00HOUSE BILL NO. 55                                                                                                       
01 "An Act imposing a maximum pupil-teacher ratio in public schools; and providing                                         
02 for an effective date."                                                                                                 
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                   
05  Sec. 14.03.065.  MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE CLASS SIZE.  (a)  In a public                                                      
06 school class, other than an art, typing, library, music, vocational-technical, or physical                              
07 education class, the ratio of pupils to a teacher may not exceed 15 to 1 in a class in                                  
08 grades K - 3, 20 to 1 in a class in grades 4 - 6, and 25 to 1 in a class in grades 7 - 12.                              
09  (b)  The pupil-teacher ratio required under this section does not apply                                               
10   (1)  during the final eight weeks of each school year; or                                                            
11   (2)  in a fiscal year in which the legislature has not appropriated                                                  
12 sufficient money to implement the requirements of this section.                                                         
13  (c)  A district shall annually report to the department the district's ratio of                                       
14 pupils to a teacher in each class if the district is required to meet the ratio set out in                              

01 (a) of this section.  The ratio reported shall be the average of the daily ratio taken over                             
02 the same period in October used to determine average daily membership under                                             
03 AS 14.17.160.                                                                                                           
04  (d)  In this section, "teacher" means a person who is certified under                                                 
05 AS 14.20.020 and who is an actual classroom teacher in a regular instructional                                          
06 program.                                                                                                                
07    * Sec. 2.  TRANSITION.  Before July 1, 1998, notwithstanding AS 14.03.065, enacted in                                
08 sec. 1 of this Act, the ratio of pupils to a teacher in a class may be higher than the ratio                            
09 required under AS 14.03.065, enacted by sec. 1 of this Act, if the actual number of pupils in                           
10 the present class has declined by two or more when compared to pupils in the same class and                             
11 grade in the previous school year.                                                                                      
12    * Sec. 3.  This Act takes effect July 1, 1995.