Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) members will visit the U.S. Capitol next week to discuss educational priorities with members of Oregon’s congressional delegation. In meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3, members will urge Congress to significantly improve components of the No Child Left Behind Act, reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act, and increase federal funding for Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They will also discuss long-term solutions to ensure that county timber payments continue to support public schools, and introduce OSBA’s “The Promise of Oregon” campaign (www.promiseoregon.org) to highlight the accomplishments of Oregon students and ensure that schools are adequately funded. OSBA Board members heading to Washington, D.C., for the National School Boards Association’s Advocacy Institute include: President Dave Krumbein (Pendleton School Board), President-elect Bobbie Regan (Portland Public Schools Board), Secretary-Treasurer Sam Lee (Winston-Dillard School Board), Doug Montgomery (Multnomah Education Service District Board) and Betty Reynolds (West Linn-Wilsonville School Board). Also visiting will be members of OSBA’s Legislative Policy Committee: Liz Hartman (Lake Oswego School Board), Nancy MacMorris-Adix (Salem-Keizer School Board) and Fred Marble (Forest Grove School Board). Scheduled meetings include visits with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader and Greg Walden. The OSBA group will also be attending a Feb. 2 luncheon at which Rep. Bonamici is the featured speaker. If interested in speaking with an OSBA attendee about their planned meetings in the U.S. Capitol, contact OSBA Communications Specialist Alex Pulaski at 503-485-4812. OSBA is a member services organization for more than 200 locally elected boards serving school districts, education service districts and community colleges. It also provides services to charter schools and their boards.
