PASSED & Veto Overridden! AK HB57 Delivers Landmark Education Overhaul for Alaska's Future

Alaska's Education Landscape Transformed: HB57 Becomes Law After Dramatic Veto Override

In a significant and hard-fought victory for Alaska's students and educators, House Bill 57 (HB57) has officially passed into law, surviving a gubernatorial veto through a decisive legislative override. This landmark legislation promises a comprehensive overhaul of the state's education system, addressing critical areas from classroom sizes and school funding to reading proficiency and the use of technology in schools. What began as a narrowly focused bill on wireless devices evolved into a sweeping reform package, reflecting a broad consensus on the urgent need for educational improvements.

LegiEquity's analysis projects an 80% Positive Overall Impact with high confidence, highlighting substantial benefits for children and youth (90% Positive Impact), students with disabilities (80% Positive Impact), and across all racial demographics (90% Positive Impact).

The Purpose: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Educational Excellence

HB57, in its final enrolled form, aims to achieve a multitude of objectives:

Establish maximum classroom sizes in public schools.
Enhance education reporting and data collection.
Refine regulations concerning charter schools.
Restructure student transportation funding.
Boost funding for secondary school vocational and technical instruction.
Significantly increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA).
Introduce reading proficiency incentive grants.
Implement policies for wireless telecommunications devices in public schools.
Allocate tax revenue from highly digitized businesses towards education.
Expand the duties of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development regarding student outcome tracking.
Establish a Task Force on Education Funding to guide future policy.

This comprehensive scope is a far cry from its initial introduction, which focused solely on policies for wireless telecommunications devices in schools, as detailed in the original bill text (34-LS0064\A).

A Legislative Rollercoaster: The Journey of HB57

The path of HB57 was anything but straightforward, marked by significant expansion, intense debate, numerous amendments, a gubernatorial veto, and a powerful legislative override.

Introduction (January 22, 2025): HB57 was introduced by Representative William Fields (Democrat, Effectiveness Score: 10.0), initially targeting only wireless device policies in schools. It was referred to the House Labor & Commerce and Education committees.
Committee Expansion:
- The House Labor & Commerce Committee (Power Score: 47.0) reported a committee substitute (CS(L&C)) on February 10, 2025, with a 5 Do Pass, 1 No Recommendation vote.
- The House Education Committee followed suit, reporting a more comprehensive committee substitute (CS(EDC)) with a unanimous 7 Do Pass vote on March 14, 2025. This is where the bill likely began its significant expansion.
House Passage (April 16, 2025): After adopting an amendment (Am No 2, Y19 N18 E3) and rejecting another (Am No 3, Y9 N28 E3) on April 11, the House passed CSHB 57(EDC) AM on its third reading with a strong 34 Yea to 6 Nay vote on April 16, 2025.
Senate Scrutiny and Further Transformation: Transmitted to the Senate, HB57 was referred to the Senate Finance Committee (Power Score: 47.0).
- On April 25, 2025, the Senate Finance Committee reported a Senate Committee Substitute (SCS CSHB 57(FIN)) with 3 Do Pass, 2 No Recommendation, and 2 members recommending amendments. Crucially, the bill's title was changed (SCR 5), reflecting its broadened scope.
- The Senate floor saw a flurry of activity on April 28, 2025. After adopting the Finance SCS, the bill was returned to second reading where numerous amendments were debated. Amendments No. 1, No. 2, and No. 26 were adopted, while many others (No. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24) failed, indicating robust discussion and attempts to shape the final legislation. The bill passed the Senate initially 19 Yea to 1 Nay.
Concurrence, Return, and Final Senate Passage: The bill was transmitted to the House for concurrence on April 28. However, in an unusual move, it was returned to the Senate per request. On April 30, the Senate rescinded its previous actions on passage and Amendment 26, adopted a new Amendment (No. 27), and then re-passed the re-engrossed SCS CSHB 57(FIN) AM S with a 17 Yea to 3 Nay vote. This version saw a significant increase in cross-sponsors from both parties in the Senate, underscoring its growing bipartisan appeal.
Final House Concurrence (April 30, 2025): The House took up the re-engrossed Senate version and concurred with the Senate amendments by a vote of 31 Yea to 8 Nay, with 1 absent.
The Veto (May 19, 2025): Despite strong bipartisan legislative support, the Governor vetoed HB57 on May 19, 2025, setting the stage for a final showdown.
The Override (May 20, 2025): In a powerful assertion of legislative will, a motion to override the Governor's veto was made and successfully passed with a resounding 46 Yea to 14 Nay vote. This supermajority, well exceeding the 45 votes (three-fourths of the 60-member legislature) required, cemented HB57 into law.

