Transcript Highlights:

• I'm currently a cybersecurity student in a master's program at St.
• the programs a little bit and what they offer. they use student progress reports parent they use student
• We present to their TRIO program for first-generation students in our public schools, such as Kennedy
• Students receiving support from our program enroll in postsecondary programs at considerably higher rates
• These are just a couple of the many skills that students can learn while in these programs.

Bills: HF1936, HF849, HF989, HF1130, HF1223, HF1907, HF1847, HF1957

Keywords: workforce development, youth employment, career guidance, education, job skills, Duluth Promise, education funding, career training, employment support, youth apprenticeship, economic development, minority support, internship program, Bloomington, funding, youth mentorship, job training, disadvantaged youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Youthprise

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, we students and students behavior.
• And what we do with our foundations program is to really kind of co- like how to remove a student from
• We also have our transition plus program, which is um, for our students from 18 to 22.
• plus program, which is um, for<00:27:12.000> our<00:27:12.240> students<00:27:12.480><
• Our students need a range students are.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• have to pay for that alternative program classroom, um, and divide it out by the number of students
• students within that program.
• But alternative programs don't live in my office; they're not just for special education students. okay
• education students within that program<00:51:26.880> can<00:51:27.040> you<00:51:27.640
• that rent and divide it by the number of students that are in that program for that location?

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The work session focused on special education, especially the differentiated aid component and special education aid, which members noted is still often called “catastrophic aid.” The chair said the committee was trying to better understand how special education costs are growing, how districts are delivering services through SAUs or internally, and how reimbursement formulas affect local costs. Members also discussed the need for better data before making decisions on several education funding bills, and Representative Brown was tasked with capturing questions for follow-up information from the department or elsewhere. Testimony from the state special education director, Becky Fad, centered on why student counts in various disability categories have shifted over time. She said the categories themselves have not changed much, but autism has increased because of greater understanding and identification, developmental delay has grown because it applies to children under age 10 who may not yet have a clear diagnosis, and some students previously classified under speech/language or other health impairment are now identified in more specific categories such as autism. She emphasized that the IEP is based on a child’s individual needs, so a change in category would not necessarily change services, though it may help educators support the student differently. Members asked about whether the shifts reflect better diagnostic capability, whether the department should gather more data on the reasons for the changes, and whether autism-spectrum data could be broken down further. Fad said the department does not currently have data on the causes of the shifts or on where students fall within the autism spectrum, but that collecting and analyzing such data is on its list of priorities and a new data manager had recently been hired. She also explained that each child is counted only once on the chart by primary disability, that the IEP or eligibility team determines the primary category based on evaluations, and that any child can be referred for special education by a parent, teacher, or doctor, after which the district must meet within 15 days to decide whether to evaluate. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• not only their kinds of programs not only their students<00:09:15.240> but<00:09:15.440> the
• colleges, and we do have numbers of students that actually do transfer from their two-year program to
• do have numbers of students that actually do transfer from their two-year program to our four-year program
• <01:48:29.520> and<01:48:29.800> programs utilized by more students and programs utilized
• by more students and programs in<01:48:30.440> the<01:48:30.599> mean<01:48:30.920>

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And, uh, the last but not least: give students options, um, from early literacy programs to school book
• <00:03:39.799> to um from early literacy programs to um from early literacy programs to School
• libraries our state program libraries our state program administrator<00:04:39.440> Emma<
• She said these investments have helped ensure that all of their students, regardless of grade or program
• regardless of grade or of our students regardless of grade or program<01:12:35.719> have<01:12

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Today, more than 100,000 students annually receive scholarships through these programs.
• Most people would conclude that we should expand the program and serve more students, that we should
• It replaces the program with limits to student eligibility.
• You that this program has not just been popular, but it has saved students' lives.
• We need to ensure that every student has access to the education that fits them the best, and this program

