Transcript Highlights:

• Public schools.
• , including the cost of upgrading diesel school buses to electric school buses.
• Independent Schools, and House Municipal School Districts.
• schools, including Central Consolidated, Cuba Independent School District, and House Municipal.
• School districts as they progress with building new schools. Mr.

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• The chart that's in front of you is really just comparing last school year to this school year.
• I mean, present at the school?
• It's not just a public school.
• public schools.
• For the high schools and for the public schools.

Summary: The committee first approved the November 3 minutes, then received an extensive update from Arkansas Division of Higher Education and Division of Career and Technical Education officials on LEARNS and ACCESS implementation. Witnesses said the state’s goal is for students to graduate employed, enrolled, or enlisted, and described expanded career pathways, student success plans, merit and distinction diplomas, and school accountability measures tied to pathway completion and tangible credentials. They reported increases in K-12 CTE enrollment and concurrent enrollment, and explained that some secondary career center programs were reduced or eliminated because they no longer aligned with state workforce demand. Members asked detailed questions about how merit/distinction affects school letter grades, how AP, concurrent credit, CTE completers, apprenticeships, and work-based learning fit into the system, and whether homeschool and private school students can access the same opportunities. Officials said multiple pathways can satisfy the requirements, including AP Scholar, concurrent credit, technical certificates, and apprenticeships, and that counselors are being trained to advise students. They also discussed scholarship changes: ACCESS broadened eligibility for the Arkansas Academic Challenge and Governor’s Scholar awards, with diploma of merit or distinction now qualifying students for additional aid, while the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship itself remained unchanged. Questions were raised about whether homeschool and private school students can meet the new diploma-of-distinction criteria; officials said the intent is to make them eligible if they meet the same standards, and that guidance is being finalized. The discussion also covered workforce scholarships and grants. Officials said the Workforce Challenge was expanded to include vocational-technical schools and increased funding, and that the Division is reworking policy around “professional skills training” to support shorter-term, stackable programs. They reviewed the new federal Workforce Pell Grant, noting its narrow hour and duration limits and the need for programs to meet completion, placement, and earnings thresholds. Members also asked about the state lottery scholarship fund balance and whether more aid should be directed to students; officials said the fund remains healthy and that ACCESS has already increased awards and expanded eligibility, with more implementation data still to come. The final presentation came from the Director of Workforce Connections on a $35.8 million U.S. Department of Labor cooperative agreement for the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund. Arkansas will administer the national fund, which is aimed at expanding advanced manufacturing registered apprenticeships across the country through a pay-for-performance model. Officials said the program will support occupations in aerospace, automotive, biotech, maritime, nuclear, semiconductors, supply chain, and automation, and that applications will open soon. Members asked who can apply and how the money will be distributed; the answer was that registered apprenticeship sponsors—sometimes companies, sometimes colleges, sometimes intermediaries—will apply, with Arkansas setting eligibility criteria, vendor requirements, and outreach efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• teaching at FAU High School.
• , County School system and ended my last four years in the down there teaching at FAU High School.
• networks, or lab schools.
• networks, or lab schools.
• We work with public schools, private schools, the charter schools, and homeschools.

