This bill establishes a maximum pupil-teacher ratio in public schools in Alaska, specifying that the ratio cannot exceed 24 to 1 for grades K-3, 26 to 1 for grades 4-8, and 28 to 1 for grades 9-12, with certain exceptions. These exceptions include situations where the school district's governing body determines that insufficient funding from the legislature prevents compliance, if adherence to the ratios would hinder educational effectiveness, or if the district has an average daily membership of 40,000 or fewer students. Additionally, the bill mandates that districts must publicly report the average number of students per classroom by February 1 each year.

Furthermore, the bill includes a transition provision allowing for higher pupil-teacher ratios until July 1, 2028, if the number of pupils in a classroom has decreased by two or more compared to the previous school year. The bill also requires districts to report their pupil-teacher ratios to the state department annually, calculated based on data collected in October. The effective date for this legislation is set for July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
HB0098A, AM HB 98, introduced 02/12/2025: 14.17.990, 14.20.020, 14.03.120, 14.17.600