AK SB97

Authorizes lump sum payments to certificated full-time classroom teachers in Alaska public schools as retention and recruitment incentives for fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027.

Payment amounts vary by school district: $5,000 for teachers in five largest districts (Anchorage, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Juneau Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough); $10,000 for 24 mid-sized districts; $15,000 for 25 rural and remote districts.

Eligible teachers must be employed full-time in a classroom teaching position for the entire school term immediately preceding the payment date, and must apply annually by the final day of the school term established by their school district.

School districts certify teacher eligibility to the Department of Education and Early Development, which distributes payments as grants; payments are reduced by mandatory employee and employer deductions including those under AS 14.25.

The Act takes effect July 1, 2023, with payments distributed on or after July 1, 2024, July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026.