This fall, the Bethel School Board created and adopted a handful of legislative priorities that outline what it believes the Oregon Legislature should focus on for the 2025 legislative season. These priorities are outlined below.
The Bethel School District is creating relevant, responsive, and joyful school communities where all students thrive. Utilizing accurate funding models that provide adequate resources should be a central focus for the 2025 Legislative session. Implementing stronger systems of accountability that demonstrate the impact of those resources on Oregon students is critically important to provide the citizens of Oregon with transparent and reliable information about school outcomes.
1. Accurate Funding for Schools
- Focus on real costs: We need a funding model that keeps up with rising costs. This would help Bethel schools secure millions more in funding, ensuring that our students have the resources they need to succeed.
- No unfunded mandates: Any new requirements for schools should come with the funds to make them happen. Asking schools to do more without funding is unsustainable.
- Support academic and well-being needs: Funding decisions should consider not only academic success but also students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs.
2. Adequate Funding to Support Every Student
- Special Education Support: We need enough funding to support our students who qualify for Special Education supports. Providing full support to students with special needs is essential.
- High-Cost Disability Funds: Schools should be reimbursed for the extra costs of supporting students with high-cost disabilities.
- Inclusive Services: Consistent funding for regional services ensures our most vulnerable students—especially those with medical needs—get essential support.
- Summer Programs: Funding should be consistent to allow schools to offer high-quality, academically focused summer programs for students.
3. Accountability that Matters
- Better Testing Alternatives: Let’s move away from the Smarter Balanced assessments. We need testing options that give us timely, useful, and student-centered insights.
- Transparent Outcomes with a Scorecard: Oregon schools should publish outcomes in a scorecard format so parents and the public can easily see how schools are performing and compare them.
How Bethel community members and families can help
Use your voice to influence change and urge our local legislators to properly fund public education in Oregon! Send an email to our local representatives to advocate for accurate and adequate school funding. Feel free to use the draft email included below, or the summary of legislative priorities included above.
Here are a few local legislators that you could consider reaching out to. You can reach out to one or all of them.
Rep.JulieFahey@oregonlegislature.gov
Sen.JamesManning@oregonlegislature.gov
Rep.NancyNathanson@oregonlegislature.gov
Sen.SaraGelser@oregonlegislature.gov
Rep.JohnLively@oregonlegislature.gov
Example email to share with legislators:
Subject: Support Bethel School District Legislative Priorities for 2024-25
Specifically, I would like you to advocate for the following priorities that focus on accurate, adequate funding and accountability to help all our students thrive.
Dear Senator James Manning, Representative Julie Fahey, Representative Nancy Nathanson, Senator Sara Gelser Blouin and Representative John Lively
As a family in the Bethel School District in Eugene, Oregon, I am reaching out to ask for your support of our district’s 2024-25 legislative priorities and to advocate for proper funding of public education in Oregon. This issue affects me, my family, and my community because [HOW IT AFFECTS YOU]. I believe that this issue is important because [WHY IT IS IMPORTANT]. I hope that you will consider this information and advocate for better funding for our schools to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive.
- Accurate Funding: We need a funding model that reflects rising costs, with no unfunded mandates, so that our schools can fully support students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.
- Adequate Funding for Special Education: Fully fund support for students with disabilities and high-cost needs, ensure consistent funding for inclusive services, and provide reliable funding for summer programs to keep students engaged.
- Accountability That Matters: We need alternatives to the Smarter Balanced assessment and a simple scorecard system for transparent school outcomes, helping families understand how schools are performing.
It is more critical than ever for our State Legislators to center the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students in our collective efforts to support every student equitably.
Thank you for supporting our schools and ensuring that all students have the resources they need to succeed.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address/Contact Information, if needed]