03/13/2023 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

          HB 106-TEACHER RECRUITMENT; LUMP SUM PAYMENT                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:11:29 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced  that the next order  of business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL NO. 106, "An  Act authorizing lump sum payments for                                                               
certain  teachers as  retention and  recruitment incentives;  and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:11:58 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SUSIE MCKENZIE,  Director, Division  of Innovation  and Education                                                               
Excellence,  Department   of  Education  and   Early  Development                                                               
(DEED), presented  HB 106  on behalf of  the bill  sponsor, House                                                               
Rules by request  of the governor.  She stated  that the proposed                                                               
legislation  would  address  the   fourth  priority  of  Alaska's                                                               
Education Challenge,  which is "to  prepare, attract,  and retain                                                               
effective  education  professionals."     She  stated  that  DEED                                                               
acknowledges that  teachers have  a tremendous impact  on student                                                               
achievement,  and notes  there are  approximately 7,300  teachers                                                               
working  in  Alaska public  schools,  and  teacher stability  and                                                               
effectiveness  are essential  components of  student achievement.                                                               
She gave examples of teacher  turnover and the number of teachers                                                               
coming from  out of state.   She reminded the committee  that the                                                               
governor ordered  a task force  to examine teacher  retention and                                                               
recruitment back in  2020.  Reported from a  previous survey, she                                                               
explained, the  highest-ranking issue  with teacher  retention is                                                               
salary,  and  HB  106  proposes to  address  the  highest  ranked                                                               
finding of  the report.   She noted  the bill would  create three                                                               
tiers, and this will be discussed in the sectional analysis.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:16:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEBORAH RIDDLE,  Operations Manager,  Division of  Innovation and                                                               
Educational  Excellence,   Department  of  Education   and  Early                                                               
Development, on behalf of the  sponsor, House Rules by request of                                                               
the governor, presented  the sectional analysis for  HB 106 [copy                                                               
included  in  the  committee  packet],   which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1:  Amends  uncodified law  by  adding  a  new                                                                
     section  that  establishes  a program  that  would  pay                                                                    
     certificated  full-time   teachers  with  a   lump  sum                                                                    
     payment on, or around, July  1, 2024, July 1, 2025, and                                                                    
     July   1,   2026.  The   payment   of   the  lump   sum                                                                    
     appropriation is contingent  on appropriations made for                                                                    
     this  purpose in  the  relevant  fiscal years  (FY2025,                                                                    
     FY2026,  and FY2027).  The bill  limits the  payment to                                                                    
     full-time  teachers assigned  to  a classroom  teaching                                                                    
     assignment   and   specifically   excludes   temporary,                                                                    
     substitute, or  assistant teachers. To be  eligible for                                                                    
     payment, a teacher must occupy  a teaching position for                                                                    
     the entire  school year immediately preceding  the date                                                                    
     of payment.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     In  addition,  to  be eligible  for  payment,  teachers                                                                    
     would be  required to submit an  application and school                                                                    
     districts  would  be  responsible  for  certifying  the                                                                    
     applications.  The Department  of  Education and  Early                                                                    
     Development  (DEED) would  develop the  application and                                                                    
     it would  be due no later  than the last day  of school                                                                    
     for the eligible school year.  Once the application and                                                                    
     certification  requirements are  met, DEED  would grant                                                                    
     school  districts  funding  to pay  the  retention  and                                                                    
         recruitment incentive as a lump sum payment to                                                                         
     eligible teachers.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
         The bill also considers all lump sum payments                                                                          
         compensation for the purposes of the Teachers'                                                                         
     Retirement System (TRS).                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Finally, DEED may adopt regulations necessary to carry                                                                     
     out the purposes of this bill.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2: This bill is effective on July 1, 2023                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:18:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MCKENZIE  further  summarized  the tiers  and  proceeded  to                                                               
briefly go over  the fiscal note [copy included  in the committee                                                               
packet].                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:21:44 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ALLARD announced HB 106 was held over.