Whisnant bill to help students in poverty on way to governor

A bill introduced by state Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, directing the Department of Education to monitor and report on the best practices, programs, and services being used to help Oregon students in poverty is headed to Gov. Brown’s desk to be signed into law.

HB 4057, which received unanimous support from both legislative chambers, seeks to encourage school districts to share information regarding how they are administering programs designed to help vulnerable students in hopes that other school districts and the state can replicate the most effective models.

“The report required by HB 4057 is open-ended and will allow districts to share programs and projects that have been successful in helping our most vulnerable students,” Whisnant said. “This is a positive step toward helping put more students on a path to educational success.”

During the 2015 session, Whisnant and Rep. Joe Gallegos worked together to pass HB 2968, which required a work group to study existing funding programs designed to benefit students and families in poverty. The work group recently issued a report, which was very informative and highlighted key issues in detail.

HB 4057 was produced through negotiation and compromise by members of the HB 2968 Poverty Work Group, led by Morgan Allen with the Oregon School Boards Association.

“For several sessions now, this issue has been one of my top priorities,” Whisnant said. “We’ve made great progress, but there is still more work to be done to ensure that our most vulnerable students are receiving the support they need in the classroom.”

In addition to Whisnant and Gallegos, HB 4057 was chief-sponsored by Rep. Sherrie Sprenger. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor Brown before the end of the February legislative session.