Transcript Highlights:

• </c> superintendent compensation. Um Mr. superintendent compensation. Um Mr.
• It appoints the superintendent.
• It appoints the superintendent. superintendent. superintendent.
• </c> appointment of of the superintendent. appointment of of the superintendent.
• They have full oversight of the superintendent. They appoint the superintendent.

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendent. Okay. I had a question for the superintendent, correct? In Cambridge.
• Superintendent. Okay. I had a question for the superintendent, correct? In Cambridge.
• Thank you, Superintendent.
• Superintendent.
• Chairman and Superintendent.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendents would be required to go through an inspiring Superintendent Academy.
• You'll notice this in the superintendent section.
• Have you worked with the superintendents?
• From the land of the very small school, a lot of our most successful superintendents are superintendents
• that have spent a lifetime being a superintendent in Texas.

Committee: House House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• BOBBY BENNETT DESOTO SUPERINTENDENT AND MIKE SOTO SUPERINTENDENT.
• YOU ALREADY HEARD THE INTRODUCTIONS FOR MY TWO SUPERINTENDENTS BUT I ALSO HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT FROM
• SUPERINTENDENT, GO FORTH AND CONQUER!
• SUPERINTENDENT BROWN YOU ARE RECOGNIZED.
• SUPERINTENDENT EDWARD SAID IT BEST.

Transcript Highlights:

• , assistant superintendent, associate superintendent, or chief financial officer.
• , assistant superintendent, associate superintendent, or chief financial officer.
• You can find superintendent salaries in the Superintendent Annual Financial Report.
• You can find superintendent salaries in the Superintendent Annual Financial Report.
• and the best leaders of their schools but yes all superintendent hiring decisions and Superintendents

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendent Evans, thank you.
• Superintendent Evans, thank you.
• Thank you, Superintendent. Committee, thank you, Superintendent.
• Superintendent Evans, Chair Dahms.
• </c> the question so the as um superintendent the question so the as um superintendent evidence<00:31

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• You can find superintendent salaries in the Superintendent Annual Financial Report.
• But yes, all superintendent hiring decisions and...
• You can find superintendent salaries in the Superintendent Annual Financial Report.
• months to get all of the superintendent contracts.
• I would note that we're talking about a PDF that has been sent to the superintendent when the superintendent

Committee: House House Education Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first heard House Bill 2266, which would change school release-time policy for religious instruction from permissive to mandatory for school districts and charter governing bodies. The sponsor and supporters said the bill protects parental choice, religious liberty, and constitutional release-time programs, while opponents argued it would reduce local control, pull students from instructional time, and expose schools to constitutional and social harms. After public testimony and debate over liability, indoctrination, and academic impact, the committee voted 7-5 to give HB 2266 a due pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 2193, a cleanup measure related to student directory information and parent organizations. The bill would allow parents of enrolled students or representatives of nonprofit organizations supporting a school to receive directory information unless a parent or eligible student opts out. Supporters from PTO/PTA groups said the change is needed so parent organizations can continue communicating with families and building school community, while members raised concerns about whether the language should be narrowed to avoid political or other misuse of student data. The sponsor said he was open to an amendment, and the committee approved HB 2193 on a 10-1 vote, with one member present. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2075, which would require public school districts to submit superintendent and other top administrator contracts or attestations to ADE and create a searchable online database of compensation details, including salary, benefits, and car allowances. The sponsor described it as a transparency measure, and the committee discussed an amendment to add more specific filing deadlines and the online database requirement. Opponents from school administrators and rural districts argued that superintendent salaries are already public, that the bill should also apply to charter and private schools receiving public funds, and that it could add burdens or distort comparisons across different public-sector labor markets. Supporters said the bill would make total compensation easier to access and reduce public records requests. The sponsor closed by saying the bill would centralize compensation information and simplify disclosure for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was a superintendent of schools.
• same school board attorney reports to the superintendent?
• They already told you she was our national superintendent of the year.”
• When it's clear that the staff or the superintendent report to the superintendent, I just—what I'm seeing
• If the superintendent reports to the board, they could bring an item to get rid of the superintendent

