Kitzhaber on education: One board to rule them all

Governor Kitzhaber urges Legislature to take critical first step to transform education in Oregon

(SALEM, Ore.) – This afternoon, Governor Kitzhaber, along with Oregon parents, teachers, school officials, and business leaders testified on behalf of Senate Bill 909, a centerpiece of his agenda to improve education in Oregon. The bill establishes the Oregon Education Investment Board, creating an efficient and accountable zero-to-20 funding and governance system for public education, integrating early childhood services, K-12 and post-secondary education and training.

“We have an opportunity to change course on public education to provide better outcomes for our students, more resources for educators and a more prosperous future for Oregon,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “The Oregon Education Investment Board recognizes that early childhood success is the foundation for our efforts to ensure the economic, health and academic success of Oregonians.”

The Oregon Education Investment Board will be appointed by the Governor subject to Senate confirmation, and chaired by the Governor to streamline administration and create a seamless, strategic education budget from zero-to-20 to meet Oregon’s education responsibilities.  The Oregon Education Investment Board will:

• Develop an outcome-based budget that makes strategic investments across the entire public education system.
• Streamline and connect early childhood services to the K-12 system, and the K-12 system to post-secondary education programs.
• Consolidate early childhood programs by reconfiguring Oregon’s disparate early learning-related programs.
• Improve K-12 education outcomes with tools developed by K-12 design teams.
• Coordinate higher education institutions with a consolidated finance model and budget.
• Measure results with an integrated, statewide, child-based data system to track expenditures and return on investment for education-related programs from zero-to-20.

“The strong show of support from teachers, parents, business and civic leaders for improving Oregon’s education system creates momentum for real change and better results for our children,” said Governor Kitzhaber.