Transcript Highlights:

• Conduct in-person interviews with students during those visits aligned with the students IEP to assess
• It lets parents and students know what their rights are.
• There were some students who were there for years and years.
• SB 414 puts students first, particularly... students who have often been left behind, students with specific
• We serve a diverse student population where majority of students are not on track to graduate.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and the students some of the students and the students respond<00:18:32.640> to<00:18:32.880>
• the student to now teaching a student, you have a closer connection with the student.
• students students now<00:47:50.040> and<00:47:50.720> students<00:47:51.720> who
• , serving future students.
• , serving future students.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• for a student with autism.
• So even though we have fewer students, the students that we have are pretty expensive to serve.
• They're still students Of the EPP.
• to support student learning at home.
• student progress and identify student supports for students whose results indicated a reading difficulty

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Nobody wants to suspend a student, or nobody wants to expel a student.
• We saw that Black and Brown students and students with disabilities were being suspended.
• and White students.
• If you take it by student, it's a cut of $517 per student.
• Asian students? 91%. Black students, 84%. White students, 93%. And multiracial, 90%.

Transcript Highlights:

• to a student. to a student. Thank you,<00:22:31.919> Chair<00:22:32.159> Eric.
• is a student.
• We hear directly from students concerns. We hear directly from students as<00:30:02.720> well.
• Minstate GO students enrollment group. Minstate GO students enrollment group.
• close to half were were ghost students. close to half were were ghost students.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee first took up a series of “same and similar” provisions between the House and Senate higher education bills and adopted them one by one, with brief explanations from members and staff. The items included a cybersecurity addition for a doctoral degree program, Northstar Promise definitions and eligibility limits, self-loan provisions on institution eligibility and data disclosure, and dual training language requiring certificates, diplomas, or degrees to come from accredited postsecondary institutions. The committee also adopted an amendment to the private career school provisions that clarified exempt institutions remain within the act, and removed certain limited-license and renewal fees for institutions participating in dual training grants or the eligible training provider list. Each of these motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then moved into policy differences between the House and Senate bills, beginning with emergency grants and hunger-free campus grants. Members discussed shifting funding from OHE-administered competitive grants to direct appropriations for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State, while the Senate retained competitive grant access for private and tribal colleges and added reporting requirements. OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said the added reporting would be an extra administrative task but raised no significant concerns. Testifiers from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State, and the private college sector supported faster, more direct funding and described the grants as important for emergency housing, transportation, food insecurity, and other student basic needs. A LeadMN representative also supported the changes, saying campus staff and students wanted funds delivered more quickly. The committee also discussed direct admissions on R31. The Senate proposal would require public and charter high schools to participate in the direct admissions program by the 2029-2030 school year. Assistant Commissioner Wendy Robinson said OHE supports statewide expansion and that the program has improved FAFSA completion, college enrollment, and student retention in Minnesota. Members noted the bill had bipartisan support and heard from advocates such as Ed Allies and Students United. No votes were taken on the policy-difference items during this portion of the meeting, and the chair said further discussion of state grant and sexual misconduct policy differences would be held at a later hearing with additional OHE staff present.

Transcript Highlights:

• But those are also courses that are important for our students as students of Navajo Tech.
• . learning for our students.
• We have 543 full-time and 957 part-time students, along with two international students.
• We have students in Navajo Prep.
• We have one student who's doing her full-time student teaching in Cuba, New Mexico this year.

Transcript Highlights:

• , low-income students, non-traditional students, transfer students from KCTCS, or the students with unique
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
• , Black and Latino students, veterans, low-income students, and students with disabilities.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and first considered two concurrent resolutions. SCR 76, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Bledsoe, would create a Kentucky School for the Deaf Governance Task Force to examine the school’s future governance and its relationship with the Kentucky Department of Education. Bledsoe described the school’s long history and said the task force would give the small deaf-school community more voice. The committee adopted the resolution unanimously with favorable expression. The committee then took up SCR 131, sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, to continue the Efficient and Effective Districts Task Force from 2024. Wise said the prior task force met about 10 times and focused on student achievement and district policy, and the new version would continue that work as a legislature-only task force. The resolution passed unanimously with favorable expression. Members next considered HB 240 on primary school promotion. Rep. Truitt explained that the bill would require students who are not ready in kindergarten to repeat kindergarten, while a committee substitute softened the approach by allowing a school to hold a child back in kindergarten but requiring action in first grade. He said the bill aligns with existing reading-screening efforts and is intended to strengthen early literacy foundations. The committee adopted the substitute and passed the bill unanimously with favorable expression; Sen. Williams briefly explained his support as favoring performance-based advancement. The committee also approved HB 298, which would change the identification of schools for comprehensive support and improvement from every three years to annually, require KDE recommendations during management audits, add professional development in reading and math, and require effective instructional resources. The committee substitute also allowed districts with multiple CSI schools to contract for a turnaround vendor. The bill additionally carried employee-misconduct provisions from prior sessions, including disclosure requirements for applicants; the only change discussed was removing the word “investigation” from one disclosure section. HB 298 passed unanimously with favorable expression, and the committee also adopted a title amendment. Finally, the committee heard HB 424 on employment at public postsecondary institutions. Rep. Tipton said the bill would require performance and productivity reviews for faculty at least every four years, clarify appointment and removal authority for presidents at certain institutions, and expand “cause” for dismissal to include failure to meet performance and productivity requirements. Dr. Ray Horton, speaking for faculty groups, proposed a small substitute that would tie any performance measures to existing employment contracts to preserve academic integrity and avoid unintended changes to tenure processes. Members discussed how tenure works at Kentucky universities, and the committee was still in the middle of considering the proposed substitute when the transcript ended.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have more students coming in.
• , students like me, and students like us.
• From unique backgrounds and stories to tell... ...that harm students, students like me, and students
• Trust our students to think critically.
• We built a movement led by students, for students, demanding a seat at the table.

