Transcript Highlights:

• Part-time at Ogden High School.
• So Jordan School District runs an online program.
• My name is Rick Corvich, athletic director at Bonneville High School.
• The Utah high schools has been great looking at this to try to see.
• school, which is something we don't want to have happen because of what it does for them. ...high school

Keywords: 985, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This program, Youth and Government, gives middle school and high school students from around the state
• This program, Youth and Government, gives middle school and high school students from around the state
• School; Isha Gouha, a senior at La Cueva High School; McKenna Hatton, a senior at Moriarty High School
• Pius High School in Albuquerque. ...Starr Nowanski, a sophomore at the Masters Program Charter School
• Pius High School in Albuquerque.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• > and high school offering testimony and high school offering testimony and support.<00:26:49.919
• Kamehameha High School, Aiea High School, and Nanakuli High School are gone and have lacked teams.
• While robotics is still classified as an after-school program, especially on the high school levels where
• c> the<00:44:24.240> high school program, especially on the high school program, especially
• Since the FIRST Robotics program was established at Waianae High School in 1999, the state has embraced

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 2185, which would add protections for sports officials. The Department of Education, the State Public Charter School Commission, the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, HSTA, HGA, school administrators, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, the Hawaii State Basketball Officials Association, and several individuals testified in support. The Department of the Attorney General offered comments and recommended amendments, especially on the bill’s civil-action provisions and criminal language, saying the measure should be made more consistent and narrowed to clarify who is covered. The Office of the Public Defender opposed the increased criminal penalties but said its concerns were limited to that portion of the bill. The chair repeatedly noted the committee’s education-policy focus and limited discussion of legal issues. The committee then took up HB 2621 on student misconduct. The Department of Education testified and answered questions about its student discipline data, explaining that much of the information is kept in the department’s internal Infinite Campus system and is not public, but that some additional information could be added to the annual report while still protecting student privacy. Members discussed whether the department tracks incidents consistently across schools and whether more public reporting would help identify where violence or discipline issues are occurring. The department said it was not seeing an increase in suspensions in the data it had, though it acknowledged internal data showed more detail than the annual report. HB 2179, concerning DOE and e-pipes, drew comments from the Department of Education, support from the Department of Health, the Hawaii Bicycling League, and other individuals. The committee then heard HB 2534, which would recognize robotics in schools as an interscholastic sport. The Department of Education offered comments, the State Public Charter School Commission supported the bill, and multiple students and robotics participants testified in strong support, arguing that robotics provides STEM opportunities, competition, and career pathways, and that formal recognition and funding would help sustain teams and compensate mentors. No votes or final actions were taken on the bills in the portion of the meeting provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I founded a new high school in South Florida. It's called Jewish Culture High School.
• In fact, my grandfather went to Orlando High School when it was the only high school in Orlando.
• In fact, my grandfather went to Orlando High School when it was the only high school in Orlando.
• School, which is one of our state's A high schools, where I oversee athletic programs, compliance, budgeting
• A high schools, where I oversee athletic programs, compliance, budgeting, and student-athlete development

Bills: S1570, S1376

Keywords: missing persons, special needs, autism, search-and-rescue, Florida, voluntary program, funding, genetic counseling, education grants, state universities, faculty recruitment, student financial assistance

Summary: The committee heard and approved two bills before moving to a long confirmation agenda. SB 1570, by Sen. Gates, would restore Project Leo, a previously sunset program that helps locate missing persons with special needs through voluntary tracking devices and coordination between CARD centers and local sheriffs; it was praised as a proven tool for families and first responders and was reported favorably. CS/SB 1376, by Sen. Burgess, would create grants to support genetic counseling education and help address Florida’s shortage of genetic counselors; testimony noted the state’s limited supply of licensed counselors and the need to expand clinical training, and the bill also passed favorably. The committee then considered a block of reappointments to university and college boards of trustees, including institutions such as UWF, Broward College, Chipola College, FIU, Pasco-Hernando, Polk State, St. Petersburg, Valencia, FAMU, FAU, UCF, FSU, New College, UNF, USF, and others. No one requested separate votes on the reappointments, and the block was confirmed unanimously for recommendation to the next committee. A series of new appointees then appeared and largely emphasized workforce training, nursing, military support, and local economic development at their institutions. Witnesses included appointees to Pensacola State, Polk State, St. Petersburg College, UNF, FIU, UWF, Valencia, the College of the Florida Keys, and others; several highlighted strong NCLEX pass rates, dual enrollment, and partnerships with employers or military communities. One nominee, Florida Poly reappointment Ilya Shapiro, faced pointed questioning from Sen. Bracey Davis about past comments regarding race and the Supreme Court; he said his remarks were about hiring criteria, not a specific justice, and reiterated opposition to race- or sex-based selection. The committee also briefly struggled to reach Sherry Young by phone before hearing her testimony for Chipola College, where she said she wanted to give back as an alumna and nurse practitioner. Most new appointees were recommended for confirmation in a block, while Thomas Zachary Smith of UWF was pulled for separate consideration.

Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of times community organizations will have an after school program at this school.
• So Senator Bradley, you're recognized to present Cs for SB 296 Hill School School and High School start
• 00AM and high schools not start before 8.30.
• This bill removes the statewide mandate for middle school and high school start times and returns the
• There are 20 counties in Florida who now have school high school start times after 8.30, and it works

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have middle school, high school, and young adults.
• When we look at high school, we see that pattern continue.
• So both 61% for middle schools and 69% for high schools are vaping only.
• That's 16 high schools? And out of how many in our state?
• Don't have the number of high schools in the state currently.

Transcript Highlights:

• Schools must offer them according to the department's required high school courses publication.
• school GPA are only applying to high schools.
• So you'll see obviously some of those, ACT scores, high school GPA are only applying to high schools.
• higher in high-poverty schools.
• of high school seniors tested.

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The committee received a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Arkansas academic standards, accountability, and achievement as part of the adequacy study. Staff reviewed how state curriculum and standards have evolved from the 1997 Public Education Act, the 2003 Quality Education Act, and the 2017 Educational Support and Accountability Act, including required course offerings, graduation requirements, career and technical education pathways, and recent additions such as success-ready pathways, Arkansas history, firearm safety, and fetal growth and development instruction. Members asked for a comparative chart showing how the laws and requirements changed over time, and staff agreed to provide one. The presentation then turned to the federal ESSA plan and Arkansas’s state accountability system. Staff explained the state’s long-term goals for 2030, including 80% proficiency in ELA and math, 52% of English learners on track to English proficiency, and 94%/97% four- and five-year graduation rates. They reviewed 2025 assessment results showing proficiency rates generally in the 30s, with English learners and students with disabilities performing lowest and white students highest. They also discussed school support and improvement categories, equitable access to educators, and report card/public reporting requirements, noting that some ESSA-related measures such as the school index, equity labs, and certain 2024 report card data were not currently available or not being calculated. Members questioned whether those ESSA commitments were being met and asked staff to follow up with DESE, including whether the legislature can revise the ESSA plan. The committee also reviewed the Arkansas Accountability Act and related assessment data. Staff described the Atlas assessment system, alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities, ELPA 21 for English learners, ACT results, and NAEP comparisons. They reported that no student group met the 80% proficiency goal in 2025, Arkansas’s ACT composite score declined slightly over time, and Arkansas generally trailed national and SREB averages on NAEP. Members asked for additional data, including historical highs and lows, the number of assessments students take by grade, dropout data, and comparisons with other states. The meeting ended with agreement to invite the Department of Education to a future meeting to answer questions about missing data, equity labs, report cards, and ESSA compliance.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is strong support from certain high school principals, including the Hana High School principal
• There is strong support from certain high school principals, including the Hana High School principal
• There is strong support from certain high school principals, including the Hana High School principal
• There is strong support from certain high school principals, including the Hana High School principal
• There is strong support from certain high school principals, including the Hana High School principal

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• On row 91, we have $20 million for out-of-school time learning programs.
• In FY26, you all appropriated $15 million for both out-of-school time programs and tutoring programs.
• and I just want to say, it was a virtual program within a school district versus a charter school that
• School districts and charter schools are applying for these below-the-line programs with very little
• Out-of-school learning programs are a pretty broad category of programming that often includes after-school

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• high school students, and we are working on a partnership to bring the CNA program to the outlying areas
• And then our phlebotomy program also, students can join that program while they're still in high school
• We have one high school student in the nursing program right now that's a dual student.
• school to start them in CTE programs.
• We also have an extensive wind program in our high schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• High into one consolidated school, and this is a replacement school.
• School, Clayton Junior High, Eunice High School, Grants High School, Hatch Valley Middle School, Logan
• We also have Gallup Tohatchie High School.
• , we have middle school, we have high school, um, with all sorts of different building needs.
• to be similar CTE programs in the high school?

