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Senate bill would fund and expand after-school enrichment; parks and rec and administrators back the idea
Summary
SB 896 would create state-funded grants to expand high-quality after-school learning and enrichment for K-12 students, prioritizing rural and historically underserved populations; parks-and-rec leaders and COSA supported goals and urged planning for sustainable funding, transportation and implementation time.
Sen. **** Anderson, sponsor, told the Senate Education Committee that Senate Bill 896 would use general fund dollars to expand access to high-quality after-school learning and enrichment programs for kindergarten through grade 12, with priority for rural areas and historically underserved populations.
"Senate bill 8 96 provides these opportunities," Anderson said, noting the bill aims to address Oregon’s long-running education performance challenges by broadening after-school supports to students in remote and underserved communities.
Cindy Robert of the Oregon Recreation and Park Association described parks-and-rec agencies’ existing success providing active-learning and STEM opportunities in collaboration with schools. She urged the committee to support language that explicitly identifies parks and recreation agencies as eligible partners for grants and cited local programs that bring mobile classrooms, environmental education and STEM to children.
The Coalition of Oregon School Administrators also expressed general support for the bill’s goals while outlining implementation considerations. COSA’s Parisa Chanrami cautioned that standing up high-quality programs requires planning time, staff recruitment and training, and sustainable funding. Chanrami also mentioned lessons from past 21st Century Community Learning Center grants and other state efforts, and recommended alignment with existing grants to reduce duplication.
Testimony stressed transportation and insurance as additional cost items that legislators should address if the program scales. COSA noted that transportation is a known barrier for foster and McKinney-Vento students in particular and urged explicit attention to those costs in the program design.
No committee vote was taken on SB 896 at the hearing. Supporters and administrators asked the committee to ensure grant design includes planning time, clear alignment with existing programs and strategies to reduce barriers such as transportation, space and program staffing.
