State department overseeing Alaska's K-12 public schools, early learning, libraries, archives, and assessment. Distributes state funding to 53 school districts statewide.
333 Willoughby Ave, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
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U.S. Education Secretary Tours Mat-Su Career and Charter Schools
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited two Mat-Su schools on May 7 as part of a 50-state tour celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary.
by Alaska News6d ago1 min readWasilla, AK9 viewsAI
Alaska schools face May 15 deadline for improvement plans, funding
Alaska school districts must submit three-year improvement plans and budgets by May 15, 2026, a deadline affecting designated schools statewide with potential funding implications.
by Alaska News3d ago3 min readWilliam A. Egan Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage1 viewAI
Alaska Special Education Crisis: 200 Teaching Positions Unfilled Statewide
Education officials testified about a severe special education staffing crisis with 200 unfilled positions and a 14% increase in students with disabilities despite steady enrollment.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAlaska, USA28 viewsAI
Alaska House Weighs $113M Education Funding Overhaul
House Finance Committee debates education funding bill using three-year enrollment averaging to provide budget certainty, but faces questions about $113 million fiscal note and lack of long-term modeling.
by Alaska News2w ago2 min readHouse Finance7 viewsAI
House Finance Advances Education Funding Bill Despite Fiscal Concerns
The Alaska House Finance Committee narrowly advanced HB 261, an education funding reform bill using three-year student count averaging, after rejecting amendments to mandate averaging for special needs students and cap administrative spending at 15 percent.
by Alaska News1w ago4 min readJuneau, Alaska3 viewsAI
Alaska Student Loan Corporation to set variable interest rates April 27
The Alaska Student Loan Corporation Board will meet April 27 to set variable interest rates and conduct other business via teleconference.
by Alaska News3w ago1 min readJuneau, Alaska10 viewsAI
House panel debates $113M education funding formula shift
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on a bill that would change how Alaska calculates school funding, using a three-year enrollment average instead of a single October count.
by Alaska News2w ago6 min readAlaska, USA6 viewsAI
State seeks special education coach to help Alaska districts
Alaska education department seeks contractor to coach school districts on improving special education systems and student achievement statewide.
by Alaska News1w ago1 min readAlaska2 viewsAI
Alaska marks 50 years of regional education attendance areas
The House Education Committee honored the 50th anniversary of Alaska's Regional Education Attendance Areas, with former commissioners reflecting on the system's creation and ongoing challenges with facility maintenance.
by Alaska News2w ago3 min readHouse3 viewsAI
Task Force Hears Federal Assessment Rules, NAEP Context, and AKSTAR Demo
The Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Funding received presentations on federal testing requirements under ESSA, how to interpret NAEP scores, and a demonstration of Alaska's AKSTAR assessment system.
by Alaska News2w ago8 min readJuneau, AK, USA4 viewsAI
Senate Education Committee Advances Opioid Awareness Bill, Hears Tribal School Compact Proposal
The committee unanimously moved Senate Bill 228, requiring opioid education in schools, and heard the first presentation on Senate Bill 66, which would allow tribes to operate public schools under state-tribal compacts.
by Alaska News3w ago5 min readdowntown Juneau4 viewsAI
State Teacher Commission to Meet April 23-24, Public Welcome to Attend
The Professional Teaching Practices Commission will hold a public virtual meeting April 23-24 to consider teacher disciplinary cases and conduct administrative business.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAlaska9 viewsAI
Alaska House panel hears bill to overhaul school funding timelines
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on HB 261, which would allow districts to use three-year average student counts instead of single-year October counts to set budgets months earlier and offer teacher contracts in spring rather than summer.
by Alaska News2w ago4 min readAlaska2 viewsAI
State adopts new special education rules for visual impairment services
Alaska has adopted updated regulations for special education services for visually impaired students, effective May 28.
by Alaska News2w ago1 min readAlaska2 viewsAI
Alaska Universities Report 73% Jump in Teacher Pipeline Enrollment
University of Alaska reports significant growth in teacher education programs, with Ed Rising student participation up 73% year-over-year and over $1 million in scholarships awarded to 109 teacher candidates.
