Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Teachers are paid by the parents. Teachers are paid by the parents.
• </c><00:52:06.640><c> should</c><00:52:06.800><c> be</c> teacher should be the teacher should be teacher
• </c> teacher doesn't know. teacher doesn't know.
• I became a nurse. relied on a teacher and most teachers relied on a teacher and most teachers who<01:
• French teacher or English teacher or social studies teacher or there is a guidance counselor, but there

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee met in executive session on Senate Bill 72, a parental rights in education measure, and considered an amendment offered by Representative Raymond. Raymond explained that his changes were intended to narrow the bill so it would not force schools to act as “surveillance operatives” for parents, especially regarding older students, and to avoid requiring teachers to disclose private family matters such as a student’s sexual orientation or pronouns. He also struck the bill’s “clear and convincing” standard and replaced it with a lower “evidence” standard, arguing teachers should have some basis for concern but not a burden equivalent to terminating parental rights. He said the amendment was meant to preserve due process, avoid weaponizing the bill in civil disputes, and reduce the risk of lawsuits. Members then debated the scope of the bill and amendment. Supporters said schools should not withhold information about a child’s health, school environment, behavior, bullying, self-harm, or criminal conduct, and argued that parents have a right to know about serious issues such as mental health concerns, sexual assault, drug use, or other misconduct. Several members emphasized that teachers do not diagnose mental illness, but should report observable concerns and involve school administrators or counselors when necessary. Opponents argued the bill would chill communication between students and trusted adults at school, especially for children from dysfunctional or unsafe homes, and said it could force outing of gay or trans students and increase the risk of harm or self-harm. One member cited the Department of Education’s trusted-adult approach and said teachers are not covered by formal confidentiality rules in the same way as lawyers or doctors. The discussion included examples and hypotheticals about bullying, sexual assault, drug use, self-harm, gender dysphoria, and whether a teacher would have to tell parents if a student used different pronouns or a nickname. Raymond and supporters said the bill would require disclosure of serious safety concerns but not compel teachers to diagnose or pry into private matters. Opponents argued the bill’s language still sweeps too broadly and could force disclosure in situations where a student fears abuse or being kicked out at home. The transcript does not show a final vote on the amendment or bill in the excerpt provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you. teachers. And so, from from my teachers.
• </c> employ that teacher. employ that teacher.
• And whether or not it's past teachers, current teachers, to It's past teachers, current teachers, to
• , more teachers, better paid teachers, has gone elsewhere.
• </c> teachers was like 15%. teachers was like 15%.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Education met without a quorum, so the minutes were not approved. The main presentation was from retired economics professors John Garren and Dr. Kums, who discussed their Bluegrass Institute research on teacher compensation in Kentucky since the Kentucky Education Reform Act era. They said teacher base salaries, adjusted for inflation, have declined over the last decade, while state-paid “on-behalf” benefits such as pension and health insurance contributions have risen sharply; they argued total teacher compensation has increased modestly overall, but less than per-pupil funding. They also presented broader context on staffing growth, declining average daily attendance, Kentucky’s low share of teachers among total school staff, and flat or weak NAEP and ACT performance trends, including widening white-Black score gaps on NAEP. Members questioned the methodology and interpretation of the compensation figures. Representative Bojanowski argued the on-behalf calculations may overstate teacher compensation because they include insurance and pension costs that also benefit classified employees and retirees, and he asked for clarification on the denominator used to derive the per-teacher amount. Representative Truit said the presentation could be misleading if it implies teachers earn $94,000 in salary, and he objected to framing pension stabilization payments as teacher pay. The presenters responded that they were using total compensation, not salary alone, said they had divided total personnel-related on-behalf payments by the relevant staff count, and promised to review and send a technical explanation. Representative Truit and Chairman Typton both emphasized that compensation should be viewed as salary plus benefits, not salary alone, and noted that pension contributions are part of the cost of employing teachers. The presenters said their intent was to show the full compensation package and its relevance to labor supply and teacher shortages, not to claim that individual teachers earn the total compensation figure as salary. No votes or formal actions were taken beyond the decision to revisit the minutes at a later meeting due to the lack of quorum.

