(JUNEAU) - Senator Gary Wilken (R-Fairbanks) introduced legislation Thursday that will allow residents in unorganized Alaska to contribute toward their students' public education.

Last year the Department of Education and Early Development distributed more than $121 million to fund K-12 educational programs in Rural Education Attendance Area (REAA), districts that provide no matching local funds. At the same time state law required citizens living in Alaska's organized municipal school districts to contribute $144 million to local education.

REAA school districts are not required to match funds because residents of these districts live in communities or areas of the state that do not have the authority to levy or collect taxes. They can not be mandated by the State to contribute funds toward local education if they can't legally collect them.

Senate Bill 48, sponsored by Wilken, creates a system to identify communities able to be self govern or may meet the standards for annexation to current boroughs but are currently not part of a borough. Under the bill, the Department of Community and Economic Development must annually review areas in the unorganized borough and develop a list of those that warrant annexation or incorporation. The Local Boundary Commission will select places from the list, analyze the nominations, and after local input and discussion, draft the appropriate petitions. Following a public review process, the petitions would go to the Legislature for consideration.

"Communities in unorganized Alaska that are able to contribute toward their children's education should be allowed and encouraged to do so," said Wilken. "This bill puts the steps in place to organize these communities and give them the legal ability to collect taxes and provide local funds to help pay for their schools."