Transcript Highlights:

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• </c> testifiers Patrick Walsh superintendent testifiers Patrick Walsh superintendent superintendent<00
• <00:59:10.119><c> and</c> superintendent and superintendent and principal<00:59:11.880><c> um</c><00:

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, we hear from our Superintendent.
• Thank you again, Superintendent.
• It also improves local cash flow and simplifies state and local accounting.
• and state government, or state and local government purchase. local government and local state government
• , or state and local government purchase.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance met for its annual Proposition 98 overview, with Chair Alvarez outlining the committee’s focus on K-12 funding, student outcomes, and use of one-time funds. Superintendent Tony Thurmond gave an update on education issues, including wildfire recovery support for affected school communities, ongoing concerns about federal threats to education funding and immigration enforcement, progress on literacy and math, dual-language immersion, educator housing, and support for dual enrollment. Members broadly expressed support for these priorities, while also raising concerns about implementation, funding stability, and the need for schools to remain safe places for students. The committee then reviewed the Governor’s Proposition 98 proposal. The Department of Finance said the 2025-26 Proposition 98 guarantee is projected at $118.9 billion, with higher revenues and TK-related rebenching driving the increase. The LAO said the budget adds about $7.5 billion over two years and discussed the volatility of the guarantee, especially in 2024-25, when changes in revenue could have an outsized effect on school funding. Members questioned the proposed $1.6 billion delayed settle-up payment, the legal basis for delaying it, and the impact of possible federal funding freezes. The LAO presented alternatives such as a reserve deposit or delayed disbursement, while Finance said the proposal is intended to manage uncertainty. Members also raised concerns that ethnic studies implementation was not funded in the January budget, and Finance said the administration was not proposing funding for it. The committee next heard on the Proposition 98 rainy day fund and education deferrals. Finance said the reserve would receive a mandatory deposit of about $1.2 billion in 2024-25 and a discretionary deposit of $376 million in 2025-26, leaving a balance of about $1.5 billion. The LAO supported rebuilding the reserve as a way to manage volatility. On deferrals, Finance described the Governor’s plan to eliminate remaining deferrals by 2025-26, and the LAO said paying them off improves cash flow and budget resilience. Members generally supported eliminating deferrals and rebuilding reserves, though some asked about acting earlier if revenues allow. The committee also reviewed the proposed $1.8 billion student support and professional development block grant; Finance said it would fund professional development, recruitment and retention, and dual enrollment, while the LAO recommended clearer language on local discretion and use for one-time costs. Members were divided, with some supporting flexibility and others warning that one-time block grants can create instability and confusion for districts.

Transcript Highlights:

• Should partner with local law enforcement.
• And like I say, I applaud Superintendent Kinzie...
• So today the superintendent...
• So while all this is going on, as Superintendent Kinsey had mentioned, you know, Sheriff Wood, Superintendent
• Superintendent Barkheimer, correct?

