Transcript Highlights:

• School Athletic Association, on current topics in high school athletics.
• Of the Florida High School Athletic Association and a member of the Community Program Board of Directors
• The coach at Auburn High School is making $148,500.
• Auburn High School is 70 miles west of Pensacola.
• This past school year, 125 high schools had to replace their head coaches.

Summary: The Education Pre-K through 12 Committee heard a presentation from Florida High School Athletic Association Executive Director Craig Damon, joined by student athletes Sydney Daniel and Taylor White. The students spoke about the value of education-based athletics, leadership, and the need for safe, equitable opportunities. Damon then discussed FHSAA issues including rising sportsmanship problems, ejections, violent incidents, recruiting allegations, transfers, mental health pressures on student athletes, and the need for qualified coaches. He said the association tries to be proactive, work with schools on discipline, and emphasize that school changes should be for academic reasons rather than athletics. Senators asked about mental health, transfer rules, and a recent Jacksonville incident; Damon explained the current transfer exceptions and said the association lacked authority over the Jacksonville football game because the schools were not in FHSAA football. The committee then heard a panel on high school coaches’ compensation led by Florida Coaches Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrew Ramgett, with Coach Mike Hickman, Coach Charlie Ward, and superintendents from Okaloosa and Walton counties. Ramgett argued that coaching supplements are outdated, have not kept pace with the expanding year-round demands of coaching, and amount to very low hourly pay in many sports. He also said Florida’s restrictions on booster club funding and minimal certification requirements contribute to turnover and difficulty retaining qualified coaches. Hickman and Ward described coaching as a demanding, year-round profession that affects students beyond athletics, including academics and mental health. The superintendents said they value coaches but must balance compensation against limited district funds and other staffing needs; one noted Walton County uses a dedicated administrative lane for football coaching and athletic administration. Senators discussed whether booster club funding should be allowed, whether compensation should be tied to performance, and whether any increase in base student allocation would actually reach coaches. Public commenters, including Florida Athletic Coaches Association Executive Director Shelton Cruz and former coach Tyrone McGriff, urged support for coaches and emphasized their broader impact on students’ lives and school safety. At the end of the meeting, the committee took up confirmation hearings for appointments on tabs 3 through 6 and, with no appearance forms filed, voted unanimously to recommend confirmation. Senator Burgess then moved to adjourn, and the committee concluded the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• rural high school to be inadequate.
• I'm 16 years old and a junior at Northampton High School.
• The loss of an after-school program was extremely damaging to our school community.
• This is due to those programs being very high on the list for being ...to those programs being very high
• Billy's brother, Joey, just graduated from high school.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• high school rated C or below.
• from middle school all the way to high school.
• I graduated from Northeast ISD, Madison High School. What school? Madison High School.
• They described a very innovative program for high school students. That is about this much usage.
• English class—elementary school, middle school, or high school.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• School Athletic Association, on current topics in high school athletics.
• It was Bell High School, and I think Fernandina were the two schools that were playing.
• The coach at Auburn High School is making $148,500.
• Auburn High School is 70 miles west of Pensacola.
• This past school year, 125 high schools had to replace their head coaches.

