Meetings of the Caucus are posted on OSBA’s Public Meetings page.

Meeting agendas and Zoom meeting information will be distributed upon request, please contact the Caucus Secretary for more information.

NSBA Center for Public Education’s Five Part Series on Education Equity for Rural Schools

Part 1: “Growing Diversity of Rural Students”: This report examines changes in the enrollment patterns in rural schools and the growing diversity of their students. Data cover not only the demographic changes of rural students, but also isolation levels, poverty concentration, regional differences in poverty, and other challenges.

Part 2: “An Urgent Need to Fix the Digital Divide”: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgency of building equal access to internet services in rural areas. This report addresses how the persistent digital divide ― often referred to as the homework gap ― causes underserved rural students to face more challenges and disadvantages, and what strategies education leaders may take to close the gap.

Part 3: “Thinking Broadly and Deeply about Rural Student Achievement and Teacher Pipelines“: This report focuses on the student achievement gap and teacher shortages in rural areas. We examined the diversity of rural students on the Nation’s Report Card, namely, regional, demographic, and geographical patterns in student academic performance. Based on our findings, we discuss five unique learning opportunities that rural students often miss and encourage education leaders to consider providing more policy and practice support in those fields.

Part 4: “School Safety and Mental Health of Rural Students: Things That Matter“: In this report, we present data about how the COVID-19 pandemic changed rural student behaviors and aggravated mental health issues in rural schools. Challenges and considerations are examined in the areas of preventing suicide in rural schools, preventing school violence in rural areas, and partnering with parents and communities to foster a safe and healthy school culture.

September 22, 2022 – Scott Rogers presented on the impact of school ventilation needs of school districts to the 2021-2022 Interim Senate Interim Committee on Education

View Scott Rogers presentation 

View the full informational meeting

Take a look at the caucus’s end‑of‑year report shared with the OSBA Board, offering insights into our efforts, milestones, and goals moving forward.

2025 ORSBMC Report

During the 2024 OSBA Annual Convention the Caucus hosted a workshop where they surveyed attendees on five different aspects of the education system and how rural school boards may share similarities or differences with their urban counterparts. The survey was then distilled into a report which was presented to the Board in the meeting packet and is being used by the legislative team for advocacy at the Capitol. Access the report here.