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OEA DUES DO NOT GO TO OEA PAC
2025 Summer Actions: Yay! Thank you for all you do for your members and our state of education - you all deserve a break to enjoy the warmer weather and time away from the grind!
This email has a few options for how to read it -
-short version (just facts on ODE budget update),
-longer version (more background on ODE budget), and the
-longest version (a request for advocacy for one final bill).
I also attached a one-pager with some key legislative updates that we will talk about together at the retreat, but in case you just want more information, I wanted to make it available for you Okay - make your choice - short, longer, or longest!
Short Version: read this if you are like "just the fact, ma'am"
I wanted to flag that the ODE budget is on the move. The part of the budget that most impacts our members is the "Fund for Student Success" (i.e., how the Student Success Act is distributed over the different grant programs).
The biggest pots that fund our education world:
The legislature is spending down half of the reserve to Student Success Act reserve to $100M. This is something that they directly admit was due to our advocacy. They have refused to spend the rest, insisting that, “We still haven’t reached the bottom, and things are going to get worse,” but getting 50% was big.
Legislature shored up both High School Success funding and Hunger Free Schools to Current Service Level (CSL).
The Student Investment Account (SIA) was set to $1.009B. While CSL placed it at $1.131B (so $28M below CSL), we had been told to expect a cut of $62M total after the forecast. So, your advocacy around the reserve was able to save about $34M in cuts.
With that, we have a good sense of where the main parts of the budget are landing for us:
State School Fund: $11.36B
Student Investment Account: $1.009B
SB 849: $166M (for PERS liability)
Sans the $28M in the SIA, these all represent CSL as school districts and colleges should have been budgeting on. Though the SB 849 money was not a part of the Governor’s GRB and is in fact new money that districts would not have expected, which means the total for K-12 was above what districts were told to budget on. THIS IN NO WAY IS ENOUGH MONEY, ESPECIALLY FOR DISTRICTS EXPERIENCING RIFs/LOSSES. But this is the amount districts thought they would get plus a little more.
Longer Version: read this if you are a political junkie
With the economic downturn we are experiencing, the expected revenues from the Corporate Activities Tax (CAT, which funds the SSA), have been declining from December through March and then the June forecast. In the June forecast it was short of funding current service level (CSL) by $195M across the three SSA buckets. Historically, the legislature has created a reserve of $200M within the SSA, which was wrapped up in that CSL calculation.
Over the last several weeks – since the forecast – OEA has advocated for spending down the reserve in order to hold the most critical parts of the SSA harmless. In our advocacy we listed those as: the student investment account (SIA, and the largest part of the fund which almost exclusively funds members’ jobs); the High School Success grants (also mostly funding student facing positions); and Hunger Free Schools to support our most in need students with nutrition.
[INSERT SHORT VERSION HERE! ]
Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the over $1B in investments we were advocating for over both education systems, but if the economy rebounds by the short session, and cuts from the federal budget bill don’t impact us as expected, we have set ourselves up incredibly well to be at the forefront of investment conversations in the rebalance next February.
However, there is still one final opportunity for advocacy in the end of session bill (formerly referred to as the Christmas tree bill), where everything can be rewritten. OEA engages in that lobbying once we have this final information on budgets that I’m sharing with you today.
LONGEST VERSION - help advocate for one last bill and more state funding!!
HB 3504 – TSPC Staffing Crisis: Critical Need for Student Safety and Educator Accountability
OEA strongly supports this $2,054,491 appropriation to fund nine additional full-time TSPC staff positions to address a severe investigation backlog crisis. With only four permanent investigators handling 608 open cases (including 340 serious misconduct cases), the system is failing students, educators, and districts.
How this affects your local:
Members currently face investigation delays of two years or longer, devastating their career prospects and ability to seek new positions
Districts are spending at least $8.5 million annually on paid administrative leave for 240 educators due to lengthy investigation timelines—resources that should go to classrooms
Without this funding, educator licensing fees could increase from $182 to $350, directly impacting members' wallets
Faster investigations mean quicker resolution for members under investigation and faster removal of those who shouldn't be in classrooms
Student safety concerns remain unresolved for extended periods, eroding community confidence in education accountability
Current Crisis by the Numbers:
4 permanent investigators for 608 open investigations
150+ cases per investigator
340 cases involving serious misconduct like sexual abuse
$8.5 million annually in administrative leave costs
Action Needed:
This bill requires continued lobbying support and member engagement. Contact your members about urging legislators to support HB 3504—this investment protects both student safety and educator careers while returning millions to classrooms.
Demand Lawmakers Invest in Public Education | Take Action
There are only two weeks left in the 2025 legislative session. With the state's updated economic forecast and threats from the federal government, it has never been more important for lawmakers to tap into the state’s reserve funds to protect critical education budgets.
We have already seen some progress, but we know there’s more room for lawmakers to invest in everyday Oregonians and our neighborhood public schools. Write to them today and demand they take action!
2025 Political Tool Kit
In an effort to keep up advocacy around the Class Size & Caseload bill, our OEA public affairs team put this toolkit together. As new tools get added, you will find everything here:
https://oregoned.org/resource-library/hb-3652-class-size-member-action-toolkit
2025 OEA School Board Manual - This is the manual from OEA to help find and create questions for candidates. - Talk to your CEA PAC chair (CanbyEApolitical@gmail.com ) or CEA president (canbyeapresident@gmail.com )
2023 Spring OEA PAC and CEA Endorsements
OEA PAC endorsement for Canby School Board May 2023
OEA PAC endorsements for candidates in Clackamas County
Canby: Katie Iverson (Position 1), Mark Bigej (Position 5), , Kelly Oliver (Position 6)
North Clackamas: Paul Kemp (Position 1), Jena Benologa (Position 2), Glenn Wachter (Position 3), April Dobson (Position 7)
Oregon City: Alex Hapern (Position 2), Katie Wilson (Position 4), Heidi Blackwell (Position 6), Pamela White (Position 7),
West Linn-Wilsonville: Maegan Vidal (Position 2) Dan Schumaker (Position 4)
Other candidates outside of Clackamas county
CanbyFirst article of the Seven Candidates Vying for Three Seats on Canby School Board
SOS Manuel re ORS 260.432 (oct 2022).pdf this is the document from the Secretary of State about Political Advocacy.
Do's and Don'ts for Elections 8-3. This is a short version of the do's and don't for political speach and activism with the union and work.
NEA Pac Donation form If you are interested in donating money at the National Level here.
OEA PAC donation form If you wish to financially support the endorsed candidates, her is where you join. You can have the money taken out of your check before taxes as an ongoing donation. This is tax deductable up to $50 for filing individually or $100 filing jointly. If you want to give a one time donation that is also permitted.
If you join the OEA-PAC you are permited to help the endorsement committee.
PAST OEA PAC and CEA Endorsements
OEA PAC endorsements - This is the list of candidates and Measures the OEA PAC endorsed Nov 2022 election - DUES DO NOT GO TO THE OEA PAC