Transcript Highlights:

• LITERACY ACHIEVEMENT GAPS AND THEY NEED EXTRA SUPPORT.
• OUR REGIONAL LITERACY TEAMS ARE MADE UP OF 30 STATE LITERACY DIRECTORS ACROSS THE 20 REGIONS OF THE STATE
• THE STATE REGIONAL LITERACY DIRECTORS ARE COMMUNICATING ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT LITERACY BASED PRACTICES
• ALSO, OUR STATE LITERACY DIRECTORS ALSO FACILITATE ONE OF THE TWO STATE APPROVED LITERACY COACH ENDORSEMENT
• THEY ARE AGAIN TRAINING OUR LITERACY COACHES THAT ARE IN THOSE SCHOOLS THEY ARE AGAIN TRAINING OUR LITERACY

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• PED actually just released literacy results.
• literacy initiative.
• We already have with literacy.
• Literacy Center, we are putting $5 million into operations for a Literacy Center.
• to structured literacy.

Transcript Highlights:

• And let me make one last literacy.
• The standards are the Jump Start literacy or financial literacy standards.
• ,</c> the PTP to infuse financial literacy, the PTP to infuse financial literacy, they<00:29:13.920><
• financial literacy teach financial literacy um<00:30:16.240><c> has</c><00:30:16.560><c> been</c><00
• </c> with a course in financial literacy. with a course in financial literacy.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on SCR 78, which urges the Department of Education to strengthen natural health education and adopt a comprehensive menstrual cycle curriculum. The Department of Education said it supported the intent and had offered technical amendments to scaffold the curriculum by grade level. The Commission on the Status of Women and several advocates, including students and Ma'i Movement Hawaiʻi, testified in support, describing gaps in menstrual health education, stigma, and the need for more inclusive, age-appropriate instruction. No opposition was heard, and the chair moved on after no questions from members. The committee then took up SCR 194, urging the Department of Education to meet the criteria to recognize cheerleading as a Title IX sport. The Department supported the measure, noting recent expansion of girls flag football and surfing as recognized sports and saying cheerleading would create additional opportunities for students. The Commission on the Status of Women also supported the resolution, saying it could improve participation, resource allocation, and representation for female students. No opposition or further action was recorded in the excerpt. Finally, the committee discussed SCR 195, requesting the Board of Education and Department of Education to revise graduation requirements to include a standalone financial literacy course. The Board of Education and Department of Education both supported the intent but cautioned against a one-size-fits-all mandate, emphasizing school-level flexibility, existing stand-alone and online options, and the requirement that the class of 2030 must complete financial literacy before graduation. Hawaii Kids Can supported the resolution while raising questions about equity, access, quality, and how different delivery models compare; it also asked for more information on community survey data. Committee members questioned the department and board about asynchronous versus in-person instruction, standards, and how the requirement would be tracked in the personal transition plan. No vote or final action was taken in the provided portion of the meeting.

Transcript Highlights:

• literacy is learn how to open an account.
• And the K-to-5 needs to stay with foundational literacy.
• We're working the literacy.
• retention, interventions, literacy coaches, you know— Third grade retention, interventions, literacy
• And so in the original K-3 literacy legislation, that was put into that early literacy statute.