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

Summary: The committee held its first meeting and received an overview of the Pre-K-12 education appropriations jurisdiction and base budget. Staff explained that education funding is driven largely by enrollment and per-student formulas, with most money coming from state and local sources. The presentation highlighted the major budget areas: early learning, the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), non-FEFP K-12 programs, federal programs, and the State Board of Education. Members asked about instructional materials funding and how scholarship students who return to public schools are counted and funded; staff explained that instructional materials remain in the base and that funding depends on survey timing, with districts ultimately funded through the enrollment count process. The committee then reviewed federal IDEA funding for students with disabilities. Department of Education officials explained how IDEA Part B funds are split between state set-asides and local educational agencies, and noted that Florida ranked fourth nationally in total IDEA Part B funding and received a 95% state determination for meeting IDEA requirements. They also described the bureau’s responsibilities, including monitoring, dispute resolution, instructional support, and the Hope Florida unit for ages 3 to 5. Members asked for more information on student performance outcomes and how the state measures success beyond compliance, and the department agreed to provide follow-up data. The final major topic was the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS), including associate centers, multidisciplinary centers, and specialized centers for deaf/hard of hearing and visually impaired students. Presenters described services such as child find, family support, assessments, professional learning, accessible instructional materials, and technical assistance. Committee members focused on whether families and schools have equal access to services across the state, how IEP disputes and reevaluations are handled, and whether more support is needed for parents, teachers, and rural districts. FDLRS representatives said they do not write IEPs but help connect families to districts, provide training and assessments, and support compliance and data collection; they also emphasized staffing and resource needs, especially for low-incidence disabilities and multilingual family outreach.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we do have a number of private schools that participate at the high school level ... participate
• school would normally be delivering the state assessment to the students in the school.
• school.
• high school level for the SATs.
• Public schools.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Freedom Account Oversight Committee met on March 27 and approved the agenda, adding a request for clarification on how the Children’s Scholarship Fund separates applications for the EFA program and the education tax credit program. The committee also approved minutes from December 30, 2025, and March 27, 2026, with a request that the March minutes include a link to the live stream. Members discussed the status of pending Legislative Budget Assistant audit reports on EFA and special education, noting the reports were still not released and would likely come later in the summer after review by the Department of Education and the Children’s Scholarship Fund. A major topic was the EFA program’s administrative fee, which statute allows up to 10% of deposits. Children’s Scholarship Fund representatives said current administrative costs were under 8%, that staffing had been reduced through the ScholarVia platform, and that any unused amount is reconciled and returned to students at year’s end. Members asked for historical administrative-cost data and a written explanation of how the withholding and reconciliation process works. The committee also reviewed the distinction between the EFA and education tax credit funding streams and was told the two programs use separate applications and separate funds, though both use the same platform. The committee spent substantial time on assessment and accountability. Department of Education staff explained that EFA students may satisfy annual assessment requirements through a portfolio, a norm-referenced test, or the statewide assessment; only about 10 EFA students took the statewide assessment, while most used portfolios or standardized tests such as the California Achievement Test and NWEA. Staff described how statewide assessment data are kept separate by student identifier and can be aggregated for EFA reporting, and members asked for breakdowns by grade, test type, and school district. The department also discussed linking assessments through Lexiles and Quantiles and said it could provide a list of commonly used formative assessments in New Hampshire districts. The committee additionally discussed a possible PSAT addition to the state contract and the costs of the statewide assessment program. Another major issue was special education eligibility and services within the EFA program. Members questioned the rule allowing a medical certification of disability from a licensed professional anywhere in the United States as an alternative to an IEP-based determination. Department staff said the current system allows either pathway, that about 1,000 EFA students are identified as special education students, and that the program does not track growth or service alignment on an individual basis. Members expressed concern that the medical-certification route may be too broad and asked for data on the disability categories used. The committee also discussed career and technical education access for EFA students, noting that Senate Bill 491 would provide guidance and that House Bill 1817 would address access and funding issues, but that current law still allows EFA funds to be used to pay CTE costs. The meeting ended with a request for future agenda items and a decision to leave the next meeting date open until fall, pending further information from the LBA audit process.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we have notified school districts like, hey... ...or not just school districts, providers—hey, by
• But here I want to point out that in the 2025 school year, the state had 259 traditional school districts
• So the components of the matrix are divided into three categories: school-level staffing, school-level
• Our next category is school-level resources.
• district can use it's the same source of funding and if a school If the school district can use, it's

