Carolyn Eslick — Representative Carolyn Eslick is invited to share concluding thoughts, with speakers noting her strong engagement and involvement throughout the issue.
Carolyn Eslick — Carolyn Eslick is acknowledged as co-chair and an essential contributor to the subcommittee’s work, and the remarks conclude with thanks to her for her participation and efforts.
Carolyn Eslick — Asked whether the school has a cell phone policy and noted the issue is the subject of a different bill.
Alicia Rule — Mentioned as participating occasionally on workforce issues.
Christian — Referenced as part of the school-based behavioral health and suicide prevention subgroup.
Christian — Christian is briefly referenced as someone the questioner also wants to address, and later asked to stay in place in case closing remarks require his presence.
Christian — Christian thanked the committee for the opportunity to present and explained that the work and recommendations were developed through broad stakeholder engagement, drawing on feedback from many meetings and school-based stakeholders rather than only the presenters’ own judgments.
Tisha — The chair asks that Tisha remain until the end of the meeting, and then references the seven agencies Tisha had previously identified, keeping the discussion centered on her earlier input.
Tisha — Tisha is brought into the discussion as someone the questioner wants to address, and she is then invited to join the follow-up exchange and return for further discussion with Representative Callan.
Tisha — Referenced as having made a point the chair is echoing.
My-Linh Thai — Representative My-Linh Thai is welcomed back to the Education Committee, apologizes for a scheduling conflict, explains that she is overscheduled and will return later to continue her presentation and answer questions, and then the chair thanks her and turns the floor over to Christian Stark.
My-Linh Thai — My-Linh Thai is repeatedly referenced as a key collaborator on the bill: the speaker thanks her as a prime sponsor, identifies her as someone to work with as the bill moves forward, and notes her involvement in subcommittee and related collaborative work over the past two years.
Lillian Ortiz-Self — Referenced as co-chair of the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee and as raising related concerns.
Tisha Kirschbaum — Identified as the director of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery and co-chair with Representative Callan.
Tisha Kirshbaum — Referred to again as the director of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery for the Washington State Health Care Authority.
Sharlett Mena — Likely the member referred to as co-chairing the subgroup focused on school-based health and suicide prevention.
Sharlett Mena — Named as one of the presenters who will discuss the school-based work.
Christian Stark — Identified as a program supervisor at OSPI and co-chair of the school-based health and suicide prevention subgroup.
Christian Stark — Named as one of the presenters who will discuss the school-based work.
Christian Stark — Christian Stark introduces himself as representing OSPI and co-chairing the school-based subcommittee with Representative Tye. He explains that the subgroup was created by 2020 legislation and meets monthly, describing the emotionally difficult nature of those meetings. He then says he will identify the subgroup members and emphasizes that the group centers students across the state, especially those in small, medium, and rural districts with fewer resources. Finally, he outlines the subgroup’s mandates: rapidly identifying students in need and connecting them to services, providing age-appropriate education on behavioral health and other universal supports for social-emotional wellness, and improving both educational and behavioral health outcomes for students.
Christian Stark — The speaker asks for questions for Christian, indicating he is the presenter being questioned.
Tisha Kershbaum — Introduces herself as director of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery at the Health Care Authority.
Tisha Kershbaum — Takes over the presentation and explains the shared goal of the work group and the Washington Thriving Strategic Plan.
Carolyn Eslick — Recognized as deeply engaged in the work group and a prime sponsor of many legislative pieces coming out of it.
Lisa Callan — Rep. Lisa Callan is identified as co-chair of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group, invited to provide introductory remarks, introduces herself as the representative of the Fifth Legislative District and co-chair of the work group, and is then referenced again in that same context.
Lisa Callan — Lisa Callan is referenced as the co-chair who previously introduced the work group and provided the context for the discussion.
Lisa Callan — Noted as remaining until the end of the meeting.
Lisa Callan — Christian Stark repeatedly references Representative Lisa Callan’s earlier remarks while discussing stakeholder involvement, related subgroups, and the budget context for the recommendation. The mentions collectively reinforce that Callan had previously raised these points and that they are being used to frame the current discussion.
Lisa Callan — Representative Lisa Callan is mentioned as the person the presentation is being handed back to, along with Tisha, and is also referenced as having presented earlier slides with Tisha.
Lisa Callan — Representative Callan is identified as the sponsor of the proposed second substitute and is also described as a partner in the work on the bill.
Lisa Callan — Representative Lisa Callan was acknowledged for her role as the prime sponsor of the bill and thanked for her work, with additional mention that she would be a sponsor to work with as the bill moves forward.
Kristine Reeves — Representative Reeves is introduced for her question, asks about the burden on schools and the challenges children face, and is then directly addressed in follow-up remarks that affirm her question as closely aligned with the speaker’s testimony.
Kristine Reeves — Addressed directly and praised for remarks that align with the speaker's views.
Kristine Reeves — Representative Kristine Reeves asks a series of related questions about how social media affects students, whether its pressures can be escaped at school, and whether social media-driven bullying is contributing to anxiety and stress among peers. She then follows up on the broader issue of social media and cell phone policy.
HB1634 — The chair opens the public hearing on HB 1634 and notes a proposed substitute.
HB1634 — Described as strengthening cross-agency collaboration, coordination, training, and partnerships to help schools use connected behavioral health supports.
HB1634 — Eric Bruns expresses enthusiastic support for the bill and frames it as a school mental health strategy.
HB1634 — During the public hearing on House Bill 1634, multiple speakers voiced strong support for the bill. They argued that it would help schools identify student needs more quickly, connect students with effective care, and provide a standardized behavioral health support system so access does not depend on a student's zip code or counselor availability. The testimony concluded with a direct request to pass the bill, followed by the chair closing the public hearing.
Megan — Asked to brief the proposed substitute for HB 1634.
Yasmin Trudeau — Identified as the sponsor of the underlying bill and referenced as having provided prior work-session background.
Yasmin Trudeau — Returns to provide commentary on the proposed second substitute and identifies herself as representing the 41st Legislative District.
Clyde Shavers — Calls the next witnesses to come forward.
Clyde Shavers — Identified the next panel to join the committee.
Clyde Shavers — The vice chair is asked to read the record of those signed in not wishing to testify.
Erin Wick — Introduces herself as a witness and describes her experience supporting student behavioral health and her role in the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group.
Samuel Burkey — Samuel Burkey, a Mercer Island High School senior testifying at the request of the Mercer Island School Board, described how school funding supports student opportunities such as band, radio, AP courses, electives, and other advanced programs, while also noting that inadequate funding contributes to outdated materials and limited access to counselors and support staff. He said students sometimes wait days or weeks to reach a counselor for college planning, scheduling, or mental health help, and that teachers and counselors are stretched too thin. Burkey also explained that Mercer Island students face intense academic competition and pressure, with stress often hidden unless adults have one-on-one conversations with students. In response to questions, he said he was not aware of peers contemplating suicide, though he emphasized that many students experience significant stress. He concluded by describing how constant phone and social media use creates pressure and fear of missing out, especially for Generation Z, and argued that this is a new issue that must be addressed directly.
Mr. Axtel — Referenced as the next witness/panel member to be called.
Ms. Weidemeyer — Referenced as a prior witness/panel member.
Ms. Weidemeyer — Thanked for testimony and corrected on bill citation.
Misha Treniski — Named as part of the next panel to come up.