Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced on April 18 a new executive order aimed at preventing school districts from reducing instructional hours as a way to manage budget shortfalls. The order comes after several districts, including Portland and Reynolds, voted earlier this year to shorten their school years in response to mid-year budget cuts.
The issue is significant because Oregon already has some of the shortest school years in the country. Reducing instructional time further could widen disparities among students and affect educational outcomes across the state.
Kotek said at a press conference, “We simply cannot backslide on the instructional hours we have. We don’t have enough of them, and we certainly can’t go backwards.” She added, “The clear lead to our districts today is we can’t cut any more hours, we have to come up with better solutions within the existing budgets we have.”
Sarah Pope, executive director for Stand For Children, shared findings from an ECOnorthwest report showing that “students in the lowest-time districts can receive three fewer school years than those in the highest-time districts.” Kate Lupton, a Lake Oswego parent and former public school teacher, supported the move: “With this executive order, we have the opportunity to take that first step towards 180 instructional days for all public school students.”
The governor’s order also prohibits waivers of instructional time requirements by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), which had previously allowed exceptions due to strikes or weather-related closures. School districts that reduced time below minimum standards are being asked to restore it by 2027-28. The State Board of Education must now track and publish each district’s annual instructional time.
At a state board meeting following Kotek’s announcement, members debated how best to implement these changes given limited resources. Board advisor Becky Tymchuk said: “Educational policy in this state needs to be a much bigger vision… I absolutely… agree with the result. I do not agree with the methodology.”
Some education groups expressed concern about potential staff layoffs if additional funding does not accompany these mandates. Enrique Farrera of the Oregon Education Association said: “Instructional time is what public schools are all about… OEA members are asking for more time; leaders are just not funding it.” Krista Parent from COSA stated: “While we share the goal of protecting and expanding instructional time, we believe that a mandated approach at this moment is unlikely to produce meaningful change.”
