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Overview
Alaska does not have a state-funded prekindergarten program. Alaska does provide
a state supplement for Head Start of about $6 million that served an estimated
525 three- and four-year-olds in 2005-2006 and also supported quality improvements,
such
as professional development.
State Policy
Alaska has no state policy on the provision of prekindergarten.
Eligibility Criteria
No program.
Program Length/Duration
No program.
Funding
There is no current program in Alaska. The state does provide a supplement
for Head Start of about $6 million.
Quality Standards
The state Department of Education and Early Development is allowed by statute
to develop a model curriculum for early childhood education programs. In 2006, the department adopted Early
Learning Guidelines. Alaska has no other standards relating to the provision
of high quality preschool.
Delivery of Preschool Services
No program.
Requirements for Student Assessment
and Program Evaluation
No program.
Education Clause in State Constitution
The state constitution requires the legislature to "establish and maintain a system of public
schools open to all children of the State," and permits them to "provide
for other public educational institutions."
Summary of Case Law on School Finance System
An Alaskan trial court has held that education is a fundamental
right. In Kasayulie v.
State (1999),
the court found that the state system for funding school facilities violated
the equal protection and education clauses of the state constitution. The legislature
responded by allocating major increases in school facilities funding. (Earlier,
in 1997, the state supreme court had held that the school
funding system did not violate the state equal protection clause, in the absence
of proof of an adverse effect
on the plaintiff schoolchildren.) In 2004, the constitutional adequacy of education
in the state was challenged in Moore v. State.
The Moore plaintiffs seek an order requiring an analysis
of the costs of an adequate education, and then requiring the state to fund
and implement an educational system in accordance with the cost study. A decision
in the Moore case is expected by June 2006.
Summary of Case Law on Preschool
None of the Alaska cases have addressed the right to preschool. The complaint
in the pending Moore v. State case
notes the importance of early childhood education for at-risk students and
the current deficit of such programs in Alaska public schools.
Alaska Const. art. VII, § 1
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.
Is Education a Fundamental
Right under the State Constitution?
Kasayulie v. State, 3AN-97-3782 Civ. (Superior Court of Alaska, Sept. 1,
1999)
The trial court in Kasayulie v. State, in an order granting the plaintiffs’ motions
for partial summary judgment, ruled that education is a fundamental right under
Alaska’s state constitution for purposes of equal protection analysis.
School Finance Cases in Favor
of Plaintiffs:
Kasayulie v. State, 3AN-97-3782 Civ. (Superior Court of Alaska, Sept. 1,
1999)
Plaintiffs in this case sought a judgment declaring
that the State’s system
of funding school facilities violated the equal protection and education clauses
of the state constitution and the implementing regulations of Title VI of the
federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The trial court decided in their favor in
a pair of summary judgment orders, ruling that the State has a duty to provide
adequate funding for facilities in rural areas, as well as urban areas. (The
court held that in Alaska, a funding system that underserves the rural areas
of the state is racially discriminatory, since it has a disproportionate impact
on Alaska Natives.)
Following those rulings, the legislature allocated significant funds for construction
and renovation of rural schools, including a statewide school construction
bond package.
Standard for a Constitutionally
Adequate Education:
None.
School Finance Cases against
Plaintiffs:
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District v. State, 931 P.2d 391 (Supreme
Court of Alaska 1997)
Plaintiffs—an Alaskan borough, its school district, and borough taxpayers—claimed
that the state system of providing state aid for school construction debt and
operating costs violated the state equal protection clause because of different
treatment for municipal school districts in cities and boroughs versus rural
districts or REAAs (regional educational attendance areas). The trial court
dismissed the equal protection claim on summary judgment, and the state supreme
court affirmed, holding that the plaintiffs failed to present any evidence
showing that the statutes in question had a disparate effect on their children’s
educational interests.
Decisions Ruling School Finance
Issues Were Non-Justiciable:
None.
Cases Related to State-Funded
Preschool:
State Court Decisions Relating to State-Funded Preschool Education Programs:
None of the cases have addressed preschool issues. The complaint in the pending Moore
v. State case, below, notes the importance of early childhood education
for at-risk students and the current deficit of such programs in Alaska public
schools.
