Gov. Kotek’s education priority bill was heard and moved out of the Senate last week. The bill, SB 1045, would make distinct changes to education law to update reporting, address illegal discrimination, and update existing laws around textbook adoption.
In the bill’s public hearing, on Tuesday, May 16, Kotek’s office testified in support, specifically on the -5 amendments, which were the current version. Melissa Goff, Kotek’s education policy adviser, described the bill as the governor’s first step toward increasing “transparency and accountability” in education. OSBA testified in support of the -5 amendments, and was joined by the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators and the Oregon Association of Education Service Districts. This is notable because previously OSBA had testified in staunch opposition to the measure. The bill, first unveiled in March, originally represented a broad shift of oversight from local districts to the state. After opposing that measure, OSBA worked with Kotek’s office and other stakeholders to craft a new approach, contained in the -5 amendments.
Broadly, the measure now has four parts:
- Reporting process: updates existing requirements around standard/non-standard/conditionally standard designations that currently exist for all schools, and adds a new requirement that this status be posted online.
- Discrimination in education: gives the Oregon Department of Education new tools to address conduct that is already illegal discrimination in education under ORS 659.850. Would allow ODE a tiered approach to respond to discrimination, including initially providing training and student-specific remedies before withholding State School Fund payments.
- Adoption of instructional materials and textbooks: updates existing textbook adoption requirements to remove fee requirements for publishers, updates ODE’s ability to approve materials proactively, and maintains school districts’ ability to seek approval of specific curricular materials.
- Work group for SOS risk report: creates a work group of stakeholders, including OSBA, that would convene to consider further responses to the Systemic Risk Report issued by the Oregon Secretary of State last May.
The bill received strong positive response in the hearing. On Thursday, May 18, the bill moved out of the committee with unanimous support. In a quirk, the committee actually adopted -6 amendments, which are substantially the same as the -5s but fixed a minor issue.
The bill will now move to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate, if the ongoing walkout by Senate Republicans concludes.
-Richard Donovan
Legislative Services specialist
