Video & Transcript : 'pharmacy school' :
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WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Feb 4th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- Turning to the bill before you today, this bill requires school districts, charter schools, and state
- graduate from high school.
- I was thinking of the number of schools who have a six-period day and then the number of schools who
- I was a public school teacher.
- I'm still in high school.
Summary:
The committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5849, which would require all high school students to receive financial education instruction and meet state financial education learning standards to graduate, beginning with the class of 2033 unless the State Board of Education recommends an earlier date. Staff explained the bill’s relationship to existing graduation requirements, the State Board’s role in integrating the requirement into current pathways, and a fiscal note showing about $201,000 in state costs plus unknown district costs. Senators asked about how the requirement would fit different school schedules, whether teacher preparation and clock hours would be addressed, and how the standards would stay current. The bill’s sponsor said it would be embedded within existing pathways, aligned with the Future Ready initiative, and supported by OSPI, the State Board, and the financial education public-private partnership.
Testimony on SB 5849 was overwhelmingly supportive, especially from students, educators, nonprofits, bankers, and advocacy groups. Supporters said many students graduate without knowing how to budget, use credit, file taxes, understand loans, or make other basic financial decisions, and argued that a graduation requirement would make financial literacy more equitable and not dependent on family background or zip code. Several students described personal experiences with W-2 forms, student loans, credit cards, and lack of exposure to finance classes, while organizations such as Junior Achievement and the Washington Bankers Association said they already provide curriculum and support and could help districts implement the requirement. One school directors association representative opposed the bill, arguing districts are already overburdened and underfunded and should not receive new mandates without removing others or providing more resources.
After the hearing, the committee moved into executive action on a separate packet of bills. It advanced SB 6278 on teacher preparation program review, SB 613 on National Voter Registration Day activities in high schools, SB 6222 on surplus school technology for students, and SB 6206 on a child care pilot for first responders, adopting proposed substitutes where offered. In a second packet, the committee referred SB 6260 on school bus depreciation, adopted a substitute and advanced SB 5346 on student mobile device use and digital citizenship, advanced SB 6263 on public bid thresholds, adopted a substitute and advanced SB 6268 on public access to special education complaint decisions, and adopted a substitute and advanced SB 6247 on financial oversight and misconduct in school districts. The committee then adjourned after signing the boards.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
Other - PSCOC Apr 22nd, 2026
Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force
Transcript Highlights:
- School Capitol Outlay Council to order.
- Middle School.
- The school is significantly smaller than the existing school.
- So, for example, school number one, or the ranked position number one, state charter school School of
- School district officials directly updated data for 17 schools.
MO
Missouri 2026 Regular Session
Elementary and Secondary Education Jan 14th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Elementary and Secondary Education
Transcript Highlights:
- Sixty years ago, a researcher was tasked with finding out what school factor mattered most in schools
- That's intended for K-12 schools.
- And for certain areas in high school and middle school as well? Correct. Okay.
- They could definitely go into that high school. A large high school has a carpentry program.
- You had 200 other schools.
Committee:
House Elementary and Secondary Education
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- :28.800><c> boards,</c><00:37:29.680><c> taxes</c> school committees, school boards, taxes school committees
- within</c> schools because schools are within schools because schools are within districts,<00:46:15.760
- schools.
- </c> schools Why can't our schools change? schools Why can't our schools change?
- are</c><01:12:16.159><c> being</c> school and receiving school are being school and receiving school
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Education Policy and Administration (02/03/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- </c><00:02:51.440><c> regarding</c> school and a school district regarding school and a school district
- briefly uh charter schools are agencies briefly uh charter schools are public<00:03:21.640><c> schools
- technically Charter Schools as all technically Charter Schools as all public<00:03:32.920><c> schools
- </c><00:10:08.800><c> and</c><00:10:09.040><c> School</c> chartered public school and School chartered
- <c> or</c><04:35:02.480><c> lar</c> school like elementary schools or lar school like elementary schools
Summary:
The House Education Policy and Administration Committee heard testimony on HB 222, which would repeal the requirement that a chartered public school and the resident school district sign a memorandum of understanding on how students with disabilities will receive special education services. The prime sponsor, Rep. Peggy Balboni, said the bill was requested by the New Hampshire Association of Special Education Administrators and the New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools. She argued that federal and state law already require districts to provide FAPE and that the MOU requirement has created extra work, legal costs, and delays without improving services. She said many MOUs remain unsigned, but students are still receiving services and complaint numbers have not changed.
