HB 207: "An Act establishing a program in the Department of Education and Early Development to provide grants to improve teacher retention rates in school districts."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 207 01 "An Act establishing a program in the Department of Education and Early 02 Development to provide grants to improve teacher retention rates in school districts." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 14.20 is amended by adding a new section to read: 05 Article 8. Teacher Retention Grant Program. 06 Sec. 14.20.800. Teacher retention grant program established. (a) A teacher 07 retention grant program is established in the department for the purpose of improving 08 teacher retention rates in school districts that have a high turnover rate in employment 09 and for awarding grants for that purpose. 10 (b) The department may award a grant to a district that submits a grant 11 application approved by the department and that demonstrates a high teacher turnover 12 rate in one or more schools in the district. The grant award must be an amount that 13 provides $10,000 annually for each teaching position in a school that demonstrates a 14 high teacher turnover rate.
01 (c) A district that is awarded a grant under this section shall expend the funds 02 at the school that has a high teacher turnover rate for a purpose approved by the 03 department under (d) of this section. 04 (d) The department shall approve the expenditure by a district of grant funds 05 awarded under this section for a purpose that is likely to improve teacher retention 06 rates as determined by the department in consultation with the University of Alaska, 07 which may include housing, student loan repayment, mentorships, and equipment. The 08 department may also approve an expenditure requested by a district if the department 09 determines that the expenditure is likely to improve teacher retention rates in that 10 district. 11 (e) Notwithstanding the high teacher turnover rate requirement of (b) of this 12 section, the department shall renew annual grants to a district for a period not to 13 exceed three years after the district attains a teacher retention rate above an average of 14 75 percent over a three-year period. 15 (f) If insufficient funds are appropriated to award grants to all eligible 16 applicants, the department shall prorate the awards based on the number of teaching 17 positions affected by a high teacher turnover rate. 18 (g) The department shall adopt regulations necessary to implement this 19 section. 20 (h) In this section, 21 (1) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990; 22 (2) "high teacher turnover rate" means the average loss of 25 percent 23 or more of all teachers employed at a school in the district over a three-year period.