House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee
Event Log
Ed Lewis — Addressed as Mr. Chairman.
Brad Banderman — Vice Chair Brad Banderman was noted during roll call and later during the roll call vote, reflecting his procedural participation in the meeting.
Brad Banderman — Explained prior changes to the gifted program language and noted the bill adds further mandates.
Brad Banderman — Argued that the certification requirement for larger districts may be difficult because teachers cannot be forced to take on work outside their contracts.
Brad Banderman — Continued explaining the certification mandate for larger schools and its practical limits.
Brad Banderman — Warned that districts may identify students but lack staff or schedule space to meet the program requirements.
Brad Banderman — Explained that the bill shifts districts from discretion to a mandate to establish a gifted program and, in larger districts, to have a certified teacher.
Brad Banderman — Said the bill removes the last practical option for larger districts that lack staff or schedule room.
Brad Banderman — Said he would not vote against the bill but raised concern about districts over 350 being left with no practical option.
Brad Banderman — Thanked by the chair for his comments.
Brad Banderman — Called on as Vice Chair Banderman during the roll call and votes aye.
Brad Banderman — Representative Banderman is recognized and remarks on the hearing having gone on for over two and a half hours, thanking the chair for the patience shown. In the same exchange, his earlier comment is referenced about preferring not to have 20-year-olds teaching his daughter.
Kathy Steinhoff — Representative Kathy Steinhoff was mentioned during the roll call process, first responding to the roll call and later being called again during the roll call vote.
Kathy Steinhoff — Kathy Steinhoff was recognized for helping collaborate on the amendment and was thanked for helping pull the language together. She then spoke in support of the amendment, saying it clarified the distinction between screening, assessment, and identification and made her more comfortable supporting both the idea and the bill language.
Kathy Steinhoff — Called on during the roll call and votes aye; transcript says 'Steinhock,' corrected to Steinhoff.
Kathy Steinhoff — Kathy Steinhoff responded to the explanation of the proposal by saying it changed her initial reaction and suggesting the certification type might need to be adjusted. She raised concerns that participants could become stuck on pay scales if they later pursue education without already having a bachelor's or master's degree, and emphasized the importance of creating an easy pathway to a bachelor's degree so they can continue advancing in the profession.
Kathy Steinhoff — Representative Steinhoff is referenced as the discussion turns to teacher preparation and certification, then responds by urging the committee to better define what associate's degrees should include so students do not need extra coursework later. The discussion continues with concern about how the teacher shortage affects veteran teachers, especially those mentoring less-prepared new teachers.
Stephanie Boykin — Responded to the roll call.
Stephanie Boykin — Voted aye.
Stephanie Boykin — Called on during the roll call and votes aye.
Mark Boyko — Responded to the roll call.
Mark Boyko — Voted aye.
Mark Boyko — Representative Mark Boyko discusses cursive instruction in elementary school, asking how much instructional time is needed and emphasizing that the goal should be for students to be able to read and understand the nation’s earliest documents. He notes that he trusts educators to determine a reasonable approach and frames the issue around literacy, historical understanding, and the impact of modern technology.
Mark Boyko — Called on during the roll call and votes aye.
Tricia Byrnes — Likely the member being called as "Burns" in the transcript; responded to the roll call.
Tricia Byrnes — Voted aye.
Tricia Byrnes — Called on during the roll call and votes aye; transcript says 'Burns,' corrected to Byrnes.
Jamie Ray Gragg — Likely the member being called as "Gregg" in the transcript; responded to the roll call.
Jamie Ray Gragg — Representative Jamie Ray Gragg is recognized and then raises questions about the bill’s requirements, first commenting on the importance of signatures and then shifting to how the teacher-constructed test and proficiency standard would work in practice. He asks whether the assessment would be administered by the individual teacher and how the standard would be applied.
Jamie Ray Gragg — Called on during the roll call and votes aye; transcript says 'Gregg,' corrected to Gragg.
Jamie Ray Gragg — The chair recognized Representative Gragg, who then briefly stated that his only concern was the pay issue and supported paying strong performers based on value even without a degree.
John Hewkin — John Hewkin was mentioned during the roll call and later called again during the roll call vote, indicating his participation in the same procedural sequence.
Martin Jacobs — Responded to the roll call.
Martin Jacobs — Representative Jacobs is directly addressed during the discussion, thanked for being present to answer questions, and referenced again in the same exchange as the conversation continues.
Martin Jacobs — Representative Jacobs is referenced as having asked a relevant question about the issue.
Martin Jacobs — Representative Martin Jacobs is called on and asks whether districts that already have strong, best-practices gifted education programs would need to change to comply with the bill. The chair indicates the question will be followed up on, including input from the gifted education director, and later Jacobs is recorded in the roll call vote.
Ann Kelley — Likely the member being called as "Kelly" in the transcript; name appears in the roll call.
Ann Kelley — Ann Kelley is called during the roll call and votes aye; the transcript also reflects a corrected spelling of her name as Kelley.
Ann Kelley — Asked questions and expressed support for the concept of shortening the path to teaching.
Becky Laubinger — Likely the member being called as "Lobinger" in the transcript; responded to the roll call.
Becky Laubinger — Voted aye.
Becky Laubinger — Representative Laubinger is called on to offer comments about implementation.
Becky Laubinger — Becky Laubinger is called during roll call and records an aye vote; the transcript includes a corrected repeat of her name, but both mentions refer to the same voting action.
Becky Laubinger — The chair asked Representative Laubinger whether she still had a question.
Cathy Jo Loy — Called during the roll call and marked present.
Cathy Jo Loy — Representative Cathy Jo Loy is repeatedly identified as the next speaker in the committee discussion, with the chair noting that there are two others after her and then referencing her again as the exchange continues.
Cathy Jo Loy — Cathy Jo Loy was called during roll call and her vote was recorded as 'aye,' with the second mention completing the truncated first response.
Ian Mackey — Called during the roll call and marked present.
Ian Mackey — Voted aye.
Ian Mackey — Representative Mackey asks what would be cut or displaced in the budget if this proposal is added.