Special education costs are rising, and Southern states are revisiting how schools receive funding. Alabama increased funding, Texas revised its funding model, and Virginia increased its per-student allocation. North Carolina has legislation pending. ⬇️ Our latest Snapshot highlights the regional activity.

The CALS Class of 2026 has graduated! After four days of leadership training, practical exercises, and peer learning, Southern state officials concluded this year's program with a graduation celebration in Mobile, Alabama. 📸 Highlights from #CALS2026.

Explore AI meeting assistants in state government and saltwater intrusion on coastal farmland in CSG South’s November webinars. View all upcoming webinars and register: ➡️ csgsouth.org/webinars/

How do lawmakers assess education policy after implementation? Arkansas House Speaker Brian S. Evans joins REAL | STATE to share his perspective on student outcomes, school funding and the connections among K-12, higher education, and workforce preparation. 🎧Listen: bit.ly/REALStateEpisodes

December is an important point in CSG South’s committee calendar. Our six standing policy committees and SAIL will meet virtually throughout the month, sharing perspectives from across the region that help inform our research and programming for the year ahead. 2026 schedule ⬇️

State officials from across the South are sharing a classroom this week at #CALS2026 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Across four days, the class is tackling group dynamics, leadership, media, governing, and negotiation through instruction, exercises, and small-group work. 📸 A look inside CALS 2026.

Members of the CSG South LSA Directors Group gathered in Asheville, N.C., for three days of professional development and peer exchange focused on the legislative workplace, AI in legislative processes, and planning for 2027. Learn more about the program: ➡️ bit.ly/LSADirectorsGroup

Prediction markets are raising new questions for states about taxation, sports wagering, and regulatory authority. Kentucky and North Carolina enacted policies in 2026, taking different approaches to how these markets operate within existing state frameworks. Our latest Snapshot maps the activity.

Legislative deadlines don’t disappear when class starts. Join our upcoming webinar, “Balancing the Capitol and the Classroom,” for practical strategies to manage full-time legislative work while pursuing a college or graduate degree. 🗓️ Oct. 2 | 12–1 p.m. ET ➡️ Register: bit.ly/CSGSouthWebinars #CSGSouth #LegislativeStaff

Northern Virginia provided the setting for Southern state policymakers to take a closer look at data center operations and the infrastructure that supports them. CSG South’s final 2026 Policy Masterclass examined electricity, transmission, water resources, and community infrastructure through expert discussions and a firsthand site visit. Learn more about the Policy Masterclass Series: ➡️bit.ly/2026PolicyMasterclass… #CSGSouth #PolicyMasterclass

What’s next for the South? In this special Q&A episode of REAL | STATE, recorded at the 2026 Southern Legislative Conference, legislators and legislative staff from across the region share their perspectives on the issues shaping their states and the South. 🎧Listen: bit.ly/REALStateEpisodes #RealStatePodcast #CSGSouth

Southern states considered a range of legislation related to data centers in 2025 and 2026, including measures addressing noise. In 2026, at least 143 data center bills were introduced across CSG South’s member states. Twelve bills and one interim study proposal specifically addressed data center noise. Measures considered sound assessments, agency responsibilities, setback requirements, and noise limits. The map provides a look at grid resilience legislation introduced, advanced through one or both chambers, or enacted across the South in 2025 and 2026.

In Northern Alabama, a longstanding aerospace presence intersects with STEAM education, research and workforce development. The second 2026 Policy Masterclass brought Southern state policymakers to Huntsville to examine those connections through conversations with state, federal, education, and industry leaders, along with visits to Huntsville City Schools, UAH and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Learn more about the 2026 Policy Masterclass Series. ➡️ bit.ly/2026PolicyMasterclass… #CSGSouth #PolicyMasterclass

Southern lawmakers are taking different approaches to protecting minors online, including AI companion chatbots and app store age verification. In 2026, Georgia enacted AI companion chatbot legislation, while Alabama and Louisiana enacted app store age verification laws. 🔎 Read the First Look: bit.ly/AIandYouthOnline Then join CSG South’s upcoming webinar, Oct. 16, on children’s online safety policy, covering age verification, AI, privacy and the First Amendment. ➡️ Register: bit.ly/CSGSouthWebinars

Professional development and children’s online safety policy are on the agenda for CSG South’s October webinars. Get practical strategies for balancing legislative work and higher education, and explore the evolving state policy landscape around children’s online safety, including age verification, AI, privacy and First Amendment considerations. Check out upcoming webinars and register: ➡️ bit.ly/CSGSouthWebinars

There are 722 interstate compacts across the 15-state CSG South region. What does it take to create one? Join our upcoming webinar, “Stronger Together,” to examine the development and legislative process behind interstate compacts, legal considerations and emerging agreements that may receive attention in 2027. 🗓️ Sept. 18 | 1–2 p.m. ET ➡️ Register: bit.ly/CSGSouthWebinars #CSGSouth #StateLegislatures