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Senate Education advances several bills, tables HVAC measure; votes at a glance
Summary
On Feb. 12 the committee advanced bills on special education, student device policies, math, and a youth behavioral‑health platform, while tabling a school cooling/HVAC package after questions about priorities and funding. A seizure‑safety bill failed in committee.
The Senate Education Committee heard and acted on several bills across multiple topics during its Feb. 12 hearing. The committee advanced some measures, tabled one and rejected another. Below are the outcomes and key details from the hearing.
Votes at a glance
- SB38 — Office of Special Education (sponsor: Senator Linda Stewart): Adopted amendment to clarify gifted language; committee gave SB38 a due‑pass recommendation (mover: Senator Pope; second: Senator Hickey). Dissent focused on the ombuds’ independence. (See full article on SB38.)
- SB160 — Student wireless device policies (sponsor: Senator Mimi Maestas): Committee adopted amendment to require local policies and add “smartwatch” to the device definition; committee gave SB160 a due‑pass recommendation. Supporters cited improved focus and equity; opponents called it an unfunded mandate.
- SB235 — Math changes (sponsor: Senator Liz Soles): Committee advanced a committee substitute that requires math professional learning plans, early screening and a math instructional leadership framework; implementation staged toward 2026. The substitute was adopted and the substitute received a unanimous due‑pass recommendation.
- SB246 — Seizure Safe Schools Act (sponsor: Senator Pope): Testimony supported the bill’s aim to ensure trained personnel and seizure action plans, but committee members raised concerns about staffing and unfunded mandates for small districts. The committee did not approve the bill; it failed to receive a due‑pass recommendation in committee.
- SB125 — Cool Our Schools / HVAC modernization (sponsor: Senator Padilla): The bill would make school HVAC and solar modernization projects eligible for PSCOC consideration without the standard local match and would create a $10 million annual setaside for building system innovation projects (committee amendment returned some language). Committee discussion focused on priorities, PSCOC authority and whether a statutory directive was necessary; the committee tabled the bill for further work.
- SB238 — Youth behavioral health prevention project (sponsor: Senator Stewart via Senator Soles): The committee approved a do‑pass recommendation for an appropriation request of $1,450,000 to establish an online behavioral‑health platform offering moderated peer supports and telehealth sessions for students. Testimony included parents and providers who urged broader services; committee advanced the bill.
How the committee decided: Several bills were advanced with amendments and with direction to PED and oversight committees to study implementation details and funding needs. The committee consistently raised concerns about unfunded mandates on districts, staffing constraints (especially in small, rural districts) and the timeline and capacity for statewide rollouts. Committee leaders directed agencies to return with more implementation details in follow‑up meetings.
What to watch next: PED reports to LESC and the Education Committee on math pilot results, OSE state plan indicators, and implementation plans for student mental‑health and device‑policy guidance. The HVAC/HVAC modernization proposal will be revisited after further work on priorities, funding and PSCOC processes.
