Senate committee hears bill to require school districts to report legal spending

Senate Committee on Education Chair Frederick called a public hearing March 17 on Senate Bill 9‑78, a bill that would require school districts and education service districts (ESDs) to prepare and publish annual reports summarizing district legal expenditures and the legal processes involved.

The bill would require districts to publish the report and provide copies to their governing board and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) by Oct. 15 each year; ODE would compile district reports into a single statewide report, publish it on ODE’s website and submit a summary to the Legislative Assembly by Jan. 15 of the following year. The measure as presented would become operative in the 2025–26 school year.

Why it matters: Proponents said the bill would make it possible to see how much taxpayer dollars are spent on attorneys and legal services instead of direct student supports, and would inform future decisions about funding special education and other services. Opponents said much of the required data already is reported under ODE’s Budgeting and Accounting Manual (PBAM) and warned the bill could increase costs and risk disclosure of privileged or confidential student and…