Teachers urge adherence to funding formula and smaller class sizes during public comment to Senate education committee

During the Senate Committee on Education public-comment period, teachers and parents urged lawmakers to follow the funding commission’s recommended school-funding formula, and to address teacher recruitment, retention and class size.

Bridget Perez, a 20-year teacher at a Title I school in the Silver Springs area, told the committee the district still struggles to fill qualified positions and urged the Legislature to follow the funding formula recommended by the funding commission so rural and high-need schools can retain teachers. “Our students truly deserve qualified teachers,” Perez said, and she described large numbers of long-term substitutes and open positions in content areas such as English.

Other speakers echoed calls for better funding and smaller classes. Lorraine Dela Torre, a longtime Lyon County teacher, told the committee that class size matters for instruction and retention, and that teachers need supports and manageable classroom loads to stay in the profession. John Eppolito, who has testified on related matters previously, praised the committee’s work and reiterated concerns about long-term data retention and systems that can affect students’ futures.

Committee members did not take action during public comment, but committee staff recorded the remarks and attendees were advised to submit written testimony for the public record.

Ending: The public-comment session emphasized teacher retention, adherence to recommended funding levels and enforcement of class-size limits as priorities for supporting rural and Title I classrooms; lawmakers did not offer an immediate response during the session.