Transcript Highlights:

• Moving to page 80, there's also an endorsement to strengthen teacher preparation in residence.
• The residency stipends that are already being paid out of both those level one teachers.
• They still have to have the same teachers and the same teacher-student ratio.
• I'm looking at teacher recruitment. I was trying to find the line items specifically.
• I think line item 91 and line item 155 talked about the Growing Your Teachers fellows.

Committee: Senate Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> true with um education freedom accounts. true with um education freedom accounts.
• We still have teachers' costs.
• We still have teachers' costs.
• We still have teachers' costs.
• </c> expenses were not taken into account. expenses were not taken into account.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> around assessment and accountability around assessment and accountability data.<00:13:32.720><c>
• </c><01:19:09.360><c> the</c><01:19:09.679><c> teacher</c> bill author that teacher the teacher bill
• Thank you. teachers definition. It adds just a few teachers definition.
• </c><02:02:08.239><c> teachers</c><02:02:08.560><c> should</c> So the teachers are the teachers should
• You want people held accountable, accountable, accountable, &gt;&gt; but<04:33:02.000><c> it's</c><04

Committee: House Education Policy and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• And it has the accountability council.
• </c> transparent accountability system that transparent accountability system that truly<00:52:17.200
• </c> increase in the accountability system. increase in the accountability system.
• </c> where we use math and reading teachers where we use math and reading teachers um<01:12:58.800><c
• Um, I'm an old teacher.

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• No one's held accountable.
• No one's held accountable.
• I'm a Jewish high school teacher in St. Louis.
• As far as I know, the teacher did not report this.
• This bill is about accountability, and it's about equality.

Committees: House Emerging Issues , House Emerging Issues and Professional Registration

Transcript Highlights:

• It comes to about $70,785, and that's taking into account all the generated teachers through your model
• taking in account all the generated<00:31:20.000><c> teachers</c><00:31:20.399><c> through</c><00:31
• co-teacher, a math teacher, and a science teacher.
• co-teacher, a math teacher, and a science teacher.
• co-teacher, a math teacher, and a science teacher.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> for teacher standard board. for teacher standard board.
• </c> teacher who is working with the teacher. teacher who is working with the teacher.
• . teachers. teachers.
• </c> for every type of teacher. for every type of teacher.
• </c><01:23:15.920><c> or</c><01:23:16.080><c> teacher</c> >> Um, 300 uh student teachers or teacher high

Bills: HB2185 , HB2621 , HB2179 , HB2534 , HB2168 , HB2427 , HB2560 , HB2565 , HB2172 , HB2298 , HB2304

Committee: Senate Education

Transcript Highlights:

• I absolutely take into account the opposition statement.
• I'm also a fifth grade teacher, a former fifth grade teacher, and current California parent of two teenagers
• Without the teachers, the students can't learn. So let's take care of those teachers, number one.
• Without the teachers, the students can't learn. So let's take care of those teachers, number one.
• make sure that those teachers are at 75%.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The committee heard several education-related bills. SB 1154 would allow community college districts to use best-value procurement for public works projects over $1 million. The author and community college supporters argued it would give colleges flexibility similar to K-12, UC, and CSU and help avoid delays and costly change orders. Contractors and electrical subcontractors opposed the bill, saying its skilled-and-trained workforce requirement and safety provisions would narrow competition and disadvantage small and nonunion firms. The bill passed the committee on a due-pass vote and was placed on call. SB 1347 would clarify that stock albuterol may be stocked in all public schools, including preschool programs. The author and a physician testified that the bill would remove confusion in existing law and improve access to emergency asthma medication for students. School nurses, respiratory care advocates, and small school districts supported the measure, and there was no opposition. The bill passed unanimously on a due-pass to the floor vote and was placed on call. SB 1222 would create a pilot program to designate a lead county office to help regions struggling with career technical education implementation. Supporters said many students remain disconnected from school and work and that the bill would spread proven regional CTE practices. Some committee members questioned whether another pilot was needed, arguing existing CTE programs need more funding and fewer new structures, while the author and sponsor said the bill would build regional capacity and share successful models. The bill passed to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. SB 1378 would create a California Excellence in Service Learning Designation Program to recognize schools and districts with strong service-learning programs. Supporters said it would validate existing work and encourage civic engagement, while one member raised concerns about adding more designations and workload for schools. The bill passed as amended to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. SB 1048 would create a Seal of Climate Literacy for high school students demonstrating climate science knowledge through coursework and hands-on learning. Supporters, including the Department of Education and climate education groups, said it would align students with growing clean-energy careers; some members cautioned against adding more curriculum-related seals and noted equity and implementation concerns. The bill passed to Senate Appropriations and was placed on call. Later, SB 1101, the Higher Education Data Sharing Transparency Act, was presented. It would require CSU, community colleges, independent colleges, and request UC to notify students, faculty, and staff when their personal information is shared with federal agencies such as the Office for Civil Rights, and to limit disclosure to what is legally required. Supporters said recent federal investigations and subpoenas have created fear and a lack of transparency on campuses. Committee discussion focused on subpoena authority, constitutional limits, and whether notice should be required; one member said she would abstain because of legal concerns, while another said the bill would continue to be examined in the next committee. The transcript ends during discussion of SB 1101 before a final vote is recorded.

