Alaska education board opens comment on cutting 90-day charter deadline, library grant rules

The Alaska State Board of Education voted Oct. 14 at its quarterly meeting in Sitka to put out for public comment a proposal that would repeal 58 state education regulations and amend 12 others, including the 90-day deadline for charter school applications.

Written comments are due by 5 pm Alaska time Friday, Nov. 20. The Department of Education and Early Development posted the public notice Oct. 16.

The proposal is the department's first round of cuts under Gov. Mike Dunleavy's Administrative Order 360. The order, dated Aug. 4, 2025, directs state agencies to cut regulatory requirements 15 percent by the end of 2026 and 25 percent by the end of 2027. Most of the changes fall in the library, museum and archives chapters.

Charter School Rule Changes

Current rules require a charter application approved by a local school board to reach the department at least 90 days before the next regularly scheduled State Board meeting. The proposal would repeal that deadline.

A written commenter asked for the change, saying "districts can slow-roll things," and the department accepted the request. The department said the rule "can create barriers for charter applicants when districts delay review of submitted applications," and noted that no regulation sets a deadline for districts to review an application.

Applicants would also no longer have to submit a written administrative policy manual or proof of compliance with applicable law.

Library Grant and Collection Rules

When money for school library collection grants falls short, the current rule splits it pro rata, or proportionally, among all eligible school libraries before ranking them. The amendment would end that step. The library division would instead rank applications and fund only the top-ranked libraries. One survey respondent said the program has never been funded but should be, because rural students lack current books.

For public library grants, the proposal would repeal the fixed funding split: 75 percent to public library assistance and 25 percent to interlibrary cooperation and regional services. It would also repeal the April 1 application deadline and the Aug. 1 decision deadline. The library director would set the application period each year instead.

The changes would also end the requirement that grant-funded libraries lend free of charge to other Alaska libraries, the five-hour evening and weekend minimum, and the ban on combined public and school libraries buying curriculum materials with grant money. Another survey respondent asked the board to keep the interlibrary cooperation grant rule.

Audits, Testing and Other Repeals

A rule setting an Oct. 1 deadline for districts to send their audits to the education commissioner would be repealed. The department said it conflicts with state law, which already requires the audit before Oct. 1 and directs the commissioner to withhold state payments after Nov. 15 from any district that has not filed one.

Six of the 10 duties required of staff at school test sites, from labeling and securely storing tests to preventing copying, would be repealed. The department said those rules relate to paper tests and "do not currently apply" because Alaska gives its statewide tests electronically.

The proposal would also drop several expired rules: a diploma route for people given certificates of achievement from 2014 to 2016, Alaska Performance Scholarship course rules for the classes of 2011 to 2014, a 1999 funding transition rule, two gifted education rules and four regional resource center rules.

The department's Feb. 2 reform plan counted 371 discretionary requirements, marking 261 for removal and 110 for revision. Posted records do not say how many of the 261 this round covers or whether it reaches the 15 percent target.

How to comment

Comments can be submitted by email, by mail or through the online notice.

The board will take phone comment during its virtual meeting Dec. 3.