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Committee reviews implications of governor's executive order on cutting student contact days
Summary
Members discussed a recent executive order that restricts districts from cutting student contact days and redefines which hours may count toward required instructional time; staff said the legal status and practical implications remain unclear and could require contract negotiations.
Committee members raised a question about districts that had considered cutting student contact days to balance budgets. One committee member said, "I thought last week the governor signed the executive order banning that." Staff responded that the executive order changes what hours count toward required instructional time and appears to set a floor for student contact days, but they said there is murkiness about the legal status and how the state board and governor's office will reconcile details.
Staff cautioned that the order could force some districts to renegotiate contracts or rework calendars. They urged caution and said Milton-Freewater is not cutting days and is trying to preserve staff: "We aren't having any reductions in force," the business manager told the committee, adding the district will use attrition and grants where appropriate to preserve positions.