Transcript Highlights:

• We passed accountability followed.
• </c> George Floyd, we built accountability George Floyd, we built accountability where<00:02:58.320><
• accountable accountable and<00:15:58.280><c> rectify</c><00:15:58.839><c> the</c><00:15:58.959><c> problems
• And so we again asked our teachers to pivot.
• That is equivalent to 40 teachers. That is equivalent to an entire elementary school.

Summary: Representative Cedric Frazier opened the meeting by describing the ongoing harms from Operation Metro Surge, saying the state was still dealing with family separation, school disruption, workforce damage, and economic instability. He framed the issue as a statewide crisis and called on Republican colleagues to acknowledge the harm and work with DFL members on accountability and relief. He said the current budget work was urgent but could not fully backfill the damage, and later noted that the issue had been a top priority since the surge began. Testimony from school and business leaders focused on concrete impacts. Fridley Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Lewis said her district, which serves a large Black, Hispanic, and East and West African student population, was targeted during the surge and saw major enrollment losses, including students moving out of state or country or being held in Texas facilities. She said the district lost over $1 million in revenue and that the loss could equal about 40 teachers or an entire elementary school. Columbia Heights School Board Chair Mary Granlund said her district, with a limited tax base, was also heavily affected and warned that business closures and unfunded mandates would shift costs to homeowners and force cuts to classes, teachers, and programs. Lee Ann Rasiejka of Women Venture and the CDFI coalition said small businesses across Minnesota were facing compounded disruption from federal law enforcement activity, tariffs, rising costs, and fear, with more than $213 million in lost revenue reported across Twin Cities corridors and many businesses cutting hours, delaying hiring, or pausing growth. In response to questions, Frazier and other speakers said the proposed aid would be statewide rather than focused only on the Twin Cities, and that the bill currently had no set dollar amount but they hoped for around $100 million. They said CDFIs and local community groups would help distribute resources. Frazier said some Republican members had acknowledged harm in their own communities and suggested compromise was possible, though he criticized leadership for dismissing some testimony as hearsay. He also said ongoing law enforcement investigations into alleged crimes by federal agents would not be necessary to establish the harm, pointing instead to direct testimony from affected residents and school officials. No votes were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• We take part of our operational money, put it in a savings account or an investment account.
• </c><00:22:03.120><c> will</c> account or an investment account. will account or an investment account
• It holds Medicaid accountability.
• ><c> support</c><00:55:50.400><c> staff</c> Teachers and teachers and support staff Teachers and teachers
• </c> those into account. those into account.

Summary: The House convened with 97 members present, declared a quorum, approved excusing absent members, and suspended the rules to allow co-sponsorships and vote modifications. The journal for February 25, 2026 was approved. The clerk also reported that the Senate had passed Senate Bills 98 and 122 and requested concurrence. The House then received second-reading reports on a range of bills, including measures on prison educational programs, respiratory care, dietitians, wildlife depredation, temporary structures, military families, civil rights, local boards of education, light pollution, controlled-substance prescribing licenses, youth health services, class sizes for exceptional children, the athletic trainer compact, limited commercial driver’s licenses, and Senate Bill 145 relating to the Department of Agriculture and Alcohol Beverage Control. Committee reports moved several bills forward, including the main budget bills House Bill 500 and House Bill 504, along with measures on workforce investment, data centers, domestic violence, guardians ad litem, domestic relations, health delivery and “food is medicine” initiatives, state personnel, open records, and fish and wildlife resources. House Bill 500 and House Bill 504 were taken from the Rules Committee and placed on the orders of the day. House Bill 500, the executive branch budget bill, was then taken up for third reading and explanation. Members presented extensive floor explanations of House Bill 500 and House Committee Substitute 1, describing it as a “good first draft” of the executive budget. Supporters said the proposal emphasizes restrained spending growth, base reductions with exemptions for key areas, employee salary increments, and deposits to the Budget Reserve Trust Fund for future one-time investments. They highlighted funding for K-12 education, postsecondary aid and workforce training, Medicaid and behavioral health, public health infrastructure, pensions, veterans, public safety, economic development, tourism, and state technology and facility maintenance. The budget substitute was adopted by voice vote, and the discussion continued with detailed descriptions of the bill’s provisions; no final passage vote was shown in the excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• In the 2024-25 school year, ILA had 319 certified teachers, and most of those teachers work part-time
• in more detail in the report, that most education is delivered asynchronously, meaning that the teachers
• The first group are homeschool families who want additional structure, accountability, or teacher support
• But ILA, we found, primarily hires part-time teachers, and they're paid less than a full-time position
• It's administered by certified teachers within the state testing portal.

