Transcript Highlights:

• And the second part is, some teachers teach by topic when they teach history and some teachers teach
• And the second part is, some teachers teach by topic when they teach history and some teachers teach
• And the second part is, some teachers teach by topic when they teach history and some teachers teach
• some amazing tenure teachers, but we also have seen problematic tenure teachers.
• And as a teacher, a former teacher, I... ...both areas sometimes.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Transcript Highlights:

• We have teacher proficiency, teacher training.
• We want more teacher training.
• But then, as a teacher And as a group of teachers, a freshman teacher, we all had the same prep first
• We cannot blame the teachers.
• We weren't getting a lot of teachers at parent-teacher conferences.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• He was sexually assaulted by his pre-K teacher.
• This teacher has a lot of influence in our county.
• You didn't mention other teachers specifically that...
• And yes, we need teachers, but we need the right teachers, and only the right teachers.
• He had a reference from his church pastor, a fellow teacher.

Bills: HB4 , HB20

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 2853, which would allow the UT System Board of Regents to adjust the University of Texas at El Paso student union fee above the current statutory cap, subject to student approval, to help fund a new student union building. Senator Blanco explained the bill and the committee substitute, there were no questions or witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the committee adopted the substitute and left the bill pending subject to the call of the chair. The committee then heard House Bill 610, which would limit severance payments for terminated independent school district superintendents to six months’ salary and benefits. Senator Paxton described large severance payouts and said the bill had passed the House overwhelmingly. There were no witnesses, public testimony was closed, and the bill was left pending. A lengthy hearing followed on House Bill 4623, which would waive school district immunity in certain cases involving negligent hiring, supervision, or employment of professional school employees who commit abuse or related misconduct against students. Senator Paxton and several witnesses, including survivors and parents, argued the bill was needed to address cover-ups, delayed reporting, and repeated failures to remove dangerous employees; some members raised concerns about liability caps, litigation, and how the bill would interact with the Tort Claims Act. The committee also heard from TEA staff and employee-group witnesses who discussed possible injunctions and stronger no-hire protections. Public testimony was then closed and the bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 4, an accountability and assessment bill that would restore A-F ratings, change the state testing system, and replace STAAR with shorter, more instructionally useful assessments. Senator Bettencourt explained the committee substitute, including annual ratings, limits on taxpayer-funded lawsuits, and a phased-in testing redesign with beginning, middle, and end-of-year assessments. Testimony was generally supportive from education and business groups, though some witnesses favored norm-referenced testing while others emphasized criterion-referenced, TEKS-aligned assessments; one witness noted social studies assessments were restored in the bill. The hearing concluded with additional invited testimony and no final vote reported in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• they are not able to handle and make the teacher feel uncomfortable.
• We absolutely believe that students should be prepared...
• Hopefully a teacher, if they ever saw that, they would confiscate that.
• School is supposed to prepare children for their future.
• And that's the instinct of us as teachers, right? Correct.

Committee: Senate Senate Education Committee of Reference

Summary: The committee first considered the executive nomination of John Snyder to the State Board for Charter Schools. Snyder described his background in municipal finance, charter school financings, and prior service with Arizona charter school organizations, and said his finance experience would help the board evaluate school viability and oversight. The committee voted 6-0 with one not voting to recommend his confirmation to the full Senate. The committee then heard HB 2093, which would remove the statutory requirement that health education include mental health instruction and would repeal related consultation requirements over time. The sponsor argued schools should focus on academics and that social-emotional learning and mental health content belong with parents, while opponents, including students, a suicide-loss parent, and mental health advocates, said school-based instruction saves lives, helps students seek help, and preserves parental choice through opt-out provisions. After debate, the committee voted 4-3 to give HB 2093 a do pass recommendation. Members also considered HB 4043, requiring at least one campus employee trained in CPR, first aid, and AED use where applicable; HB 4005, requiring districts to teach ethical and educational uses of AI beginning in 2027-28; HB 2895, allowing Native American language proficiency to satisfy a world language graduation requirement; HB 2383, renaming trampoline court safety legislation as Ty’s Law; HB 4109, requiring school district public safety policies, notifications, and annual reporting after serious violence or weapon incidents; HB 2376, appropriating $40 million for the school safety program; and HB 2380, requiring public access to board meeting materials and tighter rules on out-of-state travel. HB 4043, HB 2895, and HB 2383 all received unanimous or near-unanimous do pass recommendations, while HB 4005, HB 4109, HB 2376, and HB 2380 each advanced on 4-3 votes, with some members citing concerns about unfunded mandates, criminal penalties, local control, or the scope and timing of required disclosures.

