School Community

SALEM — Education has dominated the Oregon Legislature’s agenda, culminating in the passage of 14 bills aimed at changing the way public and charter schools operate in the state. Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to sign them all. Here’s a rundown of most of what passed, with links to the bills so you can read them yourself.

Education superboard — , proposed by Kitzhaber, puts all levels of public education, from pre-school through higher ed, under one Education Investment Board.

Appointed superintendent — SB 552 eliminates the elected position of state schools superintendent and names the governor superintendent. It is expected that the governor would appoint a deputy to take on the functions of the elected position.

Online charter schools — HB 2301 raises the enrollment cap on online, or “virtual,” charter schools to 3 percent of the students in a district.

Charter schools expansion — HB 3645 allows universities and community colleges to sponsor charter schools.

Student transfers — HB 3681 allows students to enroll in a district of their choice if the chosen district grants permission. It does not affect in-district transfer policies.

Education Service Districts — SB 250 allows school districts in some ESDs to opt out. The money that would otherwise go to the ESD would instead be given to the district to purchase services it had received from the ESD.

School funding — HB 5055 includes $25 million for K-12 schools in addition to the $5.7 billion in state aid. The bill also includes money for special education to maintain the level of spending on special education that was provided by the federal stimulus spending.

Teacher training — HB 3474 establishes a new fund for teacher development and mentoring programs. The bill directs the Department of Education and Teacher Standard and Practices Commission to come up with a uniform program for all teachers.

Career training for students — HB 3362 sets aside $2 million to re-establish career, vocational and technical classes in public and charter schools.

Full-day kindergarten — SB 248 requires school districts to offer free full-day kindergarten classes by 2015.

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