By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO
Alaska’s education system is broken. It has failed our children, our parents, and our communities. Despite having one of the highest per-student spending rates in the nation, Alaska’s students rank at or near the bottom in national education performance metrics. Graduation rates, literacy levels, and college or career readiness remain shockingly low, despite decades of increased funding and bureaucratic oversight.
Our current public education system, governed by Title 14 of the Alaska Statutes, has become an expensive, ineffective, and unaccountable bureaucracy that prioritizes compliance over outcomes, administration over instruction, and institutional self-preservation over student success. It is time for a fundamental transformation that restores the power of education to parents, local communities, and students rather than a failing state-run bureaucracy.
The solution: “The Alaska Education Freedom and Local Control Act.” I’ve done all the legwork for any legislator who wants to be its prime sponsor:
This proposed bill would repeal Title 14’s failed framework and establishes a new education model that:
- Directs funding to parents through Parental Education Accounts, ensuring that funding follows the child rather than being trapped in a failing bureaucracy.
- Empowers local governments and communities to determine their own education policies, school structures, and instructional methods without state-mandated interference.
- Eliminates wasteful bureaucracy, dissolving the Department of Education and Early Development as a management entity and redirecting resources to students and teachers.
- Encourages innovation and competition, allowing for a diverse education landscape that includes public, private, charter, homeschool, online, and vocational pathways tailored to Alaska’s unique needs.
Rationale: The Failure of Alaska’s Current Public Education System
- Abysmal student performance despite high costs
- Alaska ranks among the worst in the nation in math, reading, and science proficiency.
- Only 29% of Alaska’s fourth graders are proficient in reading—a foundation for all future learning.
- Despite per-student spending exceeding $19,000 per year, outcomes remain stagnant or in decline.
- A bloated bureaucracy that diverts resources away from the classroom
- Administrative spending has skyrocketed, while teacher pay has remained stagnant.
- School districts employ more bureaucrats than teachers in some cases, creating layers of inefficiency.
- Compliance-driven mandates, rather than student-centered policies, dictate classroom instruction.
- Lack of accountability for failing schools
- The state has no effective mechanisms to intervene in persistently failing schools.
- Parents have no real choice when their children are stuck in underperforming schools.
- Schools receive funding regardless of performance, creating no incentive for improvement.
- One-size-fits-all policies that fail to serve Alaska’s unique student population
- Rural and urban education challenges require different solutions, but the current system treats them the same.
- Vocational and technical education remains underfunded, despite Alaska’s strong career and trade economy.
- Special needs and high-performing students alike are neglected under an outdated, bureaucratic system.
The Alaska Education Freedom and Local Control Act: A New Vision for Education
1. Parental Education Accounts: Funding Follows the Student
- Every child in Alaska will receive a direct education funding allocation into a Parental Education Account (PEA).
- Parents can use these funds for public school tuition, private school tuition, homeschooling resources, online learning, vocational training, and more.
- Accountability measures will ensure funds are spent only on approved educational expenses.
2. Local Control: Communities Determine Their Own Educational Models
- Boroughs, cities, and local school cooperatives will have full authority to design and manage their education systems.
- State-mandated curriculum and oversight will be eliminated, allowing local innovation.
- Charter schools and private school expansion will be streamlined, offering more choices to families.
3. Eliminating Bureaucracy & Reinvesting in Teachers
- The Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) will be dissolved as a regulatory body.
- Funding that currently pays for bureaucrats and compliance enforcement will be redirected toward teacher salaries and student programs.
- Schools will be free to hire and pay teachers competitively, rather than adhering to state-mandated contracts that discourage performance-based pay.
4. Expanding Educational Choices for Families
- Public school choice will allow students to attend any school statewide.
- Charter and private school expansions will remove artificial caps and restrictions, allowing more high-quality options.
- Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs will receive equal funding treatment to traditional academic programs.
Restoring the True Purpose of Public Education
Article VII, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution states:
“The legislature shall by general law establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state and may provide for other public educational institutions. Schools and institutions so established shall be free from sectarian control. No money shall be paid from public funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.”
