2025-08-02                     Senate Journal                      Page 1426
SB 1001                                                                                                                       
SENATE BILL NO. 1001 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                                                                              
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
          "An Act relating to public school enrollment; relating                                                                
          to authorization of charter schools; establishing an                                                                  
          after-school literacy grant program; and authorizing                                                                  
          lump sum payments for certain teachers as retention                                                                   
          and recruitment incentives."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
was read the first time and referred to the Education and Finance                                                               
Committees.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The following fiscal information was published today:                                                                           
        Fiscal Note No. 1, indeterminate, Department of Education and                                                          
       Early Development                                                                                                        

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     Fiscal Note No. 2, Department of Education and Early                                                                       
       Development                                                                                                              
     Fiscal Note No. 3, Department of Education and Early                                                                       
      Development                                                                                                               
     Fiscal Note No. 4, Department of Education and Early                                                                       
      Development                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Governor’s transmittal letter dated August 1:                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Dear President Stevens:                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Under the authority of Article III, Section 18 of the Alaska                                                                    
Constitution, I am transmitting a bill relating to education reform. The                                                        
bill would expand enrollment options, authorize the State Board of                                                              
Education and Early Development (Board) to approve charter schools,                                                             
create an after-school literacy tutoring grant program, and provide                                                             
recruitment and retention incentives for teachers.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
This bill opens Alaska’s public schools to all students by authorizing                                                          
statewide open enrollment and expanding opportunities for new                                                                   
charter schools. Open enrollment would allow families to seek                                                                   
placement for their children in any public school, whether inside or                                                            
outside their home district, subject to school capacity, regulations, and                                                       
permitted preference policies. As for charter school expansion, the bill                                                        
would require the Board to prescribe a process for the establishment of                                                         
a charter school in any school district in the State by application to the                                                      
Board.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
The bill would also establish a literacy grant program, which would                                                             
authorize DEED to provide grants to school districts for after-school                                                           
literacy tutoring services. The Department would be directed to adopt                                                           
regulations to implement and administer the program, including                                                                  
provisions for the award of grants and evaluation of the funded                                                                 
tutoring services. The total amount of grants awarded under the new                                                             
law would be capped at $10,000,000 per fiscal year.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Finally, the bill would provide for a recruitment and retention                                                                 
incentive payment to full-time teachers over the next three fiscal years,                                                       
with higher amounts for schools in harder-to-staff locations.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                

2025-08-02                     Senate Journal                      Page 1428
I urge your prompt and favorable action on this measure.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Sincerely,                                                                                                                      
/s/                                                                                                                             
Mike Dunleavy                                                                                                                   
Governor