Senate Bill 83 provides incentives for Alaskan teachers who seek certification and stay in Alaska

JUNEAU-The Alaska State Senate this week passed legislation that provides incentives for teachers to ramp up their professional knowledge and skills by becoming nationally certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Under Senate Bill 83, teachers would be provided with zero interest loans designed to pay the expense of enrolling in the program. Once certified, they would receive a $1,000 annual stipend for the duration of their certification period, which is ten years.

“Becoming nationally certified is a rigorous and demanding process, and can take up to three years,” said Senator Joe Thomas, who is Co-Chair of the Senate Education Committee. “This legislation rewards those teachers who choose to go after what can be considered the teaching profession’s highest credential. We need teachers of this caliber to help boost education in Alaska, and this legislation helps accomplish that goal.”

Senate Bill 83 also provides extra incentives for teachers who work in some of Alaska’s most challenging school districts.

Under the legislation, if a teacher is serving in a low performing, high poverty area, they would receive a $1,000 stipend for enrolling in the program and $1,500 loan for the rest of the expense. They would also receive an additional $500 annually as long as they remain in a low performing, high poverty area.

There are 25 different areas of certification and teachers specialize in their specific subject area. The certification process focuses on five aspects of teaching: Students and their learning, the subjects being taught and how to teach them, managing and monitoring student learning, thinking systematically about the practice of teaching, and being members of the learning community.

“Right now, the Legislature is working on several solutions that will improve Alaska’s schools,” said Senator Thomas. “Senate Bill 83 is another piece of that plan because in order to have good schools, we have to have to good teachers.”

Senate Bill 83 now heads to the House for further consideration.

For more information, please contact Murray Richmond in Senator Thomas’ office at 907-465-2327.