Education
RSSAlaska News covers education policy, school funding, teacher programs, and student services across Alaska's public schools and universities.
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 News4mo ago1 min readHouse panel advances Alaska Native languages task force bill after rejecting university, state agency seats
The House Education Committee approved House Bill 387 to create a legislative task force reviewing Alaska's 50-year-old Native language programs, but rejected amendments to add university and state education officials to the panel.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readHouse 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 News4mo ago4 min read
Alaska residential schools seek doubled stipends to cover rising costs
The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on SB 257, which would double residential school stipends and tie them to the base student allocation to address a funding gap that forces programs to operate at half their actual costs.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min read
House panel advances Alaska Native language task force bill
The House Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 387, which would create a legislative task force to review Alaska Native language instruction and preservation efforts through 2027.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min read
Anchorage budget crisis mirrors national school funding squeeze
The Anchorage School District's $90 million deficit and proposed cuts reflect broader national trends of flat state funding, rising costs, and structural budget pressures facing urban districts.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago4 min read
Juneau schools seek $10M bond for roofs, HVAC after state funding dries up
The Juneau School District is reviving a $10 million bond proposal for critical maintenance including roofs at three schools, HVAC upgrades, and security systems after years of minimal state capital funding left the district unable to address mounting infrastructure needs.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago3 min read
Alaska Senate Panel Advances Youth Suicide Prevention Bill
The Alaska Senate Finance Committee heard testimony on SB 206, legislation requiring schools to notify parents when students express suicidal thoughts and establishing a grant fund to provide free gun locks to families.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago5 min read
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 News5mo ago2 min read
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 News5mo ago3 min read
Education Fund Amendment Advances With Key Questions Unresolved
The House Finance Committee heard testimony on a constitutional amendment to create a dedicated education fund, but critical details about what qualifies as public education, how money would enter the fund, and whether the legislature could dissolve it remain undefined.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
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 Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
Residential Schools Seek Doubled Funding Tied to Base Allocation
Alaska's residential boarding schools are pushing for legislation to double their per-student stipends and link future funding to the base student allocation, arguing current funding has not meaningfully increased since 2015 despite rising costs.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago3 min read
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 News5mo ago4 min read
Tlingit & Haida building two education campuses on Prince of Wales
The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is constructing two early education campuses in Craig and Klawock to expand Head Start and childcare capacity while integrating Indigenous language instruction.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
School Board Reverses Course on Calendar After Community Backlash
The Anchorage School Board voted 7-0 to restore the original August 19 start date for the 2026-27 school year after community outcry over an earlier proposal that moved the first day of school to mid-August, conflicting with subsistence activities and family traditions.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago3 min read
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 News5mo ago4 min read
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 News5mo ago4 min read
House panel questions education fund proposal with no guaranteed revenue
Alaska House Finance Committee members raised concerns about a constitutional amendment that would create an education fund without any dedicated funding source or protections against future legislatures spending it down to zero.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min read
Galena School District Shows Early Learning Drives Math, Reading Gains
Galena City School District demonstrates how grant-funded early childhood programs starting at 8 months, combined with extended school days and intervention blocks, are producing above-national-average results in math and literacy for students in early grades.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min read
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 News5mo ago6 min read
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 Newsadded 5mo ago5 min read
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 News5mo ago4 min readHouse 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 News5mo ago3 min readSenate advances software licensing bill, food dye ban to third reading
The Alaska Senate advanced two bills to third reading: one regulating software licensing contracts and another prohibiting certain food dyes in school meals during the school day.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
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 Newsadded 5mo ago3 min read
Senate Education Committee advances teacher loan repayment pilot program
The Senate Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 28, which establishes a three-year student loan repayment pilot program for Alaska teachers in high-need subject areas.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
Senate Finance subcommittee recommends $1.17 billion university budget
The Senate Finance Subcommittee on the University of Alaska recommended a $1.17 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2027, including partial funding for student recruitment and employee compensation increases.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
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 Newsadded 5mo ago2 min readKenai Peninsula CTE students achieve 97% graduation rate
Career and technical education students in Kenai Peninsula Borough School District achieved a 97% graduation rate, with 32% of successful students economically disadvantaged, demonstrating how hands-on career training keeps Alaska students engaged and employed in-state.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
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 Newsadded 5mo ago3 min read
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 Newsadded 5mo ago4 min readAlaska 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 Newsadded 5mo ago4 min readAlaska House debates school transportation funding amid rural-urban divide
The Alaska House of Representatives debated Amendment 31 targeting pupil transportation funding, revealing geographic divisions over education funding equity between rural and road-system districts.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago3 min readHouse 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 Newsadded 5mo ago2 min readAlaska House panel advances free school meals for reduced-price students
The House Education Committee moved forward a bill to eliminate meal costs for 3,326 students who qualify for reduced-price meals but struggle to afford full payment.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min readAlaska Senate panel considers banning synthetic food dyes from school meals
The Alaska Senate Health and Social Services Committee heard testimony on legislation that would prohibit six synthetic food dyes linked to health problems from public school breakfast and lunch programs.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min readHouse 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 News5mo ago2 min readAlaska Scholarship Funding Projections Show Potential Shortfalls Through 2029
State education officials warned lawmakers that increased scholarship usage under expanded eligibility rules could lead to funding gaps in multiple years through 2029.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min readHouse 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 Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
