Transcript Highlights:

• THE SEMINOLE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WAIVES THEIR TIME AND SUPPORT, MARTIN BLACK SCHOOL DISTRICT WAIVES
• THE BILL ENHANCES FINANCIAL CONTROLS FOR DISTRICTS THAT AUTHORIZE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO DETERMINE MAKEUP
• BUT NOW THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL BE MONITORING THOSE PROGRAMS?
• Simon: IT WILL BE THE DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS, SORRY. >> Sen.
• GREG BLACK MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS WAIVES IN SUPPORT.

Transcript Highlights:

• year, each school district may implement a wearable panic alert system at each school.
• <c> some</c> local school district would have some local school district would have some skin<00:07:20.080
• </c><00:18:22.360><c> districts</c> to match that uh school districts to match that uh school districts
• c> lead</c><00:31:42.600><c> and</c> some school districts take the lead and some school districts take
• > across</c> district is to identify schools across district is to identify schools across the<01:04:

Summary: The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee met and first took up House Bill 14, which would establish Alyssa’s Law in Kentucky public schools. The bill, as amended by committee substitute, would allow districts to implement wearable panic alert systems for school staff beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Sponsor Rep. Kevin Jackson and supporters described the system as a silent badge/button that can alert school offices, 911, first responders, and other personnel, with different button sequences for different emergencies. Testimony from Lori Alade, Alyssa’s mother and founder of Make Our Schools Safe, emphasized that “time equals life” and said the technology can help in active threats, medical emergencies, weather events, and other urgent situations. Students from St. Margaret Mary’s Kentucky Youth Assembly also supported the bill, citing the Georgia school shooting response as an example of how such systems can save lives. Members asked about vendor neutrality, costs, training, and whether the system could be used off campus; sponsors said the bill is intended to be vendor neutral, estimated statewide costs ranged from about $2 million to $6 million, training would be provided before the school year, and they would follow up on the off-campus question. The committee approved HB 14 with the committee substitute attached. The committee then reconsidered and approved House Bill 48, a cleanup measure related to school reporting requirements. The substitute was described as addressing department concerns about eliminating certain reporting forms while preserving district flexibility and reducing burdensome reporting. It would allow schools to maintain or use alternative reporting methods, provide KDE a timeline and guidelines for reporting on Cognia software used for CPS and C-dips, and require a written report to the LRC describing reporting requirements imposed on public schools and districts, with items not reapproved by the legislature sunsetting in 2026. The bill passed the committee with the committee substitute attached. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 190, as amended by committee substitute, which would shift the measure from a planning-and-action bill to a planning-only bill for advanced coursework and codify some gifted-student regulations. Rep. Duvall and Dr. Julia Link Roberts of WKU said the bill is intended to expand opportunities for high-potential students by requiring districts to set policies on advanced coursework or accelerated learning options for grades 4 through 12. The substitute changes the standard from “proficient” to “distinguished,” allows districts flexibility in how they implement the policies, and may require automatic enrollment for students scoring distinguished, with opt-out provisions and a principal exception if coursework conflicts with career pathways or CTE access. Members discussed how the proposal differs from current advanced programs, the broader inclusion of students, and district variation in available opportunities. No final vote on HB 190 was included in the transcript excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• <c> into</c> the school districts take that into the school districts take that into consideration<01
• and school districts?
• and school districts?
• District, Winnisquam High School, to Franklin High School.
• just within your school district?

