One of OSEA's biggest achievements during the 2023 Legislative Session was the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 283, a sweeping bill that ensures just cause for K-12 classified and created additional workforce protections. It also created a task force to look at educator salaries statewide. Over the next two years, the task force will consider pay for classified, teachers and student teachers, the benefits and challenges of a statewide salary schedule, and whether or not there should be regional differences in pay.
OSEA members are represented on the task force by President Sarah Wofford and Government Relations Specialist Susan Allen. "We saw unprecedented enthusiasm from our legislative allies during the last session, which led to landmark bills like SB 283. Lawmakers know that educators are invaluable and that we are overdue for fair compensation," said Wofford. "School employees across Oregon deserve a living wage. I look forward to working with the task force to make that a reality."
The task force held its first meeting last week and will meet again on Oct. 11. It will issue its first report by Dec. 31, 2023, and another by Sept. 15, 2024, to propose policy changes for consideration during the 2025 legislative session.