News Center

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

Knappa School District paraprofessional Jenine Rubus helps students in an algebra classroom in November. A quarter of the district’s students require additional supports such as in-classroom assistance. (Photo by Jake... 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

OSBA staff led a delegation of about a dozen Oregon school board members, including the OSBA Board’s executive officers, to Washington, D.C., for the National School Boards Association Advocacy and... Read More

Summer learning works, according to two Oregon Department of Education reports issued Monday. House Bill 4082 (2024) allotted $30 million for summer learning grants and directed ODE to study the... 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

The federal government recently issued a series of executive orders and memorandums. The topics include federal funding, DEI programs, immigration, and gender-based facilities and athletics. The administration’s moves have been concerning and... 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

Oregon graduation rates are clawing their way back to pre-pandemic levels, according to data for the class of 2024 released Thursday. Disappointing National Assessment of Educational Progress data released this... 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

The Oregon Department of Education unveiled a new school data dashboard Thursday. ODE designed the Oregon Online Report Card with the aim of making school information more accessible. Users can... Read More

Oregon should be spending $100 million per year by 2030 on summer and after-school learning, an Oregon Department of Education report says. Funding additional learning time, especially in summers and... Read More

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Department of Homeland Security rescinded a policy in place since 2011 that discouraged Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from taking actions in so-called “sensitive locations,”... 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