Education

Governor Dunleavy highlighted the READS Act, noting that after two years, third-grade reading proficiency improved from 44% to 60% during the school year, with kindergartners seeing the biggest jump. He called for increased access to public charter schools, open enrollment, teacher retention incentive payments, and Tribal compacting for Native education, while criticizing the Legislature for passing only 33 bills in 120 days compared to other states' far higher totals.

Governor Ivey celebrated Alabama's rise from 52nd in 4th-grade math to 32nd, calling it first in the nation in math recovery. She proposed the largest Education Trust Fund budget in state history with another 2% teacher pay increase, announced an additional $50 million for K-12 safety, proposed increasing CHOOSE Act ESA funding to $250 million, and championed the FOCUS Act limiting phone use during instructional time. She also backed legislation to limit screen time for children five and younger in publicly funded learning centers.

Governor Hobbs sharply criticized the ESA program for waste, fraud, and abuse — citing taxpayer-funded diamond jewelry and high-end clothing purchases — while maintaining support for the program's original mission to help children with disabilities and military families. She called for renewing Prop 123 to invest in public schools without raising taxes and urged legislators to keep divisive partisan policies out of the negotiations.

Governor Newsom announced the most significant investments in public education in California history, with a record $27,418 per student backed by a $248.3 billion General Fund. He highlighted fully funding universal TK, nearly one billion school meals served, plans to eliminate ultra-processed foods from cafeterias, and expanding community schools with an additional $1 billion. He also proposed unifying education policy-making under the State Superintendent and celebrated the cell phone ban signed the previous year.

Governor Polis highlighted delivering free preschool and full-day kindergarten as signature achievements, noting 98% of kindergarteners now use free full-day kindergarten. He celebrated finally eliminating the Budget Stabilization Factor to fully fund schools, increasing per-pupil funding from $8,000 to nearly $12,000, and setting a record 146,000 concurrent enrollment courses. He proposed creating a unified workforce department and emphasized his Let's Get Ready initiative connecting school skills to career outcomes.

Governor Lamont highlighted Connecticut's top-ranked school system while announcing a Blue Ribbon Commission on K-12 Education to update the funding formula, build on special education reforms, and find efficiencies across 207 school districts. He proposed free school breakfasts for all students and called for a bell-to-bell phone ban in all schools, plus working with neighboring states to restrict children under 18 from accessing dangerous apps without parental permission.

Governor Meyer declared a Literacy Emergency and reported all K-3 schools now use literacy screeners. Through the Your Voice, Your Choice program, over 41,000 books and 4,000 classrooms were supported. He called for passing a fair funding formula based on students' actual needs, highlighted the Redding Consortium's bold district consolidation recommendations, and announced an additional $8.7 million federal grant for evidence-based literacy in grades 4-8.

Governor Kemp announced the DREAMS Scholarship — a $325 million endowment creating Georgia's first need-based scholarship — alongside celebrating a cumulative $9,500 teacher pay raise (28% increase in starting salary). He highlighted full QBE funding seven years running, over $511 million allocated to school safety, tuition increases held to just 5% since 2019, and record investments in medical residency slots and CTE programs.

Governor Green highlighted improvements in kindergarten readiness, noting over 70% of kindergartners are now on track in key developmental areas according to a UCLA study. He cited a 6-week intensive tutoring program that served 17,000 students and produced an 8% jump in literacy proficiency. He announced the goal of reaching the national 87% average high school graduation rate, up from the current 80% highest rate in 15 years.

Governor Reynolds celebrated Iowa as one of only three states outperforming pre-COVID levels in reading and math, with 3rd and 4th grade reading proficiency up 11%, chronic absenteeism down 10%, and teacher vacancies cut by 30%. She announced a first-in-the-nation initiative granting Iowa greater control over federal education funding, championed universal ESA availability, and proposed legislation ensuring per-pupil funding follows the student and charter school students access concurrent enrollment and extracurriculars.

Governor Little emphasized education as his top priority even in a tight budget year, noting a 70% increase in state support for public schools during his tenure, significant teacher pay raises, and seven times more investment in literacy programs. He highlighted the LAUNCH workforce program as a key priority, noting post-secondary enrollment is bucking national declines, and proposed right-sizing online school funding while protecting classroom funding.

