Alaska Senate Education Committee Revises School Funding Bill

New version removes controversial changes to homeschooling programs, adds one-time funding measures

Apr. 15, 2026 at 6:34pm

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A realistic painting of a yellow school bus parked on a deserted city street, with warm sunlight casting long shadows across the scene. The image has a nostalgic, cinematic quality, capturing a sense of solitude and contemplation.A school bus sits alone on a quiet street, a symbol of the challenges facing Alaska's education system as lawmakers debate funding priorities.Anchorage Today

The Alaska Senate Education Committee has revised a school funding bill, removing the most controversial elements related to publicly funded homeschooling programs. The new version instead focuses on increased legislative oversight, one-time energy relief payments, and student transportation funding. The bill still includes incentive grants for districts where students improve reading proficiency.

Why it matters

The original bill faced significant pushback from superintendents and families of correspondence students, who argued the changes threatened the existence of these programs. The revised bill aims to address concerns around transparency and oversight of how public funds are used for homeschooling, while providing more immediate financial support for schools.

The details

The revised bill requires school districts to provide annual reports to the legislature on their correspondence programs, including enrollment, funding, and how the money is used. It also includes a $58 million one-time energy relief payment and increased student transportation funding, but removes a proposed 10% increase in per-student funding for correspondence students and changes to how that funding is distributed.

  • The bill was introduced in the Alaska Senate in March 2026.
  • The Senate Education Committee approved the revised version of the bill on April 15, 2026.

The players

Sen. Löki Tobin

An Anchorage Democrat and chair of the Senate Education Committee that sponsored the bill.

Jason Johnson

The superintendent of the Galena City School District, which runs the state's largest correspondence program, IDEA.

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What they’re saying

“I think the part that was most infuriating was the mis- and disinformation that was promulgated by certain entities that the outreach we received would talk to components or pieces that weren't in the legislation at all, or the legislation didn't do what they were claiming it did.”

— Sen. Löki Tobin, Chair, Senate Education Committee

“Whether it's inflationary or it's additional funds for this year, there is a disinterest in increasing the Base Student Allocation this cycle, and so we're trying to figure out other ways that we can target funding and support students and communities and schools.”

— Sen. Löki Tobin, Chair, Senate Education Committee

What’s next

The revised Senate bill will now move forward for consideration by the full legislature, where it may face further changes or negotiations with the House version of the education funding plan.

The takeaway

The updated school funding bill aims to strike a balance between increased oversight of homeschooling programs and providing immediate financial support for Alaska's public schools, as lawmakers navigate the politically challenging task of education funding.