Rep. Mooney also supported repeal, calling the MOU duplicative and impractical because IEPs and 504 plans already govern services. Testimony from Jane B. Brulu of the special education administrators’ association and Beth McLure of the charter schools alliance echoed that view, saying the MOU has not helped students, has added hours of work and legal fees, and has mostly been a source of disputes over funding and service costs. McLure said her school has worked with more than 15 districts and has always been able to reach agreements, though the first year of the requirement took substantial time and money. Committee members asked about the original purpose of the law, unsigned MOUs, and whether disputes could be resolved without the requirement.
A representative from the Department of Education said the MOU was originally proposed to address reports that some students were not getting services on time and to provide some oversight, but the department has no authority to order charter schools or districts to agree and no appeal process if they cannot. The department also said it does not currently audit charter school special education services because it lacks authority to monitor charter schools directly, and it urged the committee to consider some alternative oversight if the MOU requirement is repealed. The hearing on HB 222 was then closed, and the committee announced it would begin the hearing on HB 699 after a short break.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
Education Pre-K - 12 Oct 15th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We now have over 100 participants across public schools, private schools... ...schools.
- So our school.
- Copilot for our school leaders and six pilot schools and district staff as well.
- We've also seen improvements in middle school and high school mathematics.
- We've also seen improvements in middle school and high school mathematics.
Summary:
The Committee on Education Pre-K through 12 held a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in K-12 education. Dr. Maya Israel of the University of Florida gave an overview of AI literacy, emphasizing that AI can support personalized learning, school operations, and teacher efficiency, but also raises concerns about data privacy, overreliance, mental health, and the need for human oversight. She described the Florida K-12 AI Task Force, which has produced guidance on policy, ethics, privacy, cybersecurity, classroom integration, and professional development, and is now working on district surveys, webinars, case studies, and teacher/family resources.
Superintendents Van Ayers of Hillsborough County and Kevin Hendrick of Pinellas County described district-level implementation. Hillsborough outlined a governance council, a district AI policy, and an implementation guide; it prohibits generative AI for students below eighth grade, allows limited use for older students with teacher permission and district-vetted tools, and uses models for classroom AI expectations. The district also reported growing student enrollment in AI courses, teacher training through summer academies and quick learns, and pilots with tools such as Magic School and Microsoft Copilot. Pinellas emphasized academic integrity, student data privacy, digital responsibility, and the importance of human interaction in learning; it said state assessments already limit technology use and that districts need clear governance and parent transparency.
Committee members asked about whether AI improves academic performance, the risk of student dependence, the possibility of returning to more paper-based testing, and who should set guardrails. Witnesses said reliable achievement data is still limited because the technology is new, though districts reported anecdotal gains in tutoring and early literacy. They also said there is no established statewide baseline for teacher AI training yet, so districts are using professional development, stipends, and partnerships with universities to build capacity. The committee also heard from Drew Andrew of FSU’s Inspire program, who argued that industry is moving faster than schools and that education should focus on teaching how AI works, building teacher confidence, and aligning training with workforce needs. No bills were considered and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which was adopted.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Education Feb 3rd, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- It directs each school district, charter school, and state tribal education compact school to instead
- school district or school has fully implemented, as at the beginning of the reporting school year, compliant
- By grade level, whether the school district or school has fully implemented as at the beginning of the
- districts, charter schools, and state tribal education compact schools that have fully implemented a
- It requires school districts, charter schools, and state tribal education compact schools to submit to
Summary:
The House Education Committee first briefed several bills and amendments before going into caucus, then returned for executive action. House Bill 1295, on comprehensive literacy programs, was amended to require aligned literacy curricula and reporting, with one proposed substitute withdrawn and several amendments debated; the committee rejected amendments that would have added implementation deadlines and reporting, adopted an amendment requiring a 2032 OSPI report on literacy outcomes, and advanced the bill with a do pass recommendation. House Bill 2262, which adds cursive signature instruction to mandatory high school civics and requires election-related reporting on signature mismatches, was amended to recognize culturally specific signatures, include historical context about marginalized communities, remove a graduation-credit condition, and drop State Board monitoring language; the committee rejected a null-and-void amendment and advanced the bill. House Bill 2551, allowing certain school districts to sell real property with superintendent authorization, was debated as a fiscal flexibility measure and passed out of committee on a 10-4 vote.
