Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:04:41.520><c> we've</c> through grade three teachers we've through grade three teachers we've
• teachers teachers positions<00:13:42.160><c> next</c><00:13:42.399><c> I</c><00:13:42.480><c> would<
• > um</c> teacher 200 teacher reduction um teacher 200 teacher reduction um situation<01:12:57.639><c>
• That equates to five teachers.
• Teachers.

Committee: Senate Education Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a critical investment that continues to support our teachers, especially teachers in our high-need
• It protects the teacher-to-community pipeline for our schools.
• The Golden State Teacher Grant was influential in my decision to become a teacher because it allowed
• who need qualified teachers the most have the least access.
• At a time when fully credentialed teachers entering the of new funding to Golden State Teacher Grant

Summary: The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education heard updates on higher education issues, beginning with California State University’s turnaround plans for seven campuses with enrollment declines. CSU said overall enrollment is growing systemwide, but some campuses, especially in Northern California, face structural declines tied to demographics and community college pipelines. The plans focus on reengaging stopped-out and adult learners, expanding partnerships and guaranteed admissions, improving retention and student support, and reducing costs through program suspensions, hiring freezes, shared services, and procurement consolidation. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said the strategies were reasonable but urged regular legislative updates, and the Department of Finance had no additional comments. Committee members emphasized the need for implementation oversight, written updates, and attention to student outreach, financial aid, and privacy concerns around AI tools used in recruitment. The committee then reviewed the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education’s request for a $10 million General Fund appropriation to repay litigation-related borrowing. Department of Consumer Affairs and bureau staff said the bureau has a long-standing structural deficit, has already cut positions and shifted some costs, and that the General Fund backfill would reduce future fee increases on institutions. The LAO opposed the request, arguing the bureau can cover near-term costs with its existing loan and that litigation costs should remain the responsibility of the regulated entities through fees. Finance supported the one-time backfill as a unique situation that would lower fee increases and avoid passing litigation costs on to schools and students. Members asked about preventing a repeat of the problem, and bureau staff said they are pursuing fee increases through the sunset review and have strengthened internal policies and disability accommodation practices. The subcommittee also heard a broad update on Cal Grant funding and student aid. The California Student Aid Commission, UC, CSU, and the community colleges described Cal Grant as essential to affordability, but the LAO noted spending has grown faster than historical averages and said the state likely lacks capacity for major expansion in the near term. The segments highlighted the importance of state aid in covering tuition and living costs, and raised concerns about federal changes to student loans and Pell Grants, especially the elimination of Grad PLUS for some graduate students and limits on part-time borrowing. Committee members pressed for data on students who are eligible but not served by current Cal Grant rules, including adult learners and students affected by age and merit restrictions, and asked for analysis of phased-in implementation of the Cal Grant Equity Framework. Finance said full implementation would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and that affordability remains part of the state’s multi-year compact with the segments. Finally, the committee began discussion of the Middle Class Scholarship Program. CSAC and the UC and CSU said the program is a key part of affordability and debt reduction, especially after the 2022 reforms that expanded awards to total cost of attendance and improved administration. They warned that cutting funding by more than half would reduce award coverage from 35% to 17.5% of cost of attendance and could affect enrollment and persistence, particularly for middle-income students who do not qualify for other need-based aid. The segments also noted that recent administrative changes have reduced award revisions and campus workload, but that data exchange and award volatility remain challenges.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:08:18.319><c> and</c> happily a first grade teacher and happily a first grade teacher and somebody
• prep programs but not only our teacher prep programs but our<00:19:20.799><c> teachers</c><00:19:21.600
• </c> abuse of using tier one special teachers abuse of using tier one special teachers we<01:03:57.160
• </c><01:05:41.440><c> at</c> high school social studies teacher at high school social studies teacher
• </c><01:27:53.440><c> our</c> ...allows teacher prep, not our teachers, our teacher prep programs, to

Committee: House Education Policy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• As a former public school teacher, special education teacher of six years, I saw firsthand the struggles
• I speak with the journalism teacher.
• I speak with the journalism teacher.
• I've had experience both as a public school teacher and as a private school teacher, and I have concerns
• Texas is experiencing a historic teacher shortage, with 13% of teachers leaving the profession in one

