Legislation Cuts Red Tape to Help Districts Hire Experienced Teachers

JUNEAU – Wednesday, the legislature passed House Bill 230 by Representative Rebecca Himschoot when the House voted 39-1 to concur with Senate changes. The bill is an education reform package including provisions from SB 215 by Senator Jesse Bjorkman, and HB 147 by Representative Maxine Dibert. The Senate passed the amended bill by a vote of 20-0. The bill will make it easier for districts to hire experienced teachers and substitutes to fill vacancies across the state.

HB 230 started as a one-line bill repealing the statutory limit on the number of years of out-of-state teaching experience districts can use when determining a teacher’s placement on a salary scale. Currently, there is a limit of six years for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and eight years for a teacher with master’s degree of out of state experience that districts can count on when determining a teacher’s salary. Removing this limit was one of the recommendations from Governor Mike Dunleavy’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force and should allow the state to attract more experienced teachers to schools in Alaska.

The bill was improved through the legislative process with the addition of provisions that make it easier for districts to hire retired teachers as substitutes, incentivize teachers to obtain national board certification, and provide a bonus to nationally board-certified teachers, making it easier for districts to retain and recruit quality teachers.

At the start of the 2023/2024 school year, there were over 500 teacher vacancies, an increase of over 300% since the 2019/2020 school year. This bill will facilitate the recruitment and retention of teachers in Alaska. Additionally, if districts cannot fill the teacher vacancies, this bill will make it easier for districts to hire retired teachers as long-term substitutes.

“School districts face a crisis in understaffing, and, in too many cases, cannot find qualified teachers. By empowering, but not requiring, local school districts to count every year of out-of-state teaching experience for the purpose of determining a salary, will help address this crisis” said Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (NA-Sitka).

“This bill is a common sense solution, incentivizing our retired teachers to return to the classroom, while bolstering the educational landscape of Alaska,” said Rep. Maxine Dibert (D-Downtown Fairbanks). 

“We know we need to do more to more for our schools in Alaska, and this merit based bonus will help ensure that each dollar we spend to incentivize teachers to stay will get the most return on investment by not only putting money in teachers pockets, but also ensuring that those pockets belong to the most highly qualified teachers in the state,” said Senator Jesse Bjorkman (R-Nikiski).

This education package will help school districts hire much needed teachers and substitutes. Next the bill is transmitted to Governor Mike Dunleavy for his consideration. 

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