Bills: S0824 , S1170 , S1620 , S1738 , S7036

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Education Pre-K-12 Committee considered several K-12 bills and resolutions. SJR 1104, by Senator Massullo, would place on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment protecting voluntary religious expression in public schools; supporters said it simply codifies existing law and protects student and employee rights, while opponents warned it could entrench religious pressure and exclusion. The resolution was reported favorably. The committee also heard SB 1738, by Senator Yarborough, on educational facilities; an amendment removed crime-prevention-through-environmental-design language and adjusted transparency/safe-space provisions, and the bill was reported favorably as amended. SB 824, by Senator Truenow, was amended into a transparency measure requiring districts to submit annual reports on unimproved land holdings to DOE, and it was reported favorably. Appointments in tabs 7 and 8 were recommended for confirmation. The committee then took up SPB 7036, a comprehensive education package by Chair Simon. The bill would expand educational emergency triggers, adjust Title I withholding uses, align charter school rules with school improvement processes, update safety and early learning provisions, expand literacy and math interventions, and revise educator pipeline policies. Members raised concerns about a provision that could allow the state to develop instructional materials; Simon said that section was still being considered and would need guardrails. The committee adopted a motion to submit the bill as a committee bill, and it was reported favorably. SB 1620, by Senator Leak, proposed a “school board members’ bill of rights” giving board members direct access to district documents and staff, limiting district attorneys’ dual representation, strengthening nepotism rules, and prohibiting nondisclosure agreements. Volusia County school board members and others testified both for and against the bill, with supporters citing transparency and accountability and opponents warning about confidentiality, staff pressure, and undermining the superintendent’s authority. The bill was reported favorably. Finally, SB 1170, by Senator Calatayud, as amended, would allow parents of students in self-contained ESE classrooms to request cameras, with district policies governing review, notice, timelines, and appeals. Parents, advocates, and educators testified strongly in support, while one witness opposed it as an unfunded mandate. The committee reported the bill favorably.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c><00:02:46.560><c> they</c> So, I know with a superintendent, they So, I know with a superintendent
• ,</c><00:03:22.840><c> they</c> superintendent something different, they superintendent something different
• </c><00:04:22.120><c> from</c> this would prevent a superintendent from this would prevent a superintendent
• and you want to keep that superintendent and you want to keep that superintendent<00:04:38.800><c> and
• </c> I'm going to let uh Superintendent I'm going to let uh Superintendent Parker<00:08:49.640><c> talk

Committee: House Primary and Secondary Education

Transcript Highlights:

• The superintendent at that time was released.
• Okay, so did—now to the superintendent.
• And if it was a superintendent, you know, you have the interviews with the superintendent.
• Smith was brought in as superintendent, the former superintendent was let go, and the administrative
• I'm sure the superintendent does as well.