Governor Braun announced that Indiana now has universal school choice starting this fall, raised starting teacher salaries by $5,000, and reported all-time records in literacy scores and graduation rates. He supported Senator Raatz's bill to limit cellphone use in schools and give parents veto power over their kids and social media, and expressed interest in investing in lowering child care costs during the budget session.

Governor Kelly celebrated seven straight years of fully funded schools, resulting in the highest graduation rates ever and strong Blueprint for Literacy results. She proposed funding to move students on reduced-price meals to entirely free meals, called for a bipartisan cell phone ban during the school day (thanking Majority Leader Blasi and Minority Leader Sykes), and recognized specific educators who shaped her daughters' lives to underscore the value of teachers.

Governor Beshear proposed $159 million for mandatory educator raises (nearly 7% increase in take-home pay), increased per-pupil education funding, and added $560 million to teachers' retirements. His signature education proposal was Pre-K for All, which he said would increase kindergarten readiness, boost parents' earnings by nearly $9,000 per year, and grow the workforce by up to 70,000. He described himself as 'unapologetically a 100% pro-public education Governor.'

Governor Healey celebrated Massachusetts schools ranking Number One in the Nation's Report Card in every category for the first time in eight years. She announced a target of 100,000 Early College students within 10 years, expanded free community college for adult learners, proposed Universal Pre-K in every Gateway City ahead of schedule, and made big investments in literacy and high-dose tutoring. She also proposed strict new requirements to protect kids on social media, including parental consent and age verification.

Governor Moore proposed a historic $10 billion for public schools including a new Academic Excellence Program with academic coaches. He celebrated three consecutive years of improvement, graduation rates up, and a 20-slot jump in national early literacy rankings in just two years. He highlighted cutting the teacher vacancy rate in half and recognized Maryland's Teacher of the Year, School Counselor of the Year, and High School Principal of the Year.

Governor Mills highlighted Maine's highest-ever graduation rate, record CTE enrollment, expanded early childhood education, a $10 million investment in Science of Reading instruction, and free school meals statewide. She proposed a statewide bell-to-bell cell phone ban, called for making free community college permanent, and announced education funding at 55% of costs plus $46 million in supplemental funding. She also announced a new reading and math initiative built on best practices from top-performing districts.

Governor Kehoe signed Executive Order 26-01 creating a statewide school accountability A-F grade card, signaling a focus on transparency and accountability in K-12 education outcomes. While specific education spending details were limited in the address summary, the Governor emphasized core functions of government and maintaining fiscal discipline without cutting K-12 foundation formula funding.

Governor Pillen announced a University of Nebraska agreement to provide full scholarships with housing for every student scoring 33+ on the ACT. He called for eliminating DEI and CRT from higher education through budget language, supported legislation to restore school discipline authority for disruptive K-2 students, and highlighted the need for classroom order so teachers can teach effectively. He also championed the federal Scholarship Tax Credit as a 'gamechanger' for all school types.

Governor Ayotte celebrated New Hampshire's top-10 school rankings, seventh-highest per-pupil funding, and the cell phone bell-to-bell ban that's already showing results — with kids checking out library books again and cyberbullying declining. She expanded education freedom with universal ESAs, made historic special education investments, and instructed Commissioner Davis to undertake a new reading initiative studying the state's highest-performing districts to apply best practices statewide.

Governor Lujan Grisham called for boosting literacy and math requirements, implementing a cell phone ban in schools, and highlighted that nearly half of elementary and middle school students now read at grade level (up from just over a third three years ago). She celebrated a 15-year high graduation rate of 80%, college enrollment growth of nearly 15%, and proposed building a new UNM medical school to double enrollment. She proposed $160 million in recurring funding for universal child care.

Governor Hochul announced a roadmap to universal childcare including Universal Pre-K for every 4-year-old by 2028, a pilot for year-round full-day care for newborns to 3-year-olds, and expanded subsidies. She proposed over half a billion dollars for workforce skill development, free community college expansion for adult learners in new fields, and celebrated the cell phone bell-to-bell ban. She also called for taking the 'same approach with math' after insisting on back-to-basics reading instruction.

Governor Stitt aggressively championed school choice, calling for eliminating the Parental Choice Tax Credit cap, allowing charter schools to bypass local district authorization, and abolishing the OSSAA sports association. He proposed making the Superintendent of Public Instruction a gubernatorial appointment rather than an elected position, and pushed for continued investment in literacy, noting too many students are not reading at grade level.

