Transcript Highlights:

• I’m going to just move to Superintendent Brad Morgan, who’s with us virtually, I believe.
• Superintendent Morgan, are you there? I am. Can you hear me? Yes, we can. Please go ahead.
• Thank you, Superintendent Morgan.
• Wachusett cannot properly educate our students without an extreme burden to our local towns.
• I'm the superintendent of schools for the Spenser-Eastfield Regional School District.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education opened a hybrid public hearing on a large slate of bills related to school buildings, school finance, technology, data privacy, safety, and related education issues. Chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlined procedures for the hearing, including two-minute testimony limits and the plan to group similar bills together. Several bills drew no testimony and were closed without further discussion, while others drew extensive testimony from legislators, school officials, parents, advocates, and educators. A major theme was school safety and student well-being. Lori Al-Hadeth testified in support of bills on alert systems in public schools, describing the loss of her daughter in the Parkland shooting and urging adoption of Alyssa’s Law-style panic alert technology. Representative Gallagher and disability advocates also supported a bill authorizing, but not requiring, airway clearance devices in schools, arguing they could save lives in choking emergencies and provide an option for people who cannot use the Heimlich maneuver. Another bill on reducing cafeteria waste drew support from a legislator and a Lexington sustainability official, who said installing dishwashers during construction would reduce waste and long-term costs. Much of the hearing focused on Chapter 70 school funding and the inflation cap. Senator Pavel Payano, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Representative Senna, and multiple local officials and school committee members from Bridgewater, Chelsea, Groton-Dunstable, and other districts argued that the 4.5% cap on inflation adjustments has left schools underfunded during years of high inflation, forcing layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to programs and student supports. They urged bills to eliminate the cap, restore lost funding, increase the Commonwealth’s share of the foundation budget, or create commissions to study reforms. Testimony also highlighted the impact on special education, English learners, and low-income students, with Chelsea witnesses saying the cap has cost their district about $7 million annually. School construction and MSBA reform were the other major topic. AIA Massachusetts, Boston Public Schools, Lynn officials, and AFT Massachusetts described aging facilities, overcrowding, deferred maintenance, and the difficulty of financing new schools under current reimbursement rules. Boston officials said the district has many pre-World War II buildings and has only built a handful of new schools in decades, while Lynn leaders said reimbursement rates have fallen well below the statutory 80% because of caps and ineligible costs. Witnesses urged modernization of the MSBA program, higher reimbursement rates, and more resources for school construction. The committee also heard support for a bill to study the adequacy and equity of the school building program, and chairs indicated some bills would be closed after no one signed up to testify.

Transcript Highlights:

• $140 million in wages, translating to $23 million in federal taxes and $12.7 million in state and local
• Meanwhile, immigrant families are keeping local economies alive. Please support HB 124.
• of New Americans include New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California, and then there's some at the local
• It says charter schools as well as district superintendents. So that's what the amendment says.
• So that's why it's school district superintendents and charter school head administrators.

Committee: House House Government, Elections & Indian Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendent Aaron Kalanski. Thank you. Hi. Here. Superintendent Aaron Kalanski. As a. Yeah.
• I'm always willing to speak to the principals and superintendents.
• a local rabbi after each individual incident is not adequate.
• Local residents acted quickly, and CCAA put together a meeting with locals to discuss the plan and prepare
• Lee is the head of the superintendents' association.

Summary: The meeting was a special commission hearing on antisemitism held off-site at Kerem Shalom Synagogue in Concord, with commissioners approving prior minutes and noting a quorum, a rescheduled October 27 meeting, and the addition of a new commissioner. The co-chairs and host speakers emphasized the personal and communal significance of holding the hearing in a synagogue and the importance of confronting antisemitism while protecting free speech, academic freedom, and civil discourse. The commission heard from former SJC Justice and current UMass General Counsel David Lowy, who discussed the IHRA definition of antisemitism, said its use as nonbinding guidance does not raise First Amendment concerns, and described UMass’s response to a discriminatory academic conference policy. Commissioners also asked about campus speaker vetting, protest rights, and university practices for addressing antisemitism and protecting students’ access to education. District Attorney Marian Ryan testified about restorative justice as a tool for addressing hate incidents, saying it can help victims be heard, reduce reoffending, and be used in criminal, school, and community settings. She described local programs, online reporting forms, and the need for better statutory tools, including changes to restitution and education requirements in hate-crime cases. Commissioners asked whether restorative justice affects charging decisions, and Ryan said it should not alter whether a hate crime is investigated or charged. She also identified model programs and said the commission’s work aligns with the national strategy it is charged with implementing. Three rabbis then described the rise in antisemitic incidents in schools and communities, the emotional toll on Jewish families, and the need for stronger school responses, clearer language in incident communications, and better training for educators. Rabbi Brad David recounted repeated incidents in Acton-Boxborough and praised the district’s improved partnership and response, while Rabbi Tom Shah described parental anxiety, concerns about classroom materials lacking context, and the need for balanced instruction. The rabbis also discussed synagogue security costs and measures, including volunteer security teams, police support, grants, and physical protections. Commissioners said the testimony would inform forthcoming recommendations, and DESE staff noted they are developing instructional-materials guidance and a rubric for educators. The final witness, Professor Christina Miller, outlined hate-crime prosecution issues in Massachusetts, including mixed-motive cases, the need for clearer statutes and jury instructions, better training for police and clerk magistrates, guidance on sentencing and diversity-awareness programs, and the use of community impact statements.