Transcript Highlights:

• There are 56 programs distributed from the Public School Fund, 14 from other state funds, and 29 from
• Program amounts distributed to each recipient from the Public School Fund are included on Attachments
• As you can see here for the 2025 school year, there were 65 districts considered high need, shown in
• Then we'll look at traditional programs, and then total enrollment overall for the past three school
• In Arkansas, there are nine programs in the 2025 school year.

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a Legislative Audit presentation summarizing Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions for fiscal year 2025. Auditors said the department distributed about $4.6 billion in grants overall, including $3.2 billion from the Public School Fund, $1.1 billion in federal funds, and $268 million from other state and miscellaneous sources, across 56 Public School Fund programs, 14 other state programs, and 29 federal programs. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, master principal bonuses, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; audit staff and Department of Education representatives explained that the report was only a distribution summary and not a recipient-level audit. Members also questioned why many districts showed lower funding, and staff said the decline was largely due to reduced federal and one-time COVID-related funds. Senators and representatives also discussed whether some incentive programs, such as master principal and national board bonuses, were tied to student outcomes, and whether Economics Arkansas was the sole entity named in special language for financial literacy funding; department staff said they would follow up on several details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on consumer price index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global, with discussion of CPI-U and core CPI estimates for future fiscal years. Dr. Carlos Silva explained that the forecasts generally trend toward about 2 percent over time and that recent projections may have understated actual inflation because of recent shocks. Members asked about the accuracy of past projections, and he said he would provide more detail later if needed. The bulk of the meeting focused on the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with a statewide student-to-teacher ratio of about 14 to 1, average teaching experience of 11.9 years, and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found that districts with higher poverty and minority concentrations generally had less experienced teachers, and that teacher shortages remained widespread, especially in special education, math, science, and foreign language. Members asked about licensure exceptions, alternative preparation pathways, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, and the cost and return on investment of traditional versus alternative routes. Staff said some licensure exceptions are being phased out under Act 304 of 2025 and that they would follow up on several requested details. The report also found that teacher retention averaged 87 percent statewide in 2025, with districts retaining teachers at higher rates than charters, and that 30 percent of surveyed teachers were considering leaving the profession. Principals and teachers identified school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the strongest negative factors. On salaries, BLR reported a statewide average teacher salary of $60,254 in 2025, with districts averaging $60,458 and charters $55,724. Arkansas ranked 45th nationally on average teacher salary in 2025, though its cost-adjusted ranking improved to 36th; among SREB states it ranked 12th, and among neighboring states it ranked fourth. Members asked about starting salaries, salary compression, district step increases, and whether the report should be shared more broadly with educators and school leaders. Staff said they would provide follow-up information on several questions, and the committee took no formal action beyond receiving the presentations and asking for additional data.

Transcript Highlights:

• We've seen a very high demand for this program.
• After school programs get kids excited about math.
• And again, these out-of-school time programs fund programs at schools, so before and after school programming
• schools, starting in the rural high schools and then moving to the urban high schools.
• They Engage our middle school students, our high school students.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• When I was a high school student at Gordon Parks High School, I had the privilege of taking advantage
• When I was a high school students.
• Parks High School I student at Gordon Parks High School I had<00:43:50.080> the<00:43:50.160>
• <01:02:41.280> school ability to walk across a high school ability to walk across a high school
• <01:03:55.520> of<01:03:55.640> a high school or the institution of a high school or

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , also called CCTE, and the start of our LPN Program for high school students.
• Some of our new initiatives include our high school LPN program, and we plan to launch an LPN program
• Were you asking me to go into a little more detail about the high school programs?
• Okay, so we have three high school programs on our campus.
• and we have our CCTE High School program.

