NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES ON LOCAL CONTRIBUTIONS

IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The Department of Education and Early Development proposes to change regulations regarding the financing of public schools and the required local contribution.

The Board of Education and Early Development proposes to adopt regulation changes in 4 AAC 09 of the Alaska Administrative Code, regarding the local contribution in the public education funding formula, including the following:

(1)       4 AAC 09.985 is proposed to be added to require that all local contributions be consistent with federal impact aid laws.

(2)       4 AAC 09.990(b). is proposed to be changed as follows: repeal or amend the definitions of “appropriation” and “value of in-kind services,” as those terms are used in the definition of "local contribution" in AS 14.17.990, to clarify budgeting language for school districts.

You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Executive Secretary to the Board, Kathijo Jolin at P. O. Box 110500, 333 Willoughby Ave. 9th Floor, Juneau, AK 99811. Additionally, the Department of Education and Early Development will accept comments by electronic mail at eed.stateboard@alaska.gov. The comments must be received not later than 5:00 PM on July 23, 2025.

You may provide oral comments relevant to the proposed action via telephone at the State Board of Education Meeting to be held on October 9, 2025, by calling 1(833) 928-4609 (toll free) and selecting *9 on your phone’s keypad (Meeting ID 879 0783 2961). There will not be in-person attendance provided at the meeting site, so please prepare to share your oral comments by telephone only.  The public comment period for the meeting is scheduled from 9:00 am to 10:00 am and priority will be given to commenters on the line before the beginning of the meeting. The meeting may be extended to accommodate those on the line before 9:00 am who did not have an opportunity to comment. Before the start of the meeting, the State Board of Education’s chair of the Board, Sally Stockhausen, may limit the time allotted for each person providing oral testimony, as reasonably necessary to conclude the meeting in the time provided.

You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to the Executive Secretary to the Board, Kathijo Jolin at eed.stateboard@alaska.gov, P. O. Box 110500, 333 Willoughby Avenue, 9th Floor, Juneau, AK 99811. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Department of Education and Early Development will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System.

If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact eed.stateboard@alaska.gov not later than September 12, 2025 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.

A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Kathijo Jolin at eed.stateboard@alaska.gov, (907) 465-2800.

After the public comment period ends, the Board of Education and Early Development will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected.

Statutory authority: AS 14.07.060, AS 17.920

Statutes being implemented, interpreted, or made specific: AS 14.17.410, AS 14.17.990

Fiscal information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.

Individuals can signup to receive automated notifications of all State of Alaska notices, including public notice for regulation changes, by subscribing to the Alaska Online Public Notices System: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Default.aspx.