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• districts could also implement programs before and after school.
• districts could also implement programs before and after school.
• districts could also implement programs before and after school.
• districts and charter schools includes coordinated partnership and services to support community schools
• And this is going across school districts within— for our county, it's across 23 school districts.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard the Governor’s proposals on universal school meals, the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), and community schools, with the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Grants Program also discussed. For universal meals, the Department of Education supported continued investment, citing high student meal need, reported gains in meal participation and service efficiency from prior kitchen grants, and concerns that federal changes and underreporting could affect funding. The Department of Finance outlined $1.8 billion Proposition 98 General Fund for universal meals and an additional $100 million for a fourth round of kitchen grants, while the LAO recommended rejecting the new kitchen grant round because prior rounds are still being spent and the allowable uses are broad. Members raised questions about federal matching requirements, Summer EBT, and whether immigration-related federal policy changes could reduce meal counts and state/federal reimbursements. For ELOP, the Department of Finance described $4.7 billion ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund plus $62.4 million to set a minimum Tier 2 rate of $1,800 per pupil. The LAO recommended modifying the proposal to fully fix Tier 2 at the current $1,579 rate and tie future changes to program requirements, while CDE supported the Governor’s approach and said the added stability would help districts plan. Committee discussion focused on whether ELOP should remain a standalone before- and after-school program or be folded into LCFF, with some members and witnesses arguing for more local flexibility and clearer outcome measures, while others emphasized the value of guaranteed expanded learning access, especially for elementary students and working families. CDE noted new CalPADS reporting will provide more data beginning with the 2025-26 school year. For community schools, the Governor proposed $1 billion ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund to expand the model to thousands more schools and sustain existing ones, along with stronger technical assistance and future accreditation/self-certification. The LAO recommended continuing the current one-time grant approach instead of creating a new ongoing categorical program, citing concerns about scalability, administrative burden, and the need for earlier planning and clearer accreditation timelines if ongoing funding is adopted. CDE strongly supported the ongoing investment, saying community schools have improved attendance, suspensions, and achievement, and that technical assistance and county office support are essential for expansion. Members and public commenters largely supported community schools, with some urging stronger accountability, more support for county offices and MTSS, and debate over whether non-classroom-based charter schools should be excluded from eligibility. No formal votes were taken in the portion provided; the committee heard testimony and moved through the agenda items and public comment.

Transcript Highlights:

• , Summarizes the $4.6 billion that was provided as grants to school districts, charter schools, education
• I was wondering how we chose those school districts and also how many school districts applied.
• On here we only have about 10 schools. On here, we only have about 10 school districts listed.
• , back to the smaller school district.
• ...districts, back to the smaller school district, is that possibly influencing this data?

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a presentation from Legislative Audit on Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions. Auditors explained that the fiscal year 2025 report summarizes $4.6 billion in grants from state, federal, and miscellaneous sources, across school districts, charter schools, education cooperatives, and other entities, and that the report only shows amounts distributed, not how recipients ultimately used the money. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; department staff clarified that the Economics Arkansas grant is written into special language and that the CDC-related funding supports student surveys used by state agencies. Questions also focused on bonus and incentive programs such as master principal and National Board Certified teacher bonuses, with department staff saying the bonuses are generally tied to completion of the program or certification rather than classroom performance, though they would follow up on details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research update on Consumer Price Index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global. Dr. Carlos Silva explained the difference between CPI-U and core CPI and said the estimates show inflation slowing over the forecast period, with some near-term variation between the two data providers. Members asked about the historical accuracy of prior projections, and he said the forecasts generally tend to move toward about 2 percent over time, though recent shocks have caused earlier estimates to understate actual inflation. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reviewed Arkansas teacher demographics, shortage areas, educator preparation pipelines, licensure exceptions, survey results from teachers and principals, and teacher support programs. They reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with an average of 11.9 years of experience and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found shortages in multiple subject areas, especially special education, math, science, foreign language, and social studies, and identified 65 districts as high-need geographically. Survey results showed school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the biggest negatives; 30 percent of responding teachers said they were considering leaving the profession. The committee also reviewed teacher salary data showing a statewide average salary of $60,254 in 2025, Arkansas ranking 45th nationally by NEA methodology, and a long-term inflation-adjusted decline in district salaries, though LEARNS Act increases improved the trend. Members asked for additional follow-up information on survey methodology, alternative licensure costs, coursework, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, exit data, and how salary comparisons are calculated.

Transcript Highlights:

• with the... ...in my district, schools just like this.
• with the in my district, schools just like this.
• land owned by school districts.
• Our school library is on school district property. I mean, our county library.
• and clarity across the school district.

