With bills needing to be scheduled by Friday, March 21, for a work session, committee agendas have been quite full.
The House Education Committee held four work sessions and four public hearings on Wednesday, March 19. Two of those hearings were on priority education investments: House Bill 2007, which addresses summer learning, and House Bill 3040, which deals with early literacy.
House Speaker Julie Fahey sponsored HB 2007 along with Rep. Boomer Wright and the co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Education Subcommittee, Sen. Janeen Sollman and Rep. Ricki Ruiz. After months of work group meetings on extended learning required by 2024 legislation, Gov. Tina Kotek’s office also introduced a summer learning measure, House Bill 3039.
The two proposals had crucial differences. It was not clear until this week which of the two summer learning bills would serve as the vehicle for this session’s conversation.
HB 3039 essentially represented a continuation of past summer learning efforts and expansion to before- and after-school programming during the school year.
HB 2007 was introduced as a far stricter program, focused on summer learning and specifically on programs designed to help students make gains in literacy. It would put new restrictions on funds by limiting academic enrichment investments, and it required any grant partners (e.g., community-based organizations) to have demonstrated expertise in research-aligned literacy strategies.
By the time of the hearing, it was clear HB 2007 would be the bill to move, and there was a desire to find a middle ground between the two proposals. With a set of -1 amendments posted just three and a half hours before the hearing, much of the testimony emphasized an appreciation for the increased flexibility in the amendments and the removal of the expectation for partners to match funds. Many education advocates don’t think the bill is quite there yet, though.
One area not changed in the -1 amendments was a shift in the grant recipient prioritization. With limited dollars available, the 2024 summer program allocated $30 million to districts prioritizing those with the highest rates of student groups that have historically experienced academic disparities. The amended HB 2007 prioritizes funding for districts with the lowest reading proficiency rates and targeting students who are reading below grade level.
This shift in funding distribution and access to summer learning raised concerns for many stakeholder organizations. OSBA also has concerns about what this shift means and how it might alter district eligibility for summer learning grants from last year to this summer.
On the early literacy front, HB 3040 is the technical fix and update to 2023’s Early Literacy Success Initiative. The bill, with the -1 amendments, would add instructional assistants to the list of staff who could receive professional development and training paid for with early literacy dollars. It would allow the purchase of curriculum for elementary grades through fifth grade, but targeted supports such as high-dosage tutoring would be limited to grades K-3.
The bill also makes reporting requirement changes and gives the Oregon Department of Education expanded authority to require curriculum and training for districts not meeting their goals. Finally, the bill would establish a district support network to implement early literacy work.
The public hearing made clear more HB 3040 amendments are likely. Our hope is to see greater clarity about the role of education service districts in supporting schools. We are requesting a compromise to allow a portion of funds to be spent on support for students in grades 4-5.
We believe both bills are on the right track, but we are hopeful for even more improvement in the next round of amendments. We are not sure when these bills are likely to move out of committee, but we do know it must be by April 9,the first work session deadline.
The weeks leading up to the work session deadline promise more packed committee agendas.
– Stacy Michaelson
OSBA Government Relations and Communications Director