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Florida High School Athletic Association Executive Director Craig Damon, joined by student athletes Sydney Daniel and Taylor White, on current issues in high school sports. Damon said the association received more than 309 allegations this year, including 113 recruiting complaints, but only two coaches were suspended for recruiting violations, and those were self-reported. He focused on rising sportsmanship problems, violent incidents, and ejections, saying the association is working with coaches and athletic administrators on prevention and positive-behavior campaigns. He also discussed mental health pressures on student athletes, the effects of frequent transfers and school choice on team stability and community pride, and the need for more qualified coaches on campus who understand interscholastic rules and student support responsibilities. Senators asked about the transfer system, violent conduct, and whether the association would propose changes; Damon said he would support guardrails that protect school choice while limiting midseason athletic transfers. The committee then took up a panel on high school coaches’ compensation led by Florida Coaches Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrew Ramgett, with Coach Mike Hickman, Coach Charlie Ward, and superintendents from Okaloosa and Walton counties. Ramgett argued that coaching supplements are outdated, often amounting to very low hourly pay despite year-round duties, and said Florida’s system has not kept pace with increased responsibilities, inflation, or neighboring states. He also criticized restrictions on booster-club support, minimal coaching certification requirements, and turnover among coaches, and urged changes that would allow coaches to negotiate fairer compensation and receive external funding. Hickman and Ward emphasized the long hours, family strain, and mentoring role of coaches, while the superintendents said districts face finite budgets and must balance coach pay against teacher, bus driver, and other staffing needs; they also warned that booster-funded pay could create inequities between wealthy and less affluent communities. Senators discussed whether booster-club funding should be allowed, whether compensation should vary by performance, and whether any new funding should be categorical. Public comment followed from Florida Athletic Coaches Association Executive Director Shelton Cruz and former coach Tyrone McGriff, both of whom stressed the broader educational and safety impact of coaches and asked lawmakers to support the next generation of coaches. After the presentations, the committee took up confirmation hearings for appointments on tabs 3 through 6 and, by a single roll-call vote, recommended all appointees favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• the attention to the program in that school is given. the attention to the program in that school is
• Another program is Educators Rising. This is a program for our students in high school.
• The department is asking for both out-of-school and in-school programs, and high-impact tutoring to be
• So those would be new PERF funded items for the high-impact tutoring and out-of-school time programs.
• School, high school, middle school, grade school, all the way down, and yet we continue to coddle bad

Transcript Highlights:

• high school.
• You're not coming to high school.'
• You're not coming to high school.'
• You're not coming to high school.'
• My question is, um, regarding how the schools promote this program for students during their high school

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• VPK, and the School Readiness Program.
• This last slide is a high-level summary of the new School Readiness Plus program.
• Well, members, that concludes my brief high-level overview of the School Readiness Program.
• Well, members, that concludes my brief high level overview of the school readiness program.
• So the School Readiness program, really, high-level overview: again, the main intent and the main goals

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met with a quorum and focused on School Readiness, specifically the new provider reimbursement rates and the School Readiness Plus program. The chair gave an overview of how School Readiness is funded and administered, noting that the Legislature now sets county-based reimbursement rates using market and cost data, and that School Readiness Plus was created to help families who would otherwise fall off the subsidy “cliff” at 85% of state median income by extending assistance up to 100% of state median income. Panelists from the Children’s Forum, the Association of Early Learning Coalitions, and the Division of Early Learning described the programs as major workforce and family-support tools that help parents stay employed and help providers recruit and retain qualified staff. Testimony emphasized that higher reimbursement rates increase parental choice, help providers cover rising child care costs, and support better staffing and lower turnover. The panel also said School Readiness Plus is easing the pressure on families to turn down raises or promotions for fear of losing child care assistance, though uptake is still early because the program only began in late 2024 and is only available to current School Readiness families at redetermination. The Division of Early Learning reported about 275 children enrolled in School Readiness Plus as of March 10, with expenditures of about $161,420 through January 2025, and said participation is increasing. Members asked about the federal-state funding split, wait lists, reverted funds, coalition accountability, county-based rate differences, and whether the entrance eligibility threshold should be raised or shifted to state median income. The panel said roughly 70% of School Readiness funding is federal, about 4% has typically reverted in recent years, and the wait list is around 12,000 children, with reasons including income ineligibility, lack of available seats, and funding limits. They argued that raising the entrance threshold would expand access but would require additional funding, and they also discussed the need to reduce workforce barriers such as in-person testing and training requirements. The meeting ended with no formal action beyond the presentation and member discussion, and the subcommittee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• A dropout retrieval program helps high school dropouts complete a diploma at their own pace, sometimes
• , middle school, and high school levels.
• , middle school, and high school levels.
• School, middle school, and high school levels. So that's another important thing to note.
• school, trying to help them attain the knowledge, the ability to be successful in high school.