Governor Shapiro highlighted a nearly 30% increase in education funding, expanded vo-tech, CTE, and apprenticeships, and noted rising school attendance and graduation rates. He emphasized that more young people are finding passion in the trades and called for continued investment, noting Pennsylvania has more young farmers under 35 than any other state. The address focused more broadly on economic development and affordability but positioned education investments as foundational.

Governor McKee celebrated leading New England in academic recovery from the pandemic, closing the achievement gap with Massachusetts by 39% in reading and 29% in math. He proposed a first-ever dedicated $50 million CTE bond, announced nearly 100 new CTE programs added during his administration, highlighted the permanent RI Promise (free community college), and proposed making the Hope Scholarship permanent for all qualifying students regardless of income.

Governor McMaster celebrated raising the minimum teacher starting salary to $50,500 — a 68% increase since 2017 — and seven consecutive years of frozen college tuition. He championed full-day 4K expansion (30% enrollment increase), universal Education Scholarship Trust Fund expansion, and the achievement of an SRO in virtually every public school (up from 406 of 1,283 in 2018). He urged moving toward universal 4K regardless of income and called for a comprehensive review of the state's 33 public higher education institutions.

Governor Rhoden highlighted the Science of Reading initiative backed by a $6 million state investment leveraging $54 million in federal dollars, rewritten reading standards, and reformed teacher training. He announced common core math standards being replaced with 'common sense' standards, celebrated the federal school choice opportunity through the One Big Beautiful Bill, and proposed a bill giving school boards more flexibility to address disruptive student situations.

Governor Lee celebrated Tennessee as a top-5 state for reading and math gains since 2022, with only six states having fourth graders who read significantly better. He announced $340 million in additional public school funding, a $50,000 starting teacher salary by 2027, and proposed doubling Education Freedom Scholarships from 20,000 to at least 40,000 spots. He also highlighted the $25 million Nuclear Fund expansion and launch of the Tennessee Quantum Initiative for workforce development.

Governor Cox highlighted that nearly half of Utah's third graders are not reading at grade level, calling literacy 'moral infrastructure' essential to freedom and self-governance. He called for a statewide bell-to-bell phone ban and thanked legislators for leading literacy reforms and school phone policy. His address emphasized education within a broader framework of civic virtue and character formation.

Governor Cameron pledged to make Virginia's public schools the best in the nation, promising investment in schools and educators and ensuring every child has a solid foundation in reading and math. She emphasized preparing kids for a prosperous future at every level and framed education alongside affordability and economic growth as central pillars of her new administration.

Governor Scott devoted the vast majority of his address to education reform, calling it 'essential, not optional.' He defended Act 73 — Vermont's comprehensive education restructuring law — and called for consolidating 52 supervisory unions and 119 districts serving only 80,000 students. He cited Vermont's fall from top-5 to 37th in 4th-grade reading over a decade, pointed to Mississippi's success as a model, highlighted a $22,000 teacher salary gap between districts, and warned he would not sign any budget deviating from Act 73.

Governor Ferguson proposed using revenue from a new Millionaires' Tax to put more money into K-12 schools and highlighted the state's strong higher education system. He challenged legislators to join the 'Washington Completes FAFSA' campaign, noting Washington ranks 47th nationally in FAFSA completion despite generous state financial aid. He signed an Executive Order establishing a campaign to increase completion rates, including a student advisory group.

Governor Evers highlighted $2.3 billion in additional K-12 funding over his budgets, the largest special education reimbursement rate increase in state history, and the new Get Kids Ready program providing free state-funded pre-K programming projected to help 24,000 children. He criticized the Legislature for not setting aside enough money to meet promised special education reimbursement percentages and secured $360 million for child care including direct provider support.

Governor Morrisey highlighted implementing LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) grounded in the Science of Reading, citing Mississippi's dramatic improvement as a model. He called for expanding digital literacy in K-12 and colleges, fully funded the HOPE scholarship by building it into the baseline budget, and requested increased funding for higher education institutions to train the estimated 15,000-20,000 new construction workers needed.

Governor Gordon celebrated Wyoming's school choice adoption, the RIDE initiative providing charter-like prerogatives to established schools, and the Wyoming Innovation Partnership aligning the University of Wyoming with community colleges and business. He recognized the Teacher of the Year from a RIDE school and highlighted CTE students and WIP graduates as examples of successful career pathways, while urging the Legislature to restore his University of Wyoming funding recommendation.