Summary: The Education Administration Subcommittee met with a quorum and considered several education-related bills. CS/HB 1085 on local government cybersecurity was presented as a measure to codify an existing grant program that has helped secure more than 200 local governments, especially rural and fiscally constrained ones; Florida League of Cities supported it, and it passed 15-0. PCS/HB 371 on patriotic displays at public schools would require, subject to appropriation, display of portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in school common areas for America’s 250th anniversary; one opponent argued it would create complaint-driven enforcement and pressure educators, but the sponsor said the PCS narrowed the original classroom requirement, and the bill passed 16-0. PCS/HB 833 on private school facilities would deem small private schools of 150 students or fewer a permitted use in commercial and mixed-use zoning districts and allow use of certain existing buildings if fire and occupancy standards are met. Supporters said it would reduce local red tape and expand school choice, while opponents warned it would divert public resources and weaken public education; several members raised concerns about local traffic and safety authority. The sponsor said she was open to further amendments, and the bill passed 13-3. PCS/HB 1147 on school district unimproved real property would require districts to submit annual inventories of vacant, unimproved land to the Department of Education for transparency and planning; some members and a Monroe County school board member questioned the need for a state registry, while supporters said it would improve data and accountability. The bill passed 12-3. The committee then considered HB 615 on individualized education plans (IEPs), which would strengthen parent notification and access to service logs, require individualized orientation for newly eligible students, and standardize district service logs. An amendment removed notification requirements when a missed service was due to student absence, and it was adopted. The bill drew emotional testimony from a student and parent describing missed accommodations, along with support from Disability Rights Florida and several members who emphasized parent partnership and accountability; one ESE teacher said the bill was a good start but more staffing and support are needed. The bill passed unanimously 15-0, and the meeting adjourned after all agenda items were completed.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Jason Moss, Gray School District.
• Practices vary between districts, charter schools, and private schools.
• Practices vary between districts, charter schools, and private schools.
• I am a 2023 graduate of the Boise School District.
• It opens the school districts up to lawsuit.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• system of each public school district.
• A school district that meets the exit criteria set by the board must be returned... ...a school district
• of the school district.
• The Dollarway School District was annexed to the Pine Bluff School District, effective in July 2021.
• , which is the Earl School District.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> I would say if you're around school I would say if you're around school vacation<01:57:18.480><c
• I did diagnostic testing in the Boston school system.
• I did diagnostic testing in the Boston school system.
• I did diagnostic testing in the Boston school system.
• These are what This is school board.

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• The experience that you had at your school district—so you said that your school district was self-insured
• to district and charter schools over the years.
• one of the larger school districts.
• Senate Bill 1009 requires school districts and charter schools to also provide public school students
• district and charter school to to select Senate Bill 1315 requires each school district and charter

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• At least today we're discussing rules, school districts.
• and small school districts I believe, Mr.
• People as they come into our school districts.
• Do you have private schools in your districts or it's all going home schools?
• I have one private school. My district is that her school.

Transcript Highlights:

• District, Bainbridge Island School District, and Concrete School District.
• And Concrete School District.
• That's mostly on those pilot and demo sites, but also can be for other school districts—any school district
• it's a small school district, in the Concrete School District.
• district to co-fund that position, or the school district can fund that.

Bills: HB1795

Committee: House Education

Keywords: restraint, isolation, public schools, educational programs, student rights

Transcript Highlights:

• We have multiple school districts that have this same issue.
• We do, you know, over 200 school districts or 200 schools, including charter schools and school districts
• The first is Conway School District, which had one finding.
• All right, congratulations to those school districts.
• Congratulations to those school districts.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Summary: The committee met to review education audit reports and heard responses from several school districts with findings. Camden Fairview School District was cited for using operating funds for an end-of-year employee awards banquet and for unauthorized credit card charges that caused a small loss; district officials said the current administration had strengthened controls, stopped the banquet practice, and improved monthly credit card reconciliation. Members questioned whether the prior officials were still employed, whether the credit card issue was an outside hack, and how teacher appreciation could continue without using district funds. Forest City School District was cited for spending about $33,000 on an off-campus staff celebration and entertainment event; district representatives said the money came from long-standing Pepsi-related donation funds, that the event was intended to recognize staff and growth, and that they would change practices and receive training going forward. Members discussed whether those funds were private donations or operational funds, and staff said the district’s accounting treatment made them subject to the constitutional restriction at issue. The committee also reviewed several other findings. Conway School District was referred for an ongoing investigative report involving misuse of district funds and resources by former maintenance employees. Magnolia School District had undeposited activity funds totaling more than $21,000, tied to a resigned high school secretary and sponsor receipts not deposited. Westside School District had about $30,000 in credit card charges lacking documentation or business purpose, including charges by the superintendent, personal purchases, and items shipped to personal addresses; the matter was referred to the prosecuting attorney. Boonville School District was cited for paying a board member’s son more than the statutory limit for seasonal groundskeeping without the required exemption, and DESE later denied the exemption request. After discussing those cases, the committee filed the remaining eight findings en masse and then filed the 89 reports with no findings. Members noted that most school districts audited had clean reports and encouraged districts to continue good practices while learning from the findings discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• about individual districts or schools.
• These included 14% of districts and 7% of elementary schools, 13% of middle schools, and 8% of high schools
• of effective districts and schools. data sources.
• /c><00:14:28.160><c> elementary</c><00:14:28.639><c> schools,</c> districts and 7% of elementary schools
• </c><00:30:50.880><c> and</c> differently in their districts and differently in their districts and schools

