Transcript Highlights:

• And then ag education—like if it's agriculture education, that's not core education, right?
• I ask that home education.
• educational benefit?
• educate our students.
• What item is a core educational expense and what item is not a core educational expense?

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance and the Assembly Education Committee will
• Education.
• That of educators, that of students, and that of families.
• I don't think you can find an educator, and by educator I mean students, teachers, all the way to board
• educational equity within their communities.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• She is the daughter of educators. She has siblings that are educators.
• It's important to the education community that a secretary is an educator.
• I come from a family of educators who have served across all sectors of education and communities throughout
• Educational challenges.
• I'm happy to know that the person who's leading public education is also a former educator.

Transcript Highlights:

• Education Education um<00:14:09.399><c> good</c><00:14:09.560><c> afternoon</c><00:14:10.079><c> thank
• education.
• education.
• education.
• It automatically pays educators more per their years of service and per their education.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Education met on January 30 and heard testimony on several bills, beginning with an announcement asking testifiers and members to keep remarks brief because of weather. The vice chair also explained that HB 440, relating to immigration issues in schools and state hospitals, was removed from the agenda because the proposal would not create meaningful legal protections and immigration policy is governed by federal law. The committee then moved through a series of education-related measures, with testimony largely from the Department of Education, the School Facilities Authority, the Attorney General’s office, unions, advocacy groups, and individual testifiers. On HB 330, concerning school impact fees, the School Facilities Authority supported the bill as aligning policy with implementation, while the Tax Foundation of Hawaii said the fee accounts have accumulated large balances, including more than $20 million in impact fee funds and nearly $9 million from predecessor fair-share contributions, and urged that collected money be used rather than left idle. DOE said it would follow up on the balance and why it was not being used. On HB 1188, dealing with workforce housing, DOE and the Charter School Commission offered comments or support, the Attorney General suggested clarifying the phrase “within commuting distance” by using a mileage standard and adding repayment language, and HSTA, HGEA, and others supported the bill, with HSTA saying teachers need housing to be able to live and work in Hawaii. On HB 624 and HB 625, both related to school psychologists, DOE said it would participate in a work group on the pathway bill and supported the incentive program bill; school psychologists and related groups supported the measures, while one testifier said DOE should not lead the work group alone because school psychologists may work in many education settings beyond DOE schools. The committee also heard HB 1314 on youth mental health in schools. DOE described its student support process, universal screening tools, and behavioral health services, saying schools already identify and respond to concerns and that staff are trained to report issues, while the Attorney General warned the bill could expose schools to liability and recommended a broad liability waiver. Testimony was mixed, with several supporters and one opponent. On HB 616, concerning school safety and harassment protections for educational workers, the Attorney General sought clarifying amendments on harassment definitions, temporary restraining order costs, and paid leave, while HSTA, HGEA, and individual teachers strongly supported the bill, describing harassment incidents and arguing for a standardized statewide response. DOE said it already has reporting pathways, visitor codes of conduct, trespass notices, and an ethics hotline, but acknowledged implementation varies by school and that staff can escalate concerns if needed. The committee also began hearing HB 88 on a three-year pilot program for athletic travel, but the transcript cuts off before that bill’s testimony is completed or any votes are taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• Invite the Department of Education to the table. Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• And then ag education—like if it's agriculture education, that's not core education, right?
• educate our students.
• instead cause educational limitations and stunt the educational growth of Arkansas students.
• What item is a core educational expense and what item is not a core educational expense?