Summary: The House Education Committee met on March 18, 2026, with 11 members present and adopted prior meeting minutes without objection. The committee first heard HB 649 by Rep. Brass, which would create a statewide common application portal for dual enrollment. Supporters from the Pelican Institute and the Board of Regents said the bill would simplify enrollment, reduce paperwork for counselors and families, and improve awareness of dual enrollment options. Members asked about nonparticipation by institutions and access for nontraditional students; the bill was reported favorably without objection. The committee then took up HB 807 by Rep. Brass, which would establish the Workforce Instructor Capacity Investment Program within LCTCS to help recruit and retain instructors for high-demand workforce programs. Testimony from River Parishes Community College, Dow, and the Louisiana Chemical Association described instructor shortages as a bottleneck for training workers for major industrial projects, and said employer-sharing models and apprenticeships have been successful. An amendment expanded eligibility to include LSU Eunice and Southern University at Shreveport, and the committee adopted the amendments. After debate about whether the state needed a new fund versus using existing systems, the bill was reported favorably by a 13-1 roll call vote. Next, the committee heard HB 285 by Chairman Bacala, which authorizes school boards to cooperate with banks and credit unions to operate branches in high schools as part of financial literacy programs. Bacala said the bill clarifies statutory authority, and an amendment added banks to the original credit union language. Members discussed ethics, exclusivity, student access, and whether the branches could market products; supporters from LABI and financial industry groups said the programs improve hands-on financial education. The bill was reported with amendments without objection. The committee also considered HB 28 by Rep. Owen, which adds a BESE-level appeal for certain teacher certification applicants affected by administrative or contractor errors. Owen described a case in which applicants paid for certification programs but were denied because of a mentor-signature issue, and said the amendment would require BESE or its designee to act within 30 days. Department of Education staff said the Teacher Certification Appeals Council had already granted extensions rather than outright denials in the affected cases, but the committee advanced the bill after a 9-4 roll call vote. Finally, the committee began HB 268 by Rep. Carver, which would strengthen career exposure requirements for students by tying activities more closely to high-wage, high-demand jobs and adding an annual exposure requirement in K-5; testimony emphasized early workforce awareness, and discussion focused on keeping the requirements manageable for schools.

Transcript Highlights:

• To facilitate children's literacy learning and progress, structured literacy is characterized by the
• literacy lead.
• regional literacy Network so it's our regional literacy Network so it's our staff<00:49:53.319><c> in
• Literacy is very important.
• </c> literacy Network and then those literacy literacy Network and then those literacy leads<00:52:01.520

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• They will never receive that high school financial literacy.
• Tax literacy is extremely low.
• Tax literacy is extremely low.
• I had no financial literacy, and I had no lawyers.
• Financial literacy is not a luxury for athletes like me.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• ><c> required</c><00:30:34.559><c> for</c> Literacy competency will be required for Literacy competency
• the literacy um necessarily the literacy um uh<00:38:52.000><c> content</c><00:38:52.800><c> and</c>
• </c> about district language and literacy about district language and literacy plan. plan. plan.
• And then again, an and literacy.
• </c> allow for local control in literacy allow for local control in literacy again. again. again.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• What it is, it's an early literacy experience.
• </c> What it is, it's an early early literacy What it is, it's an early early literacy experience.<00
• The only way you can do teach literacy.
• And I can only think back when literacy.
• </c> both literacy and veterans. both literacy and veterans.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Unlike literacy, where you have that large 14 million appropriation for literacy and the Summer Literacy
• It would require all literacy instruction for kindergarten through third grade students and literacy
• and long-term literacy.
• Chair, is we have literacy coaches. Can we add, as needed, bi-literacy coaches too? Thank you, Mr.
• Has both listening and speaking and written literacy.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Again, Madam President, STEM, art, and literacy courses.
• and literacy.
• years of instructional literacy.
• It takes time to learn structured literacy.
• do with structured literacy.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They will never receive that high school financial literacy.
• Tax literacy is extremely low.
• I had no financial literacy, and I had no lawyers.
• And there's also other mechanisms for financial literacy.
• Financial literacy is not a luxury for athletes like me.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on name, image, and likeness (NIL) and financial literacy for student athletes, with members framing California as a national leader on NIL but emphasizing the need for stronger protections and more consistent education. The chair and witnesses discussed how NIL opportunities now include both third-party endorsement deals and school revenue-sharing arrangements, and how the current landscape varies widely by institution, leaving athletes with a patchwork of rules and support. Several witnesses argued that student athletes, especially younger ones and those from low-income or first-generation backgrounds, are vulnerable to predatory contracts, tax problems, and pressure from family, agents, or lenders. The first panel featured Tyree Dillingham and Brandon Copeland, who called for standardized financial literacy, better guardrails against predatory NIL advances, and a player-led association or similar collective voice for athletes. They described examples of athletes not understanding paychecks, taxes, or contract terms, and warned that some schools and collectives blur the line between education and marketing. Copeland also argued that college athletics now functions like a professional business and that athletes need representation and a standard contract structure to protect them. The second panel focused on lived experience, including testimony from attorney Anthony Coronae and student athlete Mikey Williams. Coronae described reviewing a contract that he said functioned like a predatory loan disguised as marketing support, with the company taking exclusive rights to Williams’ NIL and requiring repayment far beyond the advance. Williams testified that he signed without a lawyer, later lost endorsements, scholarship, and housing stability, and only later learned the contract’s consequences. He said a required financial literacy course at Sacramento State helped him begin to understand budgeting, taxes, and contracts, and he urged the legislature to require legal review or stronger safeguards for athletes. The third panel, from San Diego State University, highlighted a more structured institutional model. Athletic director Brendan Hill described a mandatory four-year life-skills program that includes financial literacy, resume workshops, internships, and branding education, while student athlete Sloan Benchoff said the program helped her manage money and prepare for post-college life. Witnesses agreed that support is uneven across schools, that some agents and lenders are exploiting athletes, and that California should consider standardized financial education and agent regulation while also being careful not to create rules that unintentionally restrict athlete rights. No formal vote or bill action was taken at the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• structured literacy.
• It is a literacy piece and training teachers on how to understand the whys behind literacy and why it's
• You know, so enough said about, about the balanced literacy versus structured literacy.
• We want to continue, uh, the literacy piece.
• For the last 4 years, we have put money specifically in the budget for early literacy, structured literacy

