Transcript Highlights:

• to a student was remedial in third grade to a student was remedial in third grade reading. reading
• You can see it for the eighth grade.
• , fifth grade, etc.
• We should do the same thing in math. fifth grade, etc. And I asked is does fifth grade, etc.
• And here they are fifth grade math."

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• support embedded in grades K through 1 and 7 ...
• Embedded in grades K through 1 and 7 through 8.
• These sections provide assistance for middle grades. As you remember, K through 3 grades...
• Any student in grades 4 through 8 who...
• Beginning with the entering 9th grade class of 2029-2030,...

Keywords: MS Senate Floor - 1 April, 2026; 10:00 AM, 925, all

Transcript Highlights:

• single grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade over the years, and then serving in various
• single grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade over the years, and then serving in various
• single grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade over the years, and then serving in various
• in classroom settings, multiple grade in classroom settings, multiple grade levels,<00:04:37.120
• grade<00:04:41.520> over<00:04:41.759> the kindergarten through 12th grade over the

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• He's fourth grade at Pan Park Elementary School. Please make him feel welcome. Thank you.
• He's fourth grade<00:02:58.239> at<00:02:58.560> Pan<00:02:59.040> Park<00:02:59.440
• grade at Pan Park Elementary School. grade at Pan Park Elementary School.

Keywords: MS House Floor - 16 January, 2026; 9:00 AM, 925, all

Summary: The House convened with the pledge, confirmed a quorum, and dispensed with the reading of the journal. There were no reports from the selection committee and no resolutions, petitions, memorials, or guest introductions. A report from standing committees noted only a calendar report. During announcements, a member recognized Founders Day for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and introduced her son, a fourth-grade student at Pan Park Elementary School. The clerk’s office announced that Appropriations D would begin agency budget hearings Monday at 1:00 p.m. in room 2011. Members were also reminded that Monday is the deadline for introduction of general bills and constitutional amendments, and that bills must be physically dropped in the designated box or Speaker’s office to be considered filed. No bills were debated or voted on. The House then adopted a motion to adjourn until 4:00 p.m. on Monday.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's right through third grade students.
• They have one class per grade.
• They couldn't take that little grade.
• And we that, 50% read at grade level.
• The parents tell me that. grade. when kids have seen an entire grade. when kids have seen an entire room

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• How are they doing on their eighth grade assessments?
• How are they doing on their eighth grade assessments?
• How are they doing on their eighth grade assessments?
• How are they third grade assessments?
• doing on their eighth grade assessments? doing on their eighth grade assessments?

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The subcommittee met without a quorum and first heard from Kentucky Department of Education officials on career and technical education funding. KDE explained that House Bill 499 created a CTE funding formula using 60% weighted full-time equivalent enrollment and 40% incentives, but House Bill 6’s budget language excluded area technology centers (ATCs) from that supplemental funding. KDE requested approval of an additional budget request of $14,789,352 in each fiscal year 2027 and 2028 to include ATCs in the formula and hold local districts harmless. Officials said ATCs serve students from 117 of Kentucky’s 171 districts and argued the change would reduce funding disparities and better reflect the return on investment from CTE programs, citing growth in dual credit and work-based learning participation. Members asked whether the issue would need to be revisited each budget cycle. KDE responded that the problem could be fixed by removing the notwithstanding language from the budget bill, which they said would allow ATCs to be included under the existing statute. Representative Klein supported the request, saying the current clause could lead to stagnation and that the committee should help the program continue to grow. No vote was taken on the CTE item during the portion of the meeting provided. The committee then heard a presentation from PreK for All on expanding preschool access in Kentucky. Advocates said the state’s preschool program has been funded since 1990 and currently serves about 14,200 children at roughly $84 million per year, but that many working families still fall into a coverage gap. They proposed expanding eligibility to 250% of the federal poverty line, which they said would add about 9,600 children at a cost of $40 million in year two, after a planning year. The proposal also included regulatory flexibility for classrooms and partnerships with private child care providers and nonprofits, with speakers emphasizing child care deserts in some counties and citing research that early learning improves kindergarten readiness and later outcomes. No action or vote was taken on the preschool proposal in the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Chair, I think, you know, getting, especially, you know, every third grader to read at grade level is
• Every third grader should be able to read at grade level, right?
• Just a quick clarifying question: what grade levels are we doing the screening?
• What grade levels are we doing this screening? K through 2, excluding TK. Okay, thank you.
• And now you have two different tools just for that grade alone, just for that age group alone, which

