It’s official: The Legislature is aiming for an $11.4 billion State School Fund.
The Co-Chair Budget Framework, released Wednesday, March 19, is the first indication of how the Legislature intends to spend the state’s money.
This is truly a framework and not a detailed breakdown of the budget. We won’t see a final budget until May or June after the Legislature hears all the calls for spending and sees how much money it has in the June Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast (which, despite the title, gets released in May). The final number for the State School Fund as well as related education investments could still shift, but this gives us a pretty good idea.
The co-chairs, Sen. Kate Lieber and Rep. Tawna Sanchez, have proposed $11.4 billion for the State School Fund, one of the few concrete numbers in the framework. That number is aligned with the $11.36 billion in Gov. Tina Kotek’s recommended budget and estimates for the current service level amount needed for most districts to avoid cuts.
This is a great marker for us, and we are pleased to see this number so early in the session. We can spend more time debating refinements and enhancements to education investments rather than spending our energy fighting for a basic level.
The framework makes clear that the proposed State School Fund is contingent upon the passage of K-12 accountability legislation. Our message continues to be that we are all in for accountability, as long as our districts are being measured appropriately and have the right tools and supports in place.
This is just the starting point for the state budget, and no additional investments in special education, one of our priorities, were mentioned. We still have a lot of work ahead to get the special education bills funded. We continue to communicate with legislators about the importance of increasing special education funding, and we are hopeful the special education funding bills, at least in some form, will move across the finish line.
The framework document also makes clear legislators are concerned about disruptions to federal funding. The framework envisions scenarios with up to a 30% loss of federal funding. The Legislature is clearly being cautious, which will color any conversation about increased or new investments.
As we continue to monitor actions and policies at the federal level, we will still be raising awareness over the importance of adequately funding our schools and providing them with relief if federal funds are pulled.
– Adrienne Anderson
OSBA Government Relations Counsel