Summary: The Education Administration Subcommittee heard and advanced a series of education bills focused on transparency, accountability, attendance, school start times, student well-being, and career planning. HB 1321, by Rep. Salsman, would remove public-records and public-meeting exemptions for university presidential searches, eliminate the Board of Governors from those searches, require Board of Governors members to file full financial disclosures and be Florida residents, and expand syllabus posting requirements; it passed 15-0. HB 1079, by Rep. Botana, as amended, broadened eligibility for dropout retrieval programs to include students who withdrew and did not reengage in education, and it also passed 15-0 after a strike-all amendment and supportive testimony from a program provider. The committee also approved PCS for HB 969, by Rep. Kassel, which shifts evaluation of school mental health services to the Department of Children and Families and requires more detailed outcome data, surveys, and reporting related to the Mental Health Assistance Allocation program; it passed 15-0. HB 1367, by Rep. Booth, creates a statewide attendance policy with uniform definitions and reporting requirements to address chronic absenteeism; it passed 15-1 after support from business and education groups and some concern about state control over district policy. PCS for HB 261, by Rep. Gerwig, revises the 2023 middle and high school start-time law by allowing districts to document compliance efforts and unintended consequences rather than fully meet the mandated later start times; it passed 16-0. The most debated bill was HB 1483, by Rep. Valdez, which would align Florida’s school grading scale with the familiar 90/80/70/60 letter-grade standard over a five-year transition and require school grades to appear on student report cards. Supporters argued the current scale is misleading and too lenient, while opponents warned it would sharply increase failing school labels, create costs and turnaround mandates, and confuse parents and students. Despite extensive testimony from school board members, teachers, students, and advocacy groups on both sides, the bill passed 12-4. The committee then quickly approved HB 1245, a one-year Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program for three universities with the highest share of Pell-eligible students, and HB 571, which expands career planning, paid work experience, and credit-transfer review for students; both passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• It kept getting referred back to being in high school.
• We learned about everything in high school.
• He was just four days into high school as a freshman.
• So is this an after-school program, or is this during school?
• school graduation or to complete a degree or certificate program the bill further prohibits for high

Keywords: 1182, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 2076, which would create a reimbursement program for school safety training and equipment, maintain an approved list of training programs meeting AZPOST standards, and allow eligible schools to adopt policies permitting certain employees to carry concealed firearms on campus if they complete approved training and meet notification/confidentiality requirements. The sponsor, Rep. Bliss, framed the bill as an optional, fiscally responsible medical-response measure meant to help school employees stop bleeding and save lives in emergencies, emphasizing that no school would be required to participate and that no new state appropriation was needed. Opponents, including Giffords, Arizona for Gun Safety, and the Arizona Education Association, argued the bill would normalize armed staff in classrooms, create confidentiality problems for parents and law enforcement, and expose students and staff to additional risk. They also said teachers are not trained as trauma responders and that the bill’s immunity and secrecy provisions could reduce accountability. Supporters, including Arizona Citizens Defense League and other proponents, said the bill adds guardrails to existing law, focuses mostly on first aid and de-escalation training, and gives schools an option to prepare staff for emergencies. After debate, the committee voted 6-5-1 to give HB 2076 a do pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 2830, which directs the State Board of Education to adopt science standards requiring instruction on fetal and prenatal development and specifies that the instruction is not sex education. Opponents, including the Arizona Education Association and Reproductive Freedom for All, said the bill politicizes science, creates fragmented instruction, and could lead to questions that inevitably touch on sex education while failing to address broader student health needs. Supporters, including Arizona Right to Life, a school board president, and a biology teacher, argued the bill is simply about age-appropriate, medically accurate science and parental transparency. The committee approved HB 2830 on an 8-4 vote.