Summary: The House convened, opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, approved several journals, and welcomed a number of guests, including Irish dignitaries, scholarship winners, interns, student pages, and members of Omega Psi Phi. After confirming a quorum, the chamber received committee reports and referred new bills and resolutions, then recessed for caucuses and committee meetings before returning to floor action. In the afternoon session, the House considered several bills and amendments. It approved amendments to House Bills 426, 1127, 2551, and Senate Bill 146, while rejecting an amendment to HB 1127 that would have tightened background-check requirements for out-of-state dentists. The chamber also agreed to HB 2234, which creates a spent grain donation tax credit and updates the malt beverage tax credit, and HB 2551, which limits text-message notices by the Turnpike Commission and other agencies about unpaid fines, fees, or tolls. Senate Bill 146, creating the Veterans Trust Fund Board, was amended to add audit-related changes and then agreed to. The House then took final passage votes on several bills. HB 133, allowing a process to petition for reinstatement of parental rights, passed 191-11; HB 138, barring parental incarceration as the sole basis for termination of parental rights, passed 200-2; HB 2207, on capital development loans, passed 202-0; and HB 2224, dealing with utility rate and tax-related changes, passed 202-0 after extensive debate over affordability, consumer protections, and tax relief. HB 2473, repealing the Flood Insurance Education Information Act of 1996, also passed unanimously, and HB 2544, addressing school administrator rights and compensation disputes, passed 141-61. The most extensive debate centered on HB 2632, which reallocates educational tax credit caps and replaces the EITC and OSTC programs with a new options tax credit framework beginning in 2027-28. Supporters said it would improve transparency, accountability, and access for the poorest students, while opponents argued it would reduce scholarship opportunities, add burdens, and harm families and schools that rely on the current programs. After lengthy debate, the House passed HB 2632 by a vote of 105-97. The chamber then announced a Finance Committee voting meeting, recommitted several bills to Appropriations, and adjourned until June 23, 2026.

Transcript Highlights:

• , also called CCTE, and the start of our LPN Program for high school students.
• We also anticipate that this program... will also help increase enrollment in our RN program when students
• Clinical faculty have been one of our limiting factors to get more students into the program.
• Since I'm the nursing program director, I can only track the nursing students.
• Is it available to other students, or is this a specific nursing program?

Transcript Highlights:

• STUDENT ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR NURSING WORK HORSE AND WE SPENT A GOOD TIME STUDYING OUR NURSING PROGRAMS
• AND IF THERE ARE COMMONALITIES WITH THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE NOT PASSING THEIR STUDENTS ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT
• WHEN WE INVEST IN STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVES STUDENTS PERFORM BETTER.
• HOW MANY PEOPLE BY LICENSURE ARE WE I GUESS IS IT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF STUDENTS IN THE RN PROGRAM
• MY OTHER QUESTION IS ABOUT REMEDIATION BECAUSE I KNOW OTHER STUDENTS THAT HAVE GONE TO OTHER STATE PROGRAMS

Transcript Highlights:

• Great program. Uh Nelson high school. Great program.
• Kentucky's premier project-based learning organization, OET's Student Technology Leadership Program,
• OET's student technology leadership program<00:42:14.960> empowers<00:42:15.520> students<
• /c><00:42:15.839> through program empowers students through program empowers students through
• , Hispanic students, students students, Hispanic students, students living<01:06:07.520> in<01

Keywords: Call to Order and Roll Call - 0:25 Approval of Minutes – 3-50 2025 RS SB 253 – 4:25 Computer Science and AI Literacy – 27:36 Fayette County School District Budget Update – 51:46 Adjournment – 2:09:46, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled routine business, including roll call, introductions, and approval of the previous meeting minutes by voice vote. It then heard a presentation on SB 253, focused on expanding support for teacher apprenticeship and teaching-and-learning pathways. Senator Hickman and staff from the Kentucky Department of Education and Nelson County Schools described how the program uses dual credit, work-based learning, and registered apprenticeship to help students earn an associate degree in high school and continue toward a teaching degree. They said the goal is to address the teacher shortage by creating a sustainable pipeline into the profession. Witnesses emphasized that the main barrier is cost. Mary Taylor said Kentucky’s youth apprenticeship model has been successful in other fields and that education should be added as an in-demand sector, but an associate degree alone will not solve the teacher shortage because teachers still need a bachelor’s degree and certification. Laura Arnold of Nelson County Schools described the district’s Lead Nelson program, saying the district has invested more than $800,000 since 2021, currently has 37 students in the pathway and seven committed apprentices, and spends about $85,000 per apprentice from freshman year through certification. She said district staffing, planning, and university partnerships are also significant hurdles. Members asked about job guarantees, tenure, and retirement; Arnold said employment is performance-based and retirement issues are being considered. Senator Hickman said the bill would use lottery funds to help cover tuition and dual credit costs so more districts can participate, noting that a prior version died because of a high fiscal note. Representative Payne and Representative Tipton praised the program but stressed the need for funding and noted inconsistencies between statute and budget language on Work Ready Kentucky and dual credit support. Representative Tipton also cautioned that lottery revenue may not keep pace with demand and said the General Assembly may need to make broader funding decisions. After the apprenticeship discussion, the chair moved the committee to the next agenda item on computer science and AI literacy, where Code.org began a presentation on the importance of computer science for all students.

