Transcript Highlights:

• And principals rated RPEP, the Arkansas Professional Educator Pathway, as the most effective program
• So we'll go over the available data on these to provide a landscape of educator preparation programs
• We're going to see the different institutions that are offering an educator preparation program either
• , and then 86% were within 30 miles of an associate's degree in education program.
• Okay, and then my last question: teacher preparation programs, educator preparation programs, and other

Keywords: 1204, all

Summary: The committee first received a presentation from Legislative Audit on Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions for fiscal year 2025. Auditors explained the report summarizes $4.6 billion in grants to school districts, charter schools, education cooperatives, and other entities, with most funding coming from the Public School Fund and federal sources. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, master principal bonuses, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance grants. Department of Education staff clarified that the audit report only shows distributions, not how recipients ultimately used the money, and noted that some funding declines reflected the end of one-time federal COVID relief dollars. Senators also asked about the special-language appropriation for Economics Arkansas and the use of public school fund revenues. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on Consumer Price Index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global, followed by a detailed adequacy-study update on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. The teacher report covered teacher counts, education levels, experience, shortages, preparation pathways, licensure exceptions, survey results, and salary trends. Key findings included about 32,800 teachers statewide in 2025, an average retention rate of 87%, and 30% of surveyed teachers saying they were considering leaving the profession. The report also noted shortages in special education, math, science, and other areas, growth in alternative preparation pathways, and the phaseout of several licensure exceptions under Act 304 of 2025. Members asked extensively about survey methodology, teacher satisfaction, preparation for classroom environment and special education, the cost and return on investment of alternative licensure routes, and whether exit-interview data exists statewide. The presenters said they could follow up on several questions, including details on alternative programs, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, and comparisons to other surveys. On salaries, the report said the statewide average teacher salary in 2025 was $60,254, with districts averaging slightly higher than charters. Arkansas ranked 45th nationally on average salary in 2025, though 36th when adjusted for cost of living, and average district salaries had declined 8% in inflation-adjusted terms since 2016. Members also discussed the LEARNS Act minimum salary floor of $50,000, salary disparities among districts, and whether the state should focus more on retaining experienced teachers as well as raising starting pay.

Transcript Highlights:

• Conservative leaders across the country are prioritizing education scholarship account programs like
• Programs such as the Alligator Scholarship have helped to bridge that educational gap just in the past
• the SSP program were submitted and approved annually by the Department of Education and are now not
• Gator program for previous S.S.P. the Department of Education and are now not permitted under the LA
• I'd like to share how this program allows parents to be in the driver's seat of their child's education

Summary: The committee met for public testimony on the Finance budget, with the main discussion focused first on funding for disability services and then on the LA GATOR scholarship program. Several individuals testified in support of fully funding Families Helping Families and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS), describing how advocacy, transition services, and direct support workers help people with disabilities access education, employment, and independent living. Witnesses urged the committee to preserve or increase state general funds to draw down federal matching dollars, and provider groups said current reimbursement rates and staffing shortages are leaving agencies in deficit, creating waitlists, overtime costs, and difficulty retaining workers. Committee members thanked the speakers and noted that the testimony would be used to compare the governor’s, House, and remaining budget requests. The committee then heard extensive testimony in support of increasing funding for the LA GATOR scholarship program. Supporters included policy groups, school leaders, parents, and students who argued that the program expands educational choice, helps low-income and special-needs students find schools that fit their needs, and should be fully funded at the level of demonstrated demand. Speakers from Catholic and Christian schools said GATOR funding had helped students thrive academically and spiritually, but that shortfalls left many eligible students without awards, hurt kindergarten enrollment, and forced schools to raise private donations to cover gaps. Several witnesses emphasized that the program is not a zero-sum attack on public schools, but a way to let education dollars follow students. A few committee questions focused on the fiscal impact and on whether choice programs improve outcomes without harming public schools. Testimony cited enrollment growth, parent demand, and data from other states to argue that school choice can improve student and parent outcomes and may also strengthen traditional public schools through competition. No votes or formal actions were taken during the public testimony portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• Outside of apprenticeship programs and community college contract education agreements... Do.
• and the tech education programs.
• But how will the teacher credentialing program educate bilingual?
• public education agencies and programs.
• and delivery of non-education-related state programs and services.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Conservative leaders across the country are prioritizing education scholarship account programs like
• Conservative leaders across the country are prioritizing education scholarship account programs like
• Programs such as the Alligator have helped bridge that educational gap just in the past 12 months.
• under the SSP program were submitted and approved annually by the Department of Education and are now
• I'd like to share how this program allows parents to be in the driver's seat of their child's education

Keywords: 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Almost a third of all of our teachers in our educator prep program participate in the Ed Fellows Program
• Another program is Educators Rising. This is a program for our students in high school.
• We also have the Grow Your Own program, which the higher education department administers, as well as
• These bills also address our educator prep programs and make sure that our pre-service teachers, while
• That they get that TESOL training support while they're still in their higher education program.