Transcript Highlights:

• , a public charter school, a non-public school, a home education program, or an EFA program.
• high school that's cont Portsmouth for high school that's cont that's<01:10:18.239> treated<01
• has<01:16:46.760> a School achievement program all has a School achievement program all
• Achievement Program goes directly to schools.
• <01:36:41.719> that are R the high school I don't have that are R the high school I don't

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Department of Education’s Bureau of School Finance provided an adequacy-funding training for Division II, led by Mark Mello. He walked the committee through the adequacy formula using Albany, Allenstown, and Alton as examples, explaining average daily membership, base adequacy aid, and differential aid for free/reduced-price meals, special education, and English language learners. He also noted a recent change requiring home-education differential aid and emphasized that these aid streams are generally unrestricted district funding rather than money tied to specific students or programs. A major focus was the ongoing litigation over the adequacy base amount and the statewide education property tax, or SWEPT. Mello explained the historical basis of the current base amount, the 2008 legislative report that set the original methodology, and the later court ruling that the adequacy amount should be $7,356, which is now before the Supreme Court. He also described how SWEPT currently raises a fixed statewide amount of $363 million and how that revenue is used to offset the state’s adequacy obligation. For the example towns, Albany and Allenstown receive state adequacy grants because their SWEPT revenue is below their calculated adequacy cost, while Alton is an excess SWEPT community because its local SWEPT revenue exceeds the cost of adequate education. The discussion then turned to the pending “excess SWEPT” issue in the Supreme Court and what would happen if excess collections had to be remitted to the state. Mello said the Department is preparing a hypothetical walkthrough and explained that, if the court upholds the Superior Court ruling, DRA would likely be directed to collect excess SWEPT. Members raised concerns about whether SWEPT must be used for educational purposes and about the cash-flow burden on towns if money had to move from municipalities to the state and then back to districts. Mello and members discussed possible administrative workarounds, such as credits against other state aid distributions, and noted that the committee would continue reviewing the mechanics if the court decision comes down during budget work.

Transcript Highlights:

• is an ALC high School District my school is an ALC high school<00:10:33.279> that<00:10:33.399
• These are all targeted incentives for candidates to serve in education programs in high-need public schools
• > delivery High School a cross-curricular delivery High School a cross-curricular delivery permission
• I've been a high school principal similarly in rural schools.
• <01:20:09.600> equivalency high school diploma GED or equivalency high school diploma GED

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Rogers High School is becoming a powerhouse in Arkansas high school sports.
• Rogers High School is becoming a powerhouse in Arkansas high school sports.
• Rogers High School is becoming a powerhouse in Arkansas high school sports.
• Rogers High School is becoming a powerhouse in Arkansas high school sports.
• Rogers High School is becoming a powerhouse in Arkansas high school sports.

Summary: The House convened to finish items from an adjourned resolution and spent most of the meeting recognizing individuals, teams, and organizations through a series of House resolutions. One resolution designated May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month, with the sponsor emphasizing that skin cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in the U.S., that early detection greatly improves outcomes, and that public education on prevention and sun safety is important. Another resolution honored Frederick Henry Middleton of Arkadelphia for 50 years of service to the city’s street department and his long record of community involvement. The chamber also recognized the Rolling Razorbacks wheelchair basketball team for winning its sixth Division II national championship, and several Arkansas high school athletic programs for state titles, including Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School boys basketball, Rogers High School teams in girls cross country, baseball, boys tennis, girls wrestling, and boys golf, Mountain Home High School boys and girls cross country, Mount St. Mary Academy girls golf, and North Little Rock High School girls basketball. Members highlighted team records, championships, coaches, and individual achievements, and many resolutions were adopted by title only after brief presentations. Additional resolutions honored the Central Arkansas Christian High School choir for its state festival success, Arkansas Tech University women’s cross-country team for winning the Great American Conference championship, and Arkansas Tech women’s basketball coach Dave Wilbers upon his retirement after a highly successful career. No substantive debate or roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript; the meeting ended after the final recognition with notice that the House would reconvene later in the day.

Transcript Highlights:

• and the program requirements, especially students in dual enrollment, which is in the high school.
• But with that type of resource, when the students come in from the high school and middle school and
• And we do take in students from high school.
• And we do take in students from high school.
• What high school courses should they be taking to prepare them?