Transcript Highlights:

• Utah School Choice Program is not the biggest program.
• In 1992, I was made aware of a high school assembly being conducted in the local high school on AIDS.
• In 1992, I was made aware of a high school assembly being conducted in the local high school on grids
• We moved from two blocks away from Skyline High School in Dallas to Flower Mound High School, and my
• High School, made the news.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 convened with a quorum, adopted its committee rules, and heard opening remarks from members introducing staff and outlining priorities for the session. Several senators emphasized support for public education, teacher pay and safety, parental choice, and the combined K-16 jurisdiction of the committee. The chair also reviewed hearing procedures, including public testimony registration and time limits. The main item was Senate Bill 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, laid out by Chairman Creighton. He described the bill as an education savings account program intended to expand school choice, with a $200 million universal eligibility pool and an additional $800 million targeted to students with disabilities and lower-income families. He said the bill includes anti-fraud safeguards, criminal background checks for vendors, reporting requirements, data protections, and annual testing for participating students, while not imposing STAAR on private schools or homeschoolers. He also said the bill removes a prior hold-harmless provision for public schools and is separate from public school funding and teacher pay legislation. Members questioned the bill’s income threshold, lottery and priority structure, treatment of homeschoolers, microschools, charter schools, religious freedom protections, citizenship/lawful presence language, cybersecurity, open records, and disability-related issues, including whether 504 students and foster children should be included. Creighton said the bill is designed to prioritize former public school students with disabilities or lower incomes, while also allowing universal eligibility within the program’s first funding tier, and that the Comptroller would oversee vendor screening and cybersecurity rules. He said the bill does not direct curriculum or interfere with religious beliefs and that amendments may be offered later on citizenship and other issues. After member questions, the committee began invited testimony, starting with EdChoice representative Robert Inlow, who testified in support of SB 2 and cited national growth in school choice programs and studies he said show positive effects for students and public schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• Out-of-school learning programs can be a lot of different things; they can be a tutoring program or they
• So there's a universal school meals program, and there's also a program around making sure that we have
• So again, that is a program where we've got roughly about 3,000 high school students from across the
• The Summer Enrichment Internship Program is to work with high school level students across the summer
• What do people's lives look like 10 years after high school?

Transcript Highlights:

• School, Kawai High School, Baldwin High School, Seabury Hall, Lunalilo?
• High School, Aikau?
• School, and Kaimuki High School.
• > High<00:19:29.320> School Kawai High School Baldwin High School Kawai High School Baldwin
• <00:19:35.760> high<00:19:36.240> school school akaula high school school akaula high

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• into high school.
• high schools.
• into high school.
• high schools.
• high schools.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There May be some additional fees on those programs that the high school may pick up.
• I recently went to a wonderful high school during LESC.
• However, she chose to have a child while she was in high school, and she couldn't go into that program
• they do a high school.
• School Dual Credit Program.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• high school Alliance seven college and high school Alliance seven states<00:12:53.199> were<00
• I'm heading to the high school. Start praying.'
• <01:30:24.400> I from their High School from this and I from their High School from this and I
• High School league and with the State High School league and you<01:33:58.719> have<01:33:58.840
• high school league the relates to the high school league the line<01:35:50.920> there<01:35:51.080

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• school<00:40:04.319> is seven high schools and one school is seven high schools and one school
• high schools and even expand it to all high schools and even high<00:40:24.960> schools<00:40
• And then we can again, our pre-apprenticeship programs in those high schools as well.
• programs in those high<01:29:34.119> schools<01:29:34.600> as<01:29:34.760> well
• or high school.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That includes a career apprenticeship bridge program that lets high school students begin the first phase
• So that includes a career apprenticeship bridge program that lets high school students begin the first
• There were three things I wanted to do in high school, none of them were high school.
• But we need to be collaborating with our educational partners at the high school level, the junior high
• They get that in high school.