Transcript Highlights:

• to stay teachers and become teachers.
• teacher candidates in one state can become a qualified teacher here in Minnesota.
• </c><00:18:11.679><c> Uh,</c> stay teachers and become teachers.
• Uh, stay teachers and become teachers.
• teacher candidates in one state can become a qualified teacher here in Minnesota.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It could be the classroom teacher, and we see a lot of benefit to having the classroom teacher actually
• The Student Teacher Stipend Program is meant to basically provide student teachers with compensation
• Student Aid Commission, while the Student Teacher Stipend is the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's
• , including the Teacher Residency Grant Program, the Student Teacher Stipend Program, and the Golden
• State Teacher Grant.

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard the Governor’s proposals on dual enrollment, reading difficulty screeners, special education, school facilities, and Commission on Teacher Credentialing programs. For dual enrollment, the Department of Finance described a $100 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund proposal to expand the Dual Enrollment Opportunities Grant Program, add flexibility for regional occupational centers, support justice-involved youth, prioritize higher-need LEAs, and allow funds for teacher professional development, along with a reduction in required instructional minutes for some dual enrollment students. The LAO recommended rejecting the new funding, saying it did not address a clear implementation barrier, while CDE supported the proposal and suggested reserving $10 million for technical assistance. Members and public commenters largely supported the expansion, with some urging additional technical assistance and broader access, including adult dual enrollment. The committee then discussed the reading difficulty screener proposal, which includes $40 million one-time Proposition 98 General Fund for implementation costs and statutory changes that would delay formal screening until the 91st day for kindergarten and the 46th day for grades 1-2. Finance said the timing was intended to reduce over-identification and align screening with sufficient exposure to instruction; the LAO recommended rejecting the funding and redirecting it to a discretionary block grant. CDE supported the investment but cautioned about the timing restrictions, and several members and public witnesses argued the proposed deadlines were too rigid and could delay early intervention, while others supported the structured timeline as a way to improve accuracy and reduce misidentification. On special education, Finance presented a proposal to increase the statewide base rate to $99 per ADA through a $509 million ongoing Proposition 98 General Fund augmentation, plus COLA and a negative growth adjustment. The LAO said the proposal should be adopted but estimated it could be achieved with less funding; CDE strongly supported the increase, citing rising enrollment and local cost pressures, and district and SELPA representatives described large local funding gaps and growing expenditures. The committee also reviewed school facilities funding under Proposition 2, with Finance and the Office of Public School Construction describing $1.5 billion in proposed bond spending, existing balances for new construction and modernization, and the use of bond authority for natural disaster recovery, including projects related to recent fires. For the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the committee heard about the Student Teacher Stipend Program, the Golden State Teacher Grant, state operations funding for misconduct investigations and SB 848 implementation, and a $250 million proposal to extend the Teacher Residency Grant Program; CTC supported the proposals and highlighted new data systems and technical assistance, while public testimony broadly backed the investments and urged continued or additional funding for teacher recruitment, literacy screening support, and special education.

Transcript Highlights:

• We passed an extension for HibTac and Minorca miners, and unfortunately there were some additional layoffs

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• :21:32.679><c> that</c><01:21:32.800><c> morning</c> I was talking to my staff that morning about layoffs

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So if we asked teachers, not special education teachers, but just elementary school teachers or secondary
• So if we asked teachers, not special education teachers, but just elementary school teachers or secondary
• Of those teachers, there was 112 K-12 sped teacher, 115.
• Amber and these ones back here are SPED teachers or were SPED teachers, so they can...
• But since they've already been a teacher, Just for new teachers, but since they've already been a teacher

