Legislative deadlines always change the session’s pace.
Big issues that have already moved out of committee are no longer under the spotlight as much (e.g., Senate Bill 916, unemployment insurance for striking workers) while the focus shifts to bills that need to move prior to the deadline or face a procedural death.
This includes high-profile bills that have taken more work to finalize (e.g., House Bill 3040 on early literacy and SB 141/HB 2009 on education accountability), as well as lower-profile bills that have been waiting in the wings.
My colleague, Adrienne Anderson, and I divided our legislative work according to broad bill categories before the session started. That means that when the deadlines start popping, it’s luck of the draw with the bills.
Adrienne carried the bulk of the weight for us this week, testifying on a number of well-intended but problematic bills. I had the luxury of submitting written testimony on bills that are likely to sail through committee. Those were less interesting, so I will focus on Adrienne’s efforts on some bills we need to watch.
SB 1126 would require districts to offer students in grades K-5 (and 6, if it’s a K-6 school) 30 minutes of recess every school day that is at least five hours long. It would also prohibit the withholding of recess or the imposition of physical activity as a form of discipline. Our concern is around the requirement to provide a certain number of minutes of recess, which feels similar to the physical education minutes requirements districts have struggled to meet.
Strict minutes requirements reduce district flexibility in scheduling, especially when there are limitations on how much recess can count toward required instructional hours (up to 60 hours but only for grades K-3).
Many districts already offer 30 minutes of recess per day, but in areas where that’s not already happening, we don’t want to mandate new requirements without hearing the reasons. It is possible the bill will be amended to remove the requirements for recess and move forward with the language about allowable forms of discipline. We will continue to work to make sure the bill recognizes the need for local flexibility.
HB 2359 would require all high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. (not including optional classes such as zero periods). The bill allows an exception for rural schools, but these would need to be defined by the State Board of Education in rule. Because the exception is for rural schools, not rural districts, it could create a situation where different high schools in a single district have different start times.
The bill also directs the Oregon Department of Education to issue grants to districts for one-time costs such as additional buses, but the grants would only be available until June 2027. Additionally, the bill makes no appropriation to the agency for these grants, so the availability would depend on ODE’s overall budget situation.
The Multnomah Youth Commission put the bill forward, and we applaud the engagement by the students and young folks who have moved their concept this far in the process. Although the science seems to support later start times for teens, the implementation challenges of route scheduling and bus availability are simply too great in some districts.
Adrienne had to be the voice of reason twice this week, both times giving opposition testimony following student speakers in favor of an issue. We place great value on student input, and as I’ve written in previous updates, it’s never fun to testify against well-intentioned policy proposals.
But one of OSBA’s guiding principles is to challenge unfunded mandates and statewide one-size-fits-all legislation. Our schools already face tight budgets. Every new legislative mandate that comes with a cost forces a district to cut something else.
We advocate for local decision-making because every community has different needs and obstacles. Locally elected school board members are best positioned to listen to their communities and make appropriate choices.
What sounds good in a Salem hearing room doesn’t always sound as good in schools around the state.
– Stacy Michaelson
OSBA Government Relations and Communications Director