Transcript Highlights:

• the career and technical education the career and technical education program<01:05:41.839> for
• as well as higher education programs.
• <01:13:49.679> And well as higher education programs.
• And well as higher education programs.
• On line 148 begins two modifications to the special education aid program.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so the Department of Education has been involved in auditing all of our CTE programs, both at the
• Is it preparing me for that continued education? Am I completing this program?
• We also offer CWE, continued workforce education, in this program.
• Of course, Jody, who has now gone on to FDC to work and build their workforce education programs, but
• Gone on to FDC to work and build their workforce education programs.

Summary: The Education Postsecondary Committee met to hear an overview of Florida career and technical education (CTE) from Chancellor Kevin O’Farrell and presentations from Big Bend Technical College and Santa Fe College. O’Farrell described Florida’s CTE structure, including career clusters, postsecondary program types, enrollment and completion growth, apprenticeship expansion, and the state’s credentials review process. He said postsecondary CTE enrollment is near 480,000 students and completions reached a record 76,806, with strong growth in nursing, law enforcement, EMT, and other public-safety credentials. He also discussed the CTE audit, which uses retention/success, employment or continued education, and labor-market demand metrics; programs not meeting thresholds would eventually require phase-out plans beginning in 2026. He highlighted the workforce development capitalization grant as a major driver of program expansion and facility renovation, and answered questions about business outreach, construction trades, apprenticeships, and space-industry training. Shelby McCall of Big Bend Technical College described how the college responded to hurricanes, mill closures, and regional economic disruption by expanding rural workforce training. She highlighted aluminum welding, millwright, welding technology, health sciences, and a new advanced manufacturing facility funded by state grants and local partnerships, along with a new LPN-to-RN bridge program. She said the college has strong placement and certification results and is working with employers such as Lippert, NAMO, and others to align training with local demand. Senator Simon praised the college’s role in Taylor County’s recovery and workforce development. Dr. Paul Brody of Santa Fe College said state workforce grants have helped the college expand nursing, skilled trades, apprenticeship, automotive, diesel, and manufacturing programs, including partnerships with Bradford County Technical College, UF Health, Habitat for Humanity, and local employers. He reported growth in CTE enrollment, nursing credentials, apprenticeship enrollment, and job placement rates, and described new efforts in semiconductor training, CDL training, and a charter school model that combines high school, an AS degree, and industry credentials. The committee took no formal action beyond hearing the presentations and adjourned after Senator Berman moved to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• WE WILL HAVE A BIT OF THE REVIEW OF THE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CTE PROGRAM WE HAVE.
• THE FIRST TWO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ARE THE FIRST TWO PROGRAMS WE HAVE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
• THE INSTITUTION HAS TO BE ENROLLED IN A CAREER AND TECH NICOLE EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT IS IDENTIFIED BY
• WHILE THESE PROGRAMS DO OFFER INVALUABLE TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THE COST OF EDUCATION
• IT IS A FABULOUS PROGRAM BUT THE PUBLIC EXPANSION GRANT ON THIS FACILITY HAS EDUCATED OVER 162 STUDENTS

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• “This builds on the New Hampshire successful education tax credit program, which has been in place for
• to discussions you’re having around the Education Freedom Account program.
• This bill would remove the income limit on qualifying for this program and make the education tax credit
• this education Freedom account program this education Freedom account program this bill<00:22
• I administer it with, of course, my team, the education tax credit scholarship program.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of certain programs offered by those institutions or for the Committee on Higher Education HB 1706 by
• Garcia Bay relating to the additional requirements of individualized education programs developed for
• junior College state finance program for the Committee on Higher Education.
• pre-kindergarten programs at public schools for the Committee on Public Education.
• program referred to the Committee on Public Education.

