Transcript Highlights:

• Yes, in grades K to 3. In grades K to 3.
• But yes, you want to do locals first.
• </c><01:16:48.520><c> teacher</c> chair Michelle Tad sixth grade teacher chair Michelle Tad sixth grade
• </c> kindergarten through sixth grade kindergarten through sixth grade principles<01:27:49.560><c> of
• </c> going to suggest to you so the first going to suggest to you so the first option<01:34:37.760><c

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint Committee on Education and Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs heard Senate Bill 422, which would authorize the Department of Education to award a high school diploma to qualified people whose schooling was interrupted by military service or wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. The Department of Education testified in support, noting a prior law that created the Kono diploma program before it sunset in 2020. Several members of the public also testified in support. Both committees later recommended passage of SB 422 without amendments, and the recommendation was adopted by voice votes. The committees then heard Senate Bill 530 on Braille literacy. The bill would establish Braille literacy as state policy, require Braille-related literacy assessments for eligible blind and low-vision students, authorize DOE rulemaking, create a Braille Literacy Resource Center, and appropriate funds. DOE and the Department of Human Services supported the measure, as did the National Federation of the Blind, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and a blind testifier who described the importance of early Braille instruction. The Attorney General’s office raised concerns about statutory language requiring yearly assessments and suggested revisions so annual decisions remain with IEP teams. The committees voted to pass SB 530 with amendments, including the Attorney General’s suggested changes, and adopted the recommendation. The next measure was Senate Bill 532, which would allow school staff and agents trained by a licensed clinician to volunteer to administer medication to students in public schools under certain conditions and clarify who may prescribe such medication. DOE and Department of Health testimony supported the bill. The Attorney General recommended replacing the term “licensed clinician” with the defined term “health care professional.” The Hawaii Academy of Physician Assistants supported the bill but asked that physician assistants be included among providers who may prescribe medications for school administration. After questions about current school health aide duties and field-trip medication procedures, the committees voted to pass SB 532 with amendments, including the Attorney General’s terminology change, and adopted the recommendation.

Transcript Highlights:

• And if you can pull it out, there is a grade book, a traditional grade book.
• You've all seen a grade book like that.
• Here is a traditional grading system. Carl?
• Here is a traditional grading system.
• And I said, but you have to get a grade in the class.

Summary: The Senate Education Committee approved the February 4, 2026 minutes and then heard several Senate RS measures, all of which were moved to print. Senator Blaylock presented RS 33277C1 to create the Idaho High Need Student Fund, which would reimburse districts for extraordinary special education costs above $30,000 per student annually, with caps, documentation requirements, and annual reporting. Senator Cole presented RS 33271, the PROM Act, to let homeschooled students in grades 8-12 buy a social access pass to participate in public school dances, fairs, and cultural events without enrolling, with families paying a $25 annual fee plus event charges. Senator O’Conniewicz presented RS 33334 regarding foreign national students on college athletic teams, describing it as a way to balance athletics with retaining graduates who could stay and work in Idaho. Senator Semmelroth presented RS 33335, a revised code-cleanup bill that restores specialty diploma provisions after an earlier version mistakenly included them for repeal. Each of these RS measures received a motion and unanimous support to be printed. The committee also heard an informational presentation from Sam Abrams, superintendent of Hayden Canyon Charter, who argued that Idaho’s education system is too focused on seat time, compliance, and standardized testing rather than mastery and individualized learning. He urged the committee to consider shifting toward competency-based progression, greater accountability for student well-being and demonstrated learning, and more flexible reporting models. Abrams used examples from his work in Qatar and from a traditional gradebook to argue that students should advance by showing mastery rather than by time spent in class. Committee members responded with comments about the rigidity of traditional public schools, the flexibility of charter schools, and the need for options that fit different students, but no formal action was taken on the presentation.

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a first-year superintendent. I asked Jessica.
• When I would have students come in that were outside of my, OK, 9th grade goes here, 10th grade goes
• And we were told that we were the first group ever, first cohort that actually completed without being
• The next section is the first grader.
• First, I want, I do wanna say uh thank you, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it through third grade or is it through eighth grade? I just don't understand.
• </c> kindergarten through 8th grade. kindergarten through 8th grade.
• So the first part is just play-based learning, and that's through third grade, and then the recess is
• up until 8th grade.
• This meant not just being a rock star at his own recess, but getting to come out once a week to first-grade

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We will now go into executive session, first on House Bill 2863.
• Oh, well, we first got to move it to due pass. So I move that 2867 be voted due pass.
• A school district may allow a student in grade 9 to complete the credit of personal...
• the counselor could approve a student in grade 9, as early as grade 9, to complete the course as well
• 9, I believe the bill state, this is a required course, half a credit course beginning in grade 10,

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So first up is our docket 0805-2501, and we'll ask Mr.
• The first one—sorry, I don't have the page number up—is the first mention of the State Board of Education
• four social studies and grade six through 12 U.S. history one.
• four and grade six through 12 U.S. history.
• So this is grade four social studies.