Pending School Finance Cases:
Moore v. State, No. 3AN-04-9756 Civ. (Superior Court of Alaska, Anchorage,
filed August 9, 2004).
Plaintiffs in this lawsuit include parents of Alaska schoolchildren, three
school districts, a nonprofit advocacy group, and the teachers' union. The
plaintiffs claim that the State does not provide schools with enough money
to provide an adequate education for all students, and that the money that
is provided is distributed inequitably. Results of the inadequate funding include:
high teacher turnover; schools that are unable to offer high school math and
science courses; high percentages of schools without counselors, nurses, social
workers and access to psychologists; and many schools lacking textbooks, libraries
and teaching supplies. As a result of the inequitable funding, the schools
educating the most low-income and minority children have the greatest resource
deficits, and these deficits lead to students in these schools scoring below
minimum standards of achievement.
The plaintiffs ask the court to declare the current funding system unconstitutional,
to declare what elements an adequate education must include, to order an analysis
of the costs of providing an adequate education, and to order that the State
fund the educational system in accordance with the results of the cost study.
In August 2005, the trial court denied the State’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ education
clause claims, finding these were justiciable. In November 2005, the court
denied the State’s motion to dismiss based on various jurisdictional and standing
issues. In June 2006, the court denied the State’s third motion to dismiss,
which was premised on the theory that any actions by the legislature to establish
and fund schools are constitutionally adequate unless they "are so irrational
or arbitrary … as to shock the universal sense of justice."
Trial in the case began in October 2006 and ended with closing
arguments in December 2006. A decision from the trial judge is expected by
the middle of June 2007.
Alaska Stat. § 14.07.010 et seq., Department of Education and Early Development
Alaska Stat. § 14.38.010 et seq., Head Start, Child Care and Day Care
Alaska Admin. Code § 4 AAC 60.010 et seq., Pre-Elementary (Early Childhood)
School
Early Learning Guidelines
Provisions Expressing State Policy on Preschool:
None.
Eligibility Criteria for State Preschool Program:
None.
Program Length/Duration:
None.
Scope of State’s Responsibility to Provide Preschool:
Alaska Stat. § 14.07.020
(a) The department [of Education and Early Development] shall
… (8) exercise general supervision over pre-elementary
schools that receive direct state or federal funding;…
(c) In this section "pre-elementary school" means
a school for children ages three through five years if the school's primary
function is educational.
Alaska Stat. § 14.07.030. The department [of Education and Early Development]
may
… (13) develop a model curriculum and provide
technical assistance for early childhood education programs.
Alaska Stat. § 14.38.010. Operation of Head Start programs.
The Department of Education and Early Development shall operate the head start
funding program governed by 42 U.S.C. 9835.
Scope of State's Responsibility to Fund Preschool:
None.
Source of Funding for Preschool Program:
None.
Scope of Child's Right to
Attend Preschool:
None.
Curriculum Content Standards for Preschool Program:
Alaska Stat. § 14.07.030. The department [of Education and Early Development]
may
… (13) develop a model curriculum and provide technical assistance for
early childhood education programs.
Early Learning Guidelines
"These guidelines inform parents, caregivers, community members and leaders
about expectations for children’s development and learning. They give specific
strategies and sample activities to use to enhance children’s development in
each domain. They can be useful to program, school, community and state leadership
as they address their early childhood education needs."
Sample:
…Mathematics and Numeracy
Number Sense and Operations
Goal: Children demonstrate knowledge of numbers and counting.
Some Indicators for Children [36 to 60 months]:
- Names some numerals
- Recognizes that a single object is "one" regardless
of size, shape, or other attributes
- Understands that numbers represent quantity
(e.g., gets three apples out of the box) …
Teacher Certification/Qualification Standards for Preschool Program:
None.
Other Quality Standards for Preschool Program:
None.
Delivery of Preschool
Services:
None.
Requirements for Student
Assessment and Program Evaluation:
None.
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