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed a long agenda of agency rules, with most items approved without objection after brief presentations and no public comment. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s electronic odometer disclosure rule, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and RV parks, lead-based paint, counseling board revisions, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental examiners, nursing, pharmacy, medical board, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these changes were described as updates to match recent acts, federal standards, compact participation, fee adjustments, or cleanup/clarification, and the committee repeatedly approved them without objection. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the Arkansas State Board of Nursing’s broad set of rule changes implementing multiple 2025 acts. Those changes included creating a dialysis patient care technician registry, updating contact information requirements, expanding APRN authority to delegate certain tasks, clarifying death certificate and pronouncement authority, allowing substitution of therapeutically equivalent medications, permitting purchase of compounded products, and updating certified medication assistant rules and training standards. Members asked detailed questions about the meaning of therapeutically equivalent substitutions, delegation limits, compounded products, and how often medication lists would be updated; the board said it would review rules annually and use future rulemaking as needed. The committee also approved new nursing rules for declaratory orders and the new dialysis registry. The Department of Education’s rules drew the most discussion, especially the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify eligible expenses, and streamline approvals. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting certain technology purchases and requiring extra justification over $1,000, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about oversight, appeal timelines, sports equipment, provider credentialing, and whether the rules were too restrictive; department officials said the rules were meant to protect taxpayer funds while preserving flexibility, and they noted the program had received extensive public comment. The committee also approved Education rules for scholarships, residency classification, teacher programs, accelerated learning, and graduate medical education, as well as Labor and Licensing rules on wage and hour standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the things, I've been in nursing higher education for 15 years.
• So we are licensed by the Commission for Independent Education.
• So I would say about 20,000 a year to be able to get the education.
• So I would say about 20,000 a year to be able to get the education.
• they have been giving to the nursing higher education setting.

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

Transcript Highlights:

• education education um<00:19:20.160><c> category.
• </c> of education. of education.
• </c> year in education. year in education.
• </c> through education. through education.
• </c> of great educators. of great educators.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• "They may choose a regular education setting, or they may choose a special education setting.
• </c><00:39:03.359><c> is</c><00:39:03.599><c> this</c> special education is this special education is
• </c> they may choose a regular education they may choose a regular education setting<00:39:35.920><c>
• special education; they're under regular education.
• </c> it's only there for special education it's only there for special education Aid<00:50:26.400><c>

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The work session focused on special education, especially the differentiated aid component and special education aid, which members noted is still often called “catastrophic aid.” The chair said the committee was trying to better understand how special education costs are growing, how districts are delivering services through SAUs or internally, and how reimbursement formulas affect local costs. Members also discussed the need for better data before making decisions on several education funding bills, and Representative Brown was tasked with capturing questions for follow-up information from the department or elsewhere. Testimony from the state special education director, Becky Fad, centered on why student counts in various disability categories have shifted over time. She said the categories themselves have not changed much, but autism has increased because of greater understanding and identification, developmental delay has grown because it applies to children under age 10 who may not yet have a clear diagnosis, and some students previously classified under speech/language or other health impairment are now identified in more specific categories such as autism. She emphasized that the IEP is based on a child’s individual needs, so a change in category would not necessarily change services, though it may help educators support the student differently. Members asked about whether the shifts reflect better diagnostic capability, whether the department should gather more data on the reasons for the changes, and whether autism-spectrum data could be broken down further. Fad said the department does not currently have data on the causes of the shifts or on where students fall within the autism spectrum, but that collecting and analyzing such data is on its list of priorities and a new data manager had recently been hired. She also explained that each child is counted only once on the chart by primary disability, that the IEP or eligibility team determines the primary category based on evaluations, and that any child can be referred for special education by a parent, teacher, or doctor, after which the district must meet within 15 days to decide whether to evaluate. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• So welcome to Education Funding.
• education laws.
• education.
• The uh fact of the educ education.
• Um the education.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Education Funding Committee met to consider eight bills, beginning with HB 443 on the terms of appointment for members of the Higher Education Commission. Department of Education Director Steve Applebee explained that the commission supported a language change to address a holdover issue, but members raised concerns that the bill did not solve the problem of inactive members and might not address the broader question of whether the commission should continue to exist. The committee agreed to retain HB 443 for further work and voted 18-0 to do so. The committee then voted on HB 137, which would allocate excess statewide education property tax funds for local school and municipal purposes. Supporters of ITL argued that using the statewide property tax to reduce the state’s school funding obligation could create a slippery slope and shift more burden to property taxpayers. The committee voted 15-3 to ITL the bill, with a minority report to be written. HB 237, which would prohibit the use of special education and differentiated aid funds on students not receiving special education services, was also ITL’d after members said federal law already governs how IDEA-related funds may be used and that the bill was unnecessary. That motion passed 16-0, with some members not voting because they were out for medical reasons. The committee next advanced HB 354, creating alternative certification pathways for career and technical education instructors. Members said the bill could help recruit qualified tradespeople and retirees to teach in CTE programs, and it was approved 18-0 and placed on the consent calendar. HB 491, establishing a committee to study alternative public education funding methods and reduce reliance on local property taxes, was retained for further study after members said the committee or a subcommittee could continue the work over the year; it passed 18-0. HB 656, concerning local school districts’ authority to accept federal grants, was also retained after discussion focused on transparency, grant conditions, and the need to avoid delays in services; it passed 18-0. The committee then moved on to HB 729, an appropriation for an attorney to recodify education laws, but the transcript cuts off before that bill was acted on.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> further your education? further your education?
• </c> educate students better. educate students better.
• So education.
• </c> education. Is that not correct? education. Is that not correct?
• </c> study the cost of special education. study the cost of special education.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Welcome to the Senate Education Committee.
• and State Department of Education.
• Welcome to Senate Education. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
• And so how much of our education, I guess my question, next question would be how much of our education
• the Institute of Education Sciences, which is the gold star for education research.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Schools Board of Education.
• I also serve on the Board of Education Plus, I also serve on the Board of Education Plus and have previously
• Beyond special education, SSD also serves as the countywide provider for career and technical education
• Unlike K-12 education, early childhood education in St.
• Partial education, like all education, is challenging.

