Transcript Highlights:

• Equalization of the population in districts, not unlike federal districts as well as state districts.
• I represent District 1, and we have single-member districting in our community.
• turnout for their district.
• in that fifth district.
• favor poor districts versus the richer districts?

Summary: The subcommittee met to discuss Florida county commission districting options, with an overview from Ginger Delagall of the Florida Association of Counties. She explained the constitutional, statutory, local charter, and federal Voting Rights Act framework governing county commissions, including the default five-member at-large model for non-charter counties, the option for seven-member mixed boards with a referendum, and the broader flexibility available to charter counties, which can choose different board sizes, election methods, and term limits. She also described the current distribution of county structures across the state and noted a few counties in transition or litigation, including Orange, Lee, and Alachua. County commissioners from Bay, Madison, Pinellas, Polk, and Bradford counties testified about how their current systems work in practice. Commissioners from Bay and Polk defended at-large systems as promoting countywide accountability, broader perspective, and collaboration, especially in large or diverse counties. Commissioners from Madison and Bradford supported single-member districts as improving local access, clarity, and responsiveness, particularly in smaller rural counties. Pinellas Commissioner Dave Eggers described a mixed system in a large charter county and said it balances district-level responsiveness with countywide accountability. Several members asked about Orange County’s mayor-chair structure, the effects of single-member versus at-large representation, and whether counties had considered changing their systems. In questions and discussion, members raised concerns about accountability, representation, gerrymandering, countywide versus district-specific interests, and whether certain structures better serve rural or urban counties. Delagall said the association had not done cost or equity studies comparing systems. The panel repeatedly emphasized home rule and local choice, with commissioners and Delagall urging the Legislature to let counties and their voters decide their own form of government. No votes were taken on any bill or proposal, and the meeting ended with adjournment after the presentations and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's going to vary from district to district how much detail they put in.
• the district, and that is what I do for the district...” “...of the district does in regards to this
• the district...”
• one-school district.
• one-school district.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the smaller the district is, the more per ADM a district will receive.
• The aggregation benefits 26 districts. The disaggregation benefits 22 districts.
• resident district.
• for all the districts.
• I'm curious what your district and maybe what other districts are planning to do what other districts

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Districts can do more.
• District, Fort Worth Independent School District. school district, Isleta independent school district
• , El Paso independent school district, Aldine school district, a leaf independent school district, Garland
• In Academy ISD, we. share district boundaries with two large school districts.
• I'm sure some districts in this state, I can't speak for every district, some districts might choose

Bills: HB2, HB2

Keywords: public education, teacher compensation, certification, funding, school finance, educator rights, education funding, charter schools, staff compensation, state aid, retention allotment, disaster preparedness, emergency management, flooding, mass fatality, mass casualty, fatality tracking, body recovery, autopsy, justice of the peace

Transcript Highlights:

• One district... One district benefits from this, and that is Teton County School District No. 1.
• of the district.
• districts just...
• I do know that each district is very unique from other districts.
• districts?

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• an elementary school district that feeds up to a different district that’s a high school district.
• your discussion on district boundaries away from the district... ...on district boundaries away from
• Prescott Unified School District or the Wickenburg Unified District.
• district property.
• High School District.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Regional school district.
• A single van for in- or out-of-district placement can cost the district $65,000 to $75,000 plus.
• - and out-of-district placements.
• districts.
• suburban or rural district.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing focused primarily on H. 517/S. 314, a bill to provide a sustainable future for rural schools, and H. 697, a bill to require full funding of regional school transportation. Witnesses from rural districts, school committees, superintendents, students, and local officials described chronic underfunding, declining enrollment, high fixed costs, special education and transportation burdens, and the loss of programs, staff, and extracurriculars. Several speakers argued that rural aid should be funded at $60 million annually and made non-discretionary, while others emphasized that transportation reimbursement for regional districts has repeatedly fallen short of the state’s promise and is driving budget crises and overrides. A number of students testified in support of rural aid, describing cuts to classes, counselors, and activities, and the impact on their schools and communities. Committee members also discussed whether transportation policy should be revisited to address underlying cost drivers, including bus bidding practices and whether regional districts should have more flexibility in transportation requirements. The committee also heard H. 515, concerning Hancock Elementary School and a school choice-related exemption from a state requirement that has created a large financial burden for the district. Hancock’s superintendent and Rep. John Barrett explained that a decades-old regulation, recently enforced by DESE, would require Hancock to pay tuition for choice-in students through high school graduation even though the district only serves pre-K through grade 6 and sends its own students elsewhere for middle and high school. They said the rule creates a significant per-student shortfall and has forced Hancock to opt out of school choice. Committee members asked for clarification about how the arrangement works and how the costs fall on Hancock. Additional testimony supported related transportation bills for non-regional districts, especially Plymouth/Carver and North Middlesex, describing high and rising bus costs, special education and McKinney-Vento transportation expenses, and the strain on local budgets. Speakers repeatedly said that state reimbursement has not matched actual costs and that communities are being forced to choose between transportation and classroom services. No votes or final actions were taken in the hearing; the committee simply received testimony and closed the hearing on the bills discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• went to another district, or if he left a district and went to a charter.
• leaving that district.
• district, or maybe I left a district and went to a charter?
• For the district, they taught. the district and went to a charter?
• to district.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• aid in my district.
• The entire district substantially lowers the rates for members in that district.
• Jesse Bues, the fire district of the Cloquet Area Fire District. And Mr.
• ambulance special district aid. ambulance special district aid.
• Area the fire district of the Cloquet Area Fire<00:04:30.720> District.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• District.
• Would you say that the 29th district is a coalition district or a Latino majority district?
• districts.
• District 30 should be a majority African-American district.
• District 32.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• districts, housing districts, and economic development districts.
• . district. district.
• <00:04:38.200> and districts, housing districts, and districts, housing districts, and economic
• uh, districts. uh, districts.
• district or a housing district or an economic development district.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to district.
• to district.
• receive districts all school districts receive districts all school districts receive compensatory
• Many of you with districts that have more than one school district in your legislative district have
• Many of you with districts that have more than one school district in your legislative district have

