26th Legislature(2009-2010)

Bill Text 26th Legislature

00                              HOUSE BILL NO. 59                                                                          
01 "An Act providing for the establishment of a statewide early childhood education plan                                   
02 and guidelines."                                                                                                        
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 14.07.020(a) is amended to read:                                                                   
05            (a)  The department shall                                                                                    
06                 (1)  exercise general supervision over the public schools of the state                                  
07       except the University of Alaska;                                                                                  
08                 (2)  study the conditions and needs of the public schools of the state,                                 
09       adopt or recommend plans, administer and evaluate grants to improve school                                        
10       performance awarded under AS 14.03.125, and adopt regulations for the improvement                                 
11       of the public schools;                                                                                            
12                 (3)  provide advisory and consultative services to all public school                                    
13       governing bodies and personnel;                                                                                   
14                 (4)  prescribe by regulation a minimum course of study for the public                                   
01       schools; the regulations must provide that, if a course in American Sign Language is                              
02       given, the course shall be given credit as a course in a foreign language;                                        
03                 (5)  establish, in coordination with the Department of Health and Social                                
04       Services, a program for the continuing education of children who are held in detention                            
05       facilities in the state during the period of detention;                                                           
06                 (6)  accredit those public schools that meet accreditation standards                                    
07       prescribed by regulation by the department; these regulations shall be adopted by the                             
08       department and presented to the legislature during the first 10 days of any regular                               
09       session, and become effective 45 days after presentation or at the end of the session,                            
10       whichever is earlier, unless disapproved by a resolution concurred in by a majority of                            
11       the members of each house;                                                                                        
12                 (7)  prescribe by regulation, after consultation with the state fire                                    
13       marshal and the state sanitarian, standards that will assure healthful and safe                                   
14       conditions in the public and private schools of the state, including a requirement of                             
15       physical examinations and immunizations in pre-elementary schools; the standards for                              
16       private schools may not be more stringent than those for public schools;                                          
17                 (8)  exercise general supervision over pre-elementary schools that                                      
18       receive direct state or federal funding;                                                                          
19                 (9)  exercise general supervision over elementary and secondary                                         
20       correspondence study programs offered by municipal school districts or regional                                   
21       educational attendance areas; the department may also offer and make available to any                             
22       Alaskan through a centralized office a correspondence study program;                                              
23                 (10)  accredit private schools that request accreditation and that meet                                 
24       accreditation standards prescribed by regulation by the department; nothing in this                               
25       paragraph authorizes the department to require religious or other private schools to be                           
26       licensed;                                                                                                         
27                 (11)  review plans for construction of new public elementary and                                        
28       secondary schools and for additions to and major rehabilitation of existing public                                
29       elementary and secondary schools and, in accordance with regulations adopted by the                               
30       department, determine and approve the extent of eligibility for state aid of a school                             
31       construction or major maintenance project; for the purposes of this paragraph, "plans"                            
01       include educational specifications, schematic designs, and final contract documents;                              
02                 (12)  provide educational opportunities in the areas of vocational                                      
03       education and training, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of age who                               
04       are no longer attending school;                                                                                   
05                 (13)  administer the grants awarded under AS 14.11;                                                     
06                 (14)  establish, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, a                                
07       school bus driver training course;                                                                                
08                 (15)  require the reporting of information relating to school disciplinary                              
09       and safety programs under AS 14.33.120 and of incidents of disruptive or violent                                  
10       behavior;                                                                                                         
11                 (16)  establish by regulation criteria, based on low student performance,                               
12       under which the department may intervene in a school district to improve instructional                            
13       practices, as described in AS 14.07.030(14) or (15); the regulations must include                                 
14                      (A)  a notice provision that alerts the district to the deficiencies                               
15            and the instructional practice changes proposed by the department;                                           
16                      (B)  an end date for departmental intervention, as described in                                    
17            AS 14.07.030(14)(A) and (B) and (15), after the district demonstrates three                                  
18            consecutive years of improvement consisting of not less than two percent                                     
19            increases in student proficiency on standards-based assessments in math,                                     
20            reading, and writing as provided in AS 14.03.123(f)(2)(A); and                                               
21                      (C)  a process for districts to petition the department for                                        
22            continuing or discontinuing the department's intervention;                                                   
23                 (17)  notify the legislative committees having jurisdiction over                                        
24       education before intervening in a school district under AS 14.07.030(14) or redirecting                           
25       public school funding under AS 14.07.030(15);                                                                 
26                 (18)  devise a statewide early childhood education plan for students                                
27       three and four years of age that                                                                              
28                      (A)  incorporates the early learning guidelines adopted by                                     
29            the board under AS 14.07.165(6);                                                                         
30                      (B)  provides for the most effective and efficient                                             
31            coordination with or expansion of pre-elementary programs operating in                                   
01            the state, including Head Start, to the extent permitted by law.                                       
02    * Sec. 2. AS 14.07.165 is amended to read:                                                                         
03            Sec. 14.07.165. Duties. The board shall adopt                                                              
04                 (1)  statewide goals and require each governing body to adopt written                                   
05       goals that are consistent with local needs;                                                                       
06                 (2)  regulations regarding the application for and award of grants under                                
07       AS 14.03.125;                                                                                                     
08                 (3)  regulations implementing provisions of AS 14.11.014(b);                                            
09                 (4)  regulations requiring approval by the board before a charter school,                               
10       state boarding school, or a public school may provide domiciliary services;                                       
11                 (5)  regulations implementing the secondary school student competency                                   
12       examination provisions of AS 14.03.075, including the criteria and procedure under                                
13       which a governing body uses a waiver to grant a diploma to a student; criteria                                    
14       regarding granting a waiver must include provisions that a waiver may only be granted                             
15       for students who enter the system late or have rare or unusual circumstances meriting                             
16       a waiver;                                                                                                     
17                 (6)  early learning guidelines that support an effective, cost-                                     
18       efficient, and optional pre-elementary program provided under a statewide early                               
19       childhood education plan approved by the department.                                                          
20    * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to                          
21 read:                                                                                                                   
22       REPORT: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PLAN. On or before January 15,                                                  
23 2010, the Department of Education and Early Development shall prepare and submit a report                               
24 to the legislature on the early childhood education plan devised under AS 14.07.020(a)(18),                             
25 added by sec. 1 of this Act.