Transcript Highlights:

• Throughout the bill, we make it clear that literacy is learning, that local control is innovation, and
• We all have heard that we have a shared goal and a shared priority of literacy.
• We all have heard that we have a shared goal and a shared priority of literacy.
• We all have heard that we have a shared goal and a shared priority of literacy.
• Let me just be blunt: literacy is learning. This isn't a partisan issue.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• We are full state closing literacy gaps.
• </c> resources to creating early literacy resources to creating early literacy opportunities<00:10:00.080
• Literacy is such an issue for people who are incarcerated.
• Literacy is such an issue for people who are incarcerated.
• And it's just so important that we start emphasizing literacy and reading.

Keywords: 958, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, we all understand that early literacy is foundational to future learning.
• Members, we all understand that early literacy is foundational to future learning.
• foundational literacy skills, like phonics.
• Early literacy intervention works.
• Second, you must have those early literacy screeners and diagnostics.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Education K-16 met with a quorum and announced a full agenda, including combined public testimony for two bills related to student personal communication devices. The committee first took up Senate Bill 1262 by Senator Nichols, a school safety cleanup bill following House Bill 3. The bill would allow TEA to commission peace officers for school safety purposes, require annual renewal of good-cause exceptions to armed guard requirements, create a new report based on intruder detection audits and vulnerability assessments, and require behavioral threat assessment teams to include someone with specific knowledge of a special education student’s disability. Committee members asked about the difference between TCOLE licensing and TEA commissioning, the scope of the officers’ authority, and how the good-cause exception would work. The committee substitute was adopted, and public testimony included support from school safety and drone-response advocates, Disability Rights Texas in favor of the special education provisions, and a student witness raising concerns about the mental health impact of repeated lockdowns and the need for immediate, reliable school safety responses. The bill was left pending after testimony, then the committee briefly recessed and later reopened testimony to hear the student witness. The committee then laid out Senate Bill 2252 by Senator Creighton, a major early literacy and numeracy bill for kindergarten through third grade. Creighton said the bill builds on prior literacy efforts by funding teacher stipends for literacy and math academies, providing free and clearly administered screeners and assessments, expanding screening options, clarifying how results are used, supporting high-quality pre-K, and increasing the early education allotment. He emphasized low reading performance and the need for early intervention. Members discussed how the bill differs from earlier academy models and whether the assessments are diagnostic or high-stakes; Creighton and witnesses said the tools are intended to identify students needing support, not to serve as punitive testing. The committee adopted the substitute. Witnesses for SB 2252 largely supported the bill. A Uplift Education representative described strong gains from small-group literacy tutoring and said students receiving targeted support can make more than a year of growth in a year. An education specialist explained that the bill aligns general education screening with existing dyslexia and special education practices and helps districts identify students who need intervention before a disability evaluation is required. A Commit Partnership witness cited statewide reading data, the importance of high-quality pre-K, and the need for transparent, consistent progress monitoring and parent engagement. Members asked about the meaning of the growth data, how dyslexia screening works, and how the bill would help identify struggling students earlier. Before finishing all questions, the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair after the floor session.

