What Happened for K-12 Education in Oregon's 2025 Legislative Session

How the Legislature Invested in Public Education

_Over the next two years, Oregon will invest a record-high $11.36 billion in the State School Fund, the state’s primary funding stream for K-12 public schools—an 11% increase over the last biennium. This level of investment comes after Senate Bill 316 updated how the state estimates the total amount of funding needed to maintain existing programs and services in Oregon school districts. 

The Legislature also funded the Student Investment Account (SIA), another major K-12 funding source, at $1.1 billion. These investments are especially notable given the state’s lackluster revenue forecast in an volatile economic environment. But Gov. Kotek was clear from the beginning that increased funding for schools was a top priority, as long as it was paired with robust accountability to make sure every dollar is well spent. 

Despite strong investment in K-12 schools, the rest of Oregon’s public education budget faced difficult news. The Legislature will invest just $1.4 billion in early childhood programs over the next biennium, a $45 million cut and 3% decrease compared to the last state budget. These cuts will reduce access to preschool, culturally specific early learning programs, and other services for Oregon’s youngest children. Meanwhile, the state’s $3.9 billion investment in higher education should technically sustain all current programs, but advocates say it falls short of reality and will inevitably lead to cuts.

These early learning and higher education funding shortfalls are compounded by cuts across the state budget that impact children and families, including public health, housing, and more. FBO continues to believe in the need to invest strategically and responsibly in children’s learning and care from birth through post-secondary, and across all public systems that touch the lives of children every day.

A Long-Awaited, Longer-Term Commitment to Summer Learning

_After winning overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature, Gov. Tina Kotek signed House Bills 2007 and 5047 into law in April, funding summer learning programs for thousands of students across Oregon through 2027.

These bills mark a milestone moment: Oregon is now finally committing to summer learning as a core piece of our state’s public education system and strategy. After years of haphazard investment and last-minute planning, these bills will invest $35 million in summer learning in both 2025 and 2026, and earmark a $12 million head start for the summer of 2027. This year, the Oregon Department of Education estimates these funds will reach over 35,000 students in over 130 school districts, education service districts, charter schools, and tribes.

Sustainable and predictable funding is critical to delivering successful summer programs for Oregon youth, but some of the bills’ policy provisions risk limiting the benefits of these investments.

For example, the bill requires summer learning and enrichment programs to narrowly concentrate on improving student literacy rates over a short period of time. Research, however, shows children benefit most from summer programs that offer diverse learning opportunities and experiences—including social-emotional learning and mental health supports—to deliver long-term gains across academic disciplines. 

And while the bill does well to reach beyond school districts by dedicating critically important funding to sovereign tribal nations, community-based and culturally specific organizations unfortunately cannot independently apply for funding to provide high-quality programs, as they have in the past.

Even as we celebrate important progress, FBO will continue advocating to expand and maximize the return on these investments. “To reach our state’s education goals, we need high-quality school- and community-based programs that offer a wide range of academic and enrichment opportunities so that every child can feel like they belong, grow their confidence and joy as learners, and find their unique path to success,” said Janet Soto Rodriguez, FBO’s Deputy Director, in remarks at the bills’ ceremonial signing.

Closed-Door Decisions Undercut Community Voice and Partnership

_As an intermediary organization, FBO is deeply committed to inclusive policymaking that meaningfully engages the voices, perspectives, and ideas of communities directly impacted by public systems. We also champion a shared vision for public education where schools work in closer partnership with families and community partners to provide a year-round ecosystem of learning inside and outside the classroom.

Unfortunately, closed-door decisions often left community voices shut out of the legislative process this session. A number of these decisions ultimately diminished the power of community leadership and partnership in public education. 

Community advocates were surprised when the Governor’s original summer learning policy concept was suddenly replaced by House Bill 2007, a brand new proposal developed by legislators behind closed doors. Unlike the Governor’s plan, House Bill 2007 contradicted many of the best practices for high-quality summer learning recommended by an inclusive cross-sector work group that the Legislature itself commissioned last year.

The final days of session also saw legislative budget committees unilaterally make stark cuts and structural changes to Oregon’s Student Success Plans. These statewide plans and grant programs, developed by community-led advisory groups to address opportunity gaps and improve educational outcomes for historically underserved students, lost $23 million in funding, a 55% reduction over the last biennium. The Legislature also consolidated the plans into a single budget line item, but deferred responsibility to the Oregon Department of Education to reorganize funding and governance across unique plans serving Black students, ​​American Indian and Alaska Native students, Latino/a/x and Indigenous students, LGBTQ2SIA+ students, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, and immigrant and refugee students.

