Click to visit OSBA's home page.
  • Login
  • Ask OSBA
  • Contact us
for help call: 1.800.578.OSBA
  • Programs

    Let us help
    • Board development
    • Charter schools and authorizers
    • Communications
    • Labor relations
    • Legislative
    • Litigation
    • PACE
    • Policy services
    • Recruitment & jobs
  • Topics

    I need to look up information
    • Ask OSBA
    • Board operations
    • Bonds
    • Budget & finance
    • Charter schools
    • Community engagement
    • Labor & negotiations
    • Legal
    • Legislative & advocacy
    • PERS
    • Policy
    • Public meetings & records
    • Student achievement & graduation
  • Training & Events

    Learning opportunities
    • Upcoming events
    • Previous events
    • Upcoming meetings
    • Previous meetings
    • Online training
    • Training workshops
    • PACE trainings
    • Webinar archive
    • Calendar view
  • News Center

    Latest information
    • News stories
    • Legislative Highlights
    • OREdNews archive
    • Media releases
    • Social media
    • Education notes
    • Sounding Boards podcast
  • About OSBA

    Our association
    • Staff
    • Board of directors
    • Board members of color caucus
    • Legislative Policy Committee
    • Oregon school board member of the year
    • Governance documents
    • Election center
    • Finances
    • Membership
    • Jobs at OSBA
    • RFPs and equipment
  • My OSBA

    Your account
    • My account
    • Online store
    • My purchases
    • Member resources
    • Login
  • Home
  • News Center
  • Media Releases
  • HB 4113

OSBA opposes class-size bill, which could cost over $500 million

Monday, January 22, 2018

A new bill made public Jan. 22 on behalf of Oregon's teachers union seeks to make class size a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. The Oregon School Boards Association is taking a strong stand in opposition for the same reasons it did in 2017, when a similar bill failed to pass.

Jim Green, OSBA's executive director, said House Bill 4113 would undermine local control and create an unfunded mandate that could lead to school boards having to cut services and school days to meet class-size restrictions. He said such attempts at restricting class size had proved to be failures in California and Florida.

"If you make class size a subject of collective bargaining, it will be a budget buster for school districts," said Green.

Based on estimates from the Oregon Department of Education, lowering class sizes by three students would cost an additional $575.6 million in the 2019-21 biennium. That translates to hiring roughly 2,600 new teachers, according to ODE estimates, at a time when the Legislature is struggling to even maintain current service levels.

Green suggested that legislators instead focus their attention on the broader picture of paying for a first-class Oregon school system, as they have signaled their intention to do through the Joint Committee on Student Success.

Related content

  • A better bargain
  • A better bargain
  • Calendar and workdays
  • Glossary of collective bargaining terms
  • Average teacher salary

Popular Content

  • Ask OSBA
  • OSBA Staff
  • Bill tracking
  • Online Store
  • Contact us
  • Feedback
  • Help
  • Legal notice / disclaimer
  • Links
  • Sitemap
  • Subscribe

1201 Court Street NE, Suite 400, Salem, Oregon 97301
  • 1-800-578-6722
  • (503) 588-2800
  • FAX fax: (503) 588-2813