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• That is the High Plains Groundwater Conservation District or Underground Water District.
• Buckley: District area.
• There's now the Starr County Drainage District, I believe, and Groundwater Conservation District.
• don't have districts.
• Other districts have not.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So, I guess your congressional district is a majority-minority district? That's correct.
• And right now, the people... ...in House District 142, Senate District 13, and Congressional District
• Senator Miles: That's District 18. Senate District 18? I mean, Congressional District 18?
• All the districts targeted for redistricting are majority-people of color districts.
• Congressional District 7 since 2021, and lived in Texas House District 148 and U.S.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We often talk about revenues to school districts; that is the money available for school districts to
• We often talk about revenues to school districts; that is the money available for school districts to
• I can have more detailed information for you, district by district, but the short answer is yes.
• somewhat across districts.
• districts.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• in small school districts.
• in small school districts.
• Our districts tend to be very small.
• So district supports: we think about instruction. It's so important to our rural districts.
• Small and rural districts face the same challenges our urban districts do.

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:

• six districts that were inactive.
• Two of the districts within this category assigned their authority to another district.
• Another district.
• Of the 15 active districts, 14 of the districts prioritized public safety as their main objective.
• We identified six districts.

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items involving local governments and special districts. The committee approved operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member described concerns about transparency, financial management, or internal controls, while local officials or representatives generally said they were willing to cooperate and, in Delray Beach’s case, noted that an internal audit had already been completed and that some issues were being corrected. The committee also received a presentation on the statewide review of neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 of 21 districts were active and six inactive, with common findings including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and they recommended updates to district governance and transparency practices. On enforcement, staff reviewed local governments and special districts that had failed to file required financial reports or had submitted audit reports missing required information. The committee approved staff recommendations to proceed under the statutory enforcement process for the noncompliant entities, with flexibility for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is provided in good faith. The committee also voted to send a letter to the Union County Legislative Delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve the Town of Rayford, based on staff’s view that the town lacked employees, services, debt, and a clear reason to continue existing as an incorporated municipality.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it appears that it's a lot of movement within districts, charter districts, and traditional districts
• So most of that is going to those charter districts. district would.
• So it appears that it's a lot of movement within districts, charter districts, and traditional districts
• It can be from a traditional district to another traditional district.
• It can be from a traditional district to another traditional district.

Summary: The committee approved the March 9 and 10 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Arkansas Department of Education on the Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, featuring three third-grade teachers from Cabot, Poyen, and Drew Central who are also teacher merit pay recipients. The teachers described the fellowship as a year-long Zoom-based collaboration with about 23 educators statewide, focused on sharing classroom strategies, data use, and professional support. Members asked about the teachers’ experience, how they share what they learn with their districts, the range of grades represented in the fellowship, and the relationship between the fellowship and merit pay. The teachers emphasized building relationships with students, using data to drive instruction, early intervention, and collaboration across grade levels, while the secretary said the program is intended to identify and elevate high-performing teachers and spread their practices. A major portion of the discussion focused on third-grade reading, retention, and the new ATLAS testing system. Teachers and the secretary said students are screened and progress monitored throughout the year, families are notified early if students are at risk, and schools are using interventions, tutoring, and individualized reading plans. They said ATLAS results are now available much faster than in the past, often within 24 hours or a few days, allowing teachers and parents to respond quickly. Members asked about the impact of poverty, trauma, foster care, DHS involvement, IEPs, and critical shortage areas; teachers said relationship-building, small-group instruction, and coordination with counselors and special education staff are key. The secretary said the fellowship is a small subset of a broader merit pay program, that participation was voluntary, and that the state is trying to build a coherent system with literacy coaches, high-impact tutoring, and clearer standards rather than teaching to the test. Members also discussed broader policy issues, including the need for more positive public messaging about public education, teacher input in decision-making, and support for early childhood education. Several legislators asked whether the state should expand funding for early learning and whether more literacy or academic coaches are needed in districts that improve and then lose eligibility for state support. The secretary said the state has committed literacy coaches to D and F schools and is still working through how to sustain support as schools improve. He also said the administration would look at data and return on investment before supporting additional funding, and he encouraged legislators to help recruit eligible teachers into future fellowship cohorts. After the teacher panel concluded, the committee moved on to the adequacy resource allocation study, where Bureau of Legislative Research staff began a presentation on state and local education funding sources, categorical funds, and district spending patterns.