The committee also considered House Bill 2593 on school district fund balances and monthly financial reporting. A proposed substitute shifted the bill away from mandatory minimum fund balances toward formal financial monitoring for districts below required levels, technical assistance from OSPI, and possible withholding of apportionment payments for reporting failures; an amendment removed the withholding provision, and the substitute bill was then advanced with a do pass recommendation. House Bill 2594, establishing state-based protections for homeless students and aligning state requirements with McKinney-Vento, received a technical amendment to avoid duplicative provisions and was reported out unanimously. House Bill 2636, creating a Public Education Performance Operations and Funding Review Commission, was substantially revised into a Public Education Review Advisory Council that would work with JLARC to review education policy requirements and funding; a null-and-void amendment failed, and the committee advanced the substitute bill unanimously.
Throughout the meeting, sponsors and members emphasized literacy improvement, student access, district fiscal stability, and reducing or reviewing unfunded mandates. Several members spoke in support of the bills as tools to improve outcomes or provide flexibility, while others raised concerns about mandates, reporting burdens, and the practicality of implementation. Final actions included multiple do pass recommendations, with recorded votes on HB 2551, HB 2593, HB 2594, and HB 2636, and unanimous or near-unanimous support on the other measures after amendment debate.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> Cambridge-Isanti Schools. Cambridge-Isanti Schools.
- , School Boards Association, School Administrators, Rural School Districts, St.
- Schools. And for the sake of time, I'm Schools.
- Paul Schools, and MASBO. St. Paul Schools, and MASBO.
- c> all</c><01:14:48.120><c> kids</c> schools, all school districts, all kids schools, all school districts
Committee:
Senate Education Finance
MS
Mississippi 2026 Regular Session
MS Senate Floor - 7 January, 2026; 10:00 AM
Mississippi Senate Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- , a middle school or a high school.
- </c> high school. high school.
- </c> your your schools. They're good schools. your your schools. They're good schools.
- . school. school.
- . schools. schools.
FL
Florida 2026 5th Special Session
FL House Floor Session - 2025-06-16 (7:00PM Session)
Florida House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- school.
- And Schools of Hope are charter schools.
- school or a charter school, is school choice.
- The charter school or the traditional public school?
- schools.
Summary:
The House met on the final day of session, swore in Representatives Boyles and Hodgers, and observed a moment of silence for the Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as for Representative Rosenwald’s father. The chamber then moved into final budget work, with leaders outlining the plan to take up H.J.R. 5019, HB 7031, HB 5017, HB 5015, and then the general appropriations act once the Senate transmitted it. H.J.R. 5019, a proposed constitutional amendment to expand the budget stabilization fund, was explained and amended to raise the rainy day fund cap, require annual deposits, and allow withdrawals for critical state needs by a two-thirds vote; it passed 100-1.
The House then adopted the conference report on HB 7031, the tax package. The bill repeals the business rent tax and aviation fuel tax, delays the natural gas fuel tax, creates or expands several sales tax holidays and exemptions, including permanent exemptions for disaster-preparedness items, hunting/fishing/camping items, and ammunition and firearms-related purchases, and makes changes to property, corporate income, local tax, and economic development provisions. Members debated the removal of recurring housing trust fund and transit-related revenue streams, the new ammunition exemption, and the data center tax changes; supporters argued the package reduces taxes and preserves annual budget flexibility, while opponents raised concerns about housing, transportation, and gun violence. The conference report passed 93-7.
HB 5017, creating a debt reduction program funded by a recurring transfer to retire state bonds early, passed unanimously. HB 5015, the state group insurance conforming bill, which directs DMS to develop a formulary management plan and codifies the administrative health insurance assessment, also passed. The House then began explanation and questions on the fiscal year 2025-26 general appropriations act, described as a $115.1 billion budget that is down $3.8 billion from the current year and includes more than $12 billion in reserves. Subcommittee chairs summarized major spending areas, including pre-K-12 funding increases, health care funding for Medicaid, KidCare, nursing homes, opioid treatment, and mental health, transportation and economic development funding, environmental and water projects, higher education, state administration, justice, and information technology. Questions focused on school vouchers, inflationary pressures on school districts, and the adequacy of funding for housing, transportation, and other priorities.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Education Policy and Administration (01/28/2026)
Education Policy and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- . school. school.
- school, school, school, you<01:50:07.040><c> know,</c><01:50:07.199><c> like</c><01:50:07.360><c> we
- ><c> which</c><01:58:58.080><c> provides</c> school means any school which provides school means any
- Why schools and public charter schools?
- . school. school.
Committee:
House Education Policy and Administration
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Select Committee on Native American Affairs Aug 26th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- into the schools.