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 convened with a quorum, adopted its committee rules, and heard opening remarks from members introducing staff and outlining priorities for the session. Several senators emphasized support for public education, teacher pay and safety, parental choice, and the combined K-16 jurisdiction of the committee. The chair also reviewed hearing procedures, including public testimony registration and time limits. The main item was Senate Bill 2, the Texas Education Freedom Act, laid out by Chairman Creighton. He described the bill as an education savings account program intended to expand school choice, with a $200 million universal eligibility pool and an additional $800 million targeted to students with disabilities and lower-income families. He said the bill includes anti-fraud safeguards, criminal background checks for vendors, reporting requirements, data protections, and annual testing for participating students, while not imposing STAAR on private schools or homeschoolers. He also said the bill removes a prior hold-harmless provision for public schools and is separate from public school funding and teacher pay legislation. Members questioned the bill’s income threshold, lottery and priority structure, treatment of homeschoolers, microschools, charter schools, religious freedom protections, citizenship/lawful presence language, cybersecurity, open records, and disability-related issues, including whether 504 students and foster children should be included. Creighton said the bill is designed to prioritize former public school students with disabilities or lower incomes, while also allowing universal eligibility within the program’s first funding tier, and that the Comptroller would oversee vendor screening and cybersecurity rules. He said the bill does not direct curriculum or interfere with religious beliefs and that amendments may be offered later on citizenship and other issues. After member questions, the committee began invited testimony, starting with EdChoice representative Robert Inlow, who testified in support of SB 2 and cited national growth in school choice programs and studies he said show positive effects for students and public schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• Teachers need to be focused on teaching, not entering in data into an SIS or a grade book, giving teachers
• Let's set up a parent-teacher conference.
• This is a teacher seating chart here.
• New teacher evaluation system.
• total teacher salaries or median teacher salaries, so we We are doing well there, and we are seeing

Transcript Highlights:

• Pew Research shared last June that 72% of high school teachers, a third of middle school teachers, and
• This is a former teacher. experts call screens electric electronic cocaine this is a former teacher of
• , to teacher-led instruction.
• They're required to have access to real teachers, to teacher-led instruction, and to reduce time online
• ELL teacher and a parent.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened a public hearing on 41 bills related to school climate and safety, with chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlining procedures and noting more than 125 witnesses. The first major topic was the “Study Act” on cell phones in schools and related social media restrictions (House 666/Senate 335). Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler and Attorney General Andrea Campbell testified in strong support, arguing that bell-to-bell phone-free policies would improve student focus, reduce anxiety and distraction, and support mental health. Several legislators also supported the approach, though Representative Jeff Turco and Senator John Keenan emphasized narrower bills focused only on school-day phone restrictions rather than broader social media regulation. Senator John Velis likewise backed a comprehensive school-hours restriction, citing student distraction and mental health concerns. Representative Tarsky described successful implementation of a Yondr pouch system in a school where he served as principal, saying it improved engagement and reduced bullying and discipline issues. The committee then heard testimony on a bill to prohibit Native American mascots in public schools (Senate 312/House 575). Senator Joe Comerford, Brittany Wally, and Rhonda Anderson all urged passage, saying Native mascots are dehumanizing, harmful to Native youth, and inconsistent with civil rights and educational values. They described support from tribal nations and noted that many Massachusetts schools have already changed mascots, but some still resist. The hearing also included testimony on school start times (House 647/Senate 360), where middle school students Caroline Duffy and Emery Jarvis described exhaustion and survey data showing widespread sleep deprivation. Former educator Telia Jacobs, former principal Rep. Tarsky, and others argued that later start times would improve health, learning, and student well-being, while acknowledging transportation and scheduling challenges. Zoriana Petrosian, who helped write one of the bills as a student, said the state already has enough research to act now. Additional bills drew testimony on related school issues. Dr. Raul Fernandez supported a bill promoting racially integrated schools (Senate 324), citing a recent advisory council report showing large disparities in segregated schools and urging DESE to develop a statewide integration strategy. On safe firearm storage education (House 548/Senate 397), multiple witnesses from Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention and school communities supported annual school-based education about secure storage, saying it would help prevent child access to unsecured firearms and build on local resolutions already adopted in some districts. The committee also heard testimony on bills to expand career and academic plans (House 533/Senate 438), with speakers saying more structured planning would help students make informed college and career choices. Later, testimony on child sexual abuse prevention and survivor support bills described the prevalence of abuse, the need for training in schools and youth-serving organizations, and the importance of extending compensation and prevention measures. Throughout the hearing, chairs repeatedly closed bills with no witnesses and moved the agenda forward, but no votes were taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• Well, there are billboards on the highway hiring teachers, advertising for teachers.
• And when we take a teacher away, we take away funding a teacher.
• Just when a teacher leaves...
• It's 40% of the increase must go to teacher salary, teacher and staff salary.
• Retired Teacher. Correct.