Committee: All LEGISLATIVE JOINT AUDITING-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Summary: The committee met to review a large slate of education audit reports, with most of the discussion focused on the Blytheville School District. Legislative Audit summarized serious repeat findings in the FY24 and FY25 audits, including missing supporting documentation for payroll, receipts, disbursements, journal entries, and Title I spending; unreconciled bank balances; capital asset recordkeeping problems; missing performance bonds; and payroll errors. Audit staff said the lack of documentation led to qualified opinions on the financial statements, and the reports were referred to the prosecuting attorney and attorney general. Members questioned how the district had reached that point, what safeguards existed under state takeover, whether prior administrators had moved on to other districts, and how much money might need to be repaid. District and Department of Education representatives said Blytheville was under Level 5 intensive support, had a new superintendent, new finance staff, and a management contract with AMS, and that corrective action plans were underway. A motion to refer the matter to the Professional Licensure Standards Board was discussed, then withdrawn so the former superintendent, Dr. Veronica Perkins, could testify; she said the district had longstanding staffing and process problems, denied intentional wrongdoing, and described the changes now being made. The committee ultimately held the Blytheville report over until the September meeting and then filed it later in the meeting after further discussion. The committee then reviewed several other repeat-finding reports. KIPP Delta Public Charter School had multiple repeat issues involving missing documentation, improper use of Title I and federal funds, weak bank reconciliations, collateralization problems, capital asset recordkeeping, related-party transactions, and journal entry approval; that report had already been referred to the First Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney and the Attorney General. KIPP representatives said they had replaced personnel, improved oversight, and were working with outside support to correct long-standing finance problems, including a prior $3.6 million variance that they said had been reduced to zero. Hope Academy of Northwest Arkansas, which had voluntarily closed effective June 30, 2025, had repeat findings tied to financial statement errors, bank reconciliations, leave records, non-payroll expenditures, and journal entries; its former superintendent said the school closed without owing money to the state and that the organization had shifted its work into a new project serving students with behavioral needs. The committee also heard brief presentations on Brinkley, Lee County, and Marvel school districts. Brinkley’s repeat findings involved misclassified and unrecorded revenues and investments tied to bond and settlement accounts, plus bank reconciliation issues; the district said it had a new finance team, was working with outside support, and had reduced its variance to zero. Lee County’s repeat finding involved capital assets, including a bus that had been disposed of but remained on the asset list and several purchased items that were not added promptly; the superintendent said the district had improved overall and corrected the issue. Marvel’s repeat finding involved payroll errors, with one certified employee overpaid and another underpaid due to clerical mistakes. In each case, district representatives described corrective steps, and the committee voted without objection to file the reports that were ready for disposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> your pool of future superintendents, your pool of future superintendents, right?
• </c> superintendent will be better trained. superintendent will be better trained.
• </c> superintendent alto together. superintendent alto together.
• </c><00:42:57.599><c> In</c> doesn't change a superintendent. In doesn't change a superintendent.
• Lawson, move on to be superintendent, deputy superintendent, or they go on to work at KDE.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill puts accountability into a school superintendent, to all school superintendents, to be responsible
• Because the board oversees the superintendent, it's not the other way around, so oversees the superintendent
• , that superintendent, whether the board is actually placing those pressures or maybe the superintendent
• , that superintendent, whether the board is actually placing those pressures or maybe the superintendent
• However, this bill would make superintendents of rural schools with large areas to cover, or superintendents

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• superintendent does. >> Our school leader is also the superintendent.
• </c> the superintendent. Okay. Our district. the superintendent. Okay. Our district.
• The school board elects the superintendent. They hire a superintendent.
• superintendent? superintendent?
• </c> superintendent and um the superintendent superintendent and um the superintendent would<01:57:33.840

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the October 15 minutes and a brief discussion of the committee’s report process, including the likelihood of a minority report and a deadline of November 1 for any separate report. Members then heard from Jod Adams of the New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools, who gave an overview of charter schools in the state: there are 37 charter schools, with 6,034 students last year, and schools are formed by certified teachers, parents, or nonprofit organizations. She said charter schools receive about $9,180 per pupil in adequacy aid and charter school grant funding, must fundraise for additional money, and are governed by their own boards under their charters and bylaws. Members asked about admissions, governance, transportation, and special education. Adams said charter schools are open enrollment, not geographically based, and may use lotteries when applications exceed available seats. She explained that districts and charter schools coordinate on special education and busing, with the sending district responsible for special education coordination and certain transportation obligations depending on where the student lives and attends. She also said charter schools are public schools, not selective, and that each school’s board operates independently of the local district school board, though some schools may have special arrangements. A substantial portion of the discussion focused on funding and statutory obligations. Adams and members discussed how special education aid follows the student, while charter schools do not receive some district-level aid such as catastrophic aid; free and reduced lunch funding and Title funds can go to charter schools. Members also raised concerns that some state laws and administrative rules do not clearly specify whether they apply to charter schools, creating confusion and, in some cases, causing districts to perform services such as dyslexia screening for charter students without additional funding. Adams agreed that clearer statutory language would help and noted that charter schools are subject to many state requirements, including testing and reporting, even though not every public-school rule applies to them.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Superintendent Lee.
• And thank you, Superintendent.
• So they gave the school superintendent, Superintendent Andrade, a raise.
• Superintendent Engel is present to me. Superintendent?
• Mojave County Superintendent of Schools is the last superintendent of Topock, and so I just kind of found

