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Dear Friends and Neighbors:
As the chief sponsor of the Student Success Act, which established dedicated funding for K-12 and early learning for the first time in thirty years, I am happy to report that the Oregon House Democrats continue to prioritize our kids this short session by investing $300 million to make our schools stronger. These funds will go toward summer learning, addressing the educator workforce shortage, supporting schools impacted by wildfires, and more. It’s not all good news, though - I’m frustrated to report that my budget request to address our pandemic-worsened literacy crisis by providing Science of Reading teacher training and tutoring was not funded. I will keep working on that proposal, and you can read more details on the education budget that we did pass below.
Make sure to mark your calendars for a few events happening within the next two weeks: my end-of-session joint town hall (March 9), and a student loan forgiveness webinar hosted by Oregon’s attorney general (March 14).
Summer Learning: The 2022 Summer Learning Package is a $150 million investment, included in the broader education funding package, and will create grants for school districts and community organizations to provide summer learning programs and activities. These grants will be directed through three specific investments:
- Summer K-8 Enrichment Grants, funding enrichment activities, academic learning, and mental health support for kids.
- Summer High School Academic Grants, supporting summer school programs that help high school students stay on track for graduation.
- Summer Community Activity Grants, helping our community partners provide new or existing summer activities such as day camps, park programs, and tutoring.
Addressing Oregon’s Education Workforce Shortage (House Bill 4030/SB 1522): Oregon’s educators work tirelessly to provide our students with the best possible education. Unfortunately, schools are experiencing a severe shortage of staff, driven in part by the pandemic.
To address this shortage, the funding package includes a significant investment in Oregon’s education workforce to increase the number of Oregon teachers, substitutes, and other school staff. This new funding will set up a recruitment and retention grant program to support the hiring of new school staff and address burnout. Another grant program will be established to reimburse substitute teachers and instructional assistants for the cost of their training.
Supporting Wildfire-Impacted School Districts (House Bill 4026): The devastating 2020 wildfire season burned over a million acres and destroyed thousands of Oregon homes and businesses. Many of the families who were displaced by these fires have been unable to return to their communities. As a result, several of the school districts in these wildfire-impacted communities experienced a sharp drop in enrollment, which resulted in a considerable decrease in their overall funding.
The education funding package sends additional resources to these school districts to ensure their funding remains stable over the next several years. This support will allow them to continue operating and providing essential services for displaced families as communities rebuild.
 Join me, Representative Pham and Senator Dembrow for our Joint Town Hall Wednesday, March 9 from 5:30PM - 6:45PM. We will provide a recap of the 2022 Short Legislative Session and answer any questions you may have.
We encourage you to share questions or any additional accommodations using the registration link. We hope to see you there! Please register using the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkceGqqTkrH9YB5eJqKELGZe0ptg59fn50
As always, please contact my office with any questions you might have, or if you need assistance registering at: Rep.Barbarasmithwarner@oregonlegislature.gov
 On Monday, March 14th at 12 PM PT, join the Oregon Attorney General, the US Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid, and the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) for a lunch hour webinar on student loan repayment in 2022.
Presenters will provide updates on all the federal student loan programs and discuss in detail what public service workers need to know about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, guidance on how to navigate the new PSLF process, tips on how to prepare for loan payments to begin after the forbearance ends, and information about the new Oregon legislation—the student borrower’s bill of rights.
Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions through the “chat.” This event will also be recorded.
To register visit, https://protectborrowers.org/events/accessing-public-service-loan-forgiveness-4/
Please reach out to my office if you have any additional questions, or if there’s anything you think I could help with.
Sincerely,
 Representative Barbara Smith Warner
House District 45
email: Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1445
address: 900 Court St NE, H-487, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithwarner
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