Bills: HB 3

Committee: House Public Education

Keywords: emergency communication, public safety, interoperability, Texas Interoperability Council, grant program, emergency communications, public safety radio, first responders, radio system, dispatch, 911, emergency management, Texas Division of Emergency Management, public safety infrastructure, Project 25, P25, broadband emergency alerting, outdoor warning sirens, homeland security, disaster response

Transcript Highlights:

• Teachers hired. Yeah, people hired. Teachers hired.
• </c> teachers. My grandmother was a teacher. teachers. My grandmother was a teacher.
• </c> supports teachers. supports teachers.
• </c> raise teacher salary?" raise teacher salary?"
• </c> teacher pay also reduces teacher teacher pay also reduces teacher turnover<04:20:19.840><c> in</

Keywords: 981, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> Department of Education for Teacher Department of Education for Teacher requested<00:01:01.480><
• </c><00:05:19.960><c> already</c> for their classrooms teachers already for their classrooms teachers
• </c> and Technical education teacher and Technical education teacher scholarship<00:25:13.960><c> program
• </c> technical education for a teacher technical education for a teacher scholarship<00:31:55.880><c>
• </c> Career and Technical education teacher Career and Technical education teacher Workforce<00:33:10.120

Committee: Senate Education

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh whereas the uh standing teachers.
• So there's additional teachers.
• </c> teachers a as is appropriate. Right? teachers a as is appropriate. Right?
• </c><01:45:01.280><c> the</c> teachers and their teachers and the teachers and their teachers and the
• The teachers teachers teachers are<01:55:54.400><c> where</c><01:55:54.639><c> our</c><01:55:54.960><

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• If you're a teacher, your students still have to meet their expectations, and you as a teacher still
• So if you have 10 teachers at an advanced professional cell two and two teachers at a residency cell
• What we know is that about last year to this year, 83% of teachers came back as teachers.
• Some teachers leave and go to administration. Some teachers are leaving and going to other fields.
• This is for CTE teachers.

Committee: Senate Education

Summary: The Senate Education Committee heard House Bill 815, a narrow fix for Answer Charter School in Boise. Rep. Sonia Galavis and school representatives explained that a past, very small transportation reimbursement request from 2010 was being used as the school’s base for a transportation block grant, leaving Answer with far less funding than similarly sized schools despite operating a full bus program since 2022. Supporters said the bill would correct an unintended funding disparity affecting only Answer and would not create a broader fiscal impact. The committee asked whether other schools could qualify, and Galavis said the language had been checked with the Department of Education and Legislative Services to ensure it applied only to this school. The committee voted to send HB 815 to the floor with a do pass recommendation. The committee then took up House Bill 849, which would change Idaho’s career ladder rules for career technical education instructors and pupil service staff such as counselors, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Rep. Galavis, Sen. Lent, and Legislative Services analyst Jared Taitro explained that CTE teachers can currently receive placement credit for industry experience but must wait four years and meet evaluation requirements before moving up the ladder, while pupil service staff do not currently receive the same placement treatment for prior professional experience. The bill would allow both groups to count relevant experience for placement and movement, with the goal of improving recruitment and retention in hard-to-fill positions. Testimony in support came from Dr. Joy Jansen of Lake Pend Oreille School District, who said districts struggle to recruit pupil service staff and often must pay much more for contracted services, and from Rep. Sean Dygert, who emphasized the importance of retaining industry-based CTE teachers, especially in rural districts. The committee voted to send HB 849 to the floor with a do pass recommendation before adjourning.