This bill fulfills this constitutional mandate while ensuring:
- A system of education exists for all students, but parents—not the state—decide the best educational path for their children.
- Public funds remain in public control but are used efficiently to benefit students directly.
- Education is free from excessive government control, fostering local innovation and community-led solutions.
Alaska has the opportunity to lead the nation in education reform that puts students first, eliminates bureaucracy, and empowers parents and local communities. For decades, politicians and special interests have promised improvements while pouring billions into a failed system. It is time to fund students, not bureaucracies and return education to those who care about it most: parents, teachers, and local communities.
Alaska Education Freedom and Local Control Act
An Act to Repeal and Replace the State’s Public Education System Under Title 14
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
Section 1: Repeal of Title 14 Public Education Management and Operation
(a) The following provisions of Title 14 of the Alaska Statutes are hereby repealed in their entirety:
- AS 14.03 (General Provisions)
- AS 14.07 (Powers and Duties of the Department of Education and Early Development)
- AS 14.08 (Regional Educational Attendance Areas)
- AS 14.12 (School Districts and Teachers)
- AS 14.14 (Local Administration of Schools)
- AS 14.17 (State Aid to Public Schools)
- AS 14.20 (Teachers and School Personnel)
- AS 14.30 (Students and Educational Programs)
- AS 14.43 (Scholarships, Grants, and Loans)
- Any other statutory provisions that grant direct management, funding control, or oversight authority of public education to state agencies.
(b) The Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) shall be dissolved as a managing entity of public education, retaining only advisory and reporting functions to track compliance with constitutional requirements.
(c) School districts are dissolved as state-mandated entities. Local governments, school cooperatives, and parent-led initiatives may establish schools consistent with local community values and educational needs.
Section 2: Localized Education Management and Parent-Controlled Funding Model
(a) Parental Education Accounts (PEAs)
- Direct Funding to Parents
- The State of Alaska shall allocate Education Empowerment Funds (EEF) directly to Parental Education Accounts (PEAs) for each child.
- PEAs shall be used for:
- Tuition at public, private, charter, or homeschool programs.
- Educational resources, materials, or technology.
- Special education services and tutoring.
- Extracurricular programs and career training.
- Annual Allocation & Accountability
- The per-student amount shall be equivalent to the current Base Student Allocation (BSA)adjusted for local cost differentials.
- Unused funds shall remain in the account until the student graduates or transfers out of state.
- Mandatory annual audits of PEAs ensure funds are used solely for educational purposes.
(b) Local Government Authority over Education
- Municipal Control
- Cities, boroughs, and local communities may establish, fund, and operate schools according to their unique needs.
- No state-imposed curriculum mandates. Local education providers determine academic programs.
- School Choice and Competition
- Parents may choose any accredited school or program without geographical restrictions.
- Public, private, homeschool, and hybrid models may compete for students and funding.
(c) Teacher Employment and Accountability
- End of State-Mandated Tenure & Certification Requirements
- Teachers shall be employed at the discretion of local schools, cooperatives, or parent-led institutions.
- Schools set their own hiring and retention standards.
- Performance-based pay structures replace tenure-based employment.
- Local Oversight of Educator Effectiveness
- Parents and local governing bodies shall determine teacher accountability and retention policies.
- Funding to underperforming schools may be reallocated by parent or community vote.
Section 3: Constitutional Compliance and Transition Provisions
(a) This Act shall be implemented consistent with Article VII, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution, ensuring:
- Equal access to education for all children.
- Protection of public funds for legitimate educational purposes.
(b) The transition period shall commence July 1, 2025, with full implementation by July 1, 2026.
(c) Any remaining funds held by dissolved school districts shall be redistributed to PEAs and local education initiatives.
Conclusion
The Alaska Education Freedom and Local Control Act empowers parents, removes bureaucratic waste, and returns education oversight to communities. This funding-first, government-last model prioritizes student success, efficient spending, and meaningful local control.
Michael Tavoliero writes for Must Read Alaska.