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the previous minutes and then focused on an update from the Department of Education on early childhood programs, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ongoing work to review ABC slots, which have been flat for years at about 23,800 slots and roughly $114 million. They said about 1,000 slots statewide are currently unfilled despite a waiting list of more than 2,000 families, and the department is shifting toward paying based on enrollment rather than guaranteed slots. Members asked about school choice, income eligibility, year-round access, curriculum flexibility, transportation, and whether funding should be increased or rebalanced; the department said it is collecting data, may survey providers more formally, and is considering whether to modernize income thresholds, daily rates, and other program rules. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical information on income limits and other program details. The second major portion of the meeting was a legal presentation on the framework for Arkansas school adequacy by BLR education attorney Taylor Lloyd. She reviewed the constitutional basis for a “general, suitable, and efficient” public school system, the Dupree and Lake View cases, and the principle that adequacy and equity are different but related: adequacy asks what resources are needed, while equity asks whether those resources are distributed fairly. She explained that the General Assembly must define adequacy, study it, and react to evidence over time, and that the current adequacy definition includes curriculum and career/technical frameworks, the 38 mandatory Carnegie units, state testing standards, and sufficient funding. She also described the matrix as a funding tool, not a spending mandate, and noted that categorical funds are separate from the matrix. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum then gave the historical framework, tracing legislative responses from Dupree through Lake View and into the present. She highlighted major changes such as the creation of equalization funding, fiscal distress and academic distress laws, the adequacy study process, the Educational Adequacy Fund, facilities and transportation changes, declining enrollment and student growth funding, and later adjustments to teacher salaries, isolated funding, and categorical programs. She explained that the adequacy study has evolved through committee hearings, surveys, site visits, and outside consultants, and that recent changes include updates to accountability references and the addition or removal of certain funding categories. Members asked follow-up questions about how the matrix is used, whether homeschool or private-school funding raises comparable issues, whether stakeholders include private and homeschool participants, whether school board members should be surveyed, and whether the state should revisit average daily membership versus attendance-based funding. No votes were taken on the adequacy presentations, but the committee did agree to continue the early childhood discussion in a future subcommittee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• These programs, high school diploma re-engagement, high school equivalency, and workforce credentialing
• Additionally, LCPS and other public schools have created re-engagement programs in their school districts
• So it would be any student who is not currently enrolled in school and is of school age up to the age
• So if a school did want to share, for example, Las Cruces Public Schools, and say, where are all our
• Register their student for school.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• If you took it at your school, a student took it at your school and then transferred to our school, they'd
• Well, how many schools did you reach out to, if any? Again, I didn't reach out to schools.
• at three high schools and seven different middle schools, that some of the high schools, two of them
• campus of, insert name of district or school, Tulsa Public Schools, or Carver Middle School, let’s take
• Some schools choose to do what we ask. Some schools choose not to. Follow-up.

