Representative Nelda Speaks

Legislative Joint Auditing — Dec. 13, 2019 (17:52)

I move to adopt this report. All right.

Legislative Joint Auditing — Dec. 13, 2019 (17:09)

which resulted in adjustments to its assets listing. Various agents' staff members were present to report on how the agencies intended to address the audit findings and to answer committee questions. During the meeting, the committee adopted a motion to file 14 of the 15 current reports. However, the committee deferred the report on the Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designs to the next meeting, since the director was not in attendance at the meeting.

Legislative Joint Auditing — Dec. 13, 2019 (16:36)

employing contract labor for more than six consecutive weeks, not properly adding equipment items to its asset listings, failing to adhere to state travel regulations, and making wasteful expenditures. The Game and Fish had a theft of property. In addition, the commission did not have proper identifications on buildings and structures owned,

Legislative Joint Auditing — Dec. 13, 2019 (16:03)

board and other states. The Sword Bean Promotion Board had repeat findings for not following the proper procedures regarding non-exempt discretionary grants and for not obtaining the proper disclosure forms. The Board of Architects, Landscape, Architects, and Interior Designs report contain findings for not properly approving expenditures, not retaining supporting documents for expenditures,

Legislative Joint Auditing — Dec. 13, 2019 (15:46)

speaks for state agencies report you're recognized ma'am thank you mr. chair we We had 15 reports that were on our committee agenda yesterday. Four reports with findings were presented. The Beef Council had a repeat finding related to the submission of monies owed to its national

State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs (House) — Jan. 21, 2021 (22:57)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For you, Ms. Lindsay, so this will go away with what the gentleman had asked. This will go away when this emergency ends. Is that correct? That's correct. Okay, thank you. Representative Payton, you're

State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs (House) — Jan. 25, 2021 (26:24)

Bottom line, and I'm trying to thank you, Mr. Chair. Bottom line, I'm trying to figure out, so what are you asking us today? You're wanting us to appropriate this? I didn't think we could do that. Yes, that's not appropriation.

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:27:38)

we obviously didn't do letter grades last year, right, because we didn't test. That's correct. So now this will be a second year where parents don't know how their school is being

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:27:01)

of how their local school is doing in terms of meeting the needs of their child. And I just have real concerns about us doing away with that easy-to-read, maybe easy-to-misinterpret. I understand that. But everyone's going to be in that boat. You know, if we're going to be providing information to students that show that they're lacking growth or that they're bad, I just feel like, especially with two years of not having data that is presented,

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:26:29)

and I was a strong advocate for the A to F rating, is that the parents are overwhelmed. I didn't understand. I was overwhelmed by the pages and pages and pages of data and data points and percentiles and trying to make heads or tails of it. And that's why the legislature pushed for A through F so that parents who may not even have experience in looking through reports like that have an indication, have some type of picture

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:25:56)

and being able to balance both of those but don't we need to know have data the parents know whether their school district is actually meeting the mark as far as being able to cope with this pandemic and still provide a superior educational product? I would submit yes, and we will

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:26:26)

most parents, though, and one of the reasons why,

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:25:25)

in terms of the reporting of data. And I think part of the evaluation, the letter grade evaluation of the schools, has to be a real-time knowledge of how that school or school district was able to adapt. whether they really and i understand i've talked to a number of teachers that are just so frustrated about uh doing the the teaching by zoom but then also having students in the classroom in real time

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:24:53)

And one of the things that was very clear, you talked about two points of data, but my understanding is to really be able to see a historical perspective, you have to have three data points to be able to establish whether there is growth or not. My concern, and Commissioner, if you can, or Secretary, if you can allay this, is that we are, and I know it's not intentional, you know, but we're kicking the can down the road

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:24:37)

Suna Lowry. Thank you, Mr. Chair. When I ran the legislation phasing us out of using the PARC test and then transitioning to ACT, I got quite an education on assessment, more than I asked for.

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:22:23)

what you're saying then, the parents are going to find out just how their children are doing. That's at

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:18:15)

I know there's teachers that is working night and day, answering phones and trying to help parents. And my heart goes out to them. It really does. But still yet, my heart is very heavy for students that are going to be so far behind. And some of them will never catch up. And so are we still going to be testing to see where these students are?

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:17:43)

Okay. Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess probably there's so much I don't understand, but what you're presenting here today after listening to him, because I think he's made some very good points, but what you're saying is then what about our testing? Are we going to know where these students are? My concern has been all along, and I'm going to tell you,

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (1:17:33)

speaks. I think my question is probably to Representative Evans. Representative Evans.

Education Committee (House) — Jan. 26, 2021 (44:00)

Those are the kinds of board members that I would like to see representing Henderson, and I hope that you would also feel the same way.