SB 278 Alaska Senate · 34th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relating to the required local contribution made by a city or borough school district for public school funding; and providing for an effective date.

This bill modifies how Alaska calculates the required local contribution that city and borough school districts must make toward public school funding. It updates the formula used to determine state aid by adjusting how student enrollment numbers are counted, particularly when districts experience significant enrollment decreases or school consolidations. The law allows districts to use previous years' enrollment data to offset drops in funding for up to three years following enrollment declines, and for four years following school consolidations, provided the enrollment drop meets specific thresholds. These changes aim to provide more stability in funding calculations during periods of enrollment fluctuation or district reorganization.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 16, 2026 Last action May 16, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB 278 CSSB 278(EDC) · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was reclassified from a Senate Bill (SB) to a Committee Substitute (CSSB), indicating it was amended by the Senate Education Committee before being offered. The effective date was changed from March 16, 2026, to May 16, 2026, and the committee referral was updated to only the Finance Committee, removing the Education Committee. The substantive text regarding school funding formulas and consolidation rules remains unchanged.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text of the act itself was not modified, only the procedural metadata.
TIMELINE

The effective date of the bill was delayed from March 16, 2026, to May 16, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

The referral process was altered; the bill is now only referred to the Finance Committee, whereas it was previously referred to both Education and Finance.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated to reflect its status as a Committee Substitute (CSSB) rather than an original Senate Bill.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
14
Key actions
1
Committee
2
May 16, 2026
Committee
(S) REFERRED TO FINANCE
upper
May 15, 2026
Upper · Passed
(S) Moved CSSB 278(EDC) Out of Committee
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.