As calls for stronger education accountability continue to grow from the upper echelons of Oregon’s government, the Joint Subcommittee on Education approved Senate Bill 141 on Wednesday afternoon by a 7-1 vote. The approval means the bill will now advance to the broader Joint Committee on Ways and Means.

SB 141 is part of Gov. Tina Kotek’s effort this session to improve the state’s dismal education outcomes. It gives more power to the Oregon Department of Education to coach and intervene in struggling school districts, and establishes more metrics to track, specifically around early chronic absenteeism and eighth grade mathematics. It will also streamline grant reporting processes for school districts and improve ODE’s data transparency.

Kotek’s focus on education accountability came amid dueling reports presented to the Oregon legislature this cycle. A report from the American Institutes for Research studied the state’s Quality Education Model (that projects the cost to adequately educate students statewide), and found it would cost Oregon billions more to help its students achieve proficiency in mathematics and reading, while reducing chronic absenteeism. Another presentation, from the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University, mapped increased education funding since 2013 against declining student outcomes.

As she unveiled her bill in March, Kotek told reporters she didn’t “believe in writing a blank check.” SB 141 accompanies the state government’s largest-yet investment in the State School Fund, though many district leaders say many of those costs will be offset by the Public Employees Retirement System, inflation and other rising costs, alongside declining enrollment. (In the same hearing Wednesday, the subcommittee approved $11.36 billion for schools in the upcoming biennium.)

The majority of legislators expressed optimism that Kotek’s bill was a step in the right direction to building a system of shared accountability between school districts and the state for student outcomes, which are in the bottom nationwide for both reading and mathematics.

But many of them emphasized that the bill must be implemented properly. Sen. Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook) said Oregon tends to fall for “shiny tricks,” where legislators are attracted to new policies but fail to follow through. “If we start this program, we have to commit to it,” she said.

Rep. Dwayne Yunker (R-Grants Pass) was the sole no vote for the accountability package in the subcommittee. He says many of the problems school districts face are not ones that can be addressed from the top down. For example, he says it’s hard to blame a school when a parent doesn’t send their child to attend.

“I think what’s going to work is changing what we’re doing…more class time, more time in school,” Yunker says. “We’re not changing any of that, and I think there’s other things we could’ve done that would’ve been more productive to change outcomes.”

Sen. Janeen Sollman (D-Hillsboro) told Yunker the bill is not about imposing a top-down authority on schools, but rather setting the state up to provide school districts with resources and tools to help students succeed. It’s meant to foster collaboration, she said, and emphasized that a streamlined grant process will also give schools more time to focus on improving outcomes.

Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland) added that until everyone in the education system and the broader community all put in the work to make student outcomes a priority, the bill’s text is just “rhetorical posturing.” He says it’s the conversation this bill will spark that may be its most powerful effect.

“I’m hoping that what will happen as a result of this is that people will begin to actually step forward and say ‘Alright, what do I need to do?’” Frederick says. “I don’t want to see yet another document that tells me we believe in education but we aren’t actually getting everyone involved in making changes. I hope this begins a process of accountability not just for the schools…but for everybody.”

Three Oregon women’s golfers were named All-Americans by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.

Kiara Romero was named a WGCA first team All-American, her second straight year received such distinction. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham was named to the second team and Karen Tsuru received honorable mention.

It is the second time in program history Oregon has had multiple All-Americans in the same season, joining the 2021-22 team. UO has nine players combine for 13 All-American honors, including seven players who combined for 10 selections since 2018-19 under coach Derek Radley.

Romero is the first two-time first team All-American in program history and just the fourth UO player to receive multiple All-American honors.

She broke her own Oregon single-season record for scoring average (69.91), the first UO athlete to average sub-70 in a season. Romero is the third Oregon golfer to win an individual conference championship. She also shot the lowest round in program history (10-under 62) at the NCAA Gold Canyon Regional, which she also won individually, and tied for eighth at the NCAA Championships.

The No. 2 player in the country and No. 3 amateur in the world, Vinijchaitham had a 71.46 season scoring average that ranks third in UO single-season history. She toed for 10th at the NCAA Championships, won the Alice & John Wallace Classic in the spring, and had eight top-10 finishes on the season.

Tsuru had a 72.62 scoring average in 26 rounds, won the Juli Inkster Invitational and had four top-10 finishes.

A wildfire that started in unincorporated Wasco County over the weekend grew to nearly 1,800 acres, fire officials said Monday morning. The fire continued to grow to 3,000 acres as of that evening.

The Butte Creek Fire was first reported just before 3 p.m. on Sunday on the east side of the John Day River, just north of Clarno, Oregon.

The fire is burning on private and U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands. Investigators haven’t said yet what caused the fire. No closures or evacuations were in place as of Tuesday morning.

Officials urged boaters in the general area to use caution, as helicopters could be pulling water out of the John Day River to help fight the fire.

The Butte Creek Fire is the first large wildfire of 2025 in Oregon.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tina Kotek announced that Oregon is expected to have a hot and dry summer, setting up a potentially devastating wildfire season ahead.

Parts of the state benefited from decent snowpack and rainfall this winter, Kotek said. But early precipitation in the season could mean that grasses, brush and other vegetation dry out early and become wildfire fuel.

Oregon’s in store for a bad wildfire season. But state officials aren’t worried about federal staffing

The wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest can last from May through October, but it’s typically at its most intense from July to September. During that time, firefighting resources may be stretched thin as crews fight several big fires at once.

Last year, Oregon saw its most destructive fire season since record keeping began in 1992, with nearly 2 million acres burned.

By late July 2024, the state had become the nation’s top firefighting priority. At one point that August, there were more than 13,000 firefighters battling Oregon blazes.

More than 1,000 wildfires burned across the state that year, including six “megafires” that at their peaks had fire perimeters larger than 100,000 acres each.

Record 2024 Oregon wildfire season keeps NWS meteorologists extremely busy

For news coverage and essential resources to help you stay informed and safe during wildfire events in the Pacific Northwest, visit opb.org/wildfires/.