Summary: The subcommittee met to examine Florida’s nursing education pipeline and the state’s persistently low NCLEX passage rates. Chair Tuck opened by noting the projected nurse shortage and Florida’s ranking near the bottom nationally for first-time NCLEX pass rates. The Department of Health explained the Board of Nursing’s approval process for nursing programs, including application requirements, probation standards, and termination for programs that repeatedly fail passage-rate benchmarks. The Florida Center for Nursing then presented statewide data showing Florida has more test takers than most states, but still trails the national average; the gap has narrowed in recent years, though Florida remains below average. Members focused heavily on why the state continues to underperform, with discussion of faculty shortages, clinical placement constraints, accreditation, student preparedness, and the large share of newer private for-profit programs among those placed on probation. Committee members asked about how probation works, what happens when programs improve, and whether the board requires corrective plans. They also questioned the relationship between program type and outcomes, the effect of Operation Nightingale, and how many students fail and retest. The Florida Center for Nursing said first-attempt pass rates are the standard measure and that students who fail are expected to remediate and retest, though costs vary. The center also said Florida’s data shows accredited programs outperform approved or probationary ones, and that the state’s nursing workforce challenges are tied to broader issues such as faculty vacancies, clinical site competition, and student demographics, including many students balancing work, family, and language barriers. A panel of nursing school leaders from public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit institutions then described strategies used to improve outcomes. These included transparent recruitment, early orientation, tutoring, success coaching, stronger faculty development, curriculum mapping to NCLEX standards, higher course benchmarks, mandatory remediation, simulation labs, and commercial NCLEX prep tools such as ATI, Kaplan, and HESI. Several panelists said their programs had improved after probation or had very high passage rates, and they emphasized that student success depends on academic preparation, clinical experience, and support services. Members also asked about tuition, program length, translation into other languages, and faculty recruitment; panelists said costs vary widely, faculty hiring is difficult because hospitals pay more, and some schools are considering medical Spanish and immersion options rather than full curriculum translation.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, those programs, wherever they were situated, the local school districts for these last 30 years
• That really positions us now with, you know, the kids that are graduating high school, you know, I can
• But now it's not just get your high school diploma and sit.
• It's get your high school diploma and now what?
• And then I'm a fan of FLVS in order for my son to be able to graduate from high school early last month

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Eric Hall on the Florida Scholars Academy, a new unified education model for youth in residential commitment programs. He explained that the academy replaced the prior decentralized district-run system with a contracted model through Florida Virtual School, allowing individualized blended learning, real-time progress monitoring, expanded special education services, and a broader course catalog including dual enrollment, CTE, GED testing, and postsecondary pathways through the Florida Youth College partnership with Tallahassee State College. Hall said the department is using data to focus on academic achievement, workforce credentials, and peer-group change as strategies to reduce recidivism, and reported early results including 60 diplomas or GEDs, a 5.5% teacher vacancy rate, and progress-monitoring gains for most students. Hall also reviewed implementation of House Bill 1181 on swift accountability and juvenile justice reforms. He said the law strengthened pre-arrest delinquency citation use, raised the target for eligible citations to 70%, required written justification for releasing youth charged with certain felony firearm offenses, and directed the department to develop a firearm-offending curriculum focused on avoidance and consequences. He described a new statewide graduated sanctions matrix for probation technical violations, intended to provide quicker and more consistent responses without overburdening courts. He said early data showed reductions in weapons/firearm offenses and auto theft, and that the department had conducted circuit-level outreach to law enforcement, courts, and providers to support implementation. Members asked about the number of unauthorized alien children in detention or residential care, teacher vacancies and whether instruction continues when staff are absent, screen-time and supervision concerns with laptops, and whether students are reentering local schools with improved academic performance. Hall said he did not have data on immigration status, that FLVS and classroom staff provide continuity when teachers are absent, that devices are checked in and out and security has been tightened, and that the department is still early in implementation but is hearing positive anecdotal feedback from parents. Vice Chair Smith asked for more detail on the firearm curriculum, and Hall offered to provide it. The committee took no formal votes and adjourned after no public testimony was offered.