Summary: The committee met for a very long session and considered a large number of bills, with the chair noting the meeting would run late and providing pizza and a recess. Early measures included HB 1752, authorizing the AG’s office and district attorneys’ counsel to buy vehicles with available funds, and HB 2961, a tuition waiver for Gold Star recipients; both advanced with strong support, though HB 2961 drew a question about its estimated annual cost of roughly $312,000 to $520,000. Members also approved HB 2967, exempting certain family vehicle transfers from motor vehicle excise tax, and HB 2973, requiring school districts to use a specific accounting code to show how state-appropriated dollars are spent. Several education and transparency bills also moved forward, including HB 3031 on common course numbering, HB 3057 centralizing statutorily required reports with LOFT, and HB 3052 codifying child welfare procedures related to fentanyl exposure cases. The committee then took up a series of public safety, health, and infrastructure measures. HB 3242, which would create a framework for student prayer during non-instructional time, generated extensive debate over whether it was a mandate, whether it could create fiscal and supervision burdens, and whether it raised local control and constitutional concerns; it passed 17-10. Other bills approved included HB 3066 creating a revolving fund tied to rural behavioral health workforce dollars, HB 3086 requiring the DOC director to brief the board annually on budget and inmate deaths, HB 3175 creating an Oklahoma Advanced Nuclear Energy Office, HB 3177 letting the Oklahoma Corporation Commission set salaries for its court reporters, HB 3178 establishing standard depreciation tables for farm equipment, HB 3429 creating an alternative funding mechanism for career tech capital projects, HB 3548 encouraging youth-run small businesses, HB 3638 directing Oklahoma to participate in the federal Summer EBT program, and HB 3704 expressing intent to opt into a federal tax credit for scholarship-granting organizations. Later, the committee approved HB 1590 creating an education infrastructure linked deposit program for charter and nonprofit schools, HB 3759 requiring temporary school allocations to be set before June 30, HB 3831 recognizing and funding Oklahoma Task Force One after federal support declines, HB 3904 unbundling Medicaid maternal health payments, and HB 4092 creating a protected 988 mental health trust fund and related oversight. After a brief recess, the committee continued with HB 1979 creating a task force to study a centralized early childhood office, HB 1983 requiring a middle school course on online scams and digital safety, HB 1242 expanding agricultural sales tax exemptions to deer and elk, HB 1250 creating a law enforcement public safety technology revolving fund, HB 2952 changing motor vehicle excise tax treatment for trade-ins, HB 3404 setting up a prescribed burn association fund, HB 3671 allowing experienced teachers to carry career teacher status to a new district with approval, HB 3920 extending a tax exemption to organ transplant nonprofits, HB 4118 creating a nonrefundable caregiver tax credit, HB 3944 cleaning up the State Finance Act, HB 3969 renaming a correctional facility after a former sheriff, HB 3973 creating a revolving fund tied to reopening Swojack, HB 3975 and HB 3976 creating mechanisms for oversight and potential funding of rural health initiatives, HB 3978 updating the Oklahoma World Jobs Act, HB 3983 serving as a placeholder for tobacco tax negotiations, and HB 3984 creating a mechanism to recruit productive new residents. Most bills passed on strong votes, while HB 1983 failed in committee 13-14 and was not reported out.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, back on the bill, basically what it says is that if a student is in a school district or school that
• I've had some school resource officers at my school district that have asked me about this, asked me
• </c> school resource officers at my school school resource officers at my school district<00:10:53.920
• The school communication that these school districts have brought to you, I assume, is because there's
• </c> so we can not only help the school so we can not only help the school itself<00:12:36.240><c> but

Committee: Joint Education

Keywords: Education - Room 216, 2 February, 2026; 1:45 PM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Farmington School District, yes. Farmington School District.
• </c><00:26:25.080><c> uh</c> schools and becomes 64% of all School uh schools and becomes 64% of all
• </c><00:35:32.480><c> 90%</c><00:35:33.480><c> of</c> schools so they pay the schools 90% of schools
• c> to</c><00:35:58.839><c> pay</c> school schools being required to pay school schools being required
• school district the school money to the school district the school district<00:47:03.559><c> doesn't<

Committee: House Education Finance

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Jeff Gepphardt of Animus High School, or Animus Schools.
• Again, we approve the school. It's the only statewide school we have.
• the School for the Arts is a publicly chartered charter school, Mr.
• charter school, including the School of the Arts.
• school, including the school of the arts.

Bills: HB95 , HB111 , HJR1 , HM7 , HM17 , HM4 , HM22 , HM3 , HM11 , HM14 , HM15 , HM21 , HM34 , HB2 , HB32 , HB33 , HB61 , HJM2 , HM23 , HM24 , HM26

Keywords: HB95, additional judgeship, district court, judicial district, First Judicial District, Second Judicial District, district judges, court administration, judicial staffing, caseload, access to justice, New Mexico courts, judiciary, judge vacancy, court backlog, state courts, water law, state engineer, civil penalty, compliance order

Summary: The House convened with quorum, offered an invocation and pledges, and then moved through a series of memorials, recognitions, and announcements. House Memorial 49, declaring February 4, 2026 UNM Day, was taken from the Speaker’s table, explained, and debated at length. Members from both parties and several guests praised the University of New Mexico for its role in education, health care, research, public service, and workforce development, with special recognition of President Garnett Stokes, interim provost Barbara Rodriguez, and Health Sciences leaders and students. The memorial highlighted UNM’s enrollment, degrees awarded, scholarship support, patent activity, and the UNM Hospital and Health Sciences Center. It passed 70-0. House Memorial 48, declaring February 4, 2026 Valencia County Day, was also brought forward and passed unanimously. Supporters described Valencia County’s history, culture, economic growth, and traditions, including the annual matanza, Route 66 heritage, and major employers and development projects. Members from the county and local officials were recognized, and the memorial emphasized both historic communities and current business and infrastructure expansion. House Memorial 50, declaring Lincoln County Day, was introduced by title and placed on the Speaker’s table, but not taken up for final passage during this segment. The chamber also recognized the Artesia Bulldogs football team for winning another state championship, Del Norte High School’s class of 1966 on its 60th anniversary, and a number of guests tied to nursing, education, and local community service. Several members used announcements to highlight nurses, school programs, and local events, including a Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus invitation and a reminder that the day was the final day to file bills with the clerk. The session closed with continued announcements and guest introductions, reflecting a day focused heavily on community recognition and celebratory memorials rather than substantive legislation beyond the memorial votes.