Transcript Highlights:

• For each of the districts, we provided 21 separate reports, one for each district, as well as a 22nd
• six districts that were inactive.
• Two of the districts within this category assigned their authority to another district.
• Of the 15 active districts, 14 of the districts prioritized public safety as their main objective.
• While the district activities were largely within the scope of the statutory purpose, the districts'

Summary: The Joint Legislative Auditing Committee met to consider several audit requests and enforcement items related to local government accountability. The committee heard requests for operational audits of the City of Miami Beach, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, and the City of Daytona Beach. In each case, the requesting member cited concerns about transparency, financial management, or compliance with state law. Representatives from Delray Beach DDA testified that an internal audit had already been completed, that findings were limited, and that they were working to cure issues such as procurement, credit card, and disbursement policies; the DDA chair also said the organization was willing to cooperate and was considering transitioning out of operating Old School Square. For Daytona Beach, the sponsor pointed to excess building permit revenues, vehicle purchases, and reported P-card irregularities as reasons for a broader audit. The committee approved all three audit requests, directing the Auditor General to finalize the scope while considering the stated concerns. The committee also received a presentation on the statewide performance reviews of 21 neighborhood improvement districts. The reviewers reported that 15 districts were active and six inactive, with common issues including outdated or missing performance plans, weak web presence, inadequate meeting notices, and limited management mechanisms. They said staffing levels often correlated with the ability to meet statutory requirements, and recommended that several districts be reviewed to determine whether they were still needed. Members asked about staffing, inactivity criteria, and how the districts were administered, and staff explained that city or county liaisons often supplement district staffing. Later, staff reviewed enforcement actions for local governments that failed to file required financial reports or omitted required information from submitted audits. The committee discussed a list of noncompliant counties, municipalities, and special districts, including the town of Rayford, which staff said had long-standing reporting problems, no apparent municipal services, and no response to repeated outreach. The committee voted to send a letter to the Union County legislative delegation encouraging a local bill to dissolve Rayford. It also approved staff recommendations to proceed against entities still missing required filings or missing audit information, with authority for the chair and vice chair to delay action if additional information is later provided in good faith.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was wondering how we chose those school districts and also how many school districts applied.
• Additionally, districts and charters with a letter grade had more teachers Districts and charters with
• left because I left a district and went to another district?
• district?
• ...districts, back to the smaller school district, is that possibly influencing this data?

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a presentation from Legislative Audit on Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions. Auditors explained that the fiscal year 2025 report summarizes $4.6 billion in grants from state, federal, and miscellaneous sources, across school districts, charter schools, education cooperatives, and other entities, and that the report only shows amounts distributed, not how recipients ultimately used the money. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; department staff clarified that the Economics Arkansas grant is written into special language and that the CDC-related funding supports student surveys used by state agencies. Questions also focused on bonus and incentive programs such as master principal and National Board Certified teacher bonuses, with department staff saying the bonuses are generally tied to completion of the program or certification rather than classroom performance, though they would follow up on details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research update on Consumer Price Index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global. Dr. Carlos Silva explained the difference between CPI-U and core CPI and said the estimates show inflation slowing over the forecast period, with some near-term variation between the two data providers. Members asked about the historical accuracy of prior projections, and he said the forecasts generally tend to move toward about 2 percent over time, though recent shocks have caused earlier estimates to understate actual inflation. The bulk of the meeting was devoted to the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reviewed Arkansas teacher demographics, shortage areas, educator preparation pipelines, licensure exceptions, survey results from teachers and principals, and teacher support programs. They reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with an average of 11.9 years of experience and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found shortages in multiple subject areas, especially special education, math, science, foreign language, and social studies, and identified 65 districts as high-need geographically. Survey results showed school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the biggest negatives; 30 percent of responding teachers said they were considering leaving the profession. The committee also reviewed teacher salary data showing a statewide average salary of $60,254 in 2025, Arkansas ranking 45th nationally by NEA methodology, and a long-term inflation-adjusted decline in district salaries, though LEARNS Act increases improved the trend. Members asked for additional follow-up information on survey methodology, alternative licensure costs, coursework, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, exit data, and how salary comparisons are calculated.