- Clovis High School, and her wearing of regalia at her high school graduation.
- I, too, in elementary school at Aubrey Elementary School, was called a squaw.
- in that school.
- School culture and climate.
Summary:
The Select Committee on Native American Affairs held a historic hearing at Table Mountain Rancheria focused on tribal education, culture, resilience, leadership, and trust. The opening prayer and remarks emphasized the significance of holding the first committee hearing on tribal land. Members said the hearing was intended both to hear testimony about ongoing problems in schools and to identify next steps for legislation and policy, especially as the session neared its end. The committee also referenced recent efforts supporting Native students’ right to wear regalia at graduation and broader concerns about representation in education and state institutions.
The first panel centered on Native students’ experiences in public schools. Bella Garcia described a two-year fight with Clovis Unified over wearing tribal regalia at graduation, including a restrictive approval form and administrators who she said denied Native identity and made her feel invisible. Morningstar Ghali connected those experiences to the legacy of boarding schools, racial profiling, suspensions, and the “boarding school to prison pipeline,” and called for culturally responsive education, Native educators, counselors, Native studies, and restorative justice. Janet K. Bill, from the Attorney General’s Office of Native American Affairs, described her own path from tribal Head Start to Stanford, law school, tribal council, and state service, and said education, justice, and sovereignty are linked. Members asked about restorative justice, representation, and how to build pipelines into leadership and education roles.
The second panel focused on solutions. Chairwoman Michelle Heredia Cordova urged a reimagined education system that is more personalized, experiential, culturally grounded, and balanced with land-based learning, while also recruiting Native teachers and creating stronger tribal partnerships. Chairman Leo Sisku said schools should educate educators, stop tokenizing Native students, and create accountability and consequences for discriminatory behavior; he also supported stronger tribal-school partnerships and more positive outreach. Chairman Fred Bean emphasized consistent engagement from tribal leaders at every level of schooling, stronger transitions from elementary to college, and programs that prepare Native youth for leadership, trades, and higher education. Chairman Shaineto of Tule River argued that schools and administrators should face consequences for violating Native students’ rights, and that Native people should not have to keep educating institutions about basic cultural respect.
Committee members responded by discussing possible statewide solutions, including regional tribal boards, better enforcement of existing laws, stronger pipelines into teaching and leadership, and improved representation on boards and in state agencies. Several members raised the need to implement existing laws, fill vacant Native appointments, and consider broader protections for Native regalia and cultural expression. No formal vote was taken in the transcript, but the hearing concluded with a clear call for continued collaboration, accountability, and legislation driven by Native voices.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety - Part 3 - 03/19/26
Judiciary and Public Safety
Transcript Highlights:
- ,</c> schools, but at our charter schools, schools, but at our charter schools, where<00:05:37.680><c
- </c><00:10:15.960><c> have</c> Schools and other school districts have Schools and other school districts
- </c> of school site? of school site?
- to schools to private schools as well. uses.
- </c> by the school. by the school.
Committee:
Senate Judiciary and Public Safety
ID
Transcript Highlights:
- One school significantly using IDLA, another school may be... ...of students, one school significantly
- I also represent Region 7 and rural schools with the Idaho School Boards Association.
- and rural school students.
- and rural school students.
- Our middle school is a fifth through eighth grade rural school this year.
Committee:
House Education
Summary:
The House Education Committee heard House Bill 918, which would realign the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) by narrowing its mission, reorganizing its board, capping administrative costs at 30%, requiring outside and periodic LSO audits, setting course fees and a per-course state funding cap, and eliminating funding for private school, virtual school, K-5, and driver’s education participation, as well as custom sections except in limited emergency cases. The sponsor, Rep. Doug Pickett, said the bill was intended to address concerns about double-dipping, private use of a taxpayer-funded program, and IDLA expanding beyond its original supplemental purpose while preserving access for rural students and emergency staffing needs.
Committee members questioned the rationale for the cuts, the board restructuring, the treatment of dual credit and advanced opportunities funding, and whether the bill would affect students taking IDLA courses during the school day. Pickett said the bill was designed to redirect dual credit through Advanced Opportunities, maintain flexibility without setting a hard enrollment cap, and keep the program focused on filling instructional gaps. IDLA Superintendent Dr. Jeff Simmons and several school leaders testified in opposition, arguing the bill would reduce school choice, shift costs to families and districts, limit middle school electives and dual credit, and disproportionately harm rural schools that rely on IDLA for courses they cannot staff locally. Supporters of the bill emphasized oversight, fiscal restraint, and limiting what they described as overuse of the program.
