Significant Change in Allowable Spending between the 2025-2027 Biennium for SIA, HSS, Early Literacy Success School District Grants and SSA Summer Programs

Dear School and District Leaders,

We acknowledge the timing of this message comes at a very complex time as many of you navigate declining budgets, staffing shifts, and labor negotiations. We appreciate you taking the time to read this update carefully, as it lays out a significant shift in what will be allowable spending timelines for key programs. 

Background

Since the 2017-2019 biennium, ODE, through Oregon Administrative Rule¹, has allowed High School Success grantees to spend one biennium’s appropriated funds into the first quarter of the next biennium to support summer expenditures, including critical summer learning opportunities. When the Student Success Act was passed in 2019, ODE utilized the High School Success program as a model for the summer extension and sought administrative rule to allow this for the Student Investment Account and the SSA Summer Program² as well. As we began to implement the Early Literacy Success School District Grants in 2023, we learned that this practice is in direct conflict with accounting rules and the legislative intent of the biennial funds. We have been directed to no longer allow spending beyond the biennium. Thus, we need to change our practice and adjust to this change prior to Summer 2025.

What this means 

ODE can no longer offer a summer extension for HSS, SIA, Early Literacy, or the SSA Summer Program Grants, to allow spending for the first few months of a new biennium. All funds appropriated for the current biennium must be spent within the current biennium. More concretely, all funds for the 23-25 biennium will need to be spent by June 30, 2025.

How this impacts grantees 

This shift will have the greatest impact for districts and charter schools who currently use the summer extension for each of these programs (SIA, HSS, Early Literacy, SSA Summer Programs). Our team is actively working to develop a support plan, and we wanted to share the information with enough time for grantees to thoughtfully adjust their budgets and plans to spend down funds from the 23-25 biennium by June 30, 2025.

While this does not directly impact summer 2024, it will be important to begin shifting spending plans now to ensure that funding will be spent by June 30, 2025 and that planning for funding to bridge summer 2025 is from the 25-27 biennium’s allocation.

Next Steps

ODE is working on finalizing solutions that include resolving concerns about delays in access to grant funds, and how to support updating budgets and plans. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact Cassie Medina (cassie.medina@ode.oregon.gov). 

¹ OAR 581-01-0004, OAR 581-013-0015, and OAR 581-017-0809

² This does not impact funding from HB 4082.