Oregon Advances Record $11.36 Billion Education Budget with New Accountability Measures Targeting Math and Attendance

The Oregon Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education has voted to advance a bill that will give the State School Fund a record-breaking $11.36 billion – $1.2 billion more than what was allocated in the 2023-25 biennium.

The allocation matches the investment requested by Governor Tina Kotek when she presented her budget to lawmakers, aiming to improve the poor education results posted by schools in Oregon districts.

Poor Math Grades and Chronic Absenteeism Will Be Monitored

Senate Bill 141 empowers the Oregon Department of Education to intervene more effectively in school districts with poor performance records and establishes metrics to track poor math grades and chronic absenteeism.

Despite this record-breaking education budget, a few smaller school districts say they will still be forced to make significant budget cuts.

As the Reynolds School District in east Multnomah County attempts to prune its expenditure by $25 million, it is asking staff to accept 10 furlough days that will result in the loss of about 160 school district employees, 118 of them will be teachers.

Oregon K-12 schools have been earmarked to receive $16.7 billion, a 10.5% increase compared to the previous biennium.

Funding Will Bolster Summer Literacy Programs

Supplementing the $82 million lawmakers passed in April to bolster summer literacy programs, the funding package includes $5.36 million for the Oregon Youth Challenge Program. It also sets aside $3 million for school safety and emergency preparedness and $1.6 million for a digital learning program.

School districts will receive funding of up to 11% of their student population for special education needs. However, any amount above that 11% benchmark will go unfunded.

Lawmakers also advanced a bill that mandates school districts to keep track of and report varying performance indicators, math and reading proficiency, attendance records, and graduation rates to ensure that schools meet standards set by the state.

The bills must still be considered by the General Budget Committee, the Oregon House, and the Senate. Funding becomes effective on 1 July 2025 if the recommendations contained in the bills are passed.