centraloregondaily.com

Lawmakers got a three-hour crash course this week on fixes that are needed to Oregon’s education funding formula to improve student learning and direct money toward the highest needs kids. Among the most consequential findings was that Oregon’s formula for how much money leaders send to schools to support students with disabilities leaves them under-resourced. Oregon is one of seven states that cap spending on special education, and it has the lowest cap of all, according to the Virginia-based American Institutes for Research researchers, who discussed their analysis on Oregon’s education funding during a joint meeting of the House and Senate Education committees last week. Lawmakers are considering a proposal this session, House Bill 2953, sponsored by Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, that would remove the funding cap.