Summary: The committee heard a series of budget proposals focused on education finance, with repeated questions about whether the state’s investments are coordinated, targeted to the highest-need students, and likely to produce measurable results. On the first item, the administration proposed $1 million for a study of California’s curriculum framework, standards, and instructional materials process, plus $250,000 for supplemental ELA/ELD guidance. CDE and Finance said the study would examine how other states organize standards, frameworks, and adoptions, while the chair and members questioned why California has gone so long without updating some standards, what the study would actually accomplish, and whether the proposal was too vague to justify the cost. The issue was held open. The committee then took up a proposed $25 million statewide literacy network within the system of support. CCEE and CDE said the network would coordinate multiple existing literacy leads, create a clearinghouse of evidence-based resources, and improve coherence across the state’s many literacy initiatives. Members pressed on how a one-time, five-year allocation could support a long-term system, how the work would reach distressed and rural districts, and whether the proposal would translate into classroom change rather than just another layer of coordination. The issue was also held open. Next, the committee reviewed a $500 million proposal to expand literacy coaches and reading specialists and to create a math coaches program. CDE described the existing literacy coach cohorts as producing positive reports from participating LEAs, while the LAO recommended modifications, especially for the math coach portion, including limiting eligibility to elementary schools, setting minimum grant amounts, directing funds to eligible school sites, and making eligibility automatic rather than application-based. Members focused on whether coaches were actually being placed at the schools with the greatest need and whether the state has a coherent long-term strategy for literacy and math investments. The committee also heard a $40 million proposal for training and implementation of K-2 reading difficulty screeners, which the LAO said was reasonable but could be reduced because $25 million had already been provided for training; CDE said the new funds were needed for full implementation, procurement, and sustainability. Finally, the committee heard a $10 million proposal for a developmentally appropriate TK multilingual learner screener, with CDE explaining why the preschool language-identification process is different from K-12 EL assessment and the chair asking staff to explore whether a single, more consistent approach could be developed. The meeting concluded with a presentation on universal school meals and kitchen infrastructure, including a $31.5 million backfill, an $84.1 million increase for projected meal growth, a COLA adjustment, and $150 million for kitchen upgrades and training to support freshly prepared meals.

Transcript Highlights:

• , 10th grade, and let's talk about math, for example.
• Some of you might be in middle-grade math. Some of you might be in pre-algebra.
• For example, some of you might be in middle-grade math. Some of you might be in pre-algebra.
• They see me coming in and they're like, come here, let me show you my grades.
• , or an S grade.

Summary: The Justice Budget Committee heard detailed presentations from the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Corrections on staffing, services, and budget needs. DJJ Secretary Hall emphasized that the agency’s main public safety strategy is education, along with prevention and recidivism reduction. He described major staffing improvements after pay increases for probation, detention, residential care, and prevention workers, and outlined DJJ’s mental health, aftercare, and education continuum, including the Florida Scholars Academy and Florida Youth College. He said the new statewide education model is showing early gains in progress monitoring, high school graduation, and postsecondary enrollment, while also noting ongoing operational issues such as IT connectivity, rural staffing gaps, and the need for geographic pay adjustments for teachers. He also discussed detention center replacement plans in Hillsborough, Broward, and Palm Beach, and said DJJ would transition the Broward JAC to a security contractor after the sheriff’s office pulls sworn officers from the site. Members asked about campus performance differences, teacher pay, detention education quality, and concerns about the rollout and leadership of the Scholars Academy. Hall said some campuses face rural access and infrastructure problems, but the blended learning model provides continuity when internet or staffing issues arise. He defended the superintendent’s qualifications and said early problems with inappropriate online content were addressed. Representative Porras raised concerns about educational quality and the superintendent’s past disciplinary history, while Representative Barrera urged more mentorship and fatherhood-focused programming in juvenile facilities. DOC Secretary Dixon said the prison system is under pressure from rising inmate populations, staffing shortages, and overtime costs. He argued that the system needs funded posts for every functioning housing unit, noting that the department has added housing units without enough staff and now relies heavily on overtime, mobile officer deployments, and shift conversions to keep facilities operating safely. He highlighted that many officers are new, that outside-hospital transports have risen sharply, and that mental health units require additional staffing. DOC’s mental health chief described a large and growing treatment system with outpatient, inpatient, intensive outpatient, and court-ordered services, saying about a quarter of the prison population has a diagnosed mental illness. Community corrections staff described treatment programs, employment specialists, mobile probation and reentry units, and a new mental health first aid training initiative. Reentry staff reported expanded substance abuse, education, CTE, chaplaincy, and digital learning programs, including Edovo and a forthcoming Work Bay platform. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• eligibility is that not just a school identified for school improvement but a school having a letter grade
• We are only tackling grades 3 through 8 because of that specifically. Follow up.
• Could think the second thing is 99% of those kids have now moved on to a different grade.
• We passed a prohibition on adjuncts in grades kindergarten through 5th grade for math and reading.
• The house bill expands that to include science and social studies in pre-K through fourth grade.