Transcript Highlights:

• She said it depends on the type of program, the timelines, and the groups of students being served.
• She said it really depends on the type of program, the timelines, and the groups of students being served
• She said it really depends on the type of program, the timelines, and the groups of students being served
• She said it really depends on the type of program, the timelines, and the groups of students being served
• She said it really depends on the type of program, the timelines, and the groups of students being served

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• students most importantly our students students most importantly our students benefit<00:35:29.480
• adding students complete their programs adding students complete their programs adding to<00:
• program.
• There are two higher ed programs that provide stipends for student teaching, as well as the new pilot
• programs that provide stiens for student programs that provide stiens for student teaching<01:03

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Investing in recruitment and retention, like UC Student Academic Preparation Programs, which have received
• For first-gen students, early academic outreach programs and educational opportunity programs are critical
• students of color.
• students of color.
• to prioritize this proven program and model for underrepresented students.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color held its second hearing, focused on the cradle-to-college-and-career pipeline, with an emphasis on education, school discipline, community schools, and higher education pathways. Chair Isaac Bryan opened by noting that two bills from the first hearing had been introduced and were advancing through the Legislature. Members Mike Fong, Senator Gonzalez, and Corey Jackson offered remarks supporting bipartisan, cross-sector work to address inequities affecting boys and young men of color. The first panel discussed school discipline and safety. Dr. David Turner cited major declines in suspensions since state reforms such as SB 274, SB 419, and AB 420, but said disparities remain for Black and Native boys and that school policing and “ghost suspensions” still push students out of class. Brandy Bowen-Bremont and LaQuan Muhammad described hidden disciplinary practices, police referrals, and the need for restorative, culturally rooted, and care-first supports. Members asked about the causes of the suspension decline, statewide versus local data, and whether MTSS and restorative practices are being implemented with fidelity. The second panel focused on community schools. Witnesses from Californians for Justice, Reclaim Our Schools LA, M.I.L.P.A., and the Center at Sierra Health Foundation urged a $1 billion ongoing state investment in the California Community Schools Partnership Act. They argued community schools improve attendance, school climate, academic outcomes, and family engagement while reducing suspensions and chronic absenteeism. The third panel addressed college and career pathways, with speakers from the California Faculty Association, UC Student Association, Brotherhood Crusade, A.M.E.N., and Improve Your Tomorrow calling for more financial aid, dual enrollment, mentorship, and student support. They also criticized state spending priorities, compared prison and higher education budgets, and urged investment in programs that keep young men of color connected to school and work. Public commenters largely echoed support for community schools, youth justice, and broader investment in boys and men of color, including rural and urban perspectives. Chair Bryan closed by highlighting the importance of representation and the role of mentorship and second chances in his own life, then adjourned the committee.

Transcript Highlights:

• This fall, we will also be extending this program to create a parallel student AI ambassador program.
• Communities most at risk are the very students CSU is meant to serve: Black students, Indigenous students
• , Latinx and immigrant students, queer and trans students, and students with disabilities.
• When students are overwhelmed, which many of our students... It's the same thing for students.
• When students are overwhelmed, which many of our students, It's the same thing for students.