by Alaska News2w ago4 min readJuneau, AK, USA2 viewsAI
Public Meeting on Disabilities and Special Education Set for April 9
The Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education is hosting a virtual public meeting on April 9 to discuss advocacy workshops and planning activities.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAlaska6 viewsAI
Alaska Advances Mental Health Education Guidelines Without Mandates
The House Finance Committee moved Senate Bill 41 forward, directing development of mental health education guidelines for K-12 schools while leaving implementation to local districts.
by Alaska News3w ago4 min readHouse Finance2 viewsAI
House Finance Advances Mental Health Education Guidelines for Schools
The House Finance Committee moved Senate Bill 41 out of committee, which directs development of mental health education guidelines for Alaska's K-12 schools.
by Alaska News3w ago3 min readHouse Finance2 viewsAI
Senate panel approves $441 million education budget with teacher incentives
The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Education and Early Development approved a $441 million budget for fiscal year 2027 that includes new funding for teacher incentives and Head Start matching grants while reducing spending on boarding homes and residential schools.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min readAlaska2 viewsAI
House Education Committee advances CPR training bill with rural flexibility
The House Education Committee approved Senate Bill 20, which requires CPR instruction in Alaska public schools, after adopting three amendments to provide flexibility for rural and under-resourced districts.
by Alaska News3w ago3 min readJuneau, Alaska2 viewsAI
State seeks contractor for education materials design and writing
The Alaska Department of Education is seeking a contractor to provide graphic design and content writing services for department communications, with proposals due May 12.
by Alaska News3w ago1 min readAlaska2 viewsAI
House Education Committee Advances Bill to Boost Residential School Funding
The committee heard testimony on HB 380, which would increase funding for Alaska's nine residential school programs for the first time since 2015.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min readJuneau, Alaska3 viewsAI
Alaska's tribal school compact bill navigates sovereignty and public education law
Senate Bill 66 would authorize five-year pilot agreements allowing tribes to operate public schools under state funding while maintaining tribal governance, requiring new legislation to balance sovereignty with existing education statutes.
by Alaska News2w ago4 min readJuneau1 viewAI
House Finance considers multi-year school funding averaging bill
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on HB 261, which would shift Alaska's education funding to a three-year enrollment average instead of annual counts, giving districts earlier budget certainty but carrying a fiscal note approaching $1 billion over five years.
by Alaska News2w ago4 min readHouse Finance1 viewAI
House committee advances special education funding resolution, CTE mobility bill
The House Education Committee approved a resolution urging Congress to fully fund special education and moved forward a bill creating a career and technical education grant program.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min readHouse Education1 viewAI
House panel considers expanding early intervention for Alaska children
The House Health and Social Services Committee heard testimony on legislation that would lower developmental delay thresholds for infant learning programs from 50% to 25%, potentially saving the state millions in future special education costs.
by Alaska News3w ago2 min readHouse1 viewAI
Alaska Overhauls School Construction Funding to Help Rural Districts Compete
The state is changing how it evaluates school construction projects to level the playing field for smaller districts that cannot afford expensive application processes.
by Alaska News1mo ago4 min readHouse Finance1 viewAI
Alaska School Funding System Favors Wealthy Districts, Senators Say
Senate Finance Committee members raised concerns that Alaska's school construction funding process allows affluent districts to pre-fund projects and jump ahead of poorer communities that have waited years for repairs.
by Alaska News1mo ago4 min readSenate1 viewAI
State council on infant disabilities to meet April 21 via Zoom
The state council that coordinates services for infants and toddlers with disabilities will hold a public Zoom meeting on April 21.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAlaska1 viewAI
52 Alaska districts join safety consortium using federal grant model
Hydaburg City School District is leading 52 Alaska school districts in a safety consortium based on a federal grant program proven on Prince of Wales Island, with participants receiving customized safety handbooks through a working symposium.
by Alaska News1d ago1 min readAlaskaAI