Bills: HB2210, HB2398, HB2959, HB3006, HB3026, HB3151, HB3315, HB3372, HB3467, HB3590, HB4268, HB4359, HB4427

Keywords: youth apprenticeship, career education, workforce development, high school programs, mentorship, vocational training, state oversight, credential of value, education, labor market, government reporting, school abuse reporting, child abuse, neglect, mandatory reporting, student safety, school employee misconduct, administrator reporting, superintendent, law enforcement notification

Transcript Highlights:

• Valley Charter School, and more specifically, they are students from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade
• Chair would like to recognize some distinguished guests today from the city of Fall River, the fourth grade
• chair would like to recognize some distinguished guests today from the city of Fall River, the fourth grade
• at the fourth grade at the Green School. of Fall River, the fourth grade at the Green School.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Senate began with the Pledge of Allegiance and then adopted a motion to adjourn in memory of Lenz Arthur Joseph, a five-year-old Hyde Park child whose death was described as a tragic loss to his family, school, and community. Senators offered condolences and a moment of silence was observed. The chamber also recognized several guests, including students and scholarship recipients from the Christian A. Herter Memorial Scholarship Program and visitors from River Valley Charter School and Fall River’s Green School. The main legislative business was Senate 2521, a fiscal year 2025 supplemental appropriations bill providing about $189 million for early education and care providers so they could receive June child care financial assistance payments. The minority leader questioned why the deficiency had arisen so late in the fiscal year and asked about preventing similar shortfalls. The Ways and Means chair responded that the bill was time-sensitive, that such supplemental appropriations are common for caseload-driven accounts, and that the House had already passed the measure. He also reported that FY25 revenues were about $1.1 billion above benchmark, though most of that was restricted Fair Share revenue or excess capital gains. The Senate took a roll-call vote on engrossment, and the bill passed to be engrossed by a vote of 39-0. The Senate then agreed to a conference committee on the FY26 budget bill, House 4001, after insisting on its amendment. It also adopted resolutions recognizing the Massachusetts-Hokkaido sister-state relationship and the Concord-Nani sister-city anniversary. The chamber suspended rules to advance a petition to ban DEHP in IV bags and tubing, and it agreed to a House referral change for Senate 2522, a health care petitions bill, sending it to the Judiciary Committee. Finally, the Senate adopted the emergency preamble and passed Senate 2521 to be enacted before adjourning to meet again the following Monday in memory of Lenz Arthur Joseph.

Transcript Highlights:

• And I still think, I mean it, we're talking about medical grade data.
• So, Florida passed this, and the whole point was to protect medical-grade data and how it may be used
• phone, for instance, and that tracks my sleeping patterns or it tracks my heart rate, that's medical-grade
• I mean, we have federal laws on protecting all medical grade data, and this is medical grade... ...data

Bills: HB537, HB474, HB527, HB449, HB380, HB449, HB380

Keywords: preliminary hearing, criminal procedure, Aniah's Law, pretrial detention, defendant rights, property rights, law enforcement, removal procedures, unauthorized occupancy, trespassing, liability, off-roading, parks, participant safety, risk management, DNA, genetic testing, privacy, consent, criminal penalties

Transcript Highlights:

• And the statistic that stands grades.
• If a child is not reading at grade level by the time they're in third grade, they're four times more
• If a child is not reading at grade level by the time they're in third grade, they're four times more
• level transition uh transparency grade level transition uh transparency in<01:48:29.199> grade
• <02:04:18.159> level systems that result in on grade level systems that result in on grade

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call – 0:00:04 Approval of Minutes – 0:03:57 United Way of Southern Kentucky –0:04:30 Preschool Education – 0:36:46 School Safety Updates – 1:01:41 Kentucky Association of School Superintendents – 1:41:47 Educational Cooperatives – 1:55:18 Adjournment – 2:07:37, 958, all