Transcript Highlights:

• So we need teachers who are prepared to teach these students.
• The Orange County Classroom Teachers Association has 14,000 classroom teachers in its bargaining unit
• They have 2,156 teachers.
• 41% of teachers participate, 883 teachers participate.
• So can any teacher, even if they're not a dues-paying teacher, show up to this PERC and vote on it?

Summary: The Senate convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and several guest introductions before moving into a long special-order calendar. The chamber first considered two claims bills: SB 6/HB 6507 for relief of L.E. through the Department of Children and Families, described as compensation for severe injuries after DCF returned the child to unsafe parents, and SB 26/HB 6509 for the estate of Mark Legata, involving catastrophic injuries tied to FDOT negligence. Both bills were substituted with their House companions and passed overwhelmingly. Members then approved several policy bills focused on child welfare, education, and professional regulation. CS/CS/SB 42/HB 47 required child protective investigators to consider certain medical diagnoses before proceeding in abuse cases; CS/SB 206/HB 851 expanded autism-related training and incentives for teacher preparation programs; SB 556/HB 453 allowed Special Olympics participation to satisfy PE requirements for students with disabilities and clarified marching band credit; SB 688 reestablished licensure and regulation for naturopathic doctors; SB 878/HB 1347 addressed clinical laboratory personnel shortages by aligning more closely with federal CLIA standards; and SB 914/HB 867 clarified that licensed occupational therapists may perform dry needling. Each of these measures passed, most by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The chamber also approved bills on court administration, public records, financial disclosure, and child welfare. SB 326/HB 131 modernized rules for curators of estates; SB 758/HB 625 updated the composition of the Justice Administrative Commission, with an amendment broadening the judicial member to a judge or senior judge; SB 830 created a public records exemption for certain local government executives and their families; SB 964/HB 6011 revised how gifts and honoraria are reported and, via amendment, restored a percentage-based reporting option for financial disclosures; and SB 1002 clarified that acute or chronic parental drug abuse can constitute harm or neglect and allow courts to order assessment and services. These bills all passed, with SB 830 drawing the most opposition among them. The most contentious debate centered on CS/CS/CS/SB 354, the Blue Ribbon Projects bill, which would create a framework for very large planned communities with substantial conservation set-asides. Supporters argued it would provide a new growth-management tool and economic opportunity, while opponents warned it was too broad, lacked specificity, weakened local control, and could be exploited by large developers. After extensive debate and an amendment limiting data centers in commercial areas, the bill was temporarily postponed rather than brought to a final vote. The Senate also passed SB 530 on lottery operations, SB 1632/HB 1471 on foreign law and domestic terrorist designations after a lengthy and divisive amendment debate over references to Sharia law, and SB 21/HB 218 on land-use regulations tied to hurricane recovery, which preserves SB 180 restrictions in storm-affected counties while lifting them later for unaffected counties.

Transcript Highlights:

• Teacher ratios are higher. Teacher certifications are higher. There's specific curriculum.
• One teacher for every four infants.
• Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk. Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk.
• Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk. Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk.
• Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk. Prepare the machine, Madam Clerk.

Transcript Highlights:

• her students and directly to our schools, our teachers, directly to our schools, our teachers, bus<00
• 31:30.680><c> reading</c> Teachers aren't just teaching reading Teachers aren't just teaching reading
• ><c> deliveries,</c> Teachers are making grocery deliveries, Teachers are making grocery deliveries,
• <00:37:08.960><c> of</c><00:37:09.160><c> when</c> preparation of when preparation of when this<00:37
• I want to talk just briefly about teachers. All of you have heard me say my husband's a teacher.

