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To: Superintendents, Principals, Charter School Leaders, K-12 Public Information Officers
From: ODE Instructional Time Team
Date: May 5, 2026
Re: Understanding Executive Order 26-06 Preserving Student Instructional Time
Dear Education Partners,
On April 16, 2026, Governor Tina Kotek issued Executive Order 26-06 to protect and restore student instructional time in Oregon schools, taking action to prioritize academic outcomes and ensure every student has access to consistent, high-quality learning.
In This Message
Key Actions in the Executive Order
Actions Effective Immediately:
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Protects Student Instructional Time Levels: In response to the order, on April 16, 2026, the State Board of Education adopted a temporary rule, OAR 581-022-2323 Preserving Student Instructional Time, which prevents any further reductions in student instructional time due to budget or operational pressures.
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Restores Lost Learning Time: School districts that have already reduced student instructional time for the 2025-26 or 2026-27 school years must submit plans within 90 days (by July 15, 2026) outlining how they will restore that time to at least 2024-25 levels by the start of the 2027-28 school year.
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Ends Instructional Time Waivers: Effective immediately, ODE is prohibited from granting or renewing waivers that allow districts to fall below minimum hours of instructional time, except in cases of declared emergencies. This is consistent with ODE’s current practice. An emergency revision to OAR 581-002-0035 Waivers was adopted on April 16, 2026.
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Monitoring: The order directs ODE to annually track and publish districts’ student instructional time.
- Note: ODE will be collecting baseline data to inform permanent rulemaking; find more information about the survey below.
Actions That Will Take Effect Under Permanent Rulemaking:
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Refocuses Time on Classroom Learning: The order calls for changes to state rules so that hours of instructional time reflect actual student-teacher engagement. This includes eliminating the practice of counting certain non-classroom activities, such as professional development and parent-teacher conferences, toward required hours of instructional time. Once the fall 2026 permanent rulemaking timeline has been finalized, ODE will share specifics, including information about engagement opportunities, with district and school leaders and other partners.
Instructional Time Survey
Each district and public charter school is required to complete ODE’s Instructional Time Survey by Friday, May 22, 2026. ODE designed this initial survey to capture a comprehensive picture of what instructional time looks like across the state. The survey gathers baseline instructional hour data for 2024-25, 2025-26, and 2026-27 to support the Governor’s Executive Order and to inform permanent rulemaking on instructional time.
Support for Understanding EO 26-06
- ODE has developed an FAQ that addresses questions about the order, the temporary rules, the instructional time survey, and next steps for districts and public charter schools.
- ODE will host informational webinars to support education partners in deepening their understanding of EO 26-06. Register for one of the following sessions to attend (all registrants will have access to a recording):
- The ODE Instructional Time EO Webpage has links to more information and resources.
- Later in May, ODE will begin hosting office hours to provide continuing support for survey completion and/or corrective action planning.
Thank you for your continued efforts to protect student learning time. Please reach out with any questions or support needs.
Questions? Contact Us
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