00                            SENATE BILL NO. 122                                                                         
01 "An Act relating to providing a prekindergarten program within a school district; and                                   
02 providing for an effective date."                                                                                       
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 14.03.060(a) is amended to read:                                                                   
05            (a)  Except as provided in (e) of this section, an elementary school consists of                             
06       grades kindergarten through grade eight or any appropriate combination of grades                                  
07       within this range, and a prekindergarten program provided by a school district                                
08       for students four and five years of age.                                                                      
09    * Sec. 2. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                   
10            Sec. 14.03.065. Prekindergarten program. A prekindergarten program                                         
11       provided by a school district must                                                                                
12                 (1)  be optional;                                                                                       
13                 (2)  be for a child four or five years of age who resides in the district;                              
14       and                                                                                                               

01                 (3)  be funded under AS 14.17.905(a) and (c).                                                           
02    * Sec. 3. AS 14.03.080 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
03            (g)  A child who is four or five years of age on or before September 1                                       
04       following the beginning of the school year and who is under school age may enter a                                
05       public school prekindergarten program.                                                                            
06    * Sec. 4. AS 14.07.020(c) is amended to read:                                                                      
07            (c)  In this section, "pre-elementary school" means a school for children                                    
08       [AGES] three through five years of age if the school's primary function is educational,                   
09       and a prekindergarten program for children four or five years of age that is                                  
10       provided by a school district.                                                                                
11    * Sec. 5. AS 14.07.165 is amended to read:                                                                         
12            Sec. 14.07.165. Duties. The board shall adopt                                                              
13                 (1)  statewide goals and require each governing body to adopt written                                   
14       goals that are consistent with local needs;                                                                       
15                 (2)  regulations regarding the application for and award of grants under                                
16       AS 14.03.125;                                                                                                     
17                 (3)  regulations implementing provisions of AS 14.11.014(b);                                            
18                 (4)  regulations requiring approval by the board before a charter school,                               
19       state boarding school, or a public school may provide domiciliary services;                                       
20                 (5)  regulations implementing the secondary school student competency                                   
21       examination provisions of AS 14.03.075, including the criteria and procedure under                                
22       which a governing body uses a waiver to grant a diploma to a student; criteria                                    
23       regarding granting a waiver must include provisions that a waiver may only be granted                             
24       for students who enter the system late or have rare or unusual circumstances meriting                             
25       a waiver;                                                                                                     
26                 (6)  regulations for the implementation of a prekindergarten                                        
27       program by a school district using the model curriculum developed by the                                      
28       department under AS 14.07.030(13).                                                                            
29    * Sec. 6. AS 14.17.905(a) is amended to read:                                                                      
30            (a)  For purposes of this chapter, the determination of the number of schools in                             
31       a district is subject to the following:                                                                           

01                 (1)  a community with an ADM of at least 10, but not more than 100,                                     
02       shall be counted as one school;                                                                                   
03                 (2)  a community with an ADM of at least 101, but not more than 425,                                    
04       shall be counted as                                                                                               
05                      (A)  one elementary school, which includes those students in                                       
06            grades kindergarten through six, and, except as provided in (c) of this                                  
07            section, a prekindergarten program provided by a school district for                                     
08            students four and five years of age; and                                                                 
09                      (B)  one secondary school, which includes students in grades                                       
10            seven through 12;                                                                                            
11                 (3)  in a community with an ADM of greater than 425, each facility that                                 
12       is administered as a separate school shall be counted as one school, except that each                             
13       alternative school with an ADM of less than 200 shall be counted as a part of the                                 
14       school in the district with the highest ADM.                                                                      
15    * Sec. 7. AS 14.17.905 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
16            (c)  A school district may not include in the average daily membership of a                                  
17       school students who are four or five years of age if the students are enrolled in a                               
18       program that receives funding other than funding under this section.                                              
19    * Sec. 8. This Act takes effect July 1, 2012.