Fresh start on familiar grounds makes for an exciting start to 2025 legislative session

My second week on the job with OSBA is the beginning of my 14th legislative session as a lobbyist. It's an exciting mix of the new and the known.

For the past seven years, my focus has been K-12 policy, and I'm thrilled to be joining OSBA as the director of government relations and communications. Our team this session will be a combination of fresh and familiar faces.

Adrienne Anderson and I will provide the bulk of in-house lobbying on behalf of school boards, and Lori Sattenspiel remains on contract to provide support and share her institutional knowledge. Executive Director Emielle Nischik will provide direction and support on key issues.

Our complementary backgrounds will help us navigate the myriad legislative concepts that could impact Oregon schools. Legislators filed 2,284 bills before the session started, and more will be added during the session. We've been reading those bills for the past week to determine which ones could affect our members and which ones require action from us. OSBA expects to monitor hundreds of education-related bills in the coming months.

As in past sessions, OSBA's advocates will divide the bills into some broad portfolios to ensure consistent input on similar topics.

Adrienne will generally be working on issues related to special education, charter schools, cybersecurity, school safety, transportation, public meetings and special programs. Lori will be pitching in particularly around areas related to education service districts and extracurricular activities.

My 2025 portfolio will include bills related to accountability, chronic absenteeism, early learning, facilities, public contracting and workforce, which includes issues such as licensure, collective bargaining and employee benefits. 

I will be especially focused on bills that support the work Emielle has been doing with Gov. Tina Kotek's office to shape education accountability approaches.

I will be working extensively with education partners and Rep. Hoa Nguyen, a David Douglas School Board member, to ensure that districts have the tools and support they need to address student attendance challenges. 

As with every long session, school funding will be the top priority of everyone on the OSBA team. Not only are we aiming for a State School Fund that meets schools' current needs, but we are also aiming to protect and grow recent education investments. We are looking for targeted programs that support student success, and we are on guard against bills that add school requirements without providing tools or funding to get the job done right.

The Legislature has until June 29 to complete its work, although it's aiming to finish up sooner. That means five months of a sometimes frantic pace interspersed with occasional anxiety-filled doldrums. Through it all, I will be proud to represent Oregon school board members, the champions of all that is best for our children.

I'm eager to get started.