Summary: The Senate Education Committee took up a series of State Board of Education rule dockets, most of them described by presenters as cleanup or clarification changes. Nicholas Wagner first presented a repeal of the pay-for-success contracting rule because it duplicated statute and had never been used; the committee approved the repeal. He also explained a cleanup to the Career Technical Centers rules to remove duplicative language tied to the federal Perkins 5 law and to delete an unnecessary reference to “data,” and that docket was approved as well. Greg Wilson then presented several dockets on uniformity, educator ethics, special education, and thoroughness. The uniformity changes were mostly technical edits, including abbreviating State Board of Education to SBOE and adding “standard” to a Career Technical Education certificate title; the committee approved that docket. On the Code of Ethics for Idaho Professional Educators, Wilson said the revisions came from the Professional Standards Commission and public comment, and included limits on digital communication with students to district-approved devices and platforms, plus other clarifications about misuse of school property and public funds; the committee approved it. He also described a temporary special education rule and a pending special education manual update intended to bring Idaho into compliance with federal IDEA requirements after an OSEP letter, including changes to specific learning disability criteria and dual enrollment, and the committee approved both the temporary and pending special education dockets. The final major item was the pending social studies standards under rules governing thoroughness. Wilson said the Legislature had rejected prior revisions, so the standards were reworked through a summer process with educators and outside reviewers. He said grade 4 social studies and U.S. history standards were revised, and a new 9-12 Western Civilization section was added. The committee approved the social studies docket, then corrected and re-approved an earlier docket number to ensure the record was accurate. The meeting ended with the chair noting the committee would discuss the budget the next day and then adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to first start with HB 987 with Chairman McFarlane.
• We have heard of eighth-grade and ninth-grade students who are already being influenced and asked to
• It was in eighth grade.
• First, the resolution’s language is vague.
• My fourth-grade son is 10 years old.

Bills: HCR26, HB113, HB380, HB392, HB476, HB513, HB608, HB682, HB905, HB987

Keywords: human growth, development education, prenatal education, state standards, biological science, grading scale, education reform, students, public schools, academic policy, community college, technical education, pilot program, driver training, transportation, Safe Haven Law, flyers, child safety, infant relinquishment, name image likeness

Transcript Highlights:

• They’re mad at us because, age-wise, should be in the seventh, eighth grade, reads at a first-grade level
• as opposed to being in the grade level because the best reading teachers in the world are first-, second
• in the first place.
• Here's the old rule: first hired, first fired. That's not what the law says now.
• grade, the one second grade, the one third grade, the one algebra, one teacher, the one biology.

Summary: The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee met to discuss the needs of rural school districts and the role of Florida’s three regional education consortia: the Panhandle Area Education Consortium, Northeast Florida Educational Consortium, and Heartland Educational Consortium. Executive directors and several rural superintendents described the consortia as member-led organizations that provide shared services, professional learning, leadership development, grant support, cooperative purchasing, risk management, IT/cybersecurity help, and back-office assistance that small districts could not afford to provide on their own. They emphasized that rural districts are often very small, have limited staff, and must still meet the same state reporting and compliance requirements as large urban systems. Testimony focused heavily on teacher recruitment and retention, alternative certification, and the difficulty of staffing specialized roles such as CFOs, MIS directors, IT staff, and content-area teachers. Superintendents said many new hires are career changers or alternatively certified teachers who need consortium-supported training, and several argued for more flexibility in funding so districts can raise salaries and compete with neighboring districts and nearby states. Members also asked about the impact of declining enrollment, homeschooling, and voucher-related school choice; superintendents said those trends are reducing FTE and creating budget instability, while also requiring districts to right-size staff and programs. Several speakers described the financial strain on rural districts, including rising insurance costs, transportation costs, and the challenge of forecasting budgets when enrollment changes after the school year begins. One superintendent recounted major hurricane damage and said consortium risk-management support was essential to recovery. Others said the consortia help districts pool resources for property and health insurance, payroll, student data systems, and procurement, and that this shared approach saves money and improves services. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• And with that, we'll get to our first question.
• So it's not that low across all grades.
• We moved her from teaching fifth grade.
• She moved the fifth-grade classroom up from—or not 5th grade, I think K-5—she moved to elementary school
• Here in Las Cruces, my first year, as I was in my entry plan, one of the first things that I focused