Transcript Highlights:

• Next vote will be for local application. Clerk, members will vote.
• Local application is applied to HB496.
• I would think and hope that most of these superintendents... ... hope that most of these superintendents
• You're the superintendent. You tell me. I'm the principal.
• Like I could live with the administrator knowing and the superintendent knowing, but at what... ...superintendent

Bills: HJR 99 , HB 1399 , HB 1400 , HB 1094 , HB 365 , HB 1109 , HB 647 , HCR 35 , SB 14 , HB 12 , HB 1522 , HB 422 , HB 675 , HB 204 , HB 748 , HB 912 , HJR 99 , HB 1399 , HB 1400 , HB 1094 , HB 365 , HB 1109 , HB 647 , HCR 35 , HCR 123 , HCR 124 , HR 57 , HR 87 , HR 111 , HR 228 , HR 230 , HR 322 , HR 624 , HR 625 , HR 626 , HR 627 , HR 628 , HR 630 , HR 631 , HR 634 , HR 635 , HR 636 , HR 637 , HR 638 , HR 639 , HR 640 , HR 645 , HR 646 , HR 648 , HR 649 , HR 651 , HR 652 , HR 653 , HR 654 , HR 664 , HR 665 , HR 668 , HR 675 , HR 676 , HR 678 , HR 679 , HR 680 , HR 683 , HR 686 , HR 688 , HR 689 , HR 694 , HR 695 , HR 697 , HR 698 , HR 699 , HR 472 , HR 622 , HR 632 , HR 633 , HR 643 , HR 655 , HR 657 , HR 660 , HR 661 , HR 662 , HR 663 , HR 667 , HR 670 , HR 674 , HR 681 , HR 682 , HR 696

Transcript Highlights:

• So now I'm starting to wonder, okay, when it comes to local control, I feel like local control has kind
• Clay, the school superintendent for Cochise County.
• The superintendent asked questions, and it was very, very robust conversation.
• Can you tell us, is the new superintendent system more effective?
• Their local PSAP and their local municipality, the police department, would be the ones that had to be

Committee: Joint Joint Legislative Audit Committee

Summary: The committee began with opening remarks about moving to a monthly, two-hour schedule for more timely and focused oversight of Auditor General findings. Members also recognized Melanie Chesney for 32 years of service to the Office of the Auditor General, with several speakers praising her work and her role in strengthening the relationship between the Auditor General’s office and J-LAC. The main agenda item was the Auditor General’s December 2025 special audit on the school safety interoperability fund and interoperable communication systems. Staff reported that about $26 million had been allocated to 14 law enforcement agencies for systems intended to improve real-time communication between schools and first responders. The audit found that all 14 agencies used the money for interoperable systems, but four agencies allowed private or tribal schools to participate contrary to statute, and several agencies failed to submit required annual expenditure reports. It also found that none of the three systems reviewed met every statutory requirement as written, in part because some requirements were vague or interpreted differently by vendors and agencies. The audit recommended that agencies recover and report any improper benefit to non-public schools, avoid using fund money for ongoing costs tied to non-public school participation, submit missing reports, and improve cost planning and contract monitoring; it also recommended that the legislature clarify eligibility for private and tribal schools and revisit unclear system requirements. The audit further found procurement and contracting problems at nine of 14 agencies, including weak or missing sole-source justifications, contracts that lacked accountability and termination provisions, and poor documentation of pricing and deliverables. Several agencies had not planned for ongoing annual costs, which the audit estimated could range from about $16,000 to $382,000 per rural county depending on the system. In the discussion, members expressed frustration with sole-source contracting and lack of documentation, and some said they would oppose future vendor bills without competitive bidding and stronger payment controls. The auditor also described mixed system performance: some agencies reported useful features such as panic alerts, camera access, and map sharing, but other systems were not fully functional or had never been implemented. The committee then heard from the Arizona Sheriffs’ Association, whose president said sheriffs support the goal of improving school safety, described county implementation challenges, and defended the use of local staff to manage the projects, while acknowledging that smaller counties face staffing and connectivity limits.

