Lawmakers in Oregon have decided to prop up the state's summer school and community-based learning programs with a $30 million fund, a significant drop from the originally proposed $50 million. This decision comes as a move to make amends for not allocating any such funding in the previous year, according to the Portland Tribune.
The unanimous vote by the eight members of the Joint Ways and Means Education Subcommittee lands the bill in the House for further voting. In an action that's both a step forward and yet a compromise, this allocation is not just a $20 million shortfall from the initial ask but also represents less than 20% of the summer learning funds provided by the state back in 2021 and 2022, according to details presented by OregonLive.
State Rep. Susan McLain, D-Hillsboro, expressed her mixed feelings to her colleagues, saying, "We’ve got a lot of kids out there that are really, really going to have a better summer and more opportunity for wraparound services and for experiences that are going to increase their skill level." She continued, underscoring the work ahead, "This is just the first round. We have so much to do," she told OPB.
The governor's office is weighing in on the issue, with Gov. Tina Kotek's spokesperson, Elisabeth Shepard, expressing gratitude for the legislature's promptness in moving the bipartisan bill forward albeit with reduced funds. "She appreciates legislative leadership meeting the urgency of the moment by advancing this broadly bipartisan bill," Shepard remarked in an email. And not just settling there, "The governor is also committed to engaging in meaningful discussion to identify long-term funding for summer and afterschool learning," as reported by the Portland Tribune.
