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Forest Grove board adopts 2025 legislative priorities, warns additional revenue may be consumed by PERS and mandates
Summary
Board adopted three legislative priorities for the 2025 session focused on school funding (current service level), student health and special‑education funding caps, and simplifying funding streams; superintendent Dr. West said a $600 million statewide CSL recommendation would yield roughly $6 million for the district but much would be required for PERS increases and other mandates.
Superintendent Dr. West presented the district’s recommended legislative priorities for the 2025 Oregon legislative session and the board moved to adopt them during the Dec. 10 meeting.
Dr. West explained the first priority centers on establishing a service‑level funding floor. He said work by a governor’s task force initially recommended a $515 million increase in the state’s current service level (CSL) but that the governor had since revised the recommendation to $600 million; Dr. West said that change would translate to roughly $6,000,000 in additional revenue for Forest Grove over the next biennium. He cautioned, however, that increased PERS costs (he cited a district estimate of a $4,400,000 PERS increase in the next biennium) and other unfunded mandates would likely consume most of any new funds.
The second priority asks the legislature to lift special‑education caps and the high‑cost disability cap; Dr. West said the district currently faces roughly $6.5 million in unmet special‑education costs that are covered from the general fund. The third priority calls for simpler, more sustainable funding streams and fewer separate reporting requirements that increase administrative workload.
Board members praised the packet’s graphics and talking points that translate statewide figures into classroom‑level impacts (Dr. West noted that $6,000,000 would be equivalent to hiring about 20 teachers if fully available for staffing). After questions and brief discussion, a director moved, seconded and the board voted to approve and adopt the three legislative priorities as the district’s 2025 priorities for communication to legislators.
