Correspondence School Allotment Program

Alaska’s Correspondence School Allotment Program combines several similar elements from vouchers, town tuition programs, and education savings accounts programs, but does not fit into one category. The program has long been offered in the state to offer students in remote areas educational options. Any student in Alaska eligible to attend a public school is eligible to participate in a district or statewide correspondence program. Students educated at home or taking courses from a private school are eligible to participate. _(Last updated July 15, 2024)_

Participating students are required to have an individual learning plan developed upon enrollment in the program. Goods and services purchased through the program for reimbursement must be consistent with state and district standards and in support of the education plan. Services and materials required for a course of study in the individual learning plan are covered expenses, along with the curriculum costs. Services and materials that otherwise support a public purpose are covered. The allotment can be used to pay for items such as a student’s books, classes, school supplies, technology support, tutoring, athletic equipment, music or activity lessons, and other items related to a participating student’s education. Funding for other materials and services may require approval. Funds may not be used to pay for services provided to a student by a family member. Funds are also ineligible to increase district or parent funds for obligations for IEP services. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development advises that using program funds to pay for full-time enrollment at a private institution, supplanting public school education enrollment, is outside program guidelines. Individual courses at private institutions are permissible, and many private schools have entered cooperative agreements with correspondence schools to provide classes to students. _(Last updated July 15, 2024)_

Funds for the program are reserved and excluded from the unreserved portion of a district’s year-end fund balance in the school operating fund through the state’s Base Student Allocation (BSA). Allotment amounts are determined separately by each correspondence school, with districts funded per student at 90% of the Base Student Allocation. The maximum allotment is $4,500 per student annually. The unexpended balance of a student’s fund is returned to the budget of the state department when a student is no longer participating in the program. _(Last updated July 15, 2024)_

On January 24, 2023, a complaint was filed in the Superior Court of Anchorage against Alaska’s Correspondence Allotment Program seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. Plaintiffs allege the program violates Article VII, Section 1 of the Alaska Constitution, which declares public funds cannot be used “for the direct benefit of any religious or other private educational institution.” They argue state funds are “channeled through an intermediary,” being the parents, whose utilization of the program diverts funds from public schools to directly benefit private schools. The Institute for Justice immediately intervened on behalf of participating parents to defend the program. Oral argument was held on October 24, 2023. _Alexander v. Acting Commissioner Heidi Teshner_, Superior Court of Anchorage, Case No. 3AN-23-04309CI. Pending. _(Last updated July 15, 2024)_