The bill would allow school districts to build budgets based on known enrollment numbers.
Rep. Andi Story , D-Juneau, speaks during a House Education Committee meeting on Feb. 6, 2026. Tuesday focused on how students are counted.
The bill aims to stabilize the budgeting process for school districts through a few different ways. Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, sponsored the bill and explained on the floor Tuesday that it allows school districts to use known enrollment counts to calculate funding. Currently, districts use enrollment projections.
“School districts will know and be able to use their prior three years student count average or their previous year student count number for the school year,” she said. “This helps avoid unexpected budget changes in October, if the student count, enrollment comes in lower than projected. ”bill that’s currently being considered by the Senate. It prevents the amount of funding local municipalities must pay to school districts from increasing by more than 2% each year.
Municipalities can still contribute more than the required amount up to a certain amount. The amendment doesn’t limit how much that cap can increase. Ruffridge said this helps to keep the cost of education a state responsibility instead of shifting it to local governments.
“What this is resulting in right now … without the amendment passing, is local jurisdictions having to either raise property taxes or other versions of taxes to meet that full requirement of the required local contribution,” he said. “We need to clearly understand what’s going to happen, and we need to clearly understand what the boroughs are going to actually do with this money, instead of just shifting the cost to the state,” he said.
The House approved another amendment from Ruffridge that allows a district to use its current year student count if it’s increased at all. The previous version of the bill only allowed districts to do so if there was at least a 5% enrollment increase. The House passed the bill in a 31-9 vote on Tuesday. It will need to go through the Senate before passing out of the Legislature and onto the governor for approval.
The last day of the legislative session is scheduled for May 20.
Government State Government Andi Story HB 261 Justin Ruffridge Kevin Mccabe Local Contribution School Funding Student Enrollment
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gov. Dunleavy signs bill establishing Hispanic Heritage Month in AlaskaBill sponsor Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson said Hispanic and Latino Alaskans have made “undeniable” contributions to the state.
Read more »
Alaska House passes bill adding more than $140 million to education budgetSenate members signaled the bill was unlikely to pass before the end of the session.
Read more »
Alaska lawmakers pass bill making gold and silver currencies legal tenderThe bill would also exempt gold and silver currencies from sales taxes.
Read more »
Capitol updates: Colorado House kills gun barrels bill, workplace protections bill dies in SenateSeth Klamann is a statehouse reporter at the Denver Post, covering policy, state government and the legislature. He previously worked for the Gazette, the Casper Star-Tribune and the Omaha World-Herald. He's a graduate of the University of Missouri and a proud Kansas City native.
Read more »