A sign outside posted on July 20, 2024, outside of Kincaid Elementary School advertises job openings in the Anchorage School District. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
A bill aimed at attracting and keeping quality teachers in Alaska classrooms became law on Monday without Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s signature.
The law’s changes to current education policy are threefold: It eliminates a state limit on experience-based compensation for teachers, allows retired teachers to serve as long-term substitutes and provides financial incentives for current teachers to seek certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka and a former teacher, sponsored the bill, which grew in the amendment process to include two other proposals written by former teachers. Himschoot said it is an example of educator-led legislation that can make meaningful change in Alaska’s schools.
“This is exactly the kind of targeted and strategic stuff we need to be doing,” she said on Tuesday. “Every time we can find a measure, no matter how small it is, and put it together with other measures, collectively, we’re going to strengthen our education system in Alaska.”