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Senate committee hears debate on bill to replace Oregon's Quality Education Model with researcher-led cost model
Summary
Senate Bill 15-55 would replace Oregon's Quality Education Model with a research-based cost model, add educator professional-judgment panels, shorten full-model refreshes to six years, and require a public hearing before adoption; supporters say it improves rigor and transparency while opponents, including OEA and some parents, worry it outsources core policymaking and may weaken public oversight.
A Senate Committee on Education hearing on Feb. 10 centered on Senate Bill 15-55, legislation to replace Oregon’s long-standing Quality Education Model (QEM) with a contractor-driven cost model that uses expanded professional-judgment panels of practicing educators. Sponsors said the bill would produce more measurable, statewide benchmarks for what it costs to provide a quality K–12 education and would update the full cost model every six years while providing biennial dollar adjustments.
Senator Janine Salmon, sponsor, told the committee: "When we calculate what it costs to educate a child, we're not just running numbers, we're making a promise about the kind of future that we're building together." Salmon said the dash‑5 amendment removes language about a "standard school district," requires a public hearing before adoption of the cost…
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