Relating to education; declaring an emergency.
HB 2904 establishes the Oregon Quality Education Model Modernization Task Force to study and update how Oregon estimates the cost of providing a quality public education. The task force is directed to evaluate current standards for staffing, technology, and transportation, as well as workforce needs and opportunities for private sector investment. It must also consider a prior 2024 study on the subject while developing recommendations for modernizing the model.
The task force is composed of nine appointed members representing the Legislature, the Governor, school administration, school boards, teachers, parents, the business community, and a member without children in public schools. Its work includes evaluating how the Quality Education Commission sets goals and costs, developing a baseline budget for public schools and each district, adding an additional 3 percent for classroom use at district discretion, and identifying funding needs at 80, 90, 100, and 103 percent of that adjusted budget. The task force must report to the legislative education committee by September 15, 2026, and it sunsets on January 2, 2027.
The bill does not directly change school funding formulas or education statutes, but it creates a temporary advisory body that could shape future legislation and budget decisions. It requires the Oregon Department of Education to provide staff support, directs state agencies to assist, and calls for analysis from the Department of Administrative Services and the Legislative Fiscal Office. Because the task force is tasked with producing a baseline budget and funding scenarios, its work could influence how Oregon defines adequacy in K-12 education funding and how resources are allocated among staffing, technology, transportation, and classroom spending.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be a policy-development bill rather than a controversial substantive change. Its structure suggests a generally constructive, study-oriented approach to improving the state’s education funding model. The inclusion of educators, parents, school officials, and business representation indicates an effort to build a broad-based and collaborative process.
No committee discussion or voting history is available, so no specific objections are documented. Potential points of debate inherent in the bill include whether the Quality Education Model should be modernized through a task force rather than direct statutory changes, how the baseline budget and the added 3 percent classroom allocation should be calculated, and whether private sector investment should play a role in public education funding analysis. Stakeholders most likely to have differing views include school districts, educators, parents, fiscal analysts, and business representatives.