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> have the school and your superintendent have the school and your superintendent carrying<00:08:02.479
• We also talked with Superintendent Diana Omen's deputy superintendent, Pat Arp, who was there at the
• Either the superintendent is responsible for educational outcomes, in which case superintendent, the
• </c> I have heard the state superintendent I have heard the state superintendent argue<01:57:00.320><
• </c> are we electing a state superintendent are we electing a state superintendent to<01:57:14.400><c

Committee: Joint Education

Transcript Highlights:

• <03:11:18.439><c> assistant</c> superintendents assistant superintendents assistant superintendents<03
• so what does a superintendant so what does a superintendent<03:13:06.200><c> do</c> superintendent do
• We're having our own superintendent rather than having to share that superintendent among two, three,
• </c> going to want their own superintendent going to want their own superintendent for<03:30:42.920><
• superintendents.

Summary: The committee heard testimony on House Bill 362, which would give the Department of Education rulemaking authority over educator licensing and testing requirements, including professional education assessments. Representative Ladd argued the bill is meant to preserve New Hampshire’s higher standards for teacher preparation and to avoid lowering requirements for licensed educators, while also allowing flexibility for career and technical education (CTE) instructors who may have strong industry experience but not traditional classroom credentials. Members discussed whether the bill should preserve industry-recognized credentials and basic academic skills testing while exempting CTE teachers from content exams; DOE Director Steven Appy said an amendment would clarify that the bill applies to initial licenses, exempt CTE teachers from the content-testing requirement, and keep current administrative practice on basic skills and industry credentials in statute. The committee also noted that an executive session would be scheduled later, likely the following week, to act on the bills and amendment. The committee then took up House Bill 90, dealing with the definition of part-time teachers. Representative Ladd explained that the bill is intended to let university and community college faculty teach limited hours in high school concurrent enrollment settings, especially in subjects like math and STEM where some schools cannot find locally certified teachers with a master’s degree. He said the measure is designed to expand student access to college-level courses, not to replace fully certified teachers or reduce standards, and emphasized that the bill is limited to faculty employed or contracted by the University System of New Hampshire or the Community College System of New Hampshire, with criminal background checks and ethics/conduct rules still applying. No votes were taken during the hearing, and the discussion ended with the understanding that further action would come in executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• One is that the top-paid superintendent in the state, the superintendent of the Talis and Union High
• School... ...paid superintendent in the state, the superintendent of the Talleson Union High School District
• That's higher—$11,000 more than the next highest-paid superintendent.
• And once they did understand it, that superintendent was put on leave.
• Superintendent salaries are public in the Superintendent Annual Financial Report, which isn't true of

Bills: HB2008 , HB2075 , HB2203 , HB2395 , HB2409

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Senate Education Committee of Reference

Keywords: school libraries, public school libraries, library funding, professional associations, library associations, librarians, information services, dues, membership fees, public monies, school governing body, county free library district, municipal library, library contracts, library services, books and programs, Arizona education, Title 15, Library Freedom Act, school district transparency

Transcript Highlights:

• All the superintendents, can you please stand?
• Mann, Superintendent, Creighton School District. L.D. 22.
• Turner, Superintendent Paloma Elementary School District, L.D. 27, Lupita High Tower, Superintendent
• LD 25, Mike Winters, Superintendent Saddle Mountain Unified.
• LD 22, Nora Yola, Superintendent Fowler Elementary School District, and LD5, Thea Andrade, Superintendent

Transcript Highlights:

• I was a superintendent of schools.
• same school board attorney reports to the superintendent?
• They already told you she was our national superintendent of the year.
• When it's clear that the staff is the staff or the superintendent and they report to the superintendent
• If the superintendent reports to the board, they could bring an item to get rid of the superintendent

Bills: S0824 , S1170 , S1620 , S1738 , S7036

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Keywords: school district, real property, inventory, land use, education, video monitoring, safety, special education, parental rights, public education, school board rights, transparency, employment conditions, nondisclosure agreements, educational facilities, student safety, teacher accountability, physical plant, school design, construction standards