Summary: The Assembly Committee on Higher Education and the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee held an oversight hearing on the California State University’s AI-empowered initiative, including the systemwide rollout of ChatGPT EDU and broader AI integration across CSU campuses. Opening remarks emphasized both the promise of AI for student success, workforce preparation, and access, and the need to address risks such as bias, privacy, misinformation, environmental impacts, and mental health harms. CSU representatives said the initiative grew out of Academic Senate recommendations and a systemwide generative AI committee, and that the goal was to provide equitable access, training, governance, and workforce alignment across the 23-campus system. CSU officials described systemwide contracts for AI tools, the AI Commons training hub, and faculty grant programs supporting AI-related curriculum innovation. They said more than 93,000 ChatGPT EDU accounts had been activated, over 4,300 faculty had taken voluntary training, and $3 million had been awarded to 63 faculty-led projects from more than 400 submissions. San Jose State University highlighted its own AI-focused programs, courses, orientation training, faculty fellows, student ambassadors, and interdisciplinary efforts to build AI literacy and responsible use into instruction and co-curricular programs. CSU also said it was tracking metrics on adoption, academic outcomes, workforce outcomes, and environmental impacts. Faculty, staff, and student representatives welcomed the educational potential of AI but raised concerns about the rollout, saying it had moved quickly and without enough consultation or consistent systemwide policy. They urged stronger protections for academic freedom, intellectual property, privacy, equity, and worker input, and warned about bias, surveillance, job displacement, and the environmental cost of AI. Legislators pressed CSU and OpenAI representatives on training requirements, data privacy, bias reporting, discipline for misuse, liability, sycophancy, and safeguards against harmful uses such as non-consensual imagery or self-harm-related interactions. CSU said interactions in the licensed tool are private, data are not used to train models, and campuses retain their own conduct processes; members also asked CSU to follow up on systemwide training, policy consistency, and additional safeguards.

Transcript Highlights:

• programs.
• Over that three-year span, you'll see that traditional programs make up over half of all enrolled students
• programs decreased.
• of program types completing the program over that time.
• Warden is working with higher education institutions on a program that lets future students see what

Summary: The committee first approved the May 18 meeting minutes and then received a Legislative Audit presentation summarizing Arkansas Department of Education grant distributions for fiscal year 2025. Auditors said the department distributed about $4.6 billion in grants overall, including $3.2 billion from the Public School Fund, $1.1 billion in federal funds, and $268 million from other state and miscellaneous sources, across 56 Public School Fund programs, 14 other state programs, and 29 federal programs. Members asked about specific recipients and programs, including ClassWallet, master principal bonuses, Economics Arkansas, and CDC surveillance funding; audit staff and Department of Education representatives explained that the report was only a distribution summary and not a recipient-level audit. Members also questioned why many districts showed lower funding, and staff said the decline was largely due to reduced federal and one-time COVID-related funds. Senators and representatives also discussed whether some incentive programs, such as master principal and national board bonuses, were tied to student outcomes, and whether Economics Arkansas was the sole entity named in special language for financial literacy funding; department staff said they would follow up on several details. The committee then heard a Bureau of Legislative Research presentation on consumer price index projections from Moody’s Analytics and S&P Global, with discussion of CPI-U and core CPI estimates for future fiscal years. Dr. Carlos Silva explained that the forecasts generally trend toward about 2 percent over time and that recent projections may have understated actual inflation because of recent shocks. Members asked about the accuracy of past projections, and he said he would provide more detail later if needed. The bulk of the meeting focused on the final adequacy report on teacher recruitment, retention, and salaries. BLR staff reported that Arkansas had about 32,800 teachers and 473,000 students in 2025, with a statewide student-to-teacher ratio of about 14 to 1, average teaching experience of 11.9 years, and a slight increase in National Board Certified teachers. The report found that districts with higher poverty and minority concentrations generally had less experienced teachers, and that teacher shortages remained widespread, especially in special education, math, science, and foreign language. Members asked about licensure exceptions, alternative preparation pathways, incentives for ESL and special education endorsements, and the cost and return on investment of traditional versus alternative routes. Staff said some licensure exceptions are being phased out under Act 304 of 2025 and that they would follow up on several requested details. The report also found that teacher retention averaged 87 percent statewide in 2025, with districts retaining teachers at higher rates than charters, and that 30 percent of surveyed teachers were considering leaving the profession. Principals and teachers identified school leadership as the strongest positive factor in recruitment and retention, while workload and salary were the strongest negative factors. On salaries, BLR reported a statewide average teacher salary of $60,254 in 2025, with districts averaging $60,458 and charters $55,724. Arkansas ranked 45th nationally on average teacher salary in 2025, though its cost-adjusted ranking improved to 36th; among SREB states it ranked 12th, and among neighboring states it ranked fourth. Members asked about starting salaries, salary compression, district step increases, and whether the report should be shared more broadly with educators and school leaders. Staff said they would provide follow-up information on several questions, and the committee took no formal action beyond receiving the presentations and asking for additional data.

