Legislative Highlights

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

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

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

Trying to figure out how much a bill will cost schools can sometimes be like trying to count how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. For... Read More

More bills will come to a timely end today, May 9, the “second chamber work session posting deadline.” Bills in policy committees must be posted to a future agenda by... Read More

School board members are rightly focused on public education for student success and all the legislation swirling around it. But school boards are also governmental entities that must follow state... Read More

Things have felt a bit quieter in the Capitol in the weeks following the first chamber deadline. Many bills have gone off to wait silently in the Joint Ways and... Read More

A major factor in OSBA’s strength as an advocacy association comes in being able to connect legislators with school board members. Our members can tell legislators the real stories of... Read More

It’s a week full of opportunities for members to engage with OSBA and the legislative process. OSBA held its Advocacy Day (see Adrienne’s column) on Thursday, April 24, and the... Read More

Some of Oregon’s school buses travel no more than a few miles a day in densely packed urban areas. Some of Oregon’s school buses travel a hundred miles or more... Read More

The Legislature’s pace ebbs and flows, and this week was a bit calmer on the committee front. The first committee deadline is behind us, and the emphasis is on chamber... Read More

We are in the lull before the next storm. The April 9 deadline to move bills out of policy committees marks roughly the halfway-point of the 2025 legislative session. It... Read More

One of the biggest issues to make it past the Legislature’s April 9 process deadline was the governor’s accountability bills, House Bill 2009 and Senate Bill 141. Only one bill... Read More

Over the past year that accountability has been a topic of conversation in Oregon education policy, I’ve heard two descriptions from district leaders that stand out to me: “Shared accountability... Read More

One of the things that defines OSBA’s advocacy work is the depth of the resources and expertise we can call on. Laws require the right language to operate as intended.... Read More

The Oregon Legislature stepped into the national debate on cell phones in schools with a hearing Wednesday, March 26, on House Bill 2251. Cell phones can be addictive distractions in... Read More