Anchorage — The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) told the House Finance Education subcommittee on Feb. 14 that teacher turnover in the state remains high and that the department is rolling out multiple strategies — including a registered apprenticeship pilot and certification changes — to reduce vacancies and keep educators in the classroom.

DEED Deputy Director Kelly Manning said the most recent multi‑source study the department has on turnover covers the 2020–21 school year and showed statewide teacher turnover “around 22% and principals was around 18%.” Manning told the committee DEED’s own annual first‑day vacancy collection found 598 certificated positions vacant on the first day of the 2025 school year, and that vacancy counts have trended up since 2021. She said turnover and vacancies are substantially higher in rural and remote districts.

The turnover and vacancy numbers matter because they “have a most significant impact on our rural remote districts statewide,” Manning said. The department pointed members toward the Teacher Retention and Recruitment Playbook (published Aug. 2023), which DEED developed with outside partners and stakeholders and organized around six strategy areas: streamlining certification; strengthening working conditions; enhancing recruitment; restructuring retirement options; creating paraprofessional pathways; and developing leadership.

DEED described several specific efforts now under way. On certification, Manning said the state is implementing a new online certification system (TeachAK) and has reduced backlog processing time from roughly 12–14 weeks to seven–eight weeks. The State Board of Education is considering adding a Pearson Flex portfolio option so candidates within one standard error of a cut score can submit competency artifacts for third‑party review rather than rely solely on a single assessment.

On “grow‑your‑own” pathways, DEED is launching a registered apprenticeship pilot this spring with four approved education‑preparation partners and three initial districts. Manning said the pilot partners are the University of Alaska Anchorage (in partnership with Kodiak College), Alaska Pacific University and Chadron State College; University of Alaska Fairbanks is approved under state sponsorship and will enroll apprentices in the fall. The first round will place about 10 apprentices with Yukon‑Koyukuk, Lower Yukon and Kodiak Island Borough school districts. Manning said the U.S. Department of Labor approved the apprenticeship framework and the state received a multi‑year apprenticeship expansion formula grant to support mentorship and tuition for those apprentices.

DEED is also working with the Alaska State Mentor Project to provide mentoring supports for apprentices and new educators, and with Adams Analytics on continuing analysis and stakeholder engagement. The department has funded a contract with Adams Analytics and identified a $1.5 million request in the governor’s budget for continued teacher retention and recruitment work in the coming year, Manning said.

Members pressed DEED for more granular and updated data. Representative Story asked whether the vacancy count includes special‑education positions and how many teachers are working under emergency waivers; Manning said DEED collects waiver and emergency certification counts and will provide those figures as a follow‑up. Multiple members asked for historical series that extend before 2020–21 (Manning said DEED can provide longer first‑day vacancy history back to 2013 for some measures) and for district‑level examples of local recruitment and retention practices. DEED said it is developing an “exit and stay” survey with the Institute for Social and Economic Research to capture why educators leave and why others remain.

Committee members also sought program details and evidence. Representative Schwanke asked about annual bonus rollout for teachers holding national certification; members asked for follow‑up on the earlier federal pilot programs and for metrics on apprenticeship and school improvement grant outcomes. DEED pledged to provide additional documentation, pilot numbers and cost information to the committee.

Commissioner Michael Bishop told the committee that the department is watching potential shifts in federal policy closely and has sought to engage the U.S. Department of Education as it reviews program rules. Bishop said some federal supports that flow through titles and competitive grants remain discretionary and the department is monitoring how much flexibility the U.S. Department of Education will allow states if federal guidance changes.

Manning and DEED operations manager Deb Riddle reviewed how the department is allocating federal and state funds across teams that support reading, career and technical education, data and accountability, early learning, special education and other programs. Riddle said DEED administers multiple ESEA and other federal programs, keeps a portion of some grants for state activities and administration, and passes the bulk of formula funds to districts.

The presentation left several open items the committee asked DEED to provide: a breakdown of the 598 first‑day vacancies by role (including special‑education positions), counts of emergency certificates and waivers for 2025, longer historical turnover and vacancy series, apprenticeship pilot metrics and costs, and summaries of effectiveness for school improvement and empowerment grants. DEED also said it would share links to referenced reports, including the Teacher Retention and Recruitment Playbook and the REL Northwest study cited for 2020–21 turnover figures.

The subcommittee did not take formal votes during the presentation. DEED staff and legislators agreed to follow up with data and materials before the subcommittee’s next scheduled meeting on Feb. 21.

The committee adjourned after the DEED presentation; Manning and Riddle told members they would supply the requested follow‑up material and the department’s budget staff will provide more detail on the $1.5 million request as the subcommittee reviews line items.