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> first on the list is Kique Rogers. first on the list is Kique Rogers.
• Why it starts in sixth grade?
• Why it starts in sixth grade?
• [Music] The first bill is the vehicle bill. I have a vehicle bill first. Okay. All right.
• For grades 9 through 12.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We have start first from Kyua Kona.
• Our first group are eighth names.
• </c> grade students at YNI elementary school. grade students at YNI elementary school.
• </c> mentor, and fifth grade level chair. mentor, and fifth grade level chair.
• Erin is a first-grade teacher whose approach to education focuses on meeting students where they are

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Clerk, please call the first bill. >> Representative here.
• Clerk, please call the first agenda. Clerk, please call the first bill.
• </c><00:22:37.200><c> semester</c> um program where the first semester um program where the first semester
• There study is actually in third grade.
• </c> go out through AMSI to our third grade go out through AMSI to our third grade teachers.<00:33:36.080

Bills: HB187, HB98, HB360, HB394, HB398, HB388, HB187, HB98, HB360, HB394, HB398, HB388

Keywords: school safety, emergency response, training, public safety, Alyssa's Law, law enforcement, scholarship, tuition assistance, dependent education, Alabama, blackout license plate, HB360, Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday, sales tax holiday, firearms, guns, ammunition, bullets, primers, gun accessories

Transcript Highlights:

• First up, we have Dr.
• But you mentioned 11th grade, and just any insights into why 11th grade and not 9th?
• </c><00:30:00.080><c> and</c> policy but you mentioned 11th grade and policy but you mentioned 11th grade
• </c> just any insights into why 11th grade just any insights into why 11th grade and<00:30:03.640><c>
• </c> use in classrooms for students in Grade use in classrooms for students in Grade 9<00:51:29.359><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They should come out of college knowing how to teach reading in first grade, for example.
• First of all, holding a student back who cannot read in third grade is not punishment.
• compared to first grade for literacy scores.
• compared to first grade for literacy scores.
• Who's our first speaker? Our first speaker, Mr. Chairman, is James Rogers.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The first in this group is...
• More specifically, teachers can teach in a grade above or below the area or the grade that they were
• Twenty-five first-time teachers who were teaching for the first time in the 2025 school year felt more
• The first of the first of... And now I turn to comparing Arkansas to two subsets of states.
• Okay, so the first one is on page 14. Okay, so the first one is on page 14 or slide number 27.

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a Legislative Audit presentation summarizing Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions for fiscal year 2025. Auditors said the department distributed about $4.6 billion in grants overall, including $3.2 billion from the Public School Fund, $1.1 billion in federal funds, and $268 million from other state and miscellaneous sources, across 56 Public School Fund programs, 14 other state programs, and 29 federal programs. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, master principal bonuses, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; audit staff and Department of Education representatives explained that the report was only a distribution summary and not a recipient-level audit. Members also questioned why many districts showed lower funding, and staff said the decline was largely due to reduced federal and one-time COVID-related funds. Senators and representatives also discussed whether some incentive programs, such as master principal and national board bonuses, were tied to student outcomes, and whether Economics Arkansas was the sole entity named in special language for financial literacy funding; department staff said they would follow up on several details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on consumer price index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global, with discussion of CPI-U and core CPI estimates for future fiscal years. Dr. Carlos Silva explained that the forecasts generally trend toward about 2 percent over time and that recent projections may have understated actual inflation because of recent shocks. Members asked about the accuracy of past projections, and he said he would provide more detail later if needed. The bulk of the meeting focused on the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with a statewide student-to-teacher ratio of about 14 to 1, average teaching experience of 11.9 years, and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found that districts with higher poverty and minority concentrations generally had less experienced teachers, and that teacher shortages remained widespread, especially in special education, math, science, and foreign language. Members asked about licensure exceptions, alternative preparation pathways, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, and the cost and return on investment of traditional versus alternative routes. Staff said some licensure exceptions are being phased out under Act 304 of 2025 and that they would follow up on several requested details. The report also found that teacher retention averaged 87 percent statewide in 2025, with districts retaining teachers at higher rates than charters, and that 30 percent of surveyed teachers were considering leaving the profession. Principals and teachers identified school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the strongest negative factors. On salaries, BLR reported a statewide average teacher salary of $60,254 in 2025, with districts averaging $60,458 and charters $55,724. Arkansas ranked 45th nationally on average teacher salary in 2025, though its cost-adjusted ranking improved to 36th; among SREB states it ranked 12th, and among neighboring states it ranked fourth. Members asked about starting salaries, salary compression, district step increases, and whether the report should be shared more broadly with educators and school leaders. Staff said they would provide follow-up information on several questions, and the committee took no formal action beyond receiving the presentations and asking for additional data.