Transcript Highlights:

• ,</c> these teachers, these teachers, retired<02:50:26.560><c> teachers</c><02:50:27.000><c> and</c><
• </c> retired teachers and a cola. retired teachers and a cola.
• </c> was our teacher, some of us. was our teacher, some of us.
• Norwood, my fifth grade teacher. teacher. teacher.
• </c> first time from that teacher. first time from that teacher.

Keywords: 920, all

Summary: The Alabama Senate convened with prayer, the pledge, and a quorum present, then quickly handled routine business including excusing absent senators, adopting the prior journal, and recognizing several guests in the gallery. The chamber also paused to honor Dr. Mark Sullivan, superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, with a Senate resolution commending him as the Alabama Education Association’s 2025-26 outstanding superintendent of the year. Senator Smitherman and Dr. Sullivan both spoke, with Sullivan highlighting Birmingham’s academic gains, reduced failing schools, and lower chronic absenteeism. The Senate then processed a series of House messages and confirmations. It concurred in SB 288 on agriculture authorities and SB 317 on the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services, but non-concurred and sent SB 174 on natural resources and SB 32 on solid waste collection fees to conference. The chamber confirmed numerous appointments, including Rex Jones, William Donahue, Jim Massey, Jason Windham, Alexander Atwater, Charles Dean, Steve McKinnon, Bonnie Temple, Shaniqua Johnson-Enam, Dwayne Jenkins, Troy Skipworth, Gloria Watts, Tracy Doughty, Kevin Ball, Joe D. Briggs, Josh Bryant, Dylan Turk, David R. Pruitt III, and Carol Smitherman, with most confirmations passing on near-unanimous rolls. Committee reports advanced several House bills, including favorable reports on HB 224, 591, 614, 609, 444, 248, 611, 622, 92, and 556, with HB 248 amended. The Senate also adopted a resolution honoring the University of Alabama women’s wheelchair basketball team for winning the 2026 national championship, and another resolution recognizing the seriousness of the national debt and urging Congress to establish regular budget order. A resolution honoring retired Brigadier General Vandiver H. Carter as the 2026 Marion Military Institute Alumnus of the Year and a resolution commending John R. Cooper were also adopted. In local legislation, the Senate passed HB 635 for Choctaw County, HB 639 for Escambia County, SB 10 for Tuscaloosa County, HB 315 for class one municipalities after adopting a committee substitute and a friendly amendment, and HB 404 for class one municipalities. Finally, the Committee on Rules reported and the Senate adopted a special order calendar for the next legislative day, listing a wide range of bills for priority consideration, including measures on solar power facilities, homestead exemptions, education, guardianships, tax increment districts, legal tender, college tuition, crime victims compensation, motor vehicles, entertainment industry issues, campus chaplains, tax abatements, alcoholic beverage producers, data privacy, constables, insurance, municipal audits, income tax, public high schools, taxation, state health planning, and University of Alabama matters.

Transcript Highlights:

• School grades, student progress graduation in teacher evaluations.
• These results are available to the teacher instantaneously.
• And then also with that teacher preparation, it's making sure that those teachers are receiving some
• in our classroom or AI teacher preparation programs.
• Teachers point gives teachers a tool to change other teaching to individualize their instruction to help

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> really get things into the the teacher really get things into the the teacher budgets<00:05:24.160
• Line 91 is the Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers, and this receives
• ><c> teachers</c><00:25:08.080><c> and</c><00:25:08.400><c> this</c> and American Indian teachers and
• Article three is<00:57:07.359><c> the</c><00:57:07.680><c> teachers</c> is the teachers is the teachers
• </c> tuition assistance program, and teacher tuition assistance program, and teacher mentorship<01:00

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• teachers, too.
• teachers, too.
• teachers, too.
• teachers, too.
• teachers, too.

