House committee advances special education funding resolution, CTE mobility bill

The House Education Committee approved Tuesday a resolution urging Congress to fully fund special education programs and advanced a bill creating a career and technical education mobility grant program.

The committee unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 45, which asks Congress to honor its original commitment to fund 40 percent of special education costs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Federal funding currently covers only 10 to 15 percent of those costs, forcing Alaska school districts to shift money from other programs.

"The federal government should not shift this fiscal responsibility onto states and local districts after setting the national standard and creating the legal obligation," said Rep. Jamie Allard, the committee co-chair.

Testimony from educators across Alaska showed strained resources and teacher burnout. Stacy Duke, a Juneau School District principal, said inadequate funding creates staffing shortages that prevent schools from meeting students' individualized education program requirements.

"Without proper funding, if we do not have enough paraeducators, we do not have enough special education staff, it impacts us at every level and as a principal I cannot do my job if we are not fully staffed," Duke said.

Olivia Yancey, executive director of the Special Education Service Agency, told lawmakers her organization has created a waitlist for services for the first time, with nine students across seven districts waiting for specialized support.

The committee also moved House Bill 358 forward without amendments. The bill would create a framework for districts to share career and technical education programs and establish pre-apprenticeship opportunities through partnerships between the education and labor departments. The legislation would allow districts to pool resources and expertise, enabling smaller communities to offer programs such as welding, healthcare training, and construction trades that they could not support individually. The bill establishes criteria for grant eligibility and requires participating districts to develop formal agreements outlining shared costs, transportation, and student enrollment procedures.

Rep. Ben Carpenter, the bill's sponsor, said the measure would help rural districts access CTE programs they cannot afford to operate independently. The bill includes no initial funding but creates a structure for future grant awards.

For Alaska's rural communities, both measures address critical educational challenges. The special education resolution could reduce the financial burden on districts that currently divert general education funds to meet federal mandates, potentially allowing more resources for classroom instruction and teacher retention. The CTE mobility program could provide students in remote areas access to career training previously available only in larger population centers, helping address workforce development needs in industries vital to Alaska's economy.