Committee: House Education

Transcript Highlights:

• are, you know, teacher training, the materials that they have, the templates that we might have as teachers
• For example, a blanket ban on AI may satisfy teachers who oppose AI, but it would alienate teachers who
• For example, a blanket ban on AI may satisfy teachers who oppose AI, but it would alienate teachers who
• A teacher-led exercise in the classroom.
• My APUS history teacher also does that.

Summary: The joint Senate and Assembly Education Committee hearing featured opening remarks from legislators welcoming students from the California Association of Student Councils and SABLE, with members emphasizing student voice and noting that several past student proposals had become law. The hearing then moved through multiple student panels presenting policy ideas, with members responding in a mix of support, technical questions, and cautions about cost, implementation, and tradeoffs in instructional time. The first panel proposed an annual civic engagement day for grades 7-12 to increase civic literacy and participation through flexible school-based activities. Members asked about costs, flexibility for sixth grade, voter registration, and how the proposal would fit within existing curriculum and standards. The second panel proposed amending Education Code Section 35012 to require at least one student board member in every unified and high school district, with added motioning rights and training on budgeting and LCAPs; members raised concerns about mandate costs, board size, and the scope of motioning authority. The third panel proposed middle school financial literacy instruction, potentially embedded in existing classes like math, with a 10-year phase-in for teacher training and curriculum updates; members questioned whether the state should wait for the already-approved high school financial literacy course to be implemented first. The fourth panel proposed expanding restorative justice by creating a CDE task force and authorizing PPS-certified staff to use restorative justice materials in discipline processes; members discussed prior legislation, confidentiality in expulsion hearings, and the likely cost of a state task force. The fifth panel proposed short, twice-a-semester mental health and life-skills sessions for grades 7-12, but members expressed skepticism that brief classroom sessions could meaningfully address mental health needs and suggested wellness centers or student-led awareness efforts instead. The hearing then began panel six on AI implementation in classrooms, with students arguing that districts need clearer guidance on AI use and that education must adapt rather than ignore the technology.

Transcript Highlights:

• The first they wanted to include, under the account...
• They could take an IDLA class perhaps if they didn't have a health teacher or a science teacher that
• Because it doesn't take into account that we had schools, at all because it doesn't take into account
• This body knows that I'm also a public school teacher.
• It strengthens self-government and accountability.

Transcript Highlights:

• So that does have to go into account.
• And you gave the example of a public school teacher.
• It says a teacher—I'm sorry, I'm on page 3, line 86.
• that teacher an abuser?
• Accountability is good for everyone.