Transcript Highlights:

• As far as having a school nurse, I've worked in the school system for over 21 years as a teacher and
• So we are prepared and ready to execute when we get some uniform data about how we can help with some
• So I really want to caution because it doesn't transcend the FEFP, but career readiness and preparing
• An additional $100 million for a teacher salary increase, which will focus on veteran classroom teachers
• An additional $100 million for a teacher salary increase which will focus on veteran classroom teachers

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee met during Budget Week and first considered three member bills. House Bill 1111, by Rep. Valdes, would eliminate the option for students to leave high school with a certificate of completion instead of a standard diploma. Valdes said the bill was inspired by students who met credit requirements but could not pass a required assessment, and argued the certificate does not provide access to college, trade school, or military service. The bill passed unanimously, 15-0. CS for House Bill 127, by Rep. Kendall, would support students with disabilities by using existing Florida Department of Education curriculum to create micro-credentials and coordinating with the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities and OSHA on workplace safety. Goodwill, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Florida PTA, and others supported the bill, which also passed unanimously, 15-0. House Bill 1367, by Rep. Booth, addressed chronic absenteeism by requiring statewide definitions and more uniform attendance reporting, along with rules for excused and unexcused absences and early identification of chronically absent students. Testimony emphasized inconsistent district policies and the need for clearer data and interventions. The bill passed 13-0, with some members noting concerns about implementation details and future rulemaking. The committee then took up PCB-P-PKB-2501, the proposed conforming bill for the fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget. The chair said the bill was designed to align statutes with budget and scholarship funding procedures, especially around the Florida Education Finance Program and scholarship payments. The PCB would require Florida student ID numbers for scholarship students, standardize cross-checking against FTE survey data, set quarterly payment dates, and use one data source for both reporting and withholding scholarship-related FFP amounts. It also would reduce certain add-on weights by 50%, remove the budget stabilization program, and repeal the educational enrollment stabilization program. Several members raised concerns that the add-on weight reductions could hurt career and technical education, AICE, IB, and CAPE programs, while the sponsor argued the data showed too much spending in an “other” category and that the reductions were aimed at aligning funding with actual program costs. Public testimony was mixed: some supported tighter accountability and clearer payment rules, while others warned against undermining expensive career-readiness programs. The PCB passed 11-2. After the conforming bill, the chair presented the proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 Pre-K through 12 budget, totaling just under $21 billion, about $400 million below the current year. She said the budget reflects a need to slow spending growth and includes $20 million for New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, $7 million for security grants at Jewish day schools and preschools, $14 million for public school transportation stipends, an overall FEFP increase of about $747.7 million, $100 million for teacher salary increases, and increases in the base student allocation and funds per student. The committee did not vote on the budget recommendation at this meeting; it was distributed for review and will move to the Budget Committee next week.

Transcript Highlights:

• They grow up in Tioga or Stanley, and maybe mom and dad are teachers, or a coach and a teacher, whatever
• That's the one really designed to prepare students to go on to medical school.
• Types of programs in education and teacher education.
• or college kids getting high school teachers.
• Or could you look at it if K-12 teachers could not deliver the dual credit?

Summary: The committee met on the Minot State campus for a presentation from President Shirley and several university leaders on enrollment, academics, workforce initiatives, and partnerships. Shirley reviewed the university’s financial audits, noting mostly clean results with only minor technical findings in recent years, and highlighted Minot State’s major programs, specialized accreditations, and ties to Minot Air Force Base and NCAA Division II athletics. Members asked about education workforce shortages, athletic tuition waivers, dual credit incentives, and the university’s in-state tuition policy for all students. Shirley also discussed the university’s recruitment efforts, including the Hometown Pride and Academic Excellence scholarships, campus visit growth, and the Emerging Scholars dual-credit reimbursement program. A major focus was workforce development and new academic offerings supported by legislative Workforce Education Innovation Funds. Shirley described the new Innovation Engineering program, which was developed with industry input to train broadly skilled engineers for western North Dakota, and said it had already drawn more applicants than expected. Dr. Crystal St. Peter presented a new master’s program in counseling that integrates mental health and addiction counseling to address statewide provider shortages, with a hybrid format to reach rural students. Members asked about licensure requirements, internship hours, and job placement for graduates. Shirley also outlined a new nursing simulation center and health sciences space in downtown Minot, made possible by state support and the purchase of the former Trinity Health Center West building. The committee also heard about Minot State’s efforts to build pipelines into education and special education, including the Aspire program for rural high school students and an online paraprofessional-to-special-education degree pathway. Shirley said these programs, along with new articulation agreements and a large Bush Foundation grant, are intended to address teacher shortages and keep students in North Dakota. No formal committee votes or actions were taken during the presentation; the session consisted of informational updates and member questions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I would also like to recognize David Adler, Leeward District's Nanakuli Waianae Complex Area Teacher
• them<00:14:46.240><c> grow</c><00:14:46.959><c> and</c><00:14:47.240><c> and</c><00:14:47.400><c> prepare
• ><00:14:47.839><c> for</c><00:14:48.000><c> the</c><00:14:48.120><c> future</c> them grow and and prepare
• for the future them grow and and prepare for the future success.<00:14:49.440><c> Under</c><00:14:49.680
• </c> students, our teachers, and our schools. students, our teachers, and our schools.

