for student tuition and room and board and fees for the programs and services provided by the department regarding the Alaska Vocational Technical Center;

(8) gather data on the progress of each high school graduating class in a district by collecting career, postsecondary education, and residency data on each student in the graduating class;

the department shall gather the data required under this paragraph every five years for 20 years after the high school graduation date of each high school graduating class;

the department shall publish a biennial report on the data gathered under this paragraph;

in this paragraph, "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990.

* Sec.

8.

Section 3 of this Act takes effect on the effective date of sec.

16, ch.

*SB0052A Sec.-1- SB 52 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

9.

Sections 2 and 4 of this Act take effect on the effective date of secs.

15 and 26, ch.

40, SLA 2022.

* Sec.

10.

AS 14.03.120(k) and (l), enacted by sec.

1 of this Act, and sec.

5 of this Act take effect July 1, 2024.

* Sec.

11.

AS 14.03.120(m), enacted by sec.

1 of this Act, and secs.

6 and 7 of this Act take effect July 1, 2025.

SB0052B -9- CSSB 52(EDC) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]