Legislative Highlights

A complicated and technical analysis of Oregon education funding came to a pretty simple conclusion. “It costs more to achieve more,” University of Miami Professor Bruce Baker told legislators several... Read More

The 2019 Oregon Legislature established a “Fund for Student Success” and adopted the corporate activity tax to pay for it. The aim was to raise about $1 billion a year... Read More

OSBA advocacy work extends beyond the bills that move through the education committees. Sometimes the most contentious bills with the heaviest district impacts don’t have the words school or education... Read More

When voters testify about bills’ real-world effects, legislators listen. The House Education Committee this week held hearings on three bills to increase special education funding, a top OSBA legislative priority... Read More

Successfully passing legislation often starts with laying down a foundation of good understanding. This week, the Oregon Department of Education did solid work setting up the Legislature’s discussions of special... Read More

Our colleagues in other states tell us that Oregon is a bit of an outlier nationally with how closely our various education association partners collaborate. Personally, I take a fair... Read More

School district leaders have told us that adequate special education funding is one of their top priorities for this legislative session. OSBA is part of a coalition of education partners... Read More

It’s been a whirlwind week at the Capitol, with our OSBA team working in a variety of policy committees. We always prefer to be bringing solutions to the table, but... Read More

Gov. Tina Kotek testified Monday, Jan. 27, before the House Education Committee about House Bill 2140, which would codify some education advocate-supported methods for calculating the current service level for... Read More

OSBA legislative services is primarily focused on state and local issues, but we keep a foot in federal-level policy. The Trump administration’s executive orders this week demonstrate the power of... Read More

A lot of education advocacy in the Legislature involves helping legislators understand the intricacies and issues of Oregon’s school system. Not every bill that affects schools lands before legislators who... Read More

Stacy Michaelson, (left) OSBA director of government relations and communications, joined education association peers Thursday, Jan. 23, to support a bill before the Senate Labor and Business Committee. (Photo by... Read More

To become a law, bills must pass through committee hearings and earn chamber approval in the House and Senate before the session ends. The legislative calendar is a series of... Read More

Since I joined OSBA in May, the focus has been on the 2025 legislative session. I have spent the previous eight months steeping myself in the education issues our members... Read More

My second week on the job with OSBA is the beginning of my 14th legislative session as a lobbyist. It’s an exciting mix of the new and the known.   For... Read More

Jennifer Davis Salazar, OSBA’s new government relations extern, adopted Gracie from Hopes Haven, a dog rescue center in Salem. The OSBA Government Relations and Communications team will have a legislative... Read More

The short Oregon legislative session is often described as a sprint. Education advocates will barely have time to catch their breath after Thursday night’s finish before they are training for... Read More

With less than a week left in the 2024 session, education advocates are breathing some sighs of relief. There are still some important issues to be settled, such as summer... Read More