Bills: HB1800 , HB2095 , HB1158 , HB1518 , HB1752 , SCR23 , SCR24 , SCR25 , SCR26 , SCR27 , SCR28 , SCR29 , SCR30 , SCR31 , SCR32 , SCR33 , SCR34 , SCR35 , SCR36 , SCR37 , SCR38 , SCR39 , SCR40 , SCR41 , SCR42 , SCR43 , SCR44 , SCR45 , SCR46 , SCR47 , SCR48 , SCR49 , SCR50 , SCR51 , SCR52 , SCR53 , SCR54 , SCR55 , SCR56 , SCR57 , SCR58 , SCR59 , SCR60 , SCR61 , SCR62 , SCR63 , SCR64 , SCR65 , SCR66 , SCR67 , SCR68 , SCR69 , SCR70 , SCR71 , SCR72 , SCR73 , SCR74 , SCR75 , SCR76 , SCR77 , SCR78 , SCR79 , SCR80 , SCR81 , SCR82 , SCR83 , SCR84 , SCR85 , SCR86 , SCR87 , SCR88 , SCR89 , SCR90 , SCR91 , SCR92 , SCR93 , SCR94 , SCR95 , SCR96 , SCR97 , SCR98 , SCR99 , SCR100 , SCR101 , SCR102 , SCR103 , SCR104 , SCR105 , SCR106 , SCR107 , SCR108 , SCR109 , SCR110 , SCR111 , SCR112 , SCR113 , SCR114 , SCR115 , SCR116 , SCR117 , SCR118 , SCR119 , SCR120 , SCR121 , SCR122

Transcript Highlights:

• Preparing students to question, analyze, and apply emerging technologies is a core educational objective
• for today, but also prepared for tomorrow.
• I began my career in education almost 24 years ago as a preschool teacher.
• I am the 2015 Florida Teacher of the Year, an honor that allowed me to represent the over 160,000 teachers
• I am the 2015 Florida Teacher of the Year, an honor that allowed me to represent the over 160,000 teachers

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm assuming with a teacher, with someone.
• It directs PESB to revise standards for teacher endorsements with literacy-related competencies and direct
• teacher preparation programs to Endorsements with literacy-related competencies and direct teacher preparation
• programs to incorporate those standards, requires teachers endorsed with literacy-related competencies
• Of our school districts that they are certainly not prepared to deal with today.

Committee: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education

Transcript Highlights:

• So we wanted our kids to be prepared, and I think the board, you know, they beat us on this.
• </c><00:11:55.279><c> and</c><00:11:55.519><c> this</c> wanted our kids to be prepared and this wanted
• our kids to be prepared and this I<00:11:56.560><c> think</c><00:11:56.720><c> the</c><00:11:56.959>
• So we wanted our kids to be prepared, and I think the board, you know, they beat us on this.
• </c> teacher the local school districts. teacher the local school districts.

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• When you weaken teachers, you weaken teachers. It harder for my family to live and thrive.
• Teachers already work beyond contracted hours grading, lesson planning, responding to parents, and preparing
• Without teachers, the world stops. We teachers are pouring from an empty cup.
• We need strong teachers, and we need teachers to teach our kids. And for me, this...
• , the teachers' unions get in the way of the teachers getting the money.

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Please consider this from a real teacher that is working really hard to make our students prepared.
• teacher.
• Sonya Kearney teacher in Irvine support. Griffey Alba teacher from Irvine in support.
• Zane Pang teacher. Teacher Irvine strongly support.
• Megan Brophy teacher from Irvine strong support. Vila teacher from Irvine strong support.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><01:31:55.600><c> uh</c> and Technical education uh teachers uh and Technical education uh teachers
• </c> personal feeling is that the teachers personal feeling is that the teachers can<01:36:53.760><c>
• I guess you're prepared for life, and these kids are supposed to be preparing them for life.
• I guess you're prepared for life, and these kids are supposed to be preparing them for life.
• </c> morning survived I guess you're prepared morning survived I guess you're prepared for<01:40:55.119