Summary: The meeting focused on school safety funding and security practices in Oklahoma schools, especially how districts have used school resource officer (SRO) allocation money and related security grants. Kevin Rey of the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Office of School Safety and Security explained that the program, created under HB 2903, allows districts to use funds for SROs and physical security improvements such as cameras, access control, fencing, window film, bollards, metal detectors, and vape detectors. He said more than 170 districts used the money to hire SROs in 2024-25, and that the 2024 change allowing retired officers and armed security guards to qualify was a major help. Members questioned whether the money should also support prevention and mental health services, and Rey said the current program is mainly for security hardware and related measures. Mark Stout, chief of police for Putnam City Schools, described the district’s layered security approach, including weapon detection at middle and high schools and the ZeroEyes AI camera system, which monitors existing cameras for visible guns and sends alerts to trained monitoring staff and then to district police. He said the system is used as one layer among others, alongside officers, weapon detection, and school procedures, and noted the district is expanding coverage at athletic facilities. He also explained that the system is more economical than full weapon-detection setups, with annual costs based on the number of cameras. Tecumseh Superintendent Kinsey, Chief Kennedy, and Pottawatomie County law enforcement described the October threat investigation involving a student who posted a photo with a handgun and knife and discussed violence online. They said the FBI tip, rapid coordination among agencies, and an SRO already embedded in the district helped lead to a search warrant and arrest within hours, preventing a possible attack. Kinsey also described the district’s safety measures, including secure entrances, cameras, ALICE training, crisis communication planning, mental health support, clear backpacks, and a new staff alert system. He said community feedback after the incident favored more law enforcement partnership, limited entry points, handheld metal detectors, more SROs, stronger training, and more mental health support. Matt Riggs, former superintendent of McComb, said smaller districts face different security challenges because of limited local law enforcement and long response times. He explained that McComb used its funding for facility upgrades rather than hiring a full-time SRO because the district wanted improvements that would last beyond the three-year funding window. Throughout the discussion, several members emphasized the tension between visible security measures and prevention, with repeated calls for more counselors, mental health supports, and threat-assessment efforts alongside hardening measures. No formal votes or actions were taken in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• If we could call back up Superintendent Simons, please. Thank you, Superintendent.
• If we could call back up Superintendent Simons, please. Thank you, Superintendent.
• Simmons, Superintendent Simmons, appreciate you being here.
• Chairman and Superintendent.
• Thank you, Superintendent, for being here.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendent, it's all yours. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
• Thank you, Superintendent.
• that's not being included in the local dollars?
• Chairman, Superintendent.
• Thank you for being here today, Superintendent.

Committee: House Appropriations and Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• County Superintendents.
• Chairperson for the California County Superintendents.
• , and the district's first female superintendent.
• , and the district's first female superintendent.
• So she is our first woman, Fresno Unified School District, Superintendent, and First Mung, superintendent

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Superintendent.
• Thank you, Superintendent.
• Thank you, Superintendent.
• Thank you, Superintendent.
• Before I move to my last question, Superintendent Luck or Superintendent Rally, any burning thoughts

Transcript Highlights:

• We've asked the local school officials, superintendent, school board members to come and talk to us today
• </c><00:02:15.200><c> control</c> I'd like to make one is local control I'd like to make one is local
• </c><00:03:13.840><c> now</c> the first I've been superintendent now the first I've been superintendent
• Please empower us to do the job that our local community has charged us with and return local control
• , you know, Superintendent Libbon.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

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 EDWARD SAID IT BEST.
• WE NEED THE ABILITY TO MAKE AS MUCH LOCAL CONTROL FOR THE IMPACT IN OUR LOCALS CITIES AND SCHOOLS WOULD

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendent services.
• &gt;&gt; Superintendent services. &gt;&gt; Superintendent<01:28:07.440><c> services.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Superintendent services. &gt;&gt; Superintendent services.
• Uh at this point in time, superintendent<01:40:29.679><c> services</c> superintendent services superintendent
• . superintendent. superintendent.

Summary: The Legislative Oversight Committee met to review statewide education improvement and assessment issues under RSA 193-C:8-a, with the chair focusing on curriculum frameworks, academic standards, and resource elements tied to the state’s adequate education statutes. The chair walked through the statutory relationship between minimum standards for public school approval, academic standards, and local control of curriculum, noting that New Hampshire law requires curriculum frameworks to guide what students should know and be able to do while leaving districts flexibility in instruction. He also raised concerns that some subject areas appear to have current frameworks or standards while others do not, and suggested the committee may need to consider an amendment creating a curriculum frameworks and academic standards coordinator at the Department of Education. Nate Green, director of the Division of Education Analytics and Resources, explained that the terms “academic standards” and “curriculum frameworks” have evolved over time and are often used interchangeably, but can mean different things depending on the subject area. He said the state’s more prescriptive standards largely developed after No Child Left Behind, especially in math, ELA, and science, while older or less-tested subjects such as arts, physical education, and health often retained looser framework-style documents. Green outlined one possible approach of standardizing terminology, but also said New Hampshire could instead define curriculum frameworks separately as a combination of standards, curriculum, and instructional approaches. He emphasized that state standards must support statewide consistency and assessment, while local districts retain control over how they teach. Committee members discussed how these distinctions affect different grade levels and subjects, using examples from math and science to show that minimum standards are broad while academic standards are more specific and grade-level based. Green described how science standards are organized by physical science, life science, and earth/space science across grade bands, while math standards are more directly tied to individual grades. No votes were taken and no formal action was reported during this portion of the meeting; the discussion remained informational and exploratory as members considered whether statutory language or departmental organization should be updated.