Transcript Highlights:

• Career technical education programs throughout the state allow students to graduate high school with
• Any of the students, you guys are, FAA is a CTE type of program.
• Students in these CTE programs have an amazing success rate, as we have discussed this morning.
• So, the chamber supports efforts to help schools get more students into these programs.
• That industry is now preparing for these young students whenever they complete that program.

Transcript Highlights:

• Sometimes students need to be enrolled in an alternative program.
• Most states, some states are moving away from allowing K-5 students to participate in virtual programs
• So the Executive language is proposing to prohibit any new students from enrolling in a virtual program
• These virtual programs don't graduate students; I think their graduation rate is like 5%.
• that 1, and then 1.5 program units for every student above the 1.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• students.
• students.
• supports for students. supports for students.
• One student 539 students for every high One student 539 students for every high school<00:29:09.440><
• is<00:46:34.600> a eligible students, a free student is a eligible students, a free student

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And so any policies that reduce student enrollment in either of those programs This is likely to indirectly
• Through the Universal School Meals Program, you all have required that all students receive free breakfast
• , because that would have restricted those undocumented students from accessing those K-12 programs.
• to talk about how we make sure that our federal program dollars are actually meeting student success
• Salaries for educators and programming for students that would be tied to that funding and those operations

Transcript Highlights:

• One of them, which is actually itself about 300 ways, one of them is for students to complete a program
• New fellowship programs, scholarship programs.
• If you can't get it in this program, what about this program?
• They were expecting five students in this program.
• In this program, we have about seven programs where, if the student will come to TSDC, complete that

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• and college students work programs, you will not find that care.
• and college students work programs, you will not find that care.
• students who relied on scholarships and other government relief programs like I did.
• I'm a student at the University of Texas in the Canfield Business Honors Program and the Plan II Honors
• We are the nation's largest college and career success program for first-generation immigrant students

Summary: The committee heard several education bills, with most of the discussion focused on Senate Bill 1835, Senate Bill 784, Senate Bill 1049, Senate Bill 2942, and Senate Bill 2928. SB 1835 would raise from 5% to 20% the cap on nonresident students who can receive resident tuition and fees through competitive scholarships at certain regional universities in slower-growing workforce development areas, provided the schools have capacity as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Supporters, including West Texas A&M University, said the bill would help fill underused capacity, attract students who may stay and work in Texas, and support regional workforce needs. SB 784 would strengthen a prior law allowing peace officers’ children to transfer between public school districts for safety reasons by requiring both districts’ approval, making clear that districts of innovation are not exempt, and prohibiting tuition charges. SB 1049 would require districts and open-enrollment charters to excuse students, at a parent’s request, for religious release-time instruction for up to one hour per day and five hours per week; witnesses said the program is constitutional, voluntary, and already operating in other states and some Texas districts. Each of these bills was left pending after testimony, with no public witnesses opposing them. SB 2942 would expand and adjust the state’s adult charter high school pilot program. Senator Creighton said the bill is intended to help the estimated 7 million Texas adults without a high school diploma by removing barriers to expansion, aligning legal protections with ISDs, changing TEA’s disapproval window for expansion amendments to a 30-day period after receipt, and updating funding to reflect part-year attendance. A committee substitute kept the upper enrollment age at 50 and removed a proposed testing change. Testimony from New Heights students and leadership described the program as life-changing, emphasizing that it combines diplomas with career credentials, childcare, transportation, and other supports to help adults stabilize their families and enter better-paying work. TEA witnesses explained the expansion process and said adult charter schools are overseen by the commissioner rather than the SBOE. The committee substitute was adopted, public testimony closed, and the bill was left pending. SB 2928 would set a uniform school start date for public school districts at the third Wednesday in August, while preserving existing district-of-innovation flexibility for current DOI districts and allowing year-round systems to continue. Senator Creighton argued the bill would reduce the patchwork created by DOI exemptions, support students and families, and preserve summer employment and tourism revenue. A committee substitute was adopted. Testimony came largely from tourism, hospitality, and recreation interests, including hotel, water park, zoo, chamber of commerce, and camp representatives, who said later start dates would extend the summer travel season, improve staffing and revenue, and give students more opportunities for summer jobs and camps. Several witnesses cited large economic impacts from tourism and said early school starts reduce August business. Some senators raised concerns about charter schools being excluded and about year-round calendars, but the bill was left pending after testimony.