Transcript Highlights:

• We took that information to our faculty in College Station to help build out the educational programs
• Law school, the College of Business, College of Education, and the pharmacy Program.
• This program allows Texas Southern to credibly evaluate a student's readiness for higher education and
• I, um, I do wanna talk about your education program.
• US News and World Report recently recognized your online graduate program in education as one of the

Transcript Highlights:

• , where together the state progressed significantly in a range of critical education programs on behalf
• education programs on behalf of education programs on behalf of Minnesota<00:13:04.399> students
• It is a technical language strike in the American Indian education aid program to, with the elimination
• and then going into the higher education setting to teach there, and the intention of this program was
• and then going into the the program and then going into the higher<00:49:03.599> education<00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• There are 41 educator preparation programs in our state, known as EPPs.
• Twenty-two of our 41 educator preparation programs in the state offer a total of 367 separate alternate
• program.
• program.
• So they can't teach if the high school has an approved career and technical education program.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• preparation program. to complete a bachelor's degree and enroll in an educator preparation program.
• In special education, we certified more than twice as many teachers as the next two largest programs
• Senate Bill 2 establishes the Educational Freedom Accounts Program.
• Teacher retention initiatives fail when they do not oversee support for teacher education programs.
• They do not oversee support for teacher education programs. One more sentence with integrity.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's a similar effort to spur and scale innovation in our educator preparation programs.
• The bill would also expand the popular supplemental special education services program established in
• We also fund the educator prep program, okay, so we incentivize them to have a high quality educator
• Out of the education preparation program. Yes, sir.
• One of the most effective programs public education seen in recent decades as two-way dual language programs

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:

• and to tailor leadership programs to support students on career technical and education pathways.
• Regarding educator workforce, we support full funding for the GSDG and NBCI programs and suggest for
• The big one is the adult education program and the high school strong work force program.
• Fund for individualized education program template translations.
• So our program sees It's 98% high school graduation with over 90% pursuing higher education.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Department of Education.
• programs.
• program.
• program.
• ABC programs.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the prior minutes and then shifted to an update from Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith on early childhood education, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. They said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ABC as a large state program with about 23,800 funded slots and roughly $114 million in annual appropriations. Department officials said they are reviewing slot allocations because about 1,000 seats are funded but unfilled, while more than 2,000 families are on waiting lists, and they plan to reduce or reallocate slots from providers that have not filled them over several years. They also said they are examining whether income thresholds, curriculum expectations, daily rates, and summer programming should be updated, and members raised concerns about access, local control, transportation, and whether the program should better align with K-12 choice and school readiness goals. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical data and other information for future discussion. The committee then received a legal presentation from BLR attorney Taylor Lloyd on the constitutional and statutory framework for education adequacy in Arkansas. She reviewed the Dupree and Lake View cases, explaining that the state must maintain a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools, and that adequacy and equity are distinct but related concepts. She emphasized that the General Assembly is responsible for defining adequacy, studying whether the system meets that standard, and reacting to the evidence, while the courts ultimately decide constitutional compliance. Lloyd also explained the current adequacy definition, the role of the matrix as a funding tool rather than a spending mandate, and the distinction between unrestricted foundation funding and restricted categorical funding. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum followed with a historical overview of how Arkansas responded to the court cases and developed the current adequacy process. She traced major legislative actions from the 1980s through the Lake View litigation, including the creation of funding formulas, categorical aid, isolated funding, declining enrollment funding, and the 2003-2004 adequacy study that led to the Continuing Adequacy Evaluation Act and the matrix used to set foundation funding. She also described later changes to the adequacy statute, the financial reporting requirements for districts, and the ongoing use of surveys, stakeholder testimony, and consultant studies in the biennial adequacy process. Members asked questions about whether private or homeschool programs could use public funds for expenses like utilities, whether stakeholders should include those groups, the difference between average daily membership and attendance, and whether school board members are surveyed; staff said those issues would need further research or were outside the scope of the presenters’ role.

Transcript Highlights:

• bigger programs.
• programs.
• programs.
• programs.
• program.

