Eugene School District 4J

4J school board members, district leaders and student board representatives met with local legislators during the Legislative Breakfast we hosted this week at the 4J Education Center. Discussions included our priorities and goals for the upcoming legislative session that begins next month.

House Speaker Rep. Julie Fahey, Rep. Lisa Fragala, Rep. John Lively, Rep. Nancy Nathanson, Senator Floyd Prozanski, and Sen. James I Manning, Jr.’s Chief of Staff Matt Keating spoke about the bills they're working on and their views of the top issues facing lawmakers during the session, particularly the need to address Oregon's housing shortage.

School board members shared with lawmakers the legislative prioritizes they adopted on October 23, 2024*, including:

• Increasing and stabilizing state school funding for K-12

• Ensuring all students are emotionally and physically healthy and safe in school through state-level guidance, policies and funding.

• Working on long-term solutions that will reduce standardized testing requirements

• Increasing housing supply so that staff can afford to live in the communities where they work and students aren’t forced to make multiple moves disruptive to their education

The school board also is advocating for gun safety and control legislation that will help increase the safety of 4J students, staff and the community at large. Several school board student representatives spoke passionately about the need for lawmakers to take steps to curb gun violence.

*Legislative priorities discussion starts at 3:14