Summary: The Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee received an Office of Education Accountability presentation on student discipline data in Kentucky schools for the 2024 school year. OEA said the study used Safe Schools data, educator and student surveys, site visits to 12 schools, and principal surveys. The report found that about 1 in 10 schools have major behavior-related challenges and up to one-third have at least moderate challenges, with the most common concerns varying by level: high schools cited vapes, cell phone misuse, apathy, and tardiness; middle schools cited apathy, vapes, and cell phone misuse; and elementary schools reported more extreme classroom behaviors such as throwing objects, overturning furniture, and screaming. OEA also noted that 14% of students had at least one behavior event in 2024, but repeated events were rare, and event rates alone do not reliably measure the severity of behavior problems in a school or district. The presentation emphasized that many disciplinary consequences do not align consistently with statutes or local expectations. OEA said law violations made up 19% of more than 250,000 recorded behavior events, while most were board violations, and that some serious incidents resulted in minimal consequences. The report highlighted concerns about weapons, threats, and assaults: only 9.2% of weapon events led to expulsion or alternative placement, few threats resulted in those outcomes, and fewer than 10% of assaults led to expulsion or alternative placement, including some first-degree assaults. OEA also said the Safe Schools data do not identify victims, limiting analysis of assaults on staff or students, and recommended clearer statutory definitions and better data reporting. A major theme was the difficulty schools face in addressing chronic disruption and severe behavior while complying with federal protections for students with disabilities. OEA said principals reported the biggest challenges were federal limits on disciplinary removals and a lack of alternative placement options. The report described variation among districts in how they implement federal requirements, with some administrators discouraging alternative placements or avoiding discipline because of perceived legal risks. Site visits found that many schools lacked chronic-disruption policies, and teachers often reported frustration with minimal consequences and repeated classroom removals. OEA recommended that KDE collect more information from educators, identify promising practices for alternative instructional settings, and develop clearer guidance and training. In discussion, committee members said the findings showed reporting gaps and resource strains, and OEA staff clarified that some underreporting reflects local discretion, while law violations should still be reported.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so, in the Fall 2024 survey window, a total of 86 school districts and charter schools—approximately
• Going forward, it will be vital for PED, school districts, and charter schools to develop consistent
• A lot of school districts also leverage Medicaid for social work and school psychologists.
• So I think school districts are also leveraging that.
• Then we had districts who asked, specifically asked, or I would say school charter district school and

Transcript Highlights:

• So now we're asking all school districts, public school districts, to suddenly become experts in the
• It was after-school hours, but the agreements were made through the school district. Mr.
• School District, many other school districts.
• Which school district? Globe. That's Globe.
• What school district was that? It's in my district. Okay. I'm very interested.

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• it in two other school districts.
• or for that school district to offer the job.
• This is about the development of those guidelines for school districts and charter schools.
• And the same with school districts.
• Chair, so the definition for participant means a school district or charter school that applies.