Summary: The meeting began with approval of the previous minutes and then focused on an update from the Department of Education on early childhood programs, especially the state-funded Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) program. Secretary Jacob Oliva and Deputy Commissioner Stacey Smith said Arkansas had received a federal Preschool Development Grant and described ongoing work to review ABC slots, which have been flat for years at about 23,800 slots and roughly $114 million. They said about 1,000 slots statewide are currently unfilled despite a waiting list of more than 2,000 families, and the department is shifting toward paying based on enrollment rather than guaranteed slots. Members asked about school choice, income eligibility, year-round access, curriculum flexibility, transportation, and whether funding should be increased or rebalanced; the department said it is collecting data, may survey providers more formally, and is considering whether to modernize income thresholds, daily rates, and other program rules. The committee agreed to form an early childhood subcommittee and asked the Bureau of Legislative Research to help gather historical information on income limits and other program details. The second major portion of the meeting was a legal presentation on the framework for Arkansas school adequacy by BLR education attorney Taylor Lloyd. She reviewed the constitutional basis for a “general, suitable, and efficient” public school system, the Dupree and Lake View cases, and the principle that adequacy and equity are different but related: adequacy asks what resources are needed, while equity asks whether those resources are distributed fairly. She explained that the General Assembly must define adequacy, study it, and react to evidence over time, and that the current adequacy definition includes curriculum and career/technical frameworks, the 38 mandatory Carnegie units, state testing standards, and sufficient funding. She also described the matrix as a funding tool, not a spending mandate, and noted that categorical funds are separate from the matrix. BLR’s Elizabeth Bynum then gave the historical framework, tracing legislative responses from Dupree through Lake View and into the present. She highlighted major changes such as the creation of equalization funding, fiscal distress and academic distress laws, the adequacy study process, the Educational Adequacy Fund, facilities and transportation changes, declining enrollment and student growth funding, and later adjustments to teacher salaries, isolated funding, and categorical programs. She explained that the adequacy study has evolved through committee hearings, surveys, site visits, and outside consultants, and that recent changes include updates to accountability references and the addition or removal of certain funding categories. Members asked follow-up questions about how the matrix is used, whether homeschool or private-school funding raises comparable issues, whether stakeholders include private and homeschool participants, whether school board members should be surveyed, and whether the state should revisit average daily membership versus attendance-based funding. No votes were taken on the adequacy presentations, but the committee did agree to continue the early childhood discussion in a future subcommittee meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• revenue programs, uh, a brief overview of special education revenue, not to supersede what we heard
• revenue programs, uh, a brief overview of special education revenue, not to supersede what we heard
• Take a close look at a few selected general education revenue programs, a brief overview of special education
• educ education programs is in special educ education programs is also<00:42:06.079> kind<00:42
• > in<01:44:13.320> whole education program that's funded in whole education program that's

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• That does not include the $13 billion in local funds included in the Florida Education Finance Program
• Obviously, the biggest driver in the Pre-K-12 budget is the Florida Education Finance Program, or FEFP
• We also provide the voluntary pre-K education program, which is a universal pre-K program for all four-year-olds
• So a little bit more about our voluntary pre-K education program: as stated earlier, VPK offers free
• , under the cap, personalized education program — the personalized education program that the Legislature

Summary: The Pre-K through 12 Budget Subcommittee held its first interim meeting, took roll, and established a quorum. Members introduced themselves, many noting backgrounds in education, school boards, local government, or parenting, and Chair Jenna Persons-Mulicka outlined the committee’s goal of building the fiscal year 2025-26 Pre-K-12 budget. She also reviewed the fiscal year 2024-25 education budget, noting that the Pre-K-12 portion totals about $21 billion, with the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) as the largest driver, along with major funding for VPK, school readiness, and school recognition. She explained that federal COVID relief funds have ended and that recent school choice legislation has affected budget structure. Commissioner Manny Diaz and department leaders then gave overviews of their divisions. Diaz highlighted Florida’s education rankings, record graduation rate, progress monitoring, expanded school choice participation, charter school growth, and teacher salary investments, while emphasizing a focus on literacy, math, and early learning. Carrie Miller described the Division of Early Learning’s school readiness and VPK programs, their funding, eligibility, accountability systems, and the importance of kindergarten readiness. Paul Burns outlined the Division of Public Schools’ work on educator quality, literacy, standards, certification, family outreach, federal programs, and school improvement. Suzanne Pridgen reviewed finance and operations functions, including budget management, FEFP calculations, grants, procurement, transportation, and emergency management. Adam Emerson described parental choice programs, including scholarships, charter schools, schools of hope, virtual education, and home education. Darren Norris detailed the Office of Safe Schools’ responsibilities for risk assessments, compliance inspections, threat management, grants, and training created after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy. Members asked questions about several issues, including whether the Safe Schools office recommends changes to the school safety grant distribution formula, whether early learning eligibility should shift from federal poverty level to state median income, how scholarship payments are verified to avoid funding students who return to public school, and whether daily attendance systems could improve funding accuracy. Other questions addressed hurricane-related survey disruptions, VPK provider reimbursement rates and instructional hours, teacher salary increases, school start time costs, and how voucher schools handle IEP accommodations. Department officials generally said some issues remain under review, supported moving school readiness eligibility to SMI, noted that scholarship and enrollment data are cross-checked and adjusted when needed, and said progress monitoring now helps schools support mobile students. On school safety, officials said exemptions are allowed in statute for some items but not for classroom doors, and that district-specific conditions matter. No votes were taken and no formal actions were reported beyond receiving presentations and discussion.