Transcript Highlights:

• school, and a parent says, no, I am not sending the child to school today.
• My children's school does.
• My children's school does.
• to go to that school.
• So, do you see what I'm saying when it comes to schools and school boards and school districts having

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I reported the sexual misconduct of the head of Timberline High School softball coach, high school softball
• That is the promise our taxpaying public schools owe every family, and Boise School District broke that
• or private school or vice versa.
• And then if we have individuals going from one, from a public school to a private school or vice versa
• or a micro school?

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , elementary, middle, and high school in the Moscow School District—and I'm a fourth-generation educator
• , schools, and communities.
• We've heard our school partners.
• out in rural schools.
• . high school out of homes, out of virtual schools, out of numerous different areas.

Committee: House Education

Summary: The House Education Committee heard testimony on House Bill 515, sponsored by Representative Chris Matthias, which would require school districts to adopt procedures for reporting suspensions related to bullying, harassment, intimidation, and related conduct to families, while removing a prior state-level reporting requirement. Matthias said the bill is intended to help families respond quickly and to keep the focus on local school-level accountability; he noted earlier versions had included language about limiting access to means of harm and notifying law enforcement, but those provisions were removed after prior defeats. Quinn Perry of the Idaho School Boards Association testified in support, saying the bill improves communication and trust with families and eliminates redundant reporting to the Department of Education. The committee then voted to send HB 515 to the floor with a due pass recommendation. The committee also received a presentation from Brooke Blevins of the Idaho Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the University of Idaho on educator preparation programs. She described collaboration among Idaho’s colleges and universities and said programs have expanded coursework and field experiences in classroom management, educator ethics, career and technical education, rural school preparation, literacy and the science of reading, and the ethical use of AI. Members asked about literacy instruction and the earlier state literacy funding, with several expressing concern that phonics and the science of reading had not been emphasized enough in the past. Blevins said higher education institutions are aligning with state literacy efforts and that the $50 million literacy initiative primarily funds Department of Education programs rather than universities. Committee members also asked about teacher preparation pathways and workforce readiness. Blevins said Idaho has multiple routes to certification, including traditional undergraduate programs, alternative authorizations, alternative programs, apprenticeships, graduate programs, and CTE pathways, and estimated that about 63% of current Idaho teachers were educated through institutions like those represented. She emphasized early field experiences to help candidates determine whether teaching is the right fit and said institutions are studying student success across different educational settings. No further action was taken on the presentation, and the chair adjourned the meeting after reminding members to review the rules in their folders for the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• our school letter grade system.
• The chart that's in front of you is really just comparing last school year to this school year.
• year to this school year.
• How do we reach charter schools, private schools, and home school students to let them know these opportunities
• For the high schools and for the public schools.

