AK HB106

Authorizes lump sum payments to certificated full-time classroom teachers in Alaska public elementary and secondary schools as retention and recruitment incentives for fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027.

Payment amounts vary by school district: $5,000 for teachers in five major districts (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna); $10,000 for 24 mid-sized districts; and $15,000 for 24 smaller or remote districts.

Eligible teachers must have been employed full-time for the entire school term immediately preceding payment and must apply annually by the final day of the school term as established by their district.

School districts certify teacher eligibility to the Department of Education and Early Development, which distributes payments as grants to districts; payments are reduced by mandatory employee and employer deductions.

Payments are considered compensation under the teacher retirement system; the act takes effect July 1, 2023.