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The 2025 legislative session ended in a flurry of last-minute activity and shifting political dynamics, culminating in adjournment shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, June 27. The Oregon Education Department budget... Read More

The Legislature adjourned late Friday, June 27, but the work isn’t done. Now comes the task of implementation where some of those pesky details need to be worked out. The... Read More

A Seismic Rehabilitation Grant made a 2024 Dufur School District roofing project possible. The district was also able to add insulation to the old gym, making it more energy efficient... Read More

As hinted at in last week’s column, Senate Bill 916 gets one more week of coverage. Things evolved quickly – sometimes hour-to-hour – since my last update. After passing the... Read More

Although K-12 advocates have had to fight hard in recent years for gains to the State School Fund, all things considered, the years since the Student Success Act passed in... Read More

The advocates working the Capitol halls keep a sharp eye out this time of year for any signs the session might end soon. A sure indication is the closing of... Read More

Senate Bill 916 has drawn much attention this session by both education advocates and advocates of good governance in general. It’s had multiple hearings in both chambers, inspired multiple editorials... Read More

The PERS Board made it official Friday: Most school districts’ rates will be 1.68 percentage points lower for 2025-27 than when they were announced in October. “It’s a pure win,”... Read More

Public education funding had two big wins Friday, May 30. The Joint Ways and Means Committee approved an $11.36 billion State School Fund, a fair approximation of the state’s current... Read More

School districts frequently receive public records requests. These requests are a vital avenue for public accountability, but they come at a cost. Somebody must find the documents and prepare them... Read More

Sen. Janeen Sollman, Joint Ways and Means Education Subcommittee co-chair, passionately pushed back against negative education narratives during a hearing Wednesday. Sollman, a former school board member and proud parent... Read More

I would love to be talking this week about how we are going to fund schools in light of reduced Oregon revenue expectations or how we are going to address... Read More

At its best, the legislative process is the art of compromise. House Bill 3365, which passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, May 21, is a prime example. The original... Read More

Despite uncertain financial times, Oregonians mostly seem to remain supportive of public education. Of 13 school bonds and levies on the ballot, 10 appeared to be passing as of Thursday... Read More

In any given session, many bills pass with little fanfare or controversy, and many others die quickly. But then there are one or two bills that prove pernicious, plodding along... Read More

The June Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast (released in May, despite the name) is often a demarcation in any session, indicating the point at which we move from policy discussion... Read More

Legislators heard Wednesday, May 14, that they will have $798 million less in net General Fund and lottery revenue in 2025-27 than they thought they had three months ago. “There... Read More

Bethel fourth grader SofÌa Vasquez shared her story of how a summer program helped her become an avid reader at the ceremonial signing April 30 in the Oregon State Library... Read More