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee met to discuss special education funding and retention, beginning with approval of the prior meeting minutes and then hearing a presentation from North Dakota United on a statewide special education survey and retention rubric. Presenters described how the rubric and survey were developed from special educator input around four domains: paperwork and due process support, workload, student and staff safety, and paraprofessional management. They reported high levels of stress and burnout, including increased workload, difficulty taking prep and lunch time, concerns about mental health, and widespread difficulty filling special education positions. Committee members questioned the survey’s lack of a general-education comparison group, the interpretation of terms like “rarely” and “sometimes,” and whether results could be broken down further by district size, unit, or disability area. The survey results showed the weakest area was workload, with respondents reporting caseloads increasing without corresponding adjustments, little additional support or compensation when workloads rise, and few negotiated-agreement protections. Paperwork and due process also scored poorly, with many teachers saying they rarely receive dedicated time during the duty day, often work outside contract hours without compensation, and take work home on evenings and weekends. Student and staff safety scored somewhat better but still showed gaps in crisis follow-up, notification about violent behavior, protective gear, and leave options after incidents. Paraprofessional management also drew concern, especially low pay, insufficient staffing, limited administrative support, and the burden placed on teachers to supervise and train paras. Several teachers then testified directly about the practical impact of these issues. One special education teacher described the job as combining instruction, legal compliance, and paraprofessional supervision, often requiring work beyond contracted hours and contributing to burnout and turnover. Another testified that special education case managers are effectively doing three full-time jobs and that the paperwork and caseload demands are a major reason people avoid or leave the field. Committee members discussed whether the problems are primarily local or state-level, whether more funding would solve them, and whether changes to the funding formula or weighting for high-cost students might be needed. No formal vote or action was taken beyond a recess and return to order for the next presentation, which continued the discussion of possible special education study objectives and potential policy directions.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm a former teacher and principal.
• The second row highlights the number of teachers.
• Teachers. As I stated earlier, wants a teacher and educator obtains a professional certificate.
• readiness when a teacher completes a teacher preparation program based on those new updated feats, those
• You're recognized. >> I heard you say you have no backlog and teachers that are prior certificated teachers

Transcript Highlights:

• We're talking about the instructors and teachers, so it's a teacher.
• But it's teacher, you know what I'm talking about, teacher workshop, prep days.
• , an English teacher, a math teacher, all subject areas?
• to keep those teachers and make them the best possible teachers.
• I would say, I think most people that know teachers... ...master teacher.

Summary: The Careers and Workforce Subcommittee met with a quorum and took up four bills. The first, HB 875 on educator preparation, would align teacher-prep programs under a uniform core curriculum, create a competency-based coaching program (CERT), standardize mentor and clinical educator requirements, allow certain certification waivers, and establish a Florida Institute of Teaching Excellence at Miami-Dade College subject to appropriation. Debate focused heavily on language in the bill related to systemic racism, identity politics, privilege, and historical distortion, with supporters saying the bill is about pedagogy and opponents warning it could limit discussion of important historical and social topics. The committee adopted a strike-all amendment and then reported the bill favorably, 12-4. The committee then considered PCS for HB 541 on minimum wage requirements, which would allow employees to knowingly and voluntarily waive the state minimum wage for up to 12 months in certain structured work-based training settings. Supporters argued it would expand access to training and career pathways for inexperienced workers and help address labor shortages, while opponents said it could depress wages, invite coercion, and conflict with the state constitution’s minimum wage provisions. Public testimony included opposition from workers and labor groups and support from NFIB. The bill was reported favorably, 12-4. Next, PCS for HB 681 on apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship program funding was presented as a transparency and accountability measure to improve funding reporting and address bargaining issues between education agencies and program providers. Support came from industry groups and the ranking member, and the bill was reported favorably without opposition, 16-0. Finally, PCS for HB 1105 on education and Bright Futures would broaden Gold Seal Vocational eligibility, align CTE diploma requirements with Bright Futures, add AP Capstone as an automatic qualifier, and remove barriers for certain military and public service families. The committee supported the bill, which was reported favorably, 15-0. The meeting ended after a correction to the record on one public comment card and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• They must complete 60 hours now, or 45 hours of teacher preparation: the pedagogy, how to be a teacher
• where Tier 1 teachers go to work.
• It would be $40,000 for teachers.
• teachers that don't even have a substitute certificate that are classroom teachers of record.
• , potential teacher, not going into the profession, or one teacher leaving the profession.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the teachers. the teachers.
• </c> added for those 20 year plus teachers. added for those 20 year plus teachers.
• </c> all teachers. all teachers.
• </c> recruitment and retention of teachers? recruitment and retention of teachers?
• Chair, we got the teachers. &gt;&gt; Mr. Chair, we got the teachers.