Cuts to Oregon’s Early Literacy Community Grants and Early Childhood Equity Fund are another setback for community-driven education strategies and investments. Community-based and culturally specific organizations hold deep and trusted relationships with historically underserved students, but our state continues to underinvest in them as key partners in Oregon’s public education ecosystem.

Legislating is no easy business, with economic realities and looming deadlines constantly pressuring state leaders. In these difficult moments, community input is essential to make the best of a difficult situation and find a way forward. We strongly believe the Legislature can and must work more transparently and collaboratively with impacted communities partners before making decisions for impacted communities.

Which Notable Education Bills Passed, and Which Ones Didn’t

_This session saw legislators introduce over 2,200 bills, a record high at the State Capitol. While a bipartisan bill proposing to limit the total number of bills ultimately failed, a slew of education bills—some hotly contested, others under-the-radar—made their way through the legislative process.

Senate Bill 1098, championed by Sen. Lew Frederick, would prevent book bans and censorship in Oregon public schools if it constitutes discrimination based on race, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other protected class. As Rep. Cyrus Javadi wrote in a powerful personal essay:

“Public schools serve the whole public, which includes kids with gay parents, kids who wear hijabs, kids who are figuring out where they fit. Protecting their right to see themselves in a story isn’t an attack on anyone else’s values. It’s a reminder that the world is bigger than any one household.”

House Bill 3040 added $13 million to Gov. Kotek’s landmark Early Literacy Success Initiative. School districts across the state are celebrating the Initiative’s positive impact so far, thanks to a laser focus on the science of reading. This additional funding will further expand high dosage tutoring for PreK-5 students and curriculum coaching for educators.

House Bill 2508, sponsored by former House Education Committee Chair and newly appointed State Senator Courtney Neron Misslin, directs the Oregon Department of Education to standardize and streamline how school districts, education service districts, and the state collect and access student data in order to gain clearer insights into student progress and illuminate which strategies make the greatest impact.

House Bill 3037, introduced at the Governor’s request, will establish minimum grant awards for small school districts across a variety of Oregon Department of Education programs, a step to reduce the administrative burden of grant application and reporting requirements for school leaders who often juggle multiple roles in responsibilities in rural schools.

The legislative session also saw many hotly contested bills go down to the wire. Despite strong opposition from school districts and a tight state budget, legislators ultimately passed a bill that makes striking public employees—including public school educators—eligible for unemployment benefits. Meanwhile, bills to raise the cap on special education funding, ban cell phones in all Oregon classrooms, provide free school meals to all students, mandate class size in collective bargaining, and effectively unravel Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program all failed to pass.

What Will State Leaders Take On Next?

_When it comes to K-12 public education, the 2025 legislative session will be remembered for its major funding and accountability bills. But just as soon as it ended, legislators and advocates have already started thinking ahead to future sessions.

As Senate Bill 141 seeks to accelerate progress on academic outcomes, the state’s next logical step is ensuring that earning Oregon’s high school diploma is a reliable indicator that students are ready for college and career. An extended pause on measuring students’ essential skills in reading, writing, and math—coupled with the pandemic-related gaps in education data—has raised questions and concerns about the state’s graduation rate and requirements. Rebuilding trust in the value of the Oregon diploma is critical to building a truly equitable and effective K-12 system.

Another major unresolved question is how to modernize the funding distribution formula for Oregon’s State School Fund. The formula hasn’t been significantly updated since the 1990s, and remains under scrutiny with ongoing debates over the cap on special education funding and how the state calculates the number of students living in poverty. As Rep. Ricki Ruiz noted in the final days of session, “we’re going to have to have a very critical conversation about how these dollars are distributed to school districts across the state of Oregon.”

There is also far more to do beyond the K-12 system and classroom. Going forward, Oregon must lead with a shared vision for the full continuum of public education, from early childhood through higher education. We must also renew a shared commitment to resourcing not only traditional education systems but also the tribal nations, community-based organizations, child care providers, and many more groups and individuals who stand ready to support Oregon children. And we must uphold our shared values to make sure every child in Oregon can learn, grow, and thrive, no matter their identity, zip code, or life circumstances.