Summary: The committee first met in executive session on House Bill 3070, a firearms-related bill. Representative Koslow argued the bill was not truly Second Amendment friendly, saying it could block return of stolen firearms, expose taxpayers to large payouts, and harm firearm dealers. Representative Greg said local law enforcement did not support it. The committee then voted 3 ayes and 9 noes, and HB 3070 failed to be reported do pass. The committee then held a public hearing on House Bill 2904, which would expand animal mistreatment law to include starvation and add a House committee substitute addressing false reports of animal abuse. Representative Don Mayhew said the bill responds to cases of animals left chained and neglected, and supporters from the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Humane World for Animals, and the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation backed the measure. No opposition testimony was offered. The bulk of the meeting focused on House Bill 2933, which would allow school districts in St. Louis County to withdraw from the Special School District of St. Louis County through board action and a local vote. The sponsor and supporters, including Lindbergh officials, parents, and an attorney, said the current SSD structure is too rigid, lacks accountability, and can fail to meet students’ individualized needs; they cited service delays, litigation, and concerns raised by families. Opponents, including SSD administrators, superintendents, parents, and advocates, said SSD provides specialized services that many districts could not replicate, warned the bill could fragment services and create instability, and pointed to the countywide history and existing review mechanisms for SSD. The hearing ended without a vote on HB 2933.

Transcript Highlights:

• Not that they don't care about education, but sometimes in education we have acronyms.
• We have the State Board of Education separately from the Department of Education, separately from the
• and the State Board of Education.
• We have four or more different career education technical education programs that would be the kind of
• and the State Board of Education.

Summary: The joint hearing focused on coherence in California’s education planning and reporting systems, especially the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and related grant plans. Committee chairs and members described widespread frustration with duplicative, lengthy, and sometimes conflicting reporting requirements, while emphasizing that the goal was not to reduce accountability but to make planning more useful, stable, and student-centered. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond also previewed the Governor’s education budget priorities, including expanded learning, community schools, universal transitional kindergarten, literacy supports, and concerns about the proposed Prop. 98 deferral. Panelists from the State Board of Education, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, and the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the LCAP was intended to balance local flexibility with statewide transparency, but has become overloaded by repeated revisions and additional requirements. They argued for fewer core reporting elements, more stability over time, better alignment of planning cycles, and integrated systems that reduce duplication. Fresno County staff described a multi-year calendar and support tools that help districts manage timelines, but said these tools only ease the burden rather than solve the underlying problem. The LAO noted that some newer plans, such as expanded learning and transportation plans, are narrative-heavy and often less informative than separate reporting requirements. Local district leaders and county officials described the practical effects of the current system: staff time diverted from instruction, multiple portals and forms, audit risk aversion, and planning documents that can exceed 100 pages. Several superintendents said coherent systems work best when districts have clear priorities, stable governance, and aligned budgets, and when state requirements are predictable and tied to outcomes like literacy, attendance, and student achievement. The California Federation of Teachers added that coherence also depends on meaningful collaboration with educators, classified staff, parents, and communities. Committee members repeatedly asked whether the state should streamline reporting, create a uniform portal, or develop a more unified grant-reporting structure, and Thurmond said the department was piloting a simplified common form and was willing to work with the Legislature and districts on broader solutions.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> components of the education components of the education transformation<00:03:24.920><c> bill</c>
• </c> path that the Education Committee took. path that the Education Committee took.
• </c><00:09:53.680><c> for</c> access to high-quality education for access to high-quality education for
• </c> about cost drivers in our education about cost drivers in our education system,<00:19:18.120><c>
• </c><00:19:45.840><c> and</c> needs of kids special education and needs of kids special education and