Transcript Highlights:

• You're going to hear something very similar in literacy.
• So this is the High Quality Literacy Instruction Act.
• The bill would require all literacy instruction for pre-K through 3rd grade students and all literacy
• So, this no longer prohibits because a lot of balanced literacy is also part of structured literacy.
• Applicable instead of literacy coaches, by literacy coaches when applicable. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:03:07.200><c> and</c> programs and focusing on literacy and programs and focusing on literacy
• Our former approach to literacy instruction, known as balanced literacy, was not effective.
• ><c> as</c><01:13:43.199><c> balanced</c> literacy instruction known as balanced literacy instruction
• We are literacy to science reading.
• </c> hired literacy data specialist Dr. Dr. hired literacy data specialist Dr. Dr.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The first thing it does is it changes the name from literacy incentive aid to literacy aid.
• it does is it changes the name from literacy incentive aid to literacy aid.
• </c> from literacy incentive aid to literacy from literacy incentive aid to literacy aid.<00:27:56.799
• local literacy plan.
• </c> formula for the literacy incentive aid. formula for the literacy incentive aid.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I think both Reading Corps and Math Corps are excellent programs, and focusing on literacy and math is
• I'm Rachel Berger, representing the Dyslexia and Literacy Coalition today.
• Our former approach to literacy instruction, known as balanced literacy, did not train educators to collect
• The newly hired literacy data specialist, Dr.
• Coalition. the Literacy Coalition.

Transcript Highlights:

• A fourth is strengthening the foundational skill of early literacy through Mass Literacy.
• need for stronger early literacy education.
• need for stronger early literacy education.
• Launch, with $25 million for year three of Literacy Launch to improve early literacy and young learners
• Literacy Launch is... Literacy Launch is key to the expectations we have for students and teachers.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The hearing was a Joint Committee on Ways and Means budget session held in Lawrence focused on the governor’s proposed FY27 education and local aid budget, with remarks from legislative co-chairs, local officials, and education agency leaders. Acting Mayor Giovanni Rodriguez and Superintendent Ralph Carrero emphasized Lawrence’s high-need student population, the importance of Chapter 70 and Student Opportunity Act funding, and the impact of state aid on schools serving many English learners and low-income families. Carrero highlighted Lawrence High School programs such as early college, dual degrees, career pathways, and early childhood classrooms embedded in the high school, while lawmakers introduced themselves and noted the importance of the hearing to their districts. Acting Secretary of Education Amy Kershaw, Commissioner of Higher Education Noi Ortega, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez, and Commissioner of Early Education and Care Amy Kershaw outlined the administration’s FY27 priorities. They described investments in literacy initiatives, universal school meals, student mental health, early college and career pathways, higher education affordability, community college and university student-success supports, preschool expansion, child care subsidies, and workforce supports for early educators. The commissioners also discussed federal funding threats, equity gaps, and the administration’s efforts to improve outcomes for Black and brown students, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and low-income students. Members questioned the panel about the local contribution formula study, the final year of Student Opportunity Act implementation, and the need to revisit Chapter 70 funding to better address rising costs such as special education, transportation, and health care. Officials said the local contribution study report is expected by the end of June, with a draft to be shared after data analysis and public comment. Commissioner Martinez said the Student Opportunity Act narrowed funding gaps but more work is needed, and he pointed to a proposed Accelerating Achievement Initiative to support the highest-need schools. Senator Oliveira also raised concerns about Chapter 70 disparities and asked about partnerships with libraries to support literacy, prompting discussion of broader early literacy collaboration.