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Why are we removing the teacher preparation and professional development as we’re removing that partnership
• So in removing the provisions related to teacher preparation and training, it is because the dollars
• We do have a robust conversation happening in the Senate on teacher preparation, and I think, you know
• , as the folks passionate about that particular area—preparing our teachers to be successful to provide
• students the outcomes that they deserve—we can... ...are preparing our teachers to be successful to

Committee: Senate Fiscal Policy

Summary: The committee first heard CS for CS for SB 344, which would modernize the Telecommunications Access System Act of 1991 based on Public Service Commission recommendations. The bill drew no opposition and was reported favorably. Members then took up several Senator Burton measures: CS for SB 714 on non-opioid advanced directives, which was amended to create a Department of Health website access point for a voluntary form allowing patients to notify providers they do not want opioid medications; CS for SB 738 on child care and early learning providers, which streamlines and updates child care regulation and was supported by industry and business groups; CS for SB 756 on health insurance coverage for individuals with developmental disabilities, which removes the age-8 diagnosis limit and age cap for mandated autism-related coverage; and CS for CS for SB 1356, creating a Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at FSU and a newborn genetic testing pilot, later amended to add FIU and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to the board and remove specific appropriations. All of these bills were reported favorably. The committee also approved CS for CS for SB 1624 on higher education, a broad bill affecting tuition policies, workforce programs, institutional governance, and naming changes. The bill generated extended discussion over replacing references to “minority” with “underrepresented,” with the sponsor explaining the intent was to focus on low-income access and student support, while members raised concerns about impacts on majority-minority institutions and preeminence pathways. An amendment added guardrails for private religious postsecondary institutions by requiring public review of affidavits of compliance and giving the Commission for Independent Education enforcement authority. After debate, the bill was reported favorably. The committee then passed CS for SB 1626 on child welfare, which addresses military-family investigations, emergency shelter certification, children’s services council appointments, criminal-background exemptions, group-home rates, licensing extensions, small residential group homes, missing-children procedures, and psychotropic medication refills; it was amended to adjust council board composition and then reported favorably. Additional bills approved included SB 178, directing Florida A&M University to conduct an agronomic study on emerging crops for land taken out of production; SB 1162, expanding boating improvement funding for trailer parking and offering lease incentives for clean marine manufacturers; CS for CS for SB 958, creating a type 1 diabetes early detection information program for parents and schools; CS for CS for CS for SB 1070, requiring ECGs for student athletes with phased implementation and exemptions, after extensive testimony from parents and advocates about sudden cardiac arrest; CS for SB 774, requiring electronic transmission of certain court orders to sheriffs within six hours; SB 1516, creating an International Aerospace Innovation Fund administered by Space Florida; SB 994, revising driver education requirements and prompting a commitment to add distracted-driving instruction; and CS for CS for SB 1402, expanding eligibility for dropout retrieval programs. The committee also took up SB 810 on stormwater management systems, amending it to focus annual inspections on vulnerable MS4 infrastructure. That bill drew significant opposition from the Florida League of Cities, counties, and stormwater groups, who argued the mandate would duplicate existing permit requirements and impose major costs, but supporters said it was a basic flood-prevention measure. The transcript ends during debate on SB 810, before a final vote is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so part of that division helps oversee those teachers all the way from a teacher who wants to, a
• We help oversee that initial and continued approval of those teacher preparation programs, all the way
• Those teachers need to be great and highly effective teachers in our classrooms.
• It's not good enough just to make sure those teachers then actually become teachers in the classroom.
• to access the classroom and prepare our teachers, which I think is another major piece of the puzzle