Committee: Senate Education Policy

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Will Bands, fourth-grade teacher in Monterey County and proud member of the California Teachers Association
• Will Bands, fourth grade teacher in Monterey County and proud member of the California Teachers Association
• I'm Patricia Rucker with the California Teachers Association.
• I'm from the Teachers Association of Long Beach.
• Melissa Irvin, teacher in San Jose, California, full support.

Summary: The Assembly Education Committee heard a long slate of education bills, beginning with SB 685 on nonpublic schools for students with disabilities. Senator Cortese and the California Department of Education described the bill as a response to the Ninth Circuit’s Laughman decision, removing the obsolete “non-sectarian” requirement while preserving secular use of public funds, nondiscrimination protections, background checks, credentialing, and incident reporting. There was no opposition, and the bill later passed 7-0 to Appropriations. The committee also heard SB 1181, a pilot grant program for violence prevention, student wellness, and school safety in Central Valley and other schools. Supporters framed it as a prevention measure, while opponents from EFF, ACLU Cal Action, and community advocates warned it could increase law enforcement involvement, surveillance, and use of fusion centers; despite those concerns, it ultimately passed 5-0 to Appropriations. Members then considered SB 1067, which would create a statewide framework for annual K-2 math assessments starting in 2028-29 to identify students needing early intervention. The author and supporters argued California faces a serious math achievement crisis and that early assessment would help close gaps, while CTA and several educators and administrators sought additional clarity and amendments to ensure alignment with existing diagnostic practices and limits on high-stakes use. The bill drew broad support from educators, parents, and advocacy groups and passed 7-0 to Appropriations. SB 1107, a school shade-structure bill, would expand eligible shade projects and allow bundling through design-build to reduce costs; it received support from LAUSD, school boards, and climate-focused groups and passed 7-0. SB 1128, on take-home devices and screen time for kindergarteners, was presented as a modest first step to give families more flexibility and reduce early screen exposure, with support from early childhood advocates and no opposition, and it passed 7-0. The committee also approved SB 1048, creating a voluntary State Seal of Climate Literacy for students who complete climate coursework and hands-on projects. Supporters, including Ten Strands, students, teachers, and county offices, said it would recognize real-world climate learning and green career readiness; it passed 7-0. SB 1140, sponsored by CFT, would require LEA construction contractors to follow campus security provisions during school projects to reduce unauthorized access; it drew support from labor and gun violence prevention groups and passed 7-0. SB 930, requiring end-to-end encryption for proctoring companies handling K-12 exam data, was presented as a student privacy measure in response to cybersecurity risks and passed 6-0. Finally, SB 1083 was introduced by Senator Perez as a follow-up to last year’s Safe Learning Environments Act, with extensive committee amendments to refine the statewide misconduct data system, disclosure rules, contractor fingerprinting, and access requirements; the transcript cuts off before the bill’s full hearing and vote are shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• teacher uh teacher education would be one of the five uh high demand pathways and I was really excited
• </c> teacher teacher uh teacher education teacher teacher uh teacher education would<00:03:24.400><c>
• It creates a clear affordable pathway for high school to teacher certification from high school to teacher
• </c> from high school to teacher from high school to teacher certification<00:04:54.479><c> and</c><00
• ,</c> the classroom with experienced teachers, the classroom with experienced teachers, especially<00

Committee: House Postsecondary Education

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Her teachers weren't talking to her about sex, but TikTok was.
• This discourages health teachers from even covering these essential topics.
• This discourages health teachers from even covering these essential topics.
• In third grade, my bilingual teacher, Mr.
• A big part of the access problem is teacher capacity.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Education