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and friends that are teachers and administrators.
• This is the Teacher Bill of Rights.
• Why are teachers leaving the classroom?
• And that's part of the problem that you see with teachers.
• I see many teachers with Bibles in the classroom.

Summary: The Senate Education Committee considered a long agenda of education-related bills, with most measures receiving unanimous or near-unanimous support. Early actions included passage of SB 843, which allows certain rural schools with low average daily membership to hire teachers related to board members in the second degree, and SB 1733, which requires schools to report child sexual abuse allegations to law enforcement within 24 hours before conducting their own investigation. The committee also advanced SB 1476, a Commissioners of the Land Office cleanup bill that makes land exchange approvals permissive, updates terminology, and expands permanent school fund investment options to include private equity and private credit; members questioned CLO staff about appraisals, notices, ethics, and audits before voting it out 11-0. A major portion of the meeting focused on SB 1237, the Teacher Bill of Rights, which would codify various teacher protections involving religious expression, discipline, planning time, workplace safety, and due process. Senators raised extensive questions about religious symbols, prayer, Bible use, classroom discipline, and whether some provisions were already in law; the author said the bill was intended to protect teachers and improve recruitment and retention. Despite concerns that some language was vague or duplicative, the bill passed 7-4. The committee also passed SB 1410 to codify the Ag in the Classroom program after deleting a section that would have increased a license plate fee, and SB 1894, which would remove the five-year cap on professional development hours for certain teacher training, though the title was struck for further work. Later, the committee approved SB 1272 to raise the income cap for the Oklahoma Tuition Equalization Grant, SB 1204 to provide three days of bereavement leave for education employees after the loss of a spouse or child, including miscarriage, and SB 1721 to extend the sunset of the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education. It also passed SB 1725 on higher-education expressive activity and free speech training, SB 1735 giving CareerTech sole authority over its accreditation, SB 1337 establishing paid paternity leave for education employees, SB 1339 codifying funding for the 2023 teacher pay raise for off-formula districts, SB 1461 extending the OETA sunset to 2031, and SB 1975 centralizing notice of AP testing locations. Several bills drew brief discussion about fiscal impact, local control, and retention benefits, and the committee adjourned after noting one agenda item had been laid over.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're developing microcredentials for teachers, and so teachers both at the pre-service level, as well
• We had 375 teachers that attended.
• teachers in Hillsborough County.
• But nonetheless, we do talk to our teachers about... ...we do talk to our teachers about how to make
• and probably 10,000 teachers.

Committee: Senate Education Pre-K - 12

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education Pre-K through 12 met to hear a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in K-12 education. Dr. Maya Israel of the University of Florida gave an overview of AI literacy, the benefits of AI for personalized learning and teacher support, and the risks involving data privacy, overreliance, hallucinations, and misuse. She described the Florida K-12 AI Task Force, which published statewide guidance in March and is now providing professional development, case studies, surveys, and resources for teachers and families. She also noted that teacher preparation programs and microcredentials are being developed, but there is not yet a statewide baseline standard for teacher AI training. Superintendents Van Ayers of Hillsborough County and Kevin Hendrick of Pinellas County described district policies and implementation efforts. Hillsborough adopted an AI governance policy, created an implementation guide, and set rules barring generative AI use for students in pre-K through 7th grade while allowing limited, teacher-approved use for older students with district-vetted tools. Pinellas emphasized digital responsibility, parent transparency, data-use agreements, and a governance process for approving tools. Both districts said AI is being used for lesson planning, tutoring, reading-level adjustments, scheduling, and other administrative tasks, but they do not yet have reliable evidence that AI is improving academic performance. They also discussed teacher training, stipends, and certification efforts, including partnerships with universities and vendors such as Microsoft, Google, Magic School, and Gemini. Drew Allen of FSU Inspire offered an industry-focused perspective, arguing that AI is not new but that education must adapt more quickly to industry needs. He described Inspire’s workforce and research mission, its AI and robotics training for teachers, and the need to build teacher comfort and confidence through incentives and applied training. Committee members raised concerns about student dependence on AI, academic integrity, mental health, moral decision-making, data privacy, and whether schools should return to more paper-based testing. The panel generally agreed that AI should be used with strong guardrails, human oversight, and a balance between technology use and traditional learning. No legislation was considered, and the meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which was adopted without objection.