After testimony, Rep. Galavis moved to send HB 918 to the floor with no recommendation. A motion to hold the bill in committee failed 10-4, and a substitute motion to hold the bill in committee to a time certain on Monday, March 23, passed on a roll call vote. The committee adjourned with the bill set to return on Monday.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Republican Press Conference 2/26/25
Transcript Highlights:
- </c> out of uh Sandy Hook Elementary School out of uh Sandy Hook Elementary School with<00:00:51.680>
- </c><00:07:07.800><c> in</c> we can recog support the schools in we can recog support the schools in
- </c><00:08:07.720><c> not</c> create a prison out of a school not create a prison out of a school not
- So thank you. um you know every school gets the same um you know every school gets the same amount<00
- Do you feel safe at school? I do. Tell them why you feel safe at school here.
NH
New Hampshire 2026 Regular Session
House Education Policy and Administration (02/18/2026)
Education Policy and Administration
Transcript Highlights:
- I'm the school moderator and the school clerk for the school district in Goffstown.
- I'm the school moderator and the school clerk for the school district in Goffstown.
- </c> functioning school and then that school functioning school and then that school becomes<01:22:27.840
- school.
- schools in other schools that will be hollowed out.
Committee:
House Education Policy and Administration
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- So the partnership is between school districts or charter schools and higher ed.
- or any school activities.
- We're voting on our school finance bill. We've got a school security bill.
- They started with unaddressed problems at school because the schools have no resources, because the schools
- And I taught school and I taught school and I... Discipline is important in school. Absolutely.
Summary:
The House convened with prayer, pledges, and several ceremonial recognitions, including Wilson County Day, San Antonio Mission Indian Descendants Day, and Blue Ribbon Lobby Day, along with acknowledgments of visiting groups and a birthday greeting. The chamber also announced committee meetings and then moved into floor business, including conference committee action on Senate Bill 1, the state budget.
A series of motions to instruct House conferees on SB 1 were debated and voted on. One motion sought to restore salary for Attorney General Ken Paxton after his impeachment-related suspension; it passed 88-56. Another, from Rep. Olcott, directed conferees to support amendments requiring data collection on the costs of undocumented immigrants in hospitals and prisons; after extended debate and a failed amendment from Rep. Martinez Fischer to also study immigrants’ economic contributions, the motion passed 86-61. The House also adopted instructions to eliminate Texas Lottery Commission funding, to support amendments restricting public education institutions from affirming gender identities inconsistent with biological sex, and to seek an additional $4 billion in property tax relief, with each motion passing on recorded votes.
The House then took up a supplemental calendar and passed several bills, including HB 39 on veteran death data, HB 102 on priority registration for certain students entering military service, HB 126 on student-athlete compensation and representation, HB 290 on tuition and fee assistance for members of the Texas military forces, HB 300 on Texas Armed Services Scholarship Program updates, and HB 2143 naming a highway in honor of Army Specialist Joey Lins. The chamber also postponed consideration of HJR 2 and HJR 6.
Later, the House considered HB 120 on career and technology education pathways and HB 20 on applied science pathway programs for high school students. HB 120 received a perfecting amendment and was advanced after discussion about workforce preparation. HB 20 prompted extensive questioning about transportation, costs, and how students would access partner campuses such as community colleges and TSTC sites; debate continued as the transcript ended, with members examining how the program would operate and whether approval authority would rest with TEA.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Pre-K, kindergarten screen time prohibition 3/4/26
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- the school, I cannot devices at all.
- of School Administrators and the secretary of the Consortium for School Networking, Minnesota chapter
- school districts.
- But I've seen, for example, schools saying, like I saw one school from 9 to 11, no class... ...can have
- I think that schools can do this already.
WA
Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Education Jan 12th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- District, Bainbridge Island 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
- So going school district by school district, which professional development provided did they use?
- it’s a small school district, in the Concrete School District.”
- With our size, we have about 435 students in two schools, an elementary and a high school.
Summary:
The House Education Committee held a work session on reducing restraint and eliminating isolation in schools, then moved into a public hearing on House Bill 1795 and its proposed substitute. Chair Sharon Santos reviewed committee procedures and emphasized the short session timeline, then framed the discussion as part of a longer-running effort to address student restraint and isolation. Representative Callan, the bill sponsor, said the committee’s pilot and demonstration sites would help identify both benefits and implementation challenges for legislation.