Keywords: student advocacy, SB12, SB13, public education policy, youth engagement, marginalized communities, legislative representation

Summary: Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) held an advocacy event at the Texas Capitol focused on youth participation in policymaking and opposition to recent education-related legislation. Speakers, including student organizers and SEAT leaders, argued that students should have a direct voice in decisions affecting public schools, curriculum, and school governance. Representative Donna Howard briefly attended to support the group, praised their advocacy, and referenced the idea that if young people are not given a seat at the table, they should “bring your own chair.” Several student speakers criticized the newly passed school vouchers bill as a threat to public education and said it would divert resources from public schools. Others opposed bills such as Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 13, describing them as harmful to LGBTQ+ students and inclusive education. One speaker also condemned book bans and library censorship, arguing that students need access to diverse books and truthful, inclusive curricula. The speakers framed these issues as matters of student rights, belonging, and free expression. SEAT executive director Cameron Samuels closed by describing the organization’s history of student-led activism against book bans and exclusion from school policymaking. Samuels said the group had distributed challenged books, pursued legal action over blocked internet resources, and delivered a Student Bill of Rights to superintendents and legislators. The event ended without any formal legislative vote or committee action, serving instead as a press conference and advocacy rally urging lawmakers to listen to students.

Transcript Highlights:

• . that and then working with students.
• The next one is the National Student Clearinghouse.
• We would support those students also.
• Students have to understand fractions to...
• That pilot is not a student—I know she looks young enough to be a student, but she is the instructor.

Keywords: 924, joint, all

Transcript Highlights:

• three weeks of school every student three weeks of school every student grades<00:14:28.720>
• Our student body of around 5,400 students is approximately 61% students of color, approximately 60% of
• <00:57:59.799> is student body of around 5,400 students is student body of around 5,400 students
• our<00:58:04.880> students approximately 60% of our students approximately 60% of our students
• <01:15:27.920> to<01:15:28.199> stay students and get more students to stay students

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• time with the students who are struggling when I have 35 students each hour, see a cot talk classroom
• <00:04:33.759> in balance getting to every student in balance getting to every student in
• who are struggling when I have students who are struggling when I have 35<00:04:38.520> students<
• classroom with the majority of students classroom with the majority of students with with with IEPs
• This change will empower students.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So we don't have any information about those students who are their online students currently.
• So not just growth, but whether or not those students should count As students in the next fiscal year
• And, student, the statewide student information system budget is in all the budgets Just in different
• Want any student left behind.
• They Engage our middle school students, our high school students.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I don't, I don't track data related to my students or any students in my program.
• This particular student was at. placement in a school and she was a white student, bright student, she
• These are college students.
• My students do not know.
• I mean, do we need to control the minds of our students or protect our students?

Bills: SB37, SB1489, SB452, SB724, SB1067, SB1741, SB1273

Keywords: higher education, curriculum review, governing board, faculty council, ombudsman, faculty governance, decision-making, transparency, public meetings, department head, employment approval, public institutions, institutional oversight, education, funding, accountability, state budget, school performance, employment, Texas legislation

Transcript Highlights:

• , maybe seven students, group of students, maybe seven students, they<00:32:02.480> all<00:32:
• writing and placed in the students writing and placed in the students record.
• I believe each student in the school has a student record, a file of student information.
• student<01:13:08.320> record a student record a student record uh<01:13:10.800> a<01
• Students needs not in the benefit of the student.

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:

• And when we have events on our campus where we have high school students or junior high students come
• But in conversation, it is—I mean, these potential students or students know the three programs, or two
• Our freshmen included 52 students and then 22 students for their sophomores.
• Our freshmen included 52 students and then 22 students for their sophomores.
• I am a student, a third-year atmospheric science student at the University of North Dakota.

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• In these roles, I've had the privilege of representing the voices of student athletes and student performers
• And a con of mental health, especially someone who's a student and an athlete: a student-athlete has
• Great representation of students, high school students, and even more of an excellent representation
• for student athletes.
• My first day as dean of students, I disarmed a student that had a Glock 9 with hollow tips.