Transcript Highlights:

• And my apologies, Superintendent. Madam Chair, I didn't see Superintendent Tyler there.
• </c><00:05:27.039><c> If</c> superintendent, Dr. Michael Douglas. If superintendent, Dr.
• And my apologies, Superintendent. Madam Chair, I didn't see Superintendent Tyler there.
• I was elected Is everyone superintendent here? Then Is everyone superintendent here?
• </c> And my my my apologies, Superintendent. And my my my apologies, Superintendent.

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• The bill also preserves local flexibility.
• Participation by local educational agencies is entirely voluntary, and the bill preserves local flexibility
• There are lots of opportunities with local government offices or other organizations, local water districts
• , or local conservation groups.
• If there aren’t any local ones, look online.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a long slate of education bills, beginning with SB 685 on nonpublic schools for students with disabilities. Senator Cortese and the California Department of Education described the bill as a response to the Ninth Circuit’s Laughman decision, removing the obsolete “non-sectarian” requirement while preserving secular use of public funds, nondiscrimination protections, background checks, credentialing, and incident reporting. There was no opposition, and the bill later passed 7-0 to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 1181, a pilot grant program for violence prevention, student wellness, and school safety in Central Valley and other schools. Supporters framed it as a prevention measure, while opponents from EFF, ACLU Cal Action, and community advocates warned it could increase law enforcement involvement, surveillance, and use of fusion centers; despite those concerns, it ultimately passed 5-0 to Appropriations. Members then considered SB 1067, which would create a statewide framework for annual K-2 math assessments starting in 2028-29 to identify students needing early intervention. The author and supporters argued California faces a serious math achievement crisis and that early assessment would help close gaps, while CTA and several educators and administrators sought additional clarity and amendments to ensure alignment with existing diagnostic practices and limits on high-stakes use. The bill drew broad support from educators, parents, and advocacy groups and passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 1107, a school shade-structure bill, would expand eligible shade projects and allow bundling through design-build to reduce costs; it received support from LAUSD, school boards, and climate-focused groups and passed 7-0. SB 1128, on take-home devices and screen time for kindergarteners, was presented as a modest first step to give families more flexibility and reduce early screen exposure, with support from early childhood advocates and no opposition, and it passed 7-0. The committee also approved SB 1048, creating a voluntary State Seal of Climate Literacy for students who complete climate coursework and hands-on projects. Supporters, including Ten Strands, students, teachers, and county offices, said it would recognize real-world climate learning and green career readiness; it passed 7-0. SB 1140, sponsored by CFT, would require LEA construction contractors to follow campus security provisions during school projects to reduce unauthorized access; it drew support from labor and gun violence prevention groups and passed 7-0. SB 930, requiring end-to-end encryption for proctoring companies handling K-12 exam data, was presented as a student privacy measure in response to cybersecurity risks and passed 6-0. Finally, SB 1083 was introduced by Senator Perez as a follow-up to last year’s Safe Learning Environments Act, with extensive committee amendments to refine the statewide misconduct data system, disclosure rules, contractor fingerprinting, and access requirements; the transcript cuts off before the bill’s full hearing and vote are shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the Superintendent of the Regulation and Licensing Department.
• I'm the superintendent, but I'm also CID and MHD director.
• Thank you, Superintendent, for the presentation.
• The Superintendent mentioned that there's not Thank you, Representative.
• Superintendent. Do you have anything to add, Madam Chair?

Committee: House House Appropriations & Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• Michael Ogas, Superintendent, School of Dreams Academy.
• So we would probably, I want to ask the superintendent how many seatings you have.
• Chair, while John is working on the calculation, I appreciate that, Superintendent.
• I see our superintendent, Brian Left, back there.
• Chair, I don't know if Superintendent Luck would like to say anything since he's here.

Committee: House Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:13:10.560><c> particularly</c> think school superintendent particularly think school superintendent
• Local boards retain full authority over scheduling and may adopt release time policies to meet local
• <c> authority</c><00:15:26.399><c> over</c> Local boards retain full authority over Local boards retain
• And with policies to meet local needs.
• </c> are some outlets there where the local are some outlets there where the local boards<00:32:08.799

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• So charter school head administrators and superintendents will choose their peers from these two groups
• The amendment assures quarterly collaboration with superintendents and charter school leaders, where
• through a mandated quarterly superintendent meeting.
• Bonnie Lightfoot, School Superintendents and NEMSEL.
• Superintendent White, good morning. You have up to two minutes. Welcome. Good morning, Mr.

