Lisa Geselter of the Legislative Policy Research Office presented a co-chairs' bill concept the committee is considering for introduction in January. Geselter said the concept would repeal the separate JPEA committee, assign responsibility for the constitutionally required insufficiency report to the Ways and Means Education Subcommittee, and require ELPro to consult with the Legislative Fiscal Office and contract for a full cost model once every eight years.

The proposed model would separate professional judgment (panels of practicing educators) from neutral researchers who manage inputs and determine total cost, require the model to account for variation in school size and fixed costs, and mandate documentation school districts can use to identify the prototype school most like their local context. Geselter said the full cost model need not be run each biennium and that interim biennia would reprice the model while keeping inputs constant.

She also described transition provisions under discussion, an emergency clause, and required documentation to help districts adopt the quality inputs identified by the model. The co-chairs indicated staff will refine the draft and that the committee plans a short January meeting to potentially introduce the committee bill.

Why it matters: The concept would change which legislative body manages the constitutionally required report, alter governance and contracting for the QEM, and codify processes intended to increase transparency and better reflect variation among Oregon schools. That could change how state costs are calculated and how districts interpret model recommendations.

Next steps: Committee staff will refine the concept and present a draft committee bill in January for possible introduction.