Summary: The Education Pre-K through 12 Committee heard a presentation from Florida High School Athletic Association Executive Director Craig Damon, joined by student athletes Sydney Daniel and Taylor White. The students spoke about the value of education-based athletics, leadership, and the need for safe, equitable opportunities. Damon then discussed FHSAA issues including rising sportsmanship problems, ejections, violent incidents, recruiting allegations, transfers, mental health pressures on student athletes, and the need for qualified coaches. He said the association tries to be proactive, work with schools on discipline, and emphasize that school changes should be for academic reasons rather than athletics. Senators asked about mental health, transfer rules, and a recent Jacksonville incident; Damon explained the current transfer exceptions and said the association lacked authority over the Jacksonville football game because the schools were not in FHSAA football. The committee then heard a panel on high school coaches’ compensation led by Florida Coaches Coalition Executive Director Dr. Andrew Ramgett, with Coach Mike Hickman, Coach Charlie Ward, and superintendents from Okaloosa and Walton counties. Ramgett argued that coaching supplements are outdated, have not kept pace with the expanding year-round demands of coaching, and amount to very low hourly pay in many sports. He also said Florida’s restrictions on booster club funding and minimal certification requirements contribute to turnover and difficulty retaining qualified coaches. Hickman and Ward described coaching as a demanding, year-round profession that affects students beyond athletics, including academics and mental health. The superintendents said they value coaches but must balance compensation against limited district funds and other staffing needs; one noted Walton County uses a dedicated administrative lane for football coaching and athletic administration. Senators discussed whether booster club funding should be allowed, whether compensation should be tied to performance, and whether any increase in base student allocation would actually reach coaches. Public commenters, including Florida Athletic Coaches Association Executive Director Shelton Cruz and former coach Tyrone McGriff, urged support for coaches and emphasized their broader impact on students’ lives and school safety. At the end of the meeting, the committee took up confirmation hearings for appointments on tabs 3 through 6 and, with no appearance forms filed, voted unanimously to recommend confirmation. Senator Burgess then moved to adjourn, and the committee concluded the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:08.120> at free School meals for all students at free School meals for all students
• income and it's not only for students income and it's not only for students that<00:43:23.839>
• reflect the diversity of our student reflect the diversity of our student body<00:48:26.920>
• in the student day.
• And one student was also puzzled.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• students.
• We have right about 70,000 students, a mix of undergraduate We have right about 70,000 students, a mix
• We are about, in terms of housing of our students, we have close to 70,000 students, but interestingly
• students at around 480.
• Wellness includes the student health services for the support of our students on campus.

Summary: The Higher Education Budget Subcommittee met to hear an overview of State University System finances from the Board of Governors and detailed budget presentations from Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and the University of North Florida. The witnesses explained how university budgets are organized into fund categories such as education and general, contracts and grants, auxiliaries, local/designated funds, capital projects, and component units such as direct support organizations. They also described carry forward funds, the statutory reserve and spending-plan requirements, the PICO/HECO capital outlay process, and how universities use investment accounts, audits, and board oversight to manage restricted and unspent funds. The universities emphasized that most operating dollars are restricted to specific uses and that state support helps keep tuition low. Members asked about differences in funding levels among institutions, especially why FSU receives more funding than UCF despite lower enrollment. Officials said preeminence funding, performance funding, and special legislative appropriations explain much of the difference, and the Board of Governors noted that Florida now has four preeminent universities, with UCF nearing that status. Questions also focused on what happens to unspent carry forward money, how it is invested, and whether the Board of Governors or Legislature can require funds to be returned; officials said the money is invested conservatively, subject to board and audit oversight, and can roll forward under a detailed spending plan, though the Legislature can change funding levels. The committee also discussed capital projects, with members asking about delays, inflation, and whether more projects should be phased or funded faster; witnesses said PICO funds remain with the state until needed and are reimbursed as construction proceeds. A substantial portion of the discussion covered athletics, research, student fees, and endowments. The universities said athletics is generally expected to be self-supporting, though limited use of auxiliary or carry forward funds may be allowed for projects benefiting the broader student body. They also described the financial pressures from name, image, and likeness changes and new NCAA-related costs, and said institutions are planning for those changes now. On research, the universities explained sponsored research funding, indirect cost recovery, compliance obligations, and tech transfer, but did not provide specific commercialization revenue figures and said they would follow up. Members also asked about student fee increases, student input, counseling and wellness funding, and how housing costs affect affordability; the universities said student committees and boards review fees, and aid packaging is intended to keep student debt low. Endowments were described as being held in separate foundations/DSOs with independent investment committees and used mainly for scholarships, faculty support, and research.

Transcript Highlights:

• We talked about the health of students and how important it was to make sure that students have a full
• administration and there was students administration and there was students that<00:37:04.599>
• that came to test there were students that came to test there were students that<00:37:06.200>
• It helps students accelerate their pathway to college and/or career, helps students gain confidence in
• <00:51:51.599> can take four courses a year students can take four courses a year students

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:04:42.759> faculty coming days and weeks students faculty coming days and weeks students
• we then work to keep those students here in Minnesota and have the students, the fewer students that
• we then work to keep those students here in Minnesota and have the students, the fewer students that
• > academic student mental health student academic student mental health student academic supports
• students are struggling in the student students are struggling in the student mental<01:42:55.560

Keywords: 1183, house