Title 14, Education, Libraries, and Museums

AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) applies to regulations and proceedings under AS 14.20.370 — 14.20.510.

Members of the teaching profession are obligated to abide by the professional teaching standards adopted by the commission.

In addition to available state funds, the commission shall also be financed by members of the profession in accordance with regulations adopted by the department including, if necessary, an increase in the fees for certificates.

AS 14.20.370 — 14.20.510 shall be known as the Professional Teaching Practices Act.

The interstate Agreement on Qualification of Educational Personnel is enacted into law and entered into in behalf of the State of Alaska with all other states and jurisdictions legally joining in it in a form substantially as contained in AS 14.20.630.

The terms and provisions of the agreement referred to in AS 14.20.620 are as follows: INTERSTATE AGREEMENT ON QUALIFICATION OF EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL. (1) The states party to this agreement, desiring by common action to improve their respective school systems by utilizing the teac…

The designated state official to make contracts on behalf of the state under Article III of the agreement shall be the commissioner.

True copies of all contracts made on behalf of this state under the agreement shall be kept on file in the office of the commissioner and in the office of the lieutenant governor. The department shall publish all the contracts in convenient form.

(a) A school district or regional educational attendance area shall train each teacher, administrator, counselor, and specialist on the needs of individual students who have alcohol or drug related disabilities. The training must utilize the best available educational technology …

The purpose of this chapter is to encourage qualified teachers to enter and remain in service with participating employers by establishing plans for the payment of retirement, disability, and death benefits to or on behalf of the members.

The attorney general of the state is the legal counsel for the system and shall advise the administrator and represent the system in a legal proceeding.

(a) The commissioner of administration or the commissioner's designee is the administrator of the system. (b) The commissioner of administration shall adopt regulations to govern the operation of the system.

(a) The administrator shall (1) establish and maintain an adequate system of accounts; (2) transmit the funds deposited in the system to the retirement fund established and maintained by the Alaska Retirement Management Board; (3) approve or disapprove claims for retirement benef…

(a) Regulations adopted by the commissioner of administration under this chapter relate to the internal management of a state agency, and the adoption of the regulations is not subject to AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act). (b) Notwithstanding (a) of this section, a regulati…

An employer, member, annuitant, or beneficiary may appeal a decision made by the administrator to the office of administrative hearings established under AS 44.64. An aggrieved party may appeal a final decision to the superior court.

The Alaska Retirement Management Board established under AS 37.10.210 is the fiduciary of the system funds.

In AS 14.25.001 — 14.25.008, (1) “plan” means a retirement plan established in AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 or the retirement plan established in AS 14.25.310 — 14.25.590; (2) “system” means all retirement plans established under the teachers' retirement system.

The provisions of AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 apply only to members first hired before July 1, 2006.

(a) A joint-contributory retirement plan for teachers of the state is created. (b) The retirement plan established by AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 is intended to qualify under 26 U.S.C. 401(a) and 414(d) (Internal Revenue Code) as a qualified retirement plan established and maintaine…

(a) [Repealed, § 132 ch 9 FSSLA 2005.] (b) The plan created in AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 became effective as of July 1, 1955, at which time contributions by the participating employers and members began. (c) Employees first hired after June 30, 2006, are not eligible to participat…

(a) Unless a teacher or member participates in a university retirement program under AS 14.40.661 — 14.40.799 or has elected under AS 14.25.540 to participate in the plan established in AS 14.25.310 — 14.25.590, a teacher or member contracting for service with a participating emp…

(a) Except as provided in (f) of this section, if a retired member again becomes an active member, benefit payments may not be made during the period of reemployment. During the period of reemployment, deductions from the member's salary will be made in accordance with AS 14.25.0…

An employee of the Special Education Service Agency may participate in the plan under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 if (1) the employee possesses or is eligible to possess a teacher certificate under AS 14.20.020; and (2) the employee pays all retroactive contributions required to be …

(a) Except as provided in (d) of this section, an employee employed by a participating employer on or after June 5, 1988, shall participate in the plan under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 if the employee (1) teaches Alaska Native language or culture in a permanent full-time or permane…

(a) Except as provided in (c) of this section, beginning January 1, 1991, each member shall contribute to the plan an amount equal to 8.65 percent of the member's base salary accrued from July 1 to the following June 30. The employer shall deduct the contribution from the member'…