Transcript Highlights:

• and what the teacher needs.
• A teacher means any teacher, school secretary, substitute teacher, supervisor, principal, supervising
• A teacher means any teacher, school secretary, substitute teacher, supervisor, principal, supervising
• One of them is, 'Stop, I am a teacher. Stop, I am a teacher.
• I wanted to add that, I mean, saying, stop, I am a teacher, stop I am a teacher.

Committee: House Elementary and Secondary Education

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or a mobility teacher.
• to teacher prep programs, to invest in our teachers through the teacher retention allotment and attention
• From a teacher.
• , Teacher of the Year.
• teachers.

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• our special ed teachers.
• we're going to do to support the special ed teachers and other teachers in classrooms.
• our special ed teachers.
• we're going to do to support the special ed teachers and other teachers in classrooms.
• Miss Wingfield. 1992, my teacher was Miss Ford. 1993, my teacher was Miss Hawkins. 1994, my teacher

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

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Teachers do not want to be school day. Teachers do not want to be the<00:31:00.320><c> police.
• Isn't it the teacher?
• </c> teacher might ask, "Gee, you look tired. teacher might ask, "Gee, you look tired.
• </c><01:23:04.399><c> to</c><01:23:04.560><c> the</c> teacher, not the teacher running to the teacher
• Let the teacher do it.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee took up Senate Bill 206, which requires public schools to adopt policies limiting student cell phone use. Supporters argued that cell phones and personal devices contribute to student mental health problems, bullying, distraction, and disruptive behavior, and said teachers and administrators want a clear statewide rule rather than having to enforce policies themselves. Opponents raised concerns about local control, the breadth of the term “personal communication device,” and whether the bill would interfere with instructional uses of devices, especially in schools that rely on bring-your-own-device or have limited access to school-issued laptops. Members debated Amendment 2249H, which added an exception for teacher-led instruction and clarified that superintendent-approved exceptions could still apply for medical, disability, or language-proficiency needs. After discussion about whether the amendment was too restrictive or too broad, the committee adopted the amendment on a 9-8 vote, with one member not voting. The committee then voted 9-8, with one not voting, to recommend Senate Bill 206 ought to pass as amended. The committee then moved to Senate Bill 96, concerning mandatory disclosure by school district employees to parents. The sponsor offered Amendment 2199H to replace language that would have required referral to DCYF whenever an educator withheld information due to concern about possible abuse at home. The amendment instead allows a district to withhold information if a reasonably prudent person would believe disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect, and requires the decision to be documented in the student record. The amendment was discussed as a narrower, more workable safeguard, and the committee was still in discussion on the bill at the end of the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> think our teachers need to do better. think our teachers need to do better.
• And so, um, our teachers.
• Is it additional training to what<00:08:41.680><c> teachers</c> what teachers what teachers like<00:08
• </c> go to college to become teachers. go to college to become teachers.
• And so, our pre-service<00:10:37.120><c> teachers,</c> pre-service teachers, pre-service teachers, a<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> you know possibly becoming a teacher you know possibly becoming a teacher four<00:05:16.919><c>
• </c> been about them wanting to be teachers been about them wanting to be teachers it's<00:06:45.000>
• For programs, most of the teacher prep programs will provide our licensed teachers coming out with an
• </c><00:09:56.079><c> in</c> of the highly qualified U teachers in of the highly qualified U teachers
• The journey teachers are pivotal.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we've gotten to watch her move from being a teacher into a role of being a teacher leader, winning
• So we've gotten to watch her move from being a teacher into a role of being a teacher leader, winning
• So we've gotten to watch her move from being a teacher into a role of being a teacher leader, winning
• </c><00:29:25.760><c> can</c> resources and activities teachers can resources and activities teachers
• ><c> from</c> of teacher experts, teacher leaders from of teacher experts, teacher leaders from across

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

Committee: House Ways and Means Education

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