Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civic Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee hears broad support for pilot program letting students help set school budgets
Summary
Senate Bill 749 would create a pilot participatory budgeting program allowing students to take part in preparing portions of their school district budgets; proponents described civic learning benefits and recommended contracting flexibility for implementation.
The Senate Committee on Education conducted a public hearing March 24, 2025, on Senate Bill 749, the School Participatory Budgeting Act. The bill would require the Oregon Department of Education to establish a pilot program and award grants that allow students to participate in preparing portions of a school district’s budget. The measure would appropriate $500,000 from the general fund to ODE, require progress and final reports, and declare an emergency.
Sen. Chris Gorsek, sponsor of the bill, said the pilot is intended to give students “a hands-on perspective” in budget decisions, teach civic skills and improve engagement. The bill requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules for applications and to consult with a nonprofit experienced in participatory budgeting.
A broad set of witnesses — including nonprofit organizers, researchers and multiple student leaders — told the committee they support the pilot. Blanca Gaetan Parfan, policy and communications director for Participatory Budgeting Oregon, said the process helps students “learn democracy by doing” and increases transparency around how dollars are spent. Rahel Tecca of the Participatory Budgeting Project described national and international implementations and cited research showing students who participate report greater civic engagement and leadership outcomes.
Students from Reynolds High School, Gresham High School and other Oregon schools described participatory budgeting experiences that taught project planning, advocacy and leadership, and urged the committee to approve the pilot. Xavier Juarez, a student from Reynolds High School, said students are “the population most impacted by the fiscal decisions made by the administration,” and that participatory budgeting gives them a voice when budgets change.
Tara Bartlett, a faculty member at Arizona State University who researches school participatory budgeting, summarized curriculum design and implementation examples from Arizona and other U.S. jurisdictions. Bartlett said school participatory budgeting processes typically include idea generation, proposal development, campaigning, voting and funding implementation, and noted examples where the approach increased student registration and civic engagement.
Committee members asked for more detail on how the $500,000 appropriation would be allotted and whether grants would be administered directly by ODE or via contracts. The dash-2 amendment discussed in testimony would allow ODE to contract with an entity to manage the pilot and extend several reporting dates by one year. The committee closed the public hearing on SB 749; no committee vote took place during this meeting.