OSPI Acting Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs Misha Cherniski presented an update on the state’s demonstration project, saying it is in its third year and has $2 million per year in the current budget for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. He described intensive, targeted, and universal supports, including grants to pilot and demonstration districts, a technical assistance manual, and statewide professional learning. He reported that 68% of project sites saw reductions in restraint and isolation compared with the prior year, and said OSPI’s immediate policy recommendations are to extend prohibitions on dangerous restraints such as prone, supine, wall, mechanical, chemical, and noxious spray restraints, and to clarify the definition of “imminent likelihood of serious harm.” Committee members asked for more detailed disaggregated data by race, ethnicity, grade level, incident type, and sample size, and raised questions about authorized entities, student movement, and whether data captures incidents in nonpublic settings.
Representatives from Auburn, Bainbridge Island, and Concrete school districts described how the grant-funded work has affected their districts. Auburn reported major reductions in isolation after removing its last isolation room, expanding behavior supports, and training staff through multiple professional development options; the district said the biggest challenge has been shifting staff mindset and navigating delayed access to vendors and grant systems. Bainbridge Island said it has used grant funds for universal staff training, administrator training, social-emotional MTSS work, and partnerships with multiple providers; it reported zero isolations and sharply reduced restraints, while noting the need to monitor nonpublic agencies closely. Concrete, a much smaller district, said the grant allowed it to hire a part-time BCBA, adopt Safety-Care training, and use OSPI’s manual and tracking tools, but staffing shortages and limited substitute coverage make it hard to attend demonstration sites or training in person.
During the public hearing, the substitute bill was summarized as prohibiting certain restraints, banning isolation as a planned intervention, narrowing the definition of serious harm, and extending requirements to other providers of public educational services, while preserving lawful duties of school resource officers. Proponents included disability advocates, the Washington Education Association, and public school employees, who said the bill would reduce trauma and align practice with student safety and dignity. A parent testified about a child harmed by a room that was later used for involuntary confinement. A representative from a specialized learning center testified in opposition, arguing that a complete elimination of isolation for younger students could increase danger in some settings, that medical-provider requirements could be difficult to meet, and that specialized providers need broader exemptions. No vote was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.
HI
Hawaii 2026 Regular Session
EDN Public Hearing - Tue Mar 31, 2026 @ 2:00 PM HST
Transcript Highlights:
- Unlike DOE schools, public charter schools have been forced to use public school funding for facilities
- </c> in school. in school.
- </c> Hawaii's schools. Hawaii's schools.
- </c> the same in our schools. the same in our schools.
- , then middle school, and then high school.
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on several education resolutions, beginning with HCR 11 and HR 14, which ask the Board of Education and the State Public Charter School Commission to report on improving access to stable, suitable, and affordable facilities for public charter schools. The Charter School Commission supported the measure, and OHA also supported it while noting long-standing facility challenges, the lack of a dedicated facilities appropriation, and the strain on charter schools that have had to use operating funds for buildings and temporary structures. Kealakehe Academy, Hawaii Technology Academy, and several individuals also testified in support.
The committee then took up HCR 181 and HR 171, which seek a shared decision-making committee to develop an action plan for a K-12 Ka Waihona School in Kapolei. The Department of Education said it has already developed a strategic plan for Kaipuni education, has expanded immersion programs over the past decade, and is addressing growth through interim guidance and a new priority placement process. Community witnesses, including representatives of Ke Alo Ever, strongly supported the resolutions, emphasizing the need for a K-12 pathway, the importance of Hawaiian language and culture, and the role of community voice in planning. They argued that teacher shortages, especially for licensed Hawaiian immersion teachers, remain a major barrier and proposed a kumu recruitment and retention program tied to community, UH, and DOE partnerships.
The committee also heard HCR 187 and HR 177, which urge the Department of Education to begin initiatives to address teacher retention statewide. DOE and the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education said teacher retention is already being addressed through the Teacher Education Coordinating Committee, a five-year plan focused on building capacity, improving satisfaction, and compensation, and a new DOE human resources plan. In response to questions, DOE said it is seeking better school-level data on why teachers leave, is preparing for contract negotiations, and is working with the standards board and DLIR on an apprenticeship-related grant. TECC representatives said the group has been working since the pandemic era, may narrow its focus to retention as the most actionable area, and expects to provide more concrete recommendations in its annual report. The transcript ends as the committee moves on to the next item, HCR 47 and HR 43, without showing any votes or final actions on the measures heard.