Summary: The Education Pre-K-12 Committee met and took up several education bills. It first heard SJR 1104 on religious expression in public schools, which would place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot to protect voluntary religious expression by students and school personnel. The sponsor said it would codify existing protections and not require prayer or religious activity, while opponents argued it was unnecessary, could be used to advance Christian nationalism, and could make minority-faith students uncomfortable. The committee reported the resolution favorably. The committee then approved SB 1738 on educational facilities, as amended, to require the Department of Education to review school facility requirements and recommend design and construction practices intended to improve safety and accountability. It also approved SB 824 on charter schools, as amended, which shifts the bill to a transparency-focused strike-all requiring districts to submit annual reports on unimproved land holdings to the Department of Education. The committee also confirmed appointees on Tabs 7 and 8. A major portion of the meeting focused on SB 1620 on public education, described by the sponsor as a “school board members’ bill of rights.” The bill would give board members broader access to district documents and staff, limit nondisclosure agreements, clarify attorney representation, and strengthen budget transparency and nepotism rules. Supporters said it would help board members do their oversight jobs, while opponents warned it could undermine superintendents, expose confidential student or employee information, and create confusion in district governance. The committee reported the bill favorably. Finally, the committee heard SB 1170 on education, as amended, which would allow parents of students with disabilities to request cameras in self-contained classrooms and set district procedures for reviewing those requests. Supporters, including parents and disability advocates, testified that cameras would protect non-speaking and vulnerable students and provide accountability, while one opponent argued the measure should be funded if adopted. The committee reported the bill favorably. The committee also adopted a committee-bill motion for SPB 7036, a broad education package covering school turnaround, literacy, safety, early learning, instruction, and educator pipeline issues, though members raised concerns about a possible state role in producing instructional materials; the bill was reported favorably as a committee bill.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Superintendent Lee.
• And thank you, Superintendent.
• Yet prior to that, they gave the school superintendent, Superintendent Andrade, a raise.
• So they gave the school superintendent, Superintendent Andrade, a raise, and then a couple of months
• Superintendent Angle is present to me. Superintendent, please come up and introduce yourself.

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Summary: The committee first heard an update on Topok Elementary School District’s long-running noncompliance with Arizona’s Uniform System of Financial Records. The Auditor General’s office explained the USFR noncompliance process and reported that Topok had made substantial progress, correcting many deficiencies in areas such as open meeting law, procurement, payroll, attendance reporting, property control, and information technology. The district’s superintendent and staff described the corrective actions they had taken, the use of outside consultants, and their plan to maintain compliance through stronger leadership, training, and consistent procedures. Members praised the district’s progress and asked about the remaining deficiencies and the status of the 3% state-aid withholding, which the Auditor General said would be addressed by the State Board of Education. The committee then considered a request for a fourth school safety special audit, tied to concerns raised by Representative Martinez about Phoenix Union High School District and school violence response practices. The Auditor General said the proposed audit would be a new topic focused on policies and procedures for responding to credible threats of violence and allegations of staff misconduct affecting student safety, and could include Phoenix Union in the sample. Representative Martinez described a fatal 2024 shooting, weapons incidents, and concerns about district oversight. The committee approved the motion 10-0. Next, staff presented the fiscal years 2027-2028 school district performance audit schedule, describing 26 randomly selected school districts and career and technical education districts, plus 84 planned follow-ups. The Auditor General said the schedule is intended to shorten the average time between audits and that the school audits division is now fully staffed. Members asked about county coverage and the inclusion of ESA accountability, but the schedule was ultimately presented for review rather than approval. The committee also heard a detailed federal compliance audit presentation on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by DES. The Auditor General reported repeated findings involving missing provider documentation, questioned costs, and FFATA reporting errors, including a 2024 sample that led to questioning $2.88 million in costs. The office recommended stronger documentation, record retention, reporting procedures, and staff training; DES concurred and said it would correct the findings in 2026. Members discussed the limits of the single-audit scope, the possibility of a broader special audit, and the federal government’s recent actions on CCDF oversight in other states. Finally, the committee considered and discussed a special audit request for CCDF that would broaden review to provider oversight, licensing, site visits, and billing accuracy across multiple state agencies, with estimated costs of $547,000 to $625,000 and a projected report date of July 31, 2027.