Summary: The committee approved the November 3 minutes and then received an extensive presentation from Arkansas education and workforce officials on how the LEARNS and ACCESS Acts are affecting career and technical education, concurrent enrollment, and postsecondary readiness. Officials said the state’s goal is for students to leave high school employed, enrolled, or enlisted, and reported increases in K-12 CTE enrollment from about 161,000 to 171,000 students and concurrent CTE enrollment from about 12,000 to 16,000. They also described the new success-ready pathways, merit and distinction designations, and how those measures tie into school accountability and graduation outcomes. The discussion then turned to scholarships and grants. Officials explained that ACCESS expanded concurrent credit support, increased funding per credit hour, and broadened eligibility for the Arkansas Academic Challenge and Governor’s Scholar programs by adding diploma-of-merit and diploma-of-distinction pathways. They said the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship itself did not change, but the non-distinguished Governor’s Scholar award now includes diploma of distinction as an additional eligibility route. Members raised concerns about how these requirements apply to private school and homeschool students, and officials said the intent is to ensure those students can qualify if they meet the same standards, though some implementation details are still being worked out. Questions also focused on whether students who explore multiple pathways could be penalized in school letter grades; officials said the system allows multiple ways to earn credit, including AP, IB, concurrent credit, technical certificates, and apprenticeships. Officials also reviewed workforce scholarships and short-term training funding. They said the state is developing policy for the Workforce Challenge and related professional skills training to set an 80-hour minimum and tiered funding, and they discussed the new federal Workforce Pell rules, which they said are very narrow and will likely apply to only a small number of Arkansas programs unless providers repackage training into stackable, credit-bearing pathways. Members asked for lists of eliminated programs, apprenticeships, and data on scholarship recipients, and staff said they could provide those. The committee also heard from Cody Waites on a $35.8 million U.S. Department of Labor cooperative agreement for the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund, which Arkansas will administer nationally. He said the grant will support advanced manufacturing apprenticeships, use a pay-for-performance model, and be distributed to sponsors after apprentices are employed for 90 days, with applications opening January 28 and the state expecting to keep administrative costs under 8-9%.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so how you choose to regulate what a school district does versus a charter school that is approved
• So I'm assuming that the intent of LFC is to give discretionary power to the schools in charter schools
• It feels very unfair to schools.
• It's about how school districts and charter schools use the resources they have.
• You'll see proficiency rates for the last three years for every school district and charter school.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> every school board in New Hampshire. every school board in New Hampshire.
• Did they go back to public<00:28:47.039><c> school?</c> public school? public school?
• </c> school and in you know paper the school school and in you know paper the school with<01:30:14.080
• </c> school year. school year.
• Uh after the word school, school, school, we<02:03:42.560><c> just</c><02:03:42.639><c> add</c><02:03

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I have heard it from every school every community and the nine-disc I have heard it from every school
• And there are schools across Massachusetts that have our big schools with larger budgets and lots of
• be very effective for the schools.
• But in schools that have this, and I do have schools in my district that have this, it has actually been
• And as we've seen, it doesn't matter whether it's high school or an elementary school.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism met to review and discuss draft preliminary recommendations, with the co-chairs explaining that the draft had been released publicly and that the meeting was intended for open discussion and edits rather than a final vote. They emphasized the urgency of addressing antisemitism in Massachusetts, especially in K-12 schools, while noting that the recommendations are preliminary, may be revised, and will be supplemented by further testimony and a final report later. Several members also referenced recent allegations and incidents in local schools as examples of why the commission’s work is needed. Commissioners broadly supported the draft but proposed numerous refinements. Common themes included clarifying the distinction between antisemitic incidents and hate crimes; strengthening reporting systems and privacy protections; adding clearer guidance from DESE and the Attorney General on First Amendment issues, curriculum, and investigations; expanding Holocaust and genocide education; and improving professional development for educators, school committees, and administrators. Several members urged better links to mental health and victim services, more support for the Genocide Education Trust, and stronger language on bystander training, digital literacy, and the role of school committees in addressing bias. There was also discussion of how to frame antisemitism as a distinct form of hate, how to address antisemitism related to Israel and Zionism without restricting legitimate political speech, and how to avoid unfunded mandates for school districts and municipalities. Some commissioners suggested adding timeframes, a centralized reporting or investigative mechanism, and more explicit model policies for schools. The meeting ended with the chairs thanking participants and the public for their input, and the commission then moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• You just have to recognize that not every school and not every school district is going to be able to
• You just have to recognize that not every school and not every school district is going to be able to
• You just have to recognize that not every school and not every school district is going to be able to
• You just have to recognize that not every school and not every school district is going to be able to
• Nowhere in the state does a school, individual schools, of funding that school districts receive, nowhere