Bills: HB30 , HB120 , HJR1 , SB210 , SB306

Committee: House House Education

Keywords: teacher residency, Teacher Residency Act, public schools, teacher preparation, educator pipeline, teacher recruitment, teacher retention, student teachers, apprenticeship, co-teaching, mentor teachers, residency stipend, teacher salary, level one teacher, charter schools, school districts, New Mexico education, teacher workforce, principal stipend, cohort model

Transcript Highlights:

• Superintendent Kane, is that you? Can you hear us? Yeah, yeah. Superintendent, you're muted.
• Would you please, Superintendent?
• Yeah, are we losing the Superintendent, Shirley? Are we losing you, Superintendent, in time?
• Is that not right, Superintendent? Yes, Mr. Chair. Superintendent, you're absolutely correct.
• No other superintendents have tried. I understand that Superintendent Cain is trying.

Committee: House Courts, Corrections & Justice Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• And so in my mind, I read More in our local media about that.
• We'll now go to the office of the Superintendent of Insurance.
• So, let's wait to hear from the superintendent.
• And with that, I'm hoping the superintendent will join us soon.
• Until we get the actuary in here, and then we'll get the superintendent.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• eligibility, and allows live-local or non-industrial and do not unintentionally trigger local eligibility
• They sued the superintendent because the superintendent was trying really, really hard to incentivize
• I have several family members who work for our local school board.
• Thank you, Superintendent, for your service.
• Superintendent Gray, are you here? Okay. Okay.

Summary: The committee took up a long agenda of bills, beginning with several measures that were amended and reported favorably, including a strike-all to SB 4 on child protective investigations and specific medical diagnoses, SB 1570 restoring a statewide missing-persons project for individuals with special needs, and SB 182 creating a teacher training and mentoring program for schools needing improvement. Members also advanced SB 794 on APD background screening and support coordination standards, SB 1168 on background screening for athletic coaches and related entities, and SB 214 to let rural special districts pay verified invoices directly for state- and federally funded work. Supporters emphasized improved child welfare investigations, help for families of vulnerable individuals, teacher retention, and better administrative efficiency; the APD bill drew especially strong testimony from waiver clients and providers about the importance of competent support coordinators and stable services. The committee also favorably reported SB 1376 on grants for genetic counseling education, SB 1574 requiring newborn screening for biliary atresia, SB 1510 as the DEP agency package with environmental, septic, water quality, solar, and permitting changes, and SB 598 updating funeral and cemetery licensing and consumer protections. SB 688, after a delete-all amendment, would create licensure for naturopathic doctors and a board of naturopathic medicine; it drew strong support from naturopathic advocates and sharp opposition from a critic who argued the bill would authorize diagnosis and treatment beyond appropriate limits. SB 1318 made a technical change to scholarship account reversion language, with senators clarifying that remaining funds would return to the scholarship funding organization for future use rather than to the state. Later, the committee approved SB 682 on domestic violence and protective injunctions, SB 130 on workforce training for current and former inmates, and SB 1548, the latest Live Local Act iteration expanding affordable housing options and limiting local barriers. It also reported favorably SB 536 on criminal gang membership criteria after extensive debate about constitutional issues and modern gang activity, SB 762 allowing cross-jurisdiction assignment of capital cases among regional conflict counsel offices, SB 1332 strengthening career offender registration requirements, SB 1742 creating a new offense for indecent exposure of sexual organs to a minor, and SB 1750 increasing penalties for serious sex offenses and child sexual abuse material crimes. The most contentious discussion came on SB 1226, which would overhaul Public Employee Relations Commission rules, require majority support for union certification, and impose new limits on union activities and dues-related practices; members debated constitutional concerns, differences between first responders and other public employees, and the bill’s impact on union representation and public-sector labor rights. Most bills were reported favorably by roll call, with SB 536 drawing several no votes and SB 1226 still under active debate at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um we we don't want to harm Um we we don't want to harm local local local um<00:33:12.159><c> business
• I'm the superintendent of Jones.
• </c> small government and local um decisions. small government and local um decisions.
• </c> decisions being made at a local level. decisions being made at a local level.
• </c> of superintendent. I wear lots of hats. of superintendent. I wear lots of hats.