Summary: The committee opened its sixth meeting of the 2025 Interim Joint Committee on Education, confirmed a quorum, recorded attendance votes, and approved the minutes. Chair Lewis reminded presenters to keep remarks brief because of the full agenda and limited time. The first presentation was from United Way of Southern Kentucky, with Anne Puckett, Craig Browning, and Warren County Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton introducing a regional early childhood initiative. The presenters argued that kindergarten readiness and early childhood support are critical to later academic and life outcomes. They cited research and statistics about brain development in the first five years, the effects of unprepared kindergarten entry, and links between low literacy, school discipline, dropout rates, and incarceration. They said their region’s readiness scores fell during COVID and after a tornado, and that the most effective response was in-home parent education to help families support children from birth to age five. They described the model as voluntary, community-based, and not requiring new buildings, and said similar programs have been successful in Missouri. The group said it had already raised more than $1 million in private donations and committed three years of funding for four additional staff, expanding service in Allen, Logan, and Warren counties. They requested $600,000 per year for the next two-year budget cycle to add 12 more educators, serve about 360 families and 660 additional children, and build evidence for a possible statewide model. Members generally expressed support for the concept, with Representative Tipton and Representative Jackson discussing a prior home-based preschool pilot and the importance of starting early. Representative Calloway questioned whether increased family chaos and government involvement justified the approach; presenters responded that the program uses community educators, not a government-run organization, and is aimed at helping overwhelmed families. Representative Stalker asked about eligibility and early intervention, and presenters said the program serves children from birth to age five and can help identify needs early enough to connect families with services such as First Steps.

Transcript Highlights:

• The worries of tests and grades disappear and get replaced by the warmth of music.
• A 50% grade is not a passing grade, so it sounds like your funding formula is failing.
• Chester Elementary School’s fourth grade class.
• I just want to say I want to affirm that 50% is not a passing grade.
• Our teachers support students in grade levels across the entire district.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Ways and Means Committee held its final public hearing on the FY26 state budget, with chairs and members emphasizing that public testimony would help shape the budget and asking speakers to keep remarks brief. Committee leaders introduced members, explained the hearing process, and repeatedly thanked residents, students, and advocates for participating. No votes were taken during the hearing. Testimony focused heavily on education funding and the Chapter 70 formula. Students from Amherst, Northampton, Gateway Regional, Chester Elementary, and other districts described budget-driven cuts to electives, special education supports, paraprofessionals, counselors, transportation, and building maintenance. They urged higher Chapter 70 aid, increased minimum aid, rural school aid, and a reopening or restructuring of the funding formula, arguing that current formulas leave many districts unable to meet student needs and force local layoffs and overrides. Other speakers urged funding or protection for a range of programs and facilities, including the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for homicide survivor services, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and CART/interpreter services, the Access to Counsel housing legal aid program, the Department of Mental Health and Pocasset Mental Health Center, and Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children. One speaker opposed offshore wind-related spending and urged a reset of the state’s energy approach, while another advocated ending the aircraft sales tax exemption. Committee members responded sympathetically to many speakers, asked a few follow-up questions, and several expressed support for maintaining or expanding the programs discussed.

Transcript Highlights:

• I certainly believe that you can express your views and still be graded on academic performance.
• then it just says you don't want to grade them based on anything unrelated to the academic situation
• beliefs, but this is protection as much for the person doing the grading as it is for the student to
• The bill is about grading based on academic performance. That's the subject matter of the bill.
• agree with the grades, sometimes we don't.

Bills: HB2268, HB3000, HB3043, HB3066, HB3078, HB3143, HB3144, HB3244, HB3298, HB3320, HB3467, HB3321, HB3329, HB3431, HB3464, HB3499, HB3500, HB3586, HB3590, HB3650, HB3671, HB3695, HB3700, HB3701, HB3764, HB3767, HB3834, HB3931, HB3934, HB3940, HB3944, HB3979, HB3985, HB4113, HB4294, HB4302, HB4317, HB4324, HB4359, HB4426, HB4427, HB4430, HB4431, HB4434, HJR1077, SR42, SR35, HJR1023, HB1225, HB1374, HB1381, HB1590, HB1675, HB2153

Keywords: HB2268, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, OHCA, appropriation, General Revenue Fund, PACE, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, elderly care, aging Oklahomans, long-term care, Medicaid, health care funding, provider reimbursement, rate increase, low-income seniors, senior services, integrated care, emergency measure, cosmetology, barbering

Transcript Highlights:

• mentioned SEMA, because SEMA actually gave the Commonwealth of Massachusetts an F rating, or an F grade
• Currently, this connection occurs at grade via two crosswalks.
• Currently this connection occurs at grade via two crosswalks.
• Based on years of observation, I can attest that the current at-grade configuration poses daily risk.
• Based on years of observation, I can attest that the current at-grade configuration poses daily risk