Summary: The Communications and Conveyance Committee held an oversight hearing on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), focused on telecommunications, broadband deployment, resiliency, and the California Teleconnect Fund. Chair Tasha Boerner said the hearing was intended to examine structural issues at the CPUC, including whether telecommunications oversight should remain within the commission, while also reviewing major programs such as Last Mile, BEAD, carrier of last resort, and emergency preparedness. CPUC President John Reynolds and Deputy Executive Director Anna Maria Johnson described the commission’s work on public safety, universal service, broadband grants, Lifeline modernization, and network resiliency, including the 72-hour backup power requirement and merger review. Members questioned CPUC officials about the pace and metrics for Last Mile and BEAD projects, the relationship between middle-mile and last-mile buildout, and how the commission balances carrier obligations with the risk of driving providers out of high-cost areas. They also pressed the CPUC on the California Lifeline home broadband pilot, asking when enrollment would be available, which providers were participating, how much of the state would be covered, and what the surcharge impact would be. CPUC said 15 providers had been approved, one was already serving customers, and the rest were still onboarding, and it committed to provide follow-up information on timelines, coverage, and costs. A major portion of the hearing centered on the California Teleconnect Fund and proposed changes to how schools would access the program. Superintendent Tony Thurmond argued strongly against shifting administration from county offices of education and districts to individual schools, saying it would add burden, worsen inequities, and risk underuse of a valuable broadband subsidy. Committee members echoed concerns that smaller schools and districts may lack the staff to manage direct applications and reporting. In public comment, the Los Angeles County Office of Education supported the CDE’s position and urged changes that would align the program more closely with E-Rate and reduce administrative burdens. No formal vote was taken, and Chair Boerner closed by saying she remained committed to pursuing reforms to the CPUC and referenced her bills AB 2289 and ACA 9.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:02:03.520><c> from</c> uh the disconnection from school from uh the disconnection from school
• </c> of another program in our school of another program in our school districts<00:10:58.240><c> yeah
• </c><00:20:20.720><c> were</c> lose the funding some schools maybe were lose the funding some schools
• </c><00:21:06.080><c> we've</c> it's imperative for our schools we've it's imperative for our schools
• I do trust our local school boards.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I actually attended back-to-school night at my child's high school last week.
• public high school in Lowell.
• and earned more credits throughout high school.
• in high school.
• The arts often get many of them to school.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on a wide range of bills, with the largest portions focused on the Healthy Youth Act (S.340/H.656), comprehensive and inclusive curriculum bills (H.655/S.371 and related measures), climate literacy education (H.560/S.391), computer science coursework (H.534/S.362), arts education funding and STEM-to-STEAM proposals (H.561 and H.4297), and a homeschooling reporting bill (H.518). Supporters of the Healthy Youth Act argued it would preserve local control while requiring medically accurate, age-appropriate, LGBTQ-inclusive sex education and regular updates to state health frameworks; opponents raised parental rights, age-appropriateness, and opt-out concerns, with some calling for fetal development content. Supporters of inclusive curriculum bills said they would improve representation, belonging, and civic understanding, while opponents argued they could undermine parental authority or promote ideological content. Climate, computer science, and arts advocates emphasized workforce readiness, student engagement, and the need for state support and funding to expand access and teacher training. Testimony on the climate literacy bill described increasing climate impacts in Massachusetts and argued that interdisciplinary instruction would prepare students for science, policy, and green careers; witnesses said the bill was not a mandate but a support and funding measure. Computer science supporters said access remains uneven, especially for girls, students of color, and students with disabilities, and urged stronger statewide requirements and AI-related standards. Arts advocates backed both the STEM-to-STEAM bill and the Lowell Mason arts funding proposal, citing research on student achievement, attendance, creativity, and the economic importance of the arts sector. The homeschool bill was supported by a homeschool advocacy group as a modernization of reporting requirements. The committee closed testimony on numerous bills where no one remained signed up or testimony had concluded, including several education, curriculum, and commission proposals. No votes were taken during the hearing itself. At the end of the session, the committee closed out the remaining testimony and adjourned after a motion and second.