Summary: The committee first continued the public hearing on House Bill 2897, which would expand optometrists’ authority to perform certain office-based procedures. Supporters, including an optometrist from rural Missouri, argued the bill would improve access to care in counties without resident ophthalmologists, reduce wait times and travel burdens, and better align scope of practice with optometry training. Opponents, including representatives of osteopathic physicians, raised concerns about patient safety, the lack of live-human-eye training in Missouri, and whether the bill would actually direct services to rural areas. The hearing then closed on HB 2897 without a vote. The committee next heard House Bill 2353 on interior designers’ licensure and sign-and-seal authority. The sponsor and supporters said the bill modernizes the profession, moves oversight under the state’s architecture/engineering board, and would let licensed interior designers stamp their own non-structural work after education, testing, and experience requirements. Supporters emphasized workforce retention, consumer savings, and that interior designers are trained in fire/life safety, ADA, and code compliance. Opponents from engineering groups said they were still negotiating language but objected to provisions that could be read to require interior designers for broad categories of buildings or blur boundaries with architecture and engineering; they asked for clearer scope language and continued collaboration. No final action was taken. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2241, which would create a framework for certain faith-based residential child care facilities to operate outside the standard foster care licensing system under a new oversight board. The sponsor said the bill is intended to address a shortage of foster placements while allowing Christian homes to maintain their religious mission, with background checks, inspections, and reporting still required. Supporters from Christian child care agencies said the bill would preserve religious freedom and expand placement capacity. Opponents, including child advocacy and child abuse prevention groups and several legislators, argued the proposal would create a separate, less accountable system for vulnerable children, weaken state oversight, and risk repeating past abuse scandals; they said existing licensing rules already allow faith-based providers to participate. The discussion was extensive, but no vote was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• I know it's been very popular with teachers throughout the state.
• In terms of the FISH Report, are we getting an adequate account?
• Our average teacher salary currently is about $55,000.
• But we do need to improve our teacher salaries.
• Is that truly what we're planning on doing for our teachers?

Committee: Senate Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

Transcript Highlights:

• They grow up in Tioga or Stanley, and maybe mom and dad are teachers, or a coach and a teacher, whatever
• We added in an AAS in accounting. We've had a long-time bachelor's degree in accounting.
• And their accounting practices.
• Accounting II.
• Be applied to your account.

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:

• This demonstrates both confidence and accountability.
• We are asking the state accountability.
• So I'm a special education teacher in elementary, and we are so focused on high-stakes accountability
• There is materials that go to the classrooms with the teachers in advance and post-truck visit.
• There is materials that go to the classrooms with the teachers in advance and post-truck visit.

Summary: The House Budget Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development met without a quorum and heard presentations on several workforce and school-safety funding requests. The first item was a proposal for a school mapping data program, presented by Rep. Steve Bratcher with law enforcement and mapping partners. They said the plan would move money to the 911 system so school maps could be embedded there and kept current for all schools, public and private, to improve response times and officer, student, and teacher safety. The request was described as a $10 million one-time appropriation, with an estimate that the work could be completed in about a year. The committee then heard testimony on the Be Proud Initiative, a mobile workshop program aimed at exposing students age 13 and up to skilled trades and related education and career opportunities. Speakers from the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, MI2, the Kentucky Treasury, and the Associated General Contractors said the program would improve perceptions of manufacturing, construction, and metals careers, connect students to training and employers, and help build the workforce pipeline. They said private industry would contribute $1 million in FY 2026-2027 before state funds are released, and requested $3 million in state funding in FY 2027-2028 contingent on that match. A Treasury official said handling the funds through the Treasury would have minimal impact on the office. Committee members responded favorably, including a comment from Rep. Bojanowski about the value of hands-on learning for students who struggle with test-focused instruction. Speakers also explained that the program includes classroom materials before and after the truck visit and ongoing outreach for students and parents. The final presentation was on an MI2 metals career pathway proposal, which cited economic impact data for Kentucky’s metals industry and asked for a $3 million one-time investment for FY 2027-2028 to pilot a middle- and high-school pathway in Carroll and Logan counties. The proposal would be matched by industry funds and used for curriculum, equipment, dual-credit and apprenticeship connections, student stipends, and parent outreach. The chair closed by noting it was the final scheduled meeting of the session and moved toward adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• of color and American Indian Teachers initiatives from Pelsby to MDE.
• Olsen, representing the Minnesota Science Teachers Association.
• I want to just thank the science teacher. Association for the feedback.
• Minnesota rule, we know that CTE teachers can have a variety of experience.
• And so I would really encourage you to look at that and listen to our teachers here.

Committee: House Education Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• , our teachers.
• Some teachers subscribe. and other teachers don't.
• This is a teacher compensation and teacher rights bill.
• teachers.
• And it takes into account that when this bill passes and is signed into law later this spring. teachers

Bills: SB26 , SB28 , SJR36 , SB26 , SB616 , SB565 , SB384 , SB28

Transcript Highlights:

• as a teacher, former teacher, my &gt;&gt; As a as a teacher, former teacher, my students<00:21:39.200
• </c> teachers?
• What are option for teacher teachers? What are option for teacher housing?
• </c><00:48:25.200><c> And</c> teachers to continue to be teachers.
• And teachers to continue to be teachers.

Bills: HB1559 , HB2012 , HB2297 , HB2122 , HB2345 , HB2398 , HB2534 , HB2621

Committee: Senate Education