Bills: SF0059 , SF0053

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• So, it is not. a sort of a local phenomenon.
• Our next panel, the superintendent of Compton Unified School District, Dr.
• Superintendent of general medical service. Superintendent Love.
• Superintendent Ahmadi.
• I'm Ashley Lugo on behalf of the California County Superintendents.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm Matt Davis, Superintendent of the Eldon School District, where I've been the Superintendent.
• I'm Matt Davis, Superintendent of the Eldon School District, where I've been the Superintendent for the
• But local school districts—no, local school districts do that at their own, kind of how they set that
• But local school districts, no local school districts do that at their own of kind of how they set that
• But again, locally, we all have our decision of local salary grant.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Transcript Highlights:

• Brandon Enos, proud superintendent. Lieutenant, Cushing ISD, East Texas.
• I serve as the superintendent for Cedars International Academy.
• Second, the bill removes local control, tying the hands of school boards and superintendents who are
• Removing local control undermines the ability of parents to advocate locally for what their children
• I've been the proud superintendent for six years.

Bills: HB2 , HB2

Committees: Senate Education , Senate Education K-16

Transcript Highlights:

• Leandro Thomas, the superintendent, and Wallace James, the school board president.
• being named Arizona Superintendent of the Year and a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year
• Now, many have said, well, what about local control?
• This is local control. This empowers the most local decision maker possible, the individual.
• And that superintendent got a raise. Let that sink in.

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, attendance, and a series of guest introductions and recognitions, including Doctor of the Day Dr. Eric Osowski, State Farm visitors, Donate Life Day participants, and representatives from Ganado and Chinle Unified School Districts. The chamber also read proclamations honoring Ganado Unified for the ASBA Golden Bell Promise Program Award and Chinle Unified for multiple academic and cultural achievements, including national recognition for Chinle Elementary School and district leadership. The body then moved through committee and floor business, including consent for the Senate to adjourn, first and second readings of several bills, and a motion to reconsider HB 2429. In Committee of the Whole, HB 2093 was amended to restore mental health instruction while removing social emotional learning, HB 2229 advanced after debate over reproductive health and abortion-related provisions, HB 2429 and HB 2950 were amended and recommended do pass, and HB 4136 also advanced as amended. The House adopted the Committee of the Whole report and referred the measures to engrossing. The chamber then considered HB 4001, a bill regulating alternative nicotine products, with amendments and debate focused on licensing, enforcement, youth access, and whether to add a tax or education provisions; the bill was recommended do pass as amended. It also debated HB 4030 and the related HCR 2052, both aimed at limiting municipal tax and fee increases and allowing increases tied to inflation or new water-source costs. Amendments offered by Democrats to redirect the measures toward affordability, housing, and health insurance claims were ruled out of order or defeated on roll-call votes, while the Olson substitute amendments prevailed. The House ultimately adopted the Committee of the Whole report, sending HB 4001, HB 4030, and HCR 2052 forward as amended.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm the superintendent of Mosquero Schools.
• Whoever they choose to contract, that is a local decision. That remains a local decision.
• Local communities then that we need to look at, and I have complete faith in our local communities, articulating
• So does this bill take away local control? Bill take away local control or limit local control, Mr.
• I think that if there was more local participation, if there was more local knowledge of what was happening

Bills: HB2 , SB204 , SB241 , HB34

Committee: House House Education

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 253, as substituted, which would create a framework for full-time virtual/distance learning programs in New Mexico. Sponsors and agency witnesses said the bill is intended to preserve virtual options while adding approval, reporting, and compliance requirements, including definitions for distance learning programs, annual reporting, renewal every three to five years, and a pause on new programs while existing ones are grandfathered for a period. They also said the bill addresses budget concerns by limiting enrollment growth units and excluding distance-learning students from certain funding calculations, including rural population units, to prevent unexpected losses in the state equalization guarantee. Public testimony was sharply divided. Supporters included district superintendents and education officials who said the bill is needed to protect school funding, improve accountability, and gather basic data that the state currently lacks. Opponents included parents, students, teachers, charter-school representatives, and business and advocacy voices who argued virtual education has been lifesaving for medically fragile, bullied, rural, neurodivergent, and working students, and that the bill’s caps, geographic limits, and approval authority would reduce school choice and could eliminate some programs. Several witnesses stressed that virtual charter schools such as Pecos Cyber Academy and New Mexico Connections would not be affected, while others said the bill still reaches too broadly. Committee members raised extensive questions about the 10% enrollment cap, the adjacent-district requirement, the denial-and-appeal process, the treatment of charter schools versus district programs, and the effect on rural or small districts. Witnesses explained that the bill is meant to be temporary, with an interim study in 2026 to develop longer-term policy, but some members said they remained concerned about overreach and unintended consequences. No final vote or action on the bill was shown in the transcript excerpt.