If a teacher first joined the plan before July 1, 1982, and is married or has a minor child and wishes to make a spouse or minor child eligible for a spouse's pension or a survivor's allowance, the teacher may elect to make a supplemental contribution of an additional one percent…

(a) If a member first joined the plan before July 1, 1990, and has military service or Alaska Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) service, or if a member joined the plan before July 1, 1978, and has creditable outside service, the member may claim this service. If the member claims th…

(a) A member who was not subject to the provisions of AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220, but who becomes subject to them because of a legislative change, may elect to receive credit for retroactive membership service by contributing to the plan an amount equal to the contributions the mem…

(a) In AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220, a member does not have to be reemployed under this plan in order to make indebtedness payments. However, except as provided in (d) of this section, a former member must be reemployed under this plan in order to make indebtedness payments. Payments…

(a) All contributions deducted in accordance with AS 14.25.050 and 14.25.055 shall be transmitted to the plan for deposit in the retirement fund no later than 15 days following the close of the payroll period, with the final contributions due for any school year transmitted no la…

(a) Each employer shall contribute to the system every payroll period an amount calculated by applying a rate of 12.56 percent to the total of all base salaries paid by the employer to active members of the system and to members who are retired from the plan and reemployed under …

(a) An employee who is eligible to purchase credited service under AS 14.25.047 or 14.25.048, a member who is eligible to purchase credited service under AS 14.25.048, 14.25.050, 14.25.060, 14.25.061, 14.25.100, or 14.25.107, or a teacher who is eligible to purchase credited serv…

In addition to the contributions that the state is required to make under AS 14.25.070 as an employer, the state shall contribute to the plan each July 1 or, if funds are not available on July 1, as soon after July 1 as funds become available, an amount for the ensuing fiscal yea…

Contributions made by an employer under AS 14.25.070 and 14.25.085 shall be separately computed for benefits provided by AS 14.25.168 and shall be deposited in the Alaska retiree health care trust established under AS 39.30.097(a).

(a) A member who served as an active member of the armed forces of the United States may receive credited service under this plan up to a maximum of five years if the member received a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions and is not entitled to receive retirement be…

(a) A teacher who completes 15 years of membership service under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 may elect to receive credited service for employment rendered to the Territory of Alaska before January 3, 1959, regardless of the office, department, division or agency of the territory in …

A member who joins the plan on or after July 1, 1978, who has Alaska BIA service may claim all of that service as credited service. A retirement benefit payable under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 for Alaska BIA service shall be reduced by an amount equal to the retirement benefits pa…

(a) Subject to AS 14.25.167, a member is eligible for a normal retirement benefit if the member (1) was first hired before July 1, 1975, has attained the age of 55 years, and has at least 15 years of credited service, the last five of which have been membership service, or is oth…

(a) A teacher in membership service on or after July 1, 1977, who is appointed to retirement on or after July 1, 1978, may elect to apply unused sick leave credit in computing the total number of years of credited service under AS 14.25.110(d) except for sick leave earned while p…

(a) Subject to AS 14.25.167, a member is eligible for a normal retirement salary at age 60 with at least (1) two years membership service if the member also is eligible for a normal retirement benefit under the public employees' retirement system (AS 39.35); or (2) one year of me…

(a) A member who has five or more years of membership service is eligible for a disability pension if, after July 1, 1966, and before the member's normal retirement date, the member's employment is terminated because of a permanent disability as defined in AS 14.25.220. (b) [Repe…

(a) While residing in the state, a person receiving a benefit under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 who is at least 65 years of age or who is receiving a disability benefit under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 is entitled to receive a monthly cost-of-living allowance in addition to the basic …

(a) Once each year, the administrator shall increase benefit payments to eligible disabled members, to persons age 60 or older receiving benefits under this plan in the preceding calendar year, and to persons who have received benefits under this plan for at least eight years who…

Interest shall be credited to each teacher's account at the end of each school year at the rate prescribed by the board for that year.

(a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, a terminated member is entitled to a refund of the balance of the member contribution account. A member is not entitled to a refund of supplemental contributions except as provided in AS 14.25.160(a). (b) A member who is terminated a…

A former spouse shall be treated as a spouse or surviving spouse under AS 14.25.009 — 14.25.220 to the extent required by a qualified domestic relations order. Rights under the order do not take effect until the order is filed with the administrator.