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Advocacy
Legislative Services Overview
COSA's Policy and Advocacy Team represents Oregon school leaders at the state and federal level Our goals are to:
- Collaborate with COSA members and policy makers to pass policies and advocate for funding priorities that advance our mission of helping education leaders ensure student success;
- Support COSA members in participating in the policymaking process at teh state and federal level; and
- Connect policymakers to COSA members and relevant data, information, and research that is critical to informing our policy and funding neeeds at the federal, state, and local level.
COSA's Policy and Advocacy Team
COSA Leadership—including the COSA Board; the COSA Equity Board; the executive committees of OASE, OACOA, OASSA and OESPA; and COSA's executive team—provides direction to the COSA legislative team. The opinions, suggestions and questions of COSA members are always welcome. Contact information for your COSA legislative team:
2021 Legislative Session
The Time is Now: Invest in Oregon Students
The 2021 Legislative Session is our opportunity to fulfill the promise of the Student Success Act and build on the historic investments of 2019. These investments collectively marked an important turning point -- one that will help Oregon begin to recover from three decades of underinvestment in K-12 education, while advancing innovative policies that embed educational equity and community collaboration to increase student success.
For our students and their families, the 2020-21 school year is a time of upheaval and uncertainty. The global pandemic has taken a massive human and economic toll on our state.
It has slowed K-12 investments and further exacerbated inequities across our state, particularly for students from Oregon’s Tribal, Indigenous, Black, Latinx, other communities of color, students navigating poverty, and students living in isolated rural communities. Across Oregon, wildfires added an unthinkable level of damage, disruption, and loss of life.
Despite all this, our students are resilient and our educators are working tirelessly to meet the challenges of the moment. Whether it is delivering meals on school buses or bridging the digital divide, our schools are doing their best to provide the best education possible for students. And our students are stepping up - Oregon’s graduating class of 2020 set an all-time high with an 82.6% graduation rate.
COSA's 2021 Legislative Priorities
COSA members have prioritized policy and funding recommendations for the 2021 Session that are focused on improving outcomes for and meeting the needs of all students.
Funding Advocacy - State School Fund
Letter to Legislative Leaders about K-12 Budget
Legislative Preview
Taking Action
The 2021 Legislative Session began Thursday, January 21 and the legislature is expected to remain in session until June. There are several ways to stay engaged during the legislative session, including writing to your state legislators and providing testimony in committee. To keep track of bills, committee agendas, meeting times, and more, visit the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) website.
Key Committees
House Education
The House Education Committee will be chaired by Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn) with scheduled meetings on Tuesdays and Thursday from 1:00pm to 2:45pm.
Senate Education
The Senate Education Committee will be chaired by Sen. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) and will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:15 pm to 5:00pm.
House Committe on Early Childhood
The House Committee on Early Childhood will be chaired by Rep. Karin Power (D-Milwaukie), will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 2:45pm.
Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education
The Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education will be co-chaired by Rep. Susan McLain (D-Forest Grove) and Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland); it will meet Monday and Wednesday from 1:00pm to 2:45pm.
Engaging with the Legislature
The 2021 Session is currently entirely "virtual." We encourage you to build a relationship with your representative and senator and offer yourself as a resource on education issues. Testifying online will require specific steps: How to Testify Virtually Additionally, please use Phone2Action, a new advocacy program, to support COSA’s legislative agenda as issues arise. If you need assistance getting in contact with your legislators or have questions about bills or the budget, please contact the COSA Policy and Advocacy team.
Legislative Report
2023 OSBA/COSA Legislative Report
Describes new laws impacting the personnel, operations, programs, and finance of school districts and ESDs.
2022 OSBA/COSA Legislative Report
Describes new laws impacting the personnel, operations, programs, and finance of school districts and ESDs.
