Education Advocacy Day connects legislators to educators

Stacy Michaelson, OSBA Government Relations and Communications director, and Morgan Allen, COSA deputy executive director of policy and advocacy, prepare members to talk about the Oregon budget during the 2026 Education Advocacy Day in Salem. (Photo by Jake Arnold, OSBA)

The 2026 Education Advocacy Day on Tuesday, Feb. 17, was OSBA Board member Alonso Oliveros' second "lobby day," a regular event during sessions to help connect the people with their Legislature.

Oliveros, a Willamette Education Service District board member, learned a lot last year about the bill process and individual legislators, seeing that some responded better to personal stories and others to data. He said the Advocacy Day highlight is meeting legislators with a chance to dispel some of the "sensational" impressions they might have.

"They need to hear the true stories of why their numbers don't tell the everyday struggle of our teachers and administrators," he said.

The 2026 Education Advocacy Day was a joint effort of OSBA, the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, the Oregon Association of Education Service Districts and the Oregon Association of School Business Officials. Each organization brought subgroups of the full membership. For OSBA that included invites for the Legislative Policy Committee as well as both caucuses and the advisory committee.

The all-day event gathered more than 75 professional advocates and organization members at the Willamette Heritage Center, with more coming for the afternoon meetings in the Capitol. About a third of the room raised their hands when asked if this was their first lobby day.

Emielle Nischik, OSBA executive director, and Stacy Michaelson, OSBA Government Relations and Communications director, were among the association leaders who addressed the group.

"Our members can talk to legislators in a way that professional advocates cannot," Michaelson said after the meetings. "School board members are fellow elected officials who are deeply involved in their schools and communities and know a district's voters personally."

The morning sessions covered significant bills this year, the state of the Oregon budget, an introduction to important legislative members and lobbying tips. The afternoon was spent meeting in small groups with lawmakers.

Redmond School District Superintendent Charan Cline said building relationships with legislators is a key part of the day.

Colton School District Superintendent Dave Kline, who leads one of the smallest and most rural districts in the Portland area, said he wanted to let legislators know about the particular challenges of schools like his.

"I want them to know how hard we work and how many hats we wear," he said. "We have a handful of people versus teams."

A delegation of 14 students from Portland Public Schools' District Student Council attended as well.

Ben Gurewitz, PPS government relations senior manager, said legislators needed to hear from the students themselves.

"Students must have agency and advocacy in the decisions that affect them," he said. "This is that opportunity."

Ian Ritorto, a Roosevelt High School senior, was eager to tell legislators about the impacts of their decisions on students, especially around sufficient funding. Portland Public is facing a $50 million shortfall for the 2026-27 school year, its third consecutive year of cuts.

Students "have been robbed of their dignity, their pride and their dreams because of their actions," he said. "We have to fix the underlying issues with funding."

Ritorto, the Portland School Board student representative, called public education the "last bastion of the American dream" as he saw it, the chance for anyone to raise themselves up and make a good life for themselves.

"If you believe in America and the American dream, you should be in favor of public education," he said.

OSBA Board President Dawn Watson said it's important for education advocates to let legislators know that they are willing partners to write the best legislation to support students.

"We answer questions when they come up, and they come up quickly during a short session," said Watson, a Phoenix-Talent School Board member. "We want them to know us so they feel like they are getting reliable answers."

- Jake Arnold, [email protected]