Transcript Highlights:

• A little bit of background first: the state does require that schools provide arts education to grades
• First, the optimism.
• First, the optimism.
• first through sixth.
• And that was third grade. Third and fourth grade is my favorite level.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism and the Assembly Education Committee held a joint informational hearing on implementation of Proposition 28, the 2022 voter-approved arts education funding measure. Chairs emphasized the goal of understanding how the roughly $900 million to nearly $1.1 billion annual funding stream is being used, whether it is supplementing rather than supplanting existing arts programs, and what reporting or guidance improvements may be needed. The Legislative Analyst’s Office reviewed the basic structure of Prop 28: funds are distributed 70% by enrollment and 30% by low-income student counts, 80% must generally be spent on staffing, districts may use up to 1% for administration, and annual local reports and audits are required. Members pressed the LAO on waivers, spending timelines, and whether smaller or rural districts face different challenges; the LAO said some waivers have been issued and that districts have three years to spend each allocation, but statewide data remain limited. WestEd, Create California, and the California County Superintendents described early implementation findings and concerns. Their testimony said schools are using funds for arts materials, staffing, expanded instruction, and field trips, and that many respondents saw positive effects on student access and engagement. At the same time, they reported confusion about allowable uses, supplement-versus-supplant rules, and the 80/20 staffing requirement, along with shortages of credentialed arts teachers and uneven access across districts. Create California argued that Prop 28 has generated optimism but also uncertainty, especially for community arts organizations that have seen reduced contracts as districts bring services in-house. County superintendents and researchers called for clearer statutory guidance, stronger technical assistance, better statewide data, and more support for teacher credentialing pathways. District and county officials then described local implementation. Long Beach Unified said it moved quickly to full implementation, using Prop 28 to expand elementary and secondary arts offerings, hire 56 certificated staff and more than 120 classified coaches, and develop a five-year arts strategic plan tied to equity goals. Butte County and other rural representatives said Prop 28 has enabled restored or expanded programs, including arts teachers, theater, and music offerings, but rural districts still struggle to recruit credentialed staff and to make small allocations workable across large distances. The California Music Educators Association echoed those themes, saying members report both new positions and supplies as well as confusion, fear of audit findings, and inconsistent district guidance. Committee members asked about arts definitions, credentialing, rural pooling of funds, and out-of-state teacher credentials; witnesses said media arts are included, multiple credential pathways exist, and recent legislation has eased some out-of-state credential barriers. The hearing ended with public comment beginning after the panel discussions.

Transcript Highlights:

• document section of the first committee.
• You know, as we're talking about third-grade reading levels, one of the best indicators for third-grade
• by third grade.
• First of all, we look at enrollment.
• So that's the first thing that we look at.

Summary: The committee met to review the minutes and then held a workshop-style discussion with Arkansas Department of Education early childhood officials about the state’s early learning programs, funding, and access. Officials explained that the state-funded ABC program has been largely flat for years, rising from $11 million to about $14 million in 2018, while the federally funded SRA/CCDF side is much larger. They described differences between the programs, including ABC’s 10-month school-year structure, current enrollment of about 23,000 children in ABC and about 14,871 in SRA, and a SRA wait list that has grown to roughly 2,971 children. Members raised concerns about rural access, school-based versus community-based providers, reimbursement rates, and the need to align early childhood funding with K-12 and kindergarten readiness goals. A major topic was the recent $14.741 million PDG B-5 competitive grant. Officials said it is a one-year systems-building grant, not a direct services grant, and will support local leads, CLASS observations, workforce efforts, and data systems while helping offset some costs that otherwise would have been paid through CCDF. Members also discussed the end of a federal pre-K funding stream in June, with children either moving into ABC slots or requalifying for SRA, and the state’s new enrollment-based payment approach, which officials said saved about $576,000. The committee also heard that the current cost-of-care study is about three years old and that a new market-rate survey is being planned. Several members questioned dual enrollment in home visiting/HIPPY and ABC, with officials saying about 1,200 children are enrolled in both and that limiting double enrollment could save about $2.4 million and affect roughly 470 children. Members also asked about provider closures after rate changes; officials said eight providers cited funding as a reason for closing, while 26 new providers have been added under the new rates. The discussion ended with broad agreement that the committee should continue regular updates, keep providers and families informed, and explore policy changes, waivers, and possible state investments to improve stability, access, and quality in early childhood education.

