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Half of Oregon School Districts Cut Time

Nearly half of Oregon’s school districts — 95 out of 197 — have cut instructional time during the 2025-26 school year, according to new reporting from the Oregonian’s Julia Silverman. That’s more than was publicly known back in April, when Gov. Tina Kotek signed an order requiring districts to restore the instructional time they cut this past school year. [Oregonian]

• The fine print: Kotek’s order actually gives districts an out: They must restore instructional time to the 2024-25 level by the fall of 2027 — or they can publicly explain why they won’t be able to. The order also prohibits districts from approving additional furlough time this coming school year. [Oregonian]
• The context: Portland Public Schools and several other local districts furloughed teachers to balance their budgets. It’s not clear how many other districts also canceled classes to save money, or for other reasons — such as labor strikes, facility problems, weather conditions, or even illnesses.
• The stakes: Oregon requires among the least instructional time, ranking in the bottom five among U.S. states. According to research from the local nonprofit Stand for Children, Oregon students average 1,115 hours a year at school (or 9% below the national average). [Oregonian]
• A brewing school funding change: Republican lawmakers, joined by one Democrat, voted last week against confirming some Gov. Tina Kotek’s nominations. The nominees to the Quality Education Commission, which sets state funding standards for schools, were ultimately approved by the Democratic majority. But it was an attempt to put pressure on the governor to redesign Oregon’s funding formula, which fails to account for how many students live in poverty. [Oregon Capitol Chronicle]

Bipartisan Group Condemns Cuts to Ocean Monitoring

Five Republican state lawmakers, along with two of their Democratic colleagues, sent a letter condemning the Trump administration’s cut to ocean research in Oregon. The state lawmakers’