Last-ditch attempt to return Alaska teacher, public employee pensions fails on Senate floor

Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, speaks connected a pension amendment Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)

A late-session effort to salvage a connection that would revive nationalist worker pensions successful Alaska died connected Tuesday. A elemental measure aimed astatine attracting and retaining much teachers concisely became a conveyance to get nan Senate-approved pension programme to nan House floor.

The Senate approved a pension bill in January that didn’t beforehand successful nan House, and location hasn’t been a nationalist motion that nan House mostly has had a alteration of heart.

Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage and nan pension bill’s sponsor, introduced nan bill’s connection arsenic a 52-page amendment to nan acquisition bill. The Senate narrowly approved nan addition, but Giessel rescinded nan amendment aft a break.

“It didn’t look that it was going to make for a productive extremity to nan session,” she said connected Tuesday evening aft nan Senate gaveled retired for nan day.

Her connection for a “defined benefit” status strategy has agelong been a privilege of unions and galore lawmakers who spot it arsenic a intends to address high vacancy rates for authorities jobs.

She said nan chance that nan pension reboot becomes rule this twelvemonth is “probably zero — but that doesn’t mean it’s not a captious issue, particularly for our workforce.”

The reversal came aft pushback from nan Senate’s pension measure opponents.

Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage, opposed nan amendment because he thought it threatened nan acquisition bill, which he supports. “The only point it achieves is crushing nan underlying bill,” he said.

House Bill 230 would let teachers willing successful Alaska careers to beryllium compensated for much of their erstwhile acquisition by eliminating a headdress connected really galore years of out-of-state school would beryllium considered erstwhile mounting salaries.

Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, I-Sitka, projected nan bill. She said nan headdress is simply a imaginable obstruction to attracting school talent to nan state.

Members of nan Senate added connection that allows an summation successful nan number of consecutive days a retired coach whitethorn activity arsenic a substitute, a alteration Senate Education Committee Chair Löki Tobin said is important to dealing pinch nan state’s coach shortage because it would let districts to usage qualified teachers while they find imperishable hires. There were much than 500 vacant school positions astatine nan opening of this schoolhouse year.

Lawmakers besides approved incentives for teachers pinch nationalist committee certification, an amendment that mirrors a connection from Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski.

Töbin urged support for nan bill. “It empowers schoolhouse districts to compete for teachers who are coming from retired of state. There’s a increasing assemblage of grounds that shows that bully and knowledgeable teachers summation student achievement,” she said.

Senators passed nan measure pinch unanimous support; it returns to nan House for statement connected nan changes.