Summary: The committee first heard a detailed staff presentation on the LESC FY27 public school support recommendation. Staff reviewed the budget structure and explained that, despite a downward revision in state revenue estimates, the recommendation still relied on recurring and non-recurring revenue to support educator compensation, insurance, transportation, literacy, math, special education, and other school programs. Major recurring items included a 3% compensation increase, funding for an 80-20 health insurance cost share, insurance premium growth, and transportation adequacy funding. Staff also flagged a possible supplemental need of up to $35 million for virtual education tied to rapid enrollment growth in Chama and Santa Rosa, and members raised concerns about the quality, accountability, and funding model for virtual programs. Members asked questions about transportation for rural districts, the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit fees, the treatment of enrollment declines in the school funding formula, and whether the word “average” in salary language should remain in the budget. Staff explained that the SEG should remain whole, that the insurance and transportation recommendations applied to all public school employees but not contractors, and that the budget included multiple math-related investments spread across several lines rather than one single appropriation. There was also discussion of out-of-school learning grants, school meals, literacy center operations, special education training, and the Public Education Reform Fund, including the use of multi-year, evaluation-based appropriations for high-impact tutoring and community schools. After discussion, the committee adopted the LESC budget recommendation. The committee then moved to endorsed legislation proposals. It endorsed a bill allowing the secretary to suspend an individual school board member, with notice and appeal procedures clarified, and a bill creating an 80-20 health insurance cost-share requirement for public school employees, along with a study of the sustainability of public school insurance programs. It also endorsed a bill on attendance provisions for students with severe medical conditions, which would keep those students from being classified as excessively absent. Finally, the committee discussed a teacher residency bill that would raise stipend levels, allow residents to complete service anywhere in New Mexico, and remove the requirement that sponsoring schools must hire them, though the bill did not include an appropriation. Members also raised questions about bilingual, Hispanic, and Black education funding, cultural and linguistic supports in teacher preparation, and where various programs should be placed in the budget or PERF framework.

Transcript Highlights:

• . covers many school districts as well um covers many school districts as well um Farmington<00:01:58.439
• um school districts actual schools um school districts Charter<00:13:27.079><c> Schools</c><00:13:27.360
• > been</c> funding to school districts um it's been funding to school districts um it's been reauthorized
• boards uh districts in support school boards uh districts School<00:28:00.519><c> sites</c><00:28:00.760
• </c><00:42:43.880><c> report</c> districts and charge of schools report districts and charge of schools

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• District school boards are required to... It is not required.
• It gets operationalized in our school districts across Florida.
• It varies across schools within districts.
• And so for a school district as large as mine, and a few others have larger school districts, it’s how
• And when it comes to large school districts, we don't do that.

Summary: The committee on Pre-K through 12 Education met to discuss chronic absenteeism, district attendance interventions, and related truancy procedures. Chair Simon reviewed Florida’s attendance laws and escalation process, including school-based interventions, child study team meetings, referrals to the Department of Juvenile Justice, truancy petitions, and possible sanctions for parents and driving privileges. The committee heard first from University of Florida professor Dr. Chris Curran, who presented state and national absenteeism data showing chronic absenteeism has risen sharply since the pandemic, with Florida at about 31.4% in 2023-24. He emphasized that absenteeism has multiple causes, including transportation, mental health, housing instability, safety concerns, and family barriers, and said effective responses include early warning systems, multi-tiered supports, mentoring, and community partnerships rather than relying only on punitive measures. Members questioned Dr. Curran about whether absenteeism is a behavior or barrier issue, whether exclusionary discipline is counted, the need for a uniform definition across districts, and whether more punitive truancy enforcement is effective. He said the issue is usually a mix of barriers and choices, that excused and unexcused absences both matter for chronic absenteeism data, and that root-cause analysis and supportive interventions are generally more productive than punishment alone, though consequences can still play a role. The committee then heard from Collier County Superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli and district staff, who described a highly structured attendance system built around attendance specialists, social workers, mental health staff, home visits, attendance contracts, multilingual outreach, and frequent parent notifications. They said Collier’s chronic absenteeism rate was about 9% in 2023-24 and credited their success to early contact, community partnerships, and a strong district culture around attendance. Volusia County Schools Executive Director Mike McAuliffe described a newer districtwide attendance initiative that uses automated letters, same-day notifications, data dashboards, MTSS tiers, incentives, and community supports such as bikes, washers and dryers, and faith-based partnerships. He reported Volusia reduced chronic absenteeism from 34% in 2023-24 to a projected 29% and said the district is now seeing about 20% in the first quarter of the current year. No formal votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• and district when the local board of trustees fail to comply with law or where schools and/or the school
• There's also requirements for schools, districts, and charter schools that are working on performance
• for a school district.
• The districts feel it, schools feel it, the state feels it.
• Well, it should have similar flexibilities at the school site, but it's still a district school.

Committee: Assembly Education