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held a public hearing on a wide range of bills and topics, including impaired driving, antique and collector vehicles, roadway maintenance, homelessness-related identification cards, a pedestrian tunnel for Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, a bridge naming in Sandwich, historic route designations, and litter prevention. The chairs outlined the hearing process, including three-minute limits for individuals and seven minutes for panels, and noted that elected officials would be taken out of turn. No votes were taken during the hearing; the committee heard testimony and then adjourned. On impaired driving, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan and tow lot operator Chris Nolan supported a bill creating a 12-hour tow-yard hold for vehicles involved in drug-impaired incidents, similar to the existing alcohol-related hold. On transportation infrastructure and road safety, Representative Howitt testified for several bills requiring reflective tape on temporary loads, restoring road markings after utility work, requiring roadway restoration after excavation, and improving reporting on roadway damage after crashes. AAA Northeast supported bills expanding the distracted driving law to cover video recording while driving, while noting it preferred the offense remain a primary offense. Several witnesses testified in support of bills affecting vehicle enthusiasts, including restoring year-of-manufacture plates for antique vehicles, creating a single rear collector plate, and changing antique vehicle inspection rules. Another major topic was H. 3750/S. 2399, which would provide no-fee state IDs and flexible residency documentation for youth and adults experiencing homelessness; supporters included the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, social workers, city officials, and people with lived experience, all emphasizing that lack of ID blocks access to housing, jobs, health care, and other services. The committee also heard strong support for S. 2414, authorizing a tunnel connecting the north and south campuses of Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, with school leaders and students citing safety, accessibility, and traffic concerns. Finally, the committee heard emotional testimony for H. 4374 to name the Quaker Meeting House Road overpass in Sandwich for Staff Sergeant Raymond G. Torville, and testimony for a resolve creating a roadside litter prevention and cleanup task force.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're not grading the test. They're not writing the test or grading the test.
• We're<00:23:20.559> not<00:23:20.720> grading<00:23:21.039> the<00:23:21.280>
• <00:23:22.159> They're<00:23:22.400> not We're not grading the test.
• They're not We're not grading the test.
• writing the test or grading the test. writing the test or grading the test.

Bills: SB78, SB103, SB113, SB180, SB78, SB103, SB113, SB180

Keywords: inhalants, butyl nitrite, nitrous oxide, amyl nitrite, possession, sale, misdemeanor, felony, criminal penalties, public health, public works, sealed bids, bid advertisement, procurement, government contracting, construction bids, municipal bidding, county bidding, state bidding, Department of Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• In fact, we outperformed the national average in literacy lexile scores in four of the six grade levels
• We are above numerous states in every grade level. And additional information will be provided.
• I've taught first grade, third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. I've been a literacy coach.
• So there's times a teacher has 40 to, like, first grade, 43 students, 43 first graders in one classroom
• So when I say four percentage points, I actually mean over 1,200 more low-income students on grade level

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and the unique characteristics associated with each specific adequacy standard in relation to the grade
• Students in grades one through five need 36. Net square feet per student.
• Grades six through eight require 33 net square feet, and students in grades nine through twelve need
• value derived from the previous gross square footage calculator was based solely on the student's grade
• main differences stem from the integration of all relevant adequacy standards applicable to those grades

Transcript Highlights:

• case actually arose out of a case where I was representing a student, and the student was in the 12th grade
• For example, by second grade, students are introduced to the complex... and potentially confusing concepts
• By 5th grade, children are expected to understand the difference between cisgender, transgender, and
• Just real quick, I've got a kid in second grade. None of that's happened. None of it.
• In TEKS, sex education starts in fourth grade; it starts in second grade in the NSES standards.

Bills: SB204, SB570, SB735, SB784, SB1207, SB1396, SB1447, SB2392, SB2540, SB747, SB875

Keywords: parental rights, education, school trustees, training, handbook, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district, open-enrollment charter school, student support services, school counselor, principal, administrator

Transcript Highlights:

• started college, I served in multiple student organizations, stayed active in clubs, and kept my grades
• Um, currently homeless liaisons are only able to support students from K through 12th grade.
• to implement DEI-based practices under different guises, particularly in admissions criteria and grading
• Pass fail grading systems, even for core clinical and scientific coursework.
• Pass fail grading can conceal important distinctions in preparation and performance. in critical areas

Bills: HB232

Keywords: disaster recovery, natural disaster, weather disaster, emergency relief, flood relief, hurricane relief, storm damage, wildfire, tornado, hail, windstorm, extreme heat, ice storm, snowstorm, property damage, personal injury, temporary housing, relocation assistance, lost wages, state emergency management