In 2023, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 3, which would require high schools to teach students career skills such as financial literacy and how to interview for jobs.
The bill easily passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. Effective January 1, 2027, students are required to earn 1/2 credit each in two subject areas to graduate. Impact of the bill: Oregon went from a “C” on the national report card measuring financial literacy to an “A” according to the national survey.
Following passage of the bill, as is customary, stakeholders and the Oregon Department of Education engaged in a rulemaking process to clarify how the new law would work.
Former state Sen. Rick Metzger (D-Welches) lobbied for the bill on behalf of credit unions. Metzger said the rulemaking process resulted in a rule directing schools to adopt new courses based on personal finance and career skills.
In a Feb. 27 opinion, the Office of Legislative Counsel advised state Sen. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) that new courses should be foundational to existing courses, rather than layered on top of them. said.
“I think the main focus of the course needs to be higher education and career path skills or personal financial education to meet the credit requirement,” Senior Deputy Legislative Counsel Hannah Lai told Thatcher. “Adding layers related to higher education or career path skills or personal financial education to existing courses likely does not meet the legislative intent of providing that specialized instruction.”
Metzger said he and other bill sponsors had expected the legislative adviser's input to be reflected in the proposed final rule for approval by the State Board of Education on April 18. Ta. Rules specifying those options were posted last week.
But when the Department of Education released the agenda and board report for the April 18 meeting earlier this week, it included two options. One was a rule posted last week that was in line with the views of the proponent and legislative counsel, and was in line with the wishes of legislators (choice B). And his second option would effectively be doing what legislative lawyers said he shouldn't do. This means integrating the new requirements into the existing course (Option A).
Mr. Metzger is no stranger to legislation, having served in the Oregon State Senate for 12 years before President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Credit Union Administration in Washington, D.C. The last minute change caused his eyes to turn red.
“ODE appears to be trying to circumvent Congress in securing a stand-alone course that provides a semester of strong, comprehensive financial education instruction to help kids succeed when they graduate,” Metzger said. . “Anything else would violate not only the legislative intent, but also the actual text of the bill. We also have worked with the Department of Education and the education administration to produce a bill that we can all agree on. Blaming the legislative leadership would be a midnight act.”
Mark Siegel, a spokesman for the Department of Education, said there was nothing wrong with it.
“At the April 18 State Board of Education meeting, the Senate Bill 3 outline will include two implementation possibilities that were explored through months of stakeholder engagement,” Siegel said. says. “Both options offer students the opportunity to earn 0.5 credits of higher education and career path skills and 0.5 credits of personal finance education, as required by SB 3. .”
Siegel said giving the board two options “reflects the feedback we received through our engagement in the public rule-making process.” (In public comments posted late Wednesday afternoon, three major education groups said they “strongly recommend” the option that Metzger and other SB 3 supporters balk at.) flexibility, but does not create new courses in financial literacy or career skills). )
Siegel added that whatever happens at tomorrow's board meeting will not be the final decision. “ODE will continue to receive and consider public input during the first and second readings of the draft regulations,” Siegel said. “The State Board of Education will consider adoption at the State Board of Education meeting in May or June.”