Summary: The subcommittee first heard an overview from Department of Education Chancellor Paul Burns on Florida’s K-12 governance structure and major divisions, including early learning, public schools, safe schools, school choice, and accountability. He highlighted school readiness and VPK, teacher preparation and licensure, school safety functions, scholarship and virtual/home education programs, and FAST progress monitoring. Burns also cited statewide gains such as higher mid-year reading performance, a record graduation rate of 89.7%, and record CTE enrollment, while members questioned the meaning of Florida’s “number one” education rankings, teacher pay, post-COVID learning loss, vacancies, and chronic absenteeism. St. Lucie County Superintendent John Prince then described the scale and responsibilities of a mid-sized district, emphasizing student safety, transportation, meals, hurricane shelter operations, career and technical education, teacher recruitment and retention, progress monitoring, remediation, and mental health supports. Members asked about school shelter construction standards, remediation funding, late school start times, attendance, and concordance scores; Prince argued for more flexibility for CTE pathways and noted that local districts use a mix of state and federal funds to support remediation and staffing. The committee then moved to an early warning systems panel. Burns explained that Florida law requires districts to use attendance, behavior/suspensions, course performance, FAST results, and other academic indicators to identify students needing support, with districts and families developing intervention plans. Superintendents from Putnam, St. Johns, and St. Lucie counties said chronic absenteeism is tied to achievement and NAEP decline, but causes vary by district, including poverty, transportation, daycare, family instability, travel, and student athletics. They described MTSS, PBIS, home visits, attendance letters, and community partnerships as responses. Members also discussed VPK access, full-day VPK funding, excused versus unexcused absences, and the need for earlier intervention in pre-K and K-2. Finally, Vice Chancellor Darren Norris outlined Florida’s post-Parkland school safety measures, including armed school officers, anonymous reporting, behavioral threat assessment teams, mental health training, panic alert systems, emergency drills, active assailant response policies, and firearm detection canines. Superintendents said compliance is costly and often requires shifting local funds, but they praised state grants for mental health, hardening, and mapping. They noted ongoing challenges with new mandates, capital costs, manual reporting burdens, and the need to balance safety requirements with classroom resources.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> telling them it's preparing them for. telling them it's preparing them for.
• Are they prepared? If they use a college indicator, are they prepared to go to college?
• Are they prepared? If they use a college indicator, are they prepared to go to college?
• Are they prepared? If they use a college indicator, are they prepared to go to college?
• Are they prepared? If it really working? Are they prepared?

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:33:04.160><c> And</c> our our teachers at the school. And our our teachers at the school.
• If a student's pencil breaks, a teacher provides a new one.
• all of the teachers' money for teachers<01:00:24.040><c> and</c><01:00:24.440><c> consequently,</c><
• 01:00:25.240><c> there's</c><01:00:25.440><c> less</c> teachers and consequently, there's less teachers
• </c><01:20:48.720><c> in</c> a few teachers in a few teachers in my<01:20:49.920><c> district</c><01:

Summary: The committee heard from Superintendent Megan Degenfelder on several interim topics centered on student-centered learning. She highlighted work-based learning and dual/concurrent enrollment, saying the state is updating accountability measures and should examine whether these programs are helping students progress, avoid duplicative costs, and reduce the need for remedial college coursework. She also discussed broader life-skills education, including financial literacy and soft skills, and said districts vary widely in what they offer. On gifted and talented programs, she noted that districts are statutorily required to provide them but the state does not have a clear picture of how consistently they are implemented, and she suggested the committee may want to study that area further. Members asked follow-up questions about whether dual enrollment should be evaluated only by time-to-degree, and Degenfelder said the analysis should also consider additional credentials and remedial coursework. Senator Schuler and others raised the idea of making financial literacy or other life-skills content more common, though Degenfelder said she did not favor a statewide mandate and instead preferred incentives and district-level implementation. The committee also discussed artificial intelligence in schools as an information-sharing topic, with Degenfelder saying the department is beginning a landscape analysis with districts and teachers. She then reviewed NAEP results, noting Wyoming performs strongly in fourth grade but drops sharply by eighth grade, and said the state wants to understand where students are falling off. Members also raised concerns about international comparisons and the need to improve literacy and math outcomes. The committee then moved to member-submitted topics. Representative Strock proposed reviewing the governance structure of state education, arguing that the current split among the Department of Education, State Board of Education, and other boards creates inefficiency and confusion, especially for licensure and programs like CTE. Senator Scott noted that turnover in the superintendent’s office could be a practical issue in any restructuring, and Strock responded that administrative staff could handle day-to-day operations. Representative Williams then introduced a discussion of common core standards and literacy, arguing that standards may be too broad and not specific enough, especially in early grades, and that Wyoming should emphasize phonics, basic reading, math, and civics more directly. Representative Guggenmos agreed that narrowing early-grade focus to math and literacy could improve outcomes. Finally, Representative Williams raised virtual education, saying it is growing quickly and the committee should study funding, accountability, and student support more closely; the chair opened that topic for further discussion.