Summary: The hearing opened the Select Committee on Effective Postsecondary Career, Technical Education, and Workforce Development Programs at Santa Ana College, with Assemblymember Mike Fong emphasizing the need for affordable, accelerated pathways into high-demand careers and noting his bill AB 1098 creating the California Interagency Education Council. Chancellor Marvin Martinez welcomed the committee and urged changes to AB 927 to remove the “duplication” barrier for community college bachelor’s degrees, arguing that applied baccalaureate programs can lead to high-wage jobs and expand access for low- and middle-income students. The first panel focused on statewide workforce trends and policy. California Community Colleges Vice Chancellor Anthony Cordova highlighted credit for prior learning, Strong Workforce funding, dual enrollment, and apprenticeship growth, asking the Legislature to restore and increase Strong Workforce funding and expand applied baccalaureate degrees. LAEDC’s Josep Bilayo described regional labor market data showing growth in health care, education, construction, bioscience, and clean energy, while stressing the need for employer-led, data-driven programs, wraparound supports, and flexible funding. Andrew Gonzalez of the Building and Construction Trades Council argued that registered apprenticeship must be paid, combine classroom and on-the-job training, and end in a portable credential; he also promoted apprenticeship readiness programs, community workforce agreements, and stronger exposure to trades starting in K-12. Eric Morrison Smith of the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color discussed the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant Program and related youth apprenticeship recommendations, including bridge programs, intermediary infrastructure, reduced employer barriers, and better coordination of state funding. A later panel highlighted Santa Ana College’s fire technology and firefighting academy programs. President Annabelle Neri and Vice President Jeffrey Lamb said the college is one of the state’s largest fire training providers, with strong partnerships with local fire agencies, law enforcement, and the U.S. Forest Service, and with high job placement and six-figure starting salaries for some graduates. They also described related certificates, advanced officer training, wellness services, and workforce preparation such as mock interviews and sponsorships. Throughout the hearing, members and panelists repeatedly stressed the importance of aligning education with labor market demand, expanding apprenticeships and work-based learning, and using regional collaboration to connect students to living-wage careers.

Transcript Highlights:

• high schools to implement the program fully.
• It's also where I went to high school. Um, but it Where I went to high school.
• Um, that school completes this program without any counselors in its high school.
• , whether you’re a charter high school, you’re a big high school, you’re a small high school, you’re
• of our high schools.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a series of “same and similar” provisions between the House and Senate higher education bills and adopted them one by one, with brief explanations from members and staff. The items included a cybersecurity addition for a doctoral degree program, Northstar Promise definitions and eligibility limits, self-loan provisions on institution eligibility and data disclosure, and dual training language requiring certificates, diplomas, or degrees to come from accredited postsecondary institutions. The committee also adopted an amendment to the private career school provisions that clarified exempt institutions remain within the act, and removed certain limited-license and renewal fees for institutions participating in dual training grants or the eligible training provider list. Each of these motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then moved into policy differences between the House and Senate bills, beginning with emergency grants and hunger-free campus grants. Members discussed shifting funding from OHE-administered competitive grants to direct appropriations for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, while the Senate retained competitive grant access for private and tribal colleges and added reporting requirements. OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said the added reporting would be an extra administrative task but raised no significant concerns. Testifiers from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State, and the private college sector supported faster, more direct funding and described the grants as important for emergency housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other student basic needs. A LeadMN representative also supported the changes, saying campus staff and students wanted funds delivered more quickly. The committee also discussed direct admissions on R31. The Senate proposal would require public and charter high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by the 2029-2030 school year. Assistant Commissioner Wendy Robinson said OHE supports statewide expansion and that the program has improved FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and student retention in Minnesota. Members noted the bill had bipartisan support and heard from advocates such as Ed Allies and Students United. No votes were taken on the policy-difference items during this portion of the meeting, and the chair said further discussion of state grant and sexual misconduct policy differences would be held at a later hearing with additional OHE staff present.

Transcript Highlights:

• Votruba YSA is a dual credit program that we offer at the university for high school juniors and seniors
• their diploma from high school.
• for high school juniors and university for high school juniors and seniors.<00:03:29.160> They
• 03:34.880> are schools. 15 different high schools are schools. 15 different high schools are eligible
• grade on to be ready for those programs in the high school level.

Keywords: Meeting Start 00:00:00 Votruba Young Scholars Academy 00:01:55 Taxation of Financial Deposit Institutions 00:36:50, 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Lee, Jefferson Union High School District.
• Greg Glenn, San Mateo Union High School District.
• Lee, Jefferson Union High School District.
• Greg Glenn, San Mateo Union High School District.
• High School District Cherry Chavez San Mateo Union High School District and Bev Gerard San Mateo County

Keywords: 987, senate, all