Alaska pre-K programs will no longer need mental health consultation to get state funding

Alaska school districts will no longer have to provide mental health consultation or coaching in their pre-K programs to draw state funding for 4- and 5-year-olds, under a revised state rule that takes effect Nov. 7.

The lieutenant governor's office filed the rule Oct. 8. It sets the standards a district must meet to count each pre-K child as half a student in the state school funding formula. The standards trace to the 2022 Alaska Reads Act.

Based on stakeholder feedback, the revision moves two standards, social and emotional support and coaching, into a supplemental section "not required for formula funding," according to Education Commissioner Deena Bishop's cover memo to the State Board of Education and Early Development. Mental health consultation went from required to recommended, according to draft board minutes.

The ban on expelling a pre-K child for behavior and the limits on suspension remain required in the September 2025 draft standards the board reviewed. Before suspending a child, a program now engages a mental health consultant "if available."

The board approved the revision unanimously on Oct. 9, 2025, without discussion. The memo says no public comments were received.