Key Provisions and Their Potential Impact (LegiEquity Analysis)

The final version of HB57 (SCS CSHB 57(FIN) am S(reengrossed)) introduces sweeping changes:

Increased Base Student Allocation (BSA): The BSA, a cornerstone of school funding, is raised from $5,960 to $6,660 per student (Sec. 12). This substantial increase is critical for addressing operational costs, teacher salaries, and program funding, directly contributing to the 90% Positive Impact for children/youth and supporting better resources across all demographics.
Maximum Classroom Sizes (Sec. 1): Establishes target average class sizes: not to exceed 23 for pre-kindergarten through grade six, and 30 for grades seven through 12. Smaller classes can lead to more individualized attention, a key factor in the 90% Positive Impact for age (CY) and beneficial for students with disabilities (80% Positive Impact for DD, MH).
Reading Proficiency Incentive Grants (Sec. 13): Schools will receive grants of not less than $450 for each K-6 student performing at grade-level reading proficiency or showing significant improvement. This directly targets early literacy, a crucial foundation for all students, aligning with the high positive impacts for racial demographics (90% Positive for AP, BH, IN, LX, WH).
Vocational Education Boost (Sec. 10 & 11): The funding factor for secondary school vocational and technical instruction is increased from 1.015 to 1.023, ensuring more resources for career readiness programs.
Wireless Device Policy (Sec. 14): While the initial focus, this provision now requires districts to adopt policies regulating non-school-issued wireless devices, allowing exceptions for medical, translation, emergency, or teacher-approved educational purposes. This seeks to balance technology access with focused learning environments.
Charter School Reforms (Sec. 4-8): The bill updates application procedures, appeal timelines (shortened from 90 to 45 days for state board decisions), contract requirements, and termination standards for charter schools, aiming for clarity and accountability.
Student Transportation Funding (Sec. 9): This section was repealed and reenacted, establishing new per-student funding amounts for transportation services across various school districts.
Education Funding Task Force (Sec. 17): A joint legislative task force is established to analyze public education funding, accountability, open enrollment, absenteeism, and school maintenance, signaling an ongoing commitment to improving the system.
Funding from Highly Digitized Businesses (Sec. 15): Tax revenue from these businesses may be appropriated to fund the reading proficiency grants and secondary vocational education, creating a new potential funding stream.

The Politics: Bipartisan Will Prevails

While primarily sponsored by Rep. William Fields (Dem), HB57 garnered significant bipartisan support, evidenced by the numerous co-sponsors from different parties added throughout its journey, especially in the Senate. This cross-party collaboration was essential for navigating the complex amendment process and, most critically, for achieving the supermajority needed to override the Governor's veto. The final override vote of 46-14 underscores a strong legislative consensus that the benefits of HB57 outweighed the executive's objections.

Historically, Alaska has faced ongoing debates about the adequacy of school funding and the best strategies to improve student outcomes. The increase in the BSA addresses a long-standing concern, potentially bringing Alaska more in line with national funding efforts and helping districts cope with rising costs. The comprehensive nature of HB57, touching on everything from funding to classroom environment and specific educational programs, represents one ofthe most significant education reform efforts in the state in recent years.

A New Chapter for Alaskan Education

The passage of HB57, especially in the face of a veto, marks a pivotal moment for education in Alaska. It reflects a legislative commitment to investing in students and addressing systemic challenges. The real-world impact will unfold as these provisions are implemented, but the framework laid out by HB57 offers a promising path toward enhanced educational opportunities and outcomes for all Alaskan children. The establishment of the Task Force on Education Funding also ensures that the conversation on improving Alaska's schools will continue, building on the momentum of this hard-won legislative achievement.

LegiEquity analyzes proposed legislation to determine its potential impact on various demographic groups. Our goal is to provide objective insights into how laws may affect different communities.