Keywords: 926, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our future early education and care educators.
• for early education and care, but also has an early education and care program right on site.
• , future educators for early education and care, but also has an early education and care program right
• No one would dispute the importance of education. No one would dispute higher education.
• No one would dispute the importance of education. No one would dispute higher education.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate took up a higher education capital bond bill, House 4769, and considered a long series of amendments focused largely on campus facilities, housing, and related policy issues. Many amendments were adopted, including funding or project language for MassBay Community College HVAC and window replacement, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Springfield Technical Community College, Cape Cod Community College nursing/allied health expansion and housing-related land use, Worcester State University and Quinsigamond Community College, Middlesex Community College, Salem State’s Sullivan Building, Roxbury Community College’s Center for Economic and Social Justice, UMass Boston’s Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and several Massachusetts State College Building Authority updates. Some amendments were rejected, including proposals on a sustainable hand hygiene incentive program, unlocking housing on surplus land, a Senator Bill Owen Center designation, Urban College of Boston, and a board membership change. A number of amendments were held or withdrawn during the process. A major debate centered on an amendment by Senator Tarr to dedicate $300 million of surtax revenue to K-12 education, framed as a response to Chapter 70 funding concerns and the need to modernize school aid. Supporters argued that local districts face rising costs and that the state should set aside fair share revenue for school funding and future school building investments. Opponents said the bill was the wrong vehicle and noted the Commonwealth already dedicates substantial surtax revenue to K-12 programs. The amendment was defeated by roll call. Tarr also offered amendments on a safety valve for surtax revenue declines, equity analysis of surtax allocations, bond covenant requirements, and Chapter 62F taxpayer protections; those were not adopted. The Senate also adopted a separate amendment on AP credit policies at public higher education institutions, though the transcript reflects some procedural confusion around that vote. After completing amendments, the Senate ordered the bill to a third reading and then passed it to be engrossed by a recorded vote of 38-0. Senators then adopted several extension orders giving committees additional time to report on pending bills, including Environment and Natural Resources and Municipalities and Regional Government. The chamber also adopted an order to meet again the following Monday at 11 a.m. The session concluded with a unanimous memorial adjournment in honor of Bolton Police Chief Luke Hamburger, followed by a brief statement recognizing Rare Disease Day and the challenges faced by patients seeking diagnosis and treatment.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:48.000><c> program,</c> entering the teacher education program, entering the teacher education
• </c> the Kentucky Department of Education. the Kentucky Department of Education.
• </c><00:23:56.559><c> and</c> should be handling um as educators and should be handling um as educators
• Truett is um as a special education Rep.
• </c><00:25:09.279><c> he</c> education services for basic reading. he education services for basic reading

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Career Education Master Plan lays out a blueprint for our colleges, The Education Master Plan lays
• Thank you. education or county office with an adult education program can apply for the grant.
• Department of Education? Kimberly Rosenberger, Department of Education.
• County Office of Education.
• That's 17078.62 of the Education Code.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and for higher education.
• You'll probably hear from the educators from the Oakland Education Association at Oakland Unified how
• Special education costs, and you heard some comments about that earlier today, but special education
• Special education costs, and you heard some comments about that earlier today, but special education
• This is driven in part by the fact that we are struggling to attract special education educators and

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House, or joint education, will come to order.
• as career and technical education.
• student funding for gifted and talented education as well as career and technical education.
• That local education agency and our state education agency at the department...
• education agency.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> education.
• </c> deliver driver education. deliver driver education.
• of Education driver education instruction.
• </c><00:18:27.280><c> driver</c><00:18:28.000><c> education</c> department of education driver education
• </c> Education paid. Education paid.

Keywords: 912, senate, all