"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will heal their land."

Jake Warner, a Helena High School math teacher and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, warning lawmakers that Montana is already in a full-blown teacher shortage crisis. Warner’s remarks came during testimony before the School Funding Interim Commission, where educators described classrooms without heat, low pay, rising student behavioral issues and long-standing funding gaps that are pushing teachers out of the profession. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

Sara Tindall Ghazal, the lone Democratic appointee on Georgia’s State Election Board, underscoring the breakdown between the board and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. Ghazal said the relationship “basically no longer” functions after Raffensperger’s investigators stopped attending meetings to present cases to the board. Raffensperger’s office said they were tired of seeing their investigators being abused by board members aligned with President Donald Trump. Following the 2020 election, Raffensperger resisted Trump’s call to “find” enough votes to flip Georgia’s 2020 results. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Maryland Republican Del. Matt Morgan. Morgan delivered one of the sharpest rebukes during Gov. Wes Moore’s latest redistricting commission meeting, a Zoom session that drew nearly 100 speakers and underscored deep partisan divides over the state’s fast-moving map proposal. He argued the process would “politically disenfranchise an entire region” and “eliminate the Republicans’ voice throughout the state.” His comments came amid equally forceful testimony from supporters of the overhaul.  (Baltimore Sun)

Michigan state Sen. Jeff Irwin. The Ann Arbor Democrat criticized a new $6 million allocation to expand the powers and reach of the state Legislature’s sergeants-at-arms, law enforcement agencies traditionally limited to enforcing rules and providing security inside the Capitol. The funding, approved as part of the state budget signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, will allow the sergeants to investigate crimes and protect lawmakers anywhere in Michigan. Irwin called the measure “embarrassing,” arguing that lawmakers were diverting limited public resources to protect themselves rather than addressing issues like housing and public safety for residents. (Detroit News)