Transcript Highlights:

• So at the elementary level, first, foremost, and always, I want the child to move out of third grade
• But when I say mastery, I don't simply mean you got a perfect grade or a good grade on a...
• When I say mastery, I don't simply mean you got a perfect grade or a good grade on a test.
• That was the first and greatest challenge.
• We moved to Caldwell in third grade. I'm a Valley View girl.

Keywords: 989, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee heard two gubernatorial appointments and one bill introduction. First, Pete Kohler was introduced as a nominee to the State Board of Education. He described a long career in the military and Idaho education, including service as an elementary teacher, principal, Nampa High School principal, Nampa superintendent, chief of staff at the State Department of Education, interim director of Veterans Affairs, and member of the Charter School Commission. In response to questions, he emphasized early reading mastery, stronger math and financial literacy, more career and technical education, more flexibility in high school pathways, and a focus on helping students think, persevere, and gain practical skills. He also discussed how he handled a major financial crisis as Nampa superintendent, saying he worked to stabilize payroll, avoid layoffs, negotiate with staff, and rebuild public trust. Committee members expressed support, but no vote was taken until the next meeting. The committee then heard from Jennifer White, nominated as executive director of the State Board of Education. White introduced several family members and outlined her background in Idaho, including her education, legal career, work in the Kempthorne and Risch administrations, private practice in Washington, D.C., and later roles at Boise State University. Senators praised her professionalism and prior testimony before JFAC, and she said she was eager to work with the board and superintendent to move education forward. As with Kohler, the committee did not vote on her nomination during this meeting. Finally, Senator Cook introduced RS 32954C1, a print request related to artificial intelligence in education. He said the measure was intended to help schools prepare students for AI while putting guardrails in place, similar to how education adapted to calculators, computers, and the internet. The committee moved the RS to print, and the motion passed unanimously.

Transcript Highlights:

• or third grade.
• That could be 10th grade, it could be second grade, it could be kindergarten, it could be whatever grade
• or second grade level, that was Chairman Dutton.
• Well, that's a question for someone above my pay grade, sir.
• Well, I just wondered if, first of all, I disagree.

Bills: HB295, HB824, HB1579, HB1581, HB2189, HB295

Keywords: bullying, antisemitism, school policies, school discipline, education, education policy, Texas Education Code, hate speech, student rights, civics education, high school curriculum, government, voting process, elected officials, Texas Seal of Biliteracy, biliteracy, bilingual education, multilingual, language proficiency, high school diploma

Transcript Highlights:

• Up first, we're going to have SB 1530 being presented by Moore.
• grade.
• And if they pass the third-grade reading test in the second grade, they'll still need to take the third
• grade because that's federal law.
• the test in the second grade.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on economic development, infrastructure, and education policy. SB 1530, described as a research and development ecosystem bill, would encourage universities, businesses, and industry to partner to strengthen Oklahoma’s high-tech economy; it passed 29-0. SB 1847, a measure aimed at helping Oklahomans avoid nursing home placement and reduce costs, also passed 29-0. SB 1990 would require the Incentive Evaluation Commission to send its annual report to the Secretary of State and expand its review of incentives to include broader comparative analysis and strategic economic goals; it passed 28-0. The committee also considered SB 2060, the Build Act, which is intended to help small towns finance upfront infrastructure costs for development. Members raised concerns about independent boards, debt, assessments, zoning authority, and accountability, and the author said an adopted amendment was meant to preserve city and county control over planning and infrastructure protections. The bill passed 22-5. SB 1992, a Department of Commerce cleanup bill, passed 27-2. Later, the committee took up SB 1579, a taxpayer bill of rights, which passed 26-0. SB 1778, agreed-upon reading legislation language that cleans up formulas and clarifies the SRA formula and related reading provisions, also passed 28-0. The chair noted upcoming longer Appropriations and J-CAB meetings and then adjourned the committee.