Transcript Highlights:

• I went to the superintendent. Nothing happened.
• Superintendent? Okay, thank you.
• Superintendent? Mr.
• Superintendent? Okay, thank you.
• Superintendent? Mr.

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Does it go to local county attorneys? Superintendent: Thank you, Chair Klein and Senator Green.
• Does it go to local county attorneys? Superintendent: Thank you, Chair Klein and Senator Green.
• Does it go to local county attorneys? Superintendent: Thank you, Chair Klein and Senator Green.
• Does it go to local county attorneys? Superintendent: So it varies. It depends on the jurisdiction.
• Does it go to local county attorneys? Superintendent: So it varies. It depends on the jurisdiction.

Committee: Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection

Transcript Highlights:

• The district can support their local match.
• As a superintendent, that makes me nervous.
• I sit here today as your superintendent.
• I apologize to Superintendent Strickland and all of the other superintendents that are here in the room
• Superintendent, go ahead. Yes, my name is Alan. I'm Superintendent Sandholm.

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• Training costs are determined locally.
• Superintendent Boggs, hi. Thank you.
• , an assistant superintendent, or an associate superintendent only if the school district offers the
• Superintendent does a great job. Next year goes around, Mr. Superintendent does a great job.
• Is it going to be the interim superintendent? Is it going to be the new superintendent?

Committees: House Education , House House Education Committee of Reference

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> superintendent that'd be great. Yeah. superintendent that'd be great. Yeah.
• Superintendent.
• You go talk to the superintendent, superintendent says, "No, that's not happening."
• Superintendent.
• Superintendent. Madam that correctly? Superintendent.

Summary: The conference committee took testimony on Senate File 3051, which would allow law enforcement to release unredacted collision crash investigation video and related data to certain requesters, rather than requiring redaction first. Joel Carlson, speaking for the Minnesota Association for Justice, said the bill is intended to save local governments time and money because redacted video is often later released unredacted through court motions anyway. He emphasized that the proposal is limited to people already entitled to crash reports, requires a written request and accident report, does not create an affirmative duty to release data, and preserves law enforcement’s ability to withhold data for active investigations or other protected information. He also cited the Burks decision as support for the view that a subject of data is entitled to the full data even if it includes other subjects. Colonel Christina Bogavich of the Minnesota State Patrol raised concerns that the bill would still require staff to review videos for exceptions, including private data involving bystanders, juveniles, undercover officers, CAD information, and other protected material, so it would not create the claimed time savings. She also said the bill expands the number of potential requesters and lacks a liability provision if released data is improperly disseminated. Committee members and staff discussed the current Data Practices Act, including that private data can still be discoverable in litigation through a court balancing test and that protective orders may apply. A preliminary fiscal note estimated a Department of Public Safety cost of $4,026,334 annually, and members requested copies of the note. Members questioned whether the bill would actually reduce work or simply shift when the work occurs, and whether a litigation-specific exception to redaction should be added. Carlson said he was open to changes, including making release permissive rather than mandatory and strengthening the use restrictions, while members noted the proposal had not yet been heard in the House and would need more vetting. No vote or final action was taken on the provision during this discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• Their main mission is to oversee the state superintendent of schools and hire the state superintendent
• He represents the superintendents association, and I've had extensive conversations with superintendents
• superintendent.
• Why would you expect a state superintendent to last longer than our district superintendents are lasting
• There were three state superintendents—this is what gets me—three state superintendents over P.E.D. from

Committee: Senate Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• And again, we hear from our Superintendent.
• It also improves local cash flow and simplifies state and local accounting.
• Two superintendents.
• feels like a pinch at the local level.
• The superintendent talked about DLI, dual language immersion. Yes, at a local campus.