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Education heard testimony on a wide range of bills, with the largest portions focused on the Healthy Youth Act (S.340/H.656), comprehensive and inclusive curriculum bills (H.655/S.371 and related measures), climate literacy education (H.560/S.391), computer science coursework (H.534/S.362), arts education funding and STEM-to-STEAM proposals (H.561 and H.4297), and a homeschooling reporting bill (H.518). Supporters of the Healthy Youth Act argued it would preserve local control while requiring medically accurate, age-appropriate, LGBTQ-inclusive sex education and regular updates to state health frameworks; opponents raised parental rights, age-appropriateness, and opt-out concerns, with some calling for fetal development content. Supporters of inclusive curriculum bills said they would improve representation, belonging, and civic understanding, while opponents argued they could undermine parental authority or promote ideological content. Climate, computer science, and arts advocates emphasized workforce readiness, student engagement, and the need for state support and funding to expand access and teacher training. Testimony on the climate literacy bill described increasing climate impacts in Massachusetts and argued that interdisciplinary instruction would prepare students for science, policy, and green careers; witnesses said the bill was not a mandate but a support and funding measure. Computer science supporters said access remains uneven, especially for girls, students of color, and students with disabilities, and urged stronger statewide requirements and AI-related standards. Arts advocates backed both the STEM-to-STEAM bill and the Lowell Mason arts funding proposal, citing research on student achievement, attendance, creativity, and the economic importance of the arts sector. The homeschool bill was supported by a homeschool advocacy group as a modernization of reporting requirements. The committee closed testimony on numerous bills where no one remained signed up or testimony had concluded, including several education, curriculum, and commission proposals. No votes were taken during the hearing itself. At the end of the session, the committee closed out the remaining testimony and adjourned after a motion and second.

Transcript Highlights:

• And third, we're not telling teachers how to teach.
• We heard from student after student, and we heard from teacher after teacher who told us about the power
• My teachers, Ms. Starr, Ms. Snell, Ms. Larker, and Ms.
• This bill gives our students and teachers the education...
• teachers, and one in particular is a fifth grade special education teacher, and she said, thank God you

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House took up several procedural orders early in the session, including extending the reporting deadline for the Housing Committee on H.4655 and suspending Joint Rule 12 for a petition seeking to rescind prior Article 5 constitutional convention applications. It then advanced three Ways and Means bills on education-related topics: personal financial literacy education (H.4670), expanded access to the state seal of biliteracy (H.4671), and teacher preparation and student literacy (H.4672), each moving through amendment adoption and third reading or engrossment procedures. A major portion of the meeting focused on H.4670, which would require personal financial literacy instruction in middle and high school and establish a financial literacy trust fund for curriculum and teacher training. Members spoke in support, emphasizing budgeting, credit, student loans, and long-term financial planning, and the bill passed to be engrossed by a 154-0 roll call. H.4671, which broadens access to the seal of biliteracy for students in public and private schools, also drew support and passed to be engrossed 155-0. The most extensive debate centered on H.4672, a literacy bill requiring evidence-based reading instruction, DESE-approved curricula or approved local alternatives, screening and progress monitoring, professional development, and related implementation measures. Members described concerns about declining reading scores and argued for a shift away from three-cueing toward phonics-based, science-of-reading approaches. Several amendments were considered: a proposal to change intervention language from “significantly” to “at risk of falling behind” failed, while amendments adding funding language, stakeholder collaboration, and other implementation details were adopted. One amendment clarifying that pictures may be used as a supplement in literacy curricula was also adopted, and the bill ultimately passed to be engrossed 155-0. The House also observed moments of silence for former Judge Leslie Harris, former Representative Mark Carron, and former Representative Dennis Rosa, and adjourned to meet the next day at 11 a.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• President, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board grants teachers licensure and thus plays a critical role
• </c> a nomination to the Hawaii Teacher a nomination to the Hawaii Teacher Standards<00:03:46.040><c>
• </c> GM 757 Logan Okita to the Hawaii Teacher GM 757 Logan Okita to the Hawaii Teacher Standard<00:04
• ><c> and</c><00:04:44.280><c> thus</c> teachers licenser and that and thus teachers licenser and that
• </c> retired teacher from Red Hill. retired teacher from Red Hill.

Keywords: 912, senate, all