Transcript Highlights:

• that oversees the superintendent. superintendent.
• I think if you looked at making it mandatory for the superintendent and or a local police chief to report
• Local.
• local or local all right senator Menendez local that this that committee substitute Senate bill 1409
• As investigations began, local law enforcement determined that when the superintendent learned of the

Bills: SB604 , SB843 , SB1636 , SB2395 , SB571 , SB1224 , SB1832 , SB2392 , SB747 , SB2623 , SB2624 , SB2185

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• I've never seen my local school principal without the superintendent sitting next to him.
• You know, the superintendent has too much of a role in my mind, and the local people who know what's
• I'd like to see more local control and have the superintendent be more of a straight administrator.
• That's because local communities want their local superintendent, and they want to be able to hire the
• That's because local communities want their local superintendent, and they want to be able to hire the

Summary: The committee began by announcing that afternoon hearings, including House Bill 283, would be moved to Representatives Hall because of expected public interest. It then took up House Bill 671, which would establish a kindergarten literacy readiness program. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mark Pearson, described the measure as a way to close gaps in early reading readiness and said it was intended as a first step, with only a placeholder appropriation while details are developed. He framed it as a targeted effort to help children who are not entering first grade ready to read. Testimony on HB 671 was largely supportive. Representatives asked about the bill’s structure, whether a specific program had been identified, how it would interact with play-based learning, and why the provider was limited to a registered nonprofit. Waterford.org representatives Teresa Rosenberger and Rob Riley testified in support, describing Waterford Upstart as a home-based, evidence-based early learning program already used in New Hampshire. They said the program provides adaptive instruction, family coaching, and technology support, including computers, tablets, internet access, and translation services in more than 100 languages. They also said the model has been successful in New Hampshire, including a Nashua pilot and later statewide efforts, and that similar legislation has existed in other states. Rep. Jonah Wheeler also spoke in support of the bill. The chair then closed the hearing on HB 671. After a fiscal note for HB 671 was distributed, the committee moved to House Bill 781, which would require school districts to adopt policies for a cell phone-free education and includes an appropriation. The transcript cuts off as Rep. Litchfield was introduced to testify on that bill, so no testimony, debate, or vote on HB 781 is included in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And all funding sources includes all state, local, and federal funds.
• But the superintendents didn't even mention that.
• And then some results from our superintendent survey.
• Seventy-one percent of superintendents reported that they did.
• You know, that may not be near as much percentage-wise paid for by local as it would be local, which

Summary: The House/Joint Education committee continued its adequacy study with a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on resource allocation, focusing first on matrix spending and then non-matrix spending. Staff explained the methodology for mapping APSCN expenditure data to matrix lines, reviewed district and school categories used in the analysis, and highlighted key findings: foundation funding covered a large share of matrix costs but total spending on matrix items exceeded foundation funding, with classroom teachers making up the largest share. Members asked for additional breakdowns on waivers, superintendent survey responses, trend data, and spending by district type, size, and rural/urban status. Staff also noted limitations in tracking two matrix lines—salary enhancement for other employees and all personnel health insurance—because of coding and definition issues. The committee then reviewed non-matrix expenditures, including instructional aides, facilities, school safety, mental health, dyslexia services, gifted and talented, and career and technical education. Staff reported that non-matrix spending remained above $2 billion over the last three years, with most of it coming from other funds rather than foundation funding. Members raised concerns about dyslexia identification and funding, mental health needs, school safety, food service, athletic transportation, and whether some items should be added to the matrix. The Department of Education clarified that the building fund reflects district-held funds for construction and maintenance projects, while the facilities partnership program is a separate state process for approved projects. In the final discussion, staff summarized total spending as more than $15,800 per student in 2025, with about 69% going to matrix resources and 31% to non-matrix resources. The chair explained the adequacy process and the committee’s role in setting future funding recommendations, and members discussed the recommendations worksheet included in the binder. The chair then proposed postponing the remainder of Part Two of the presentation until a May meeting after the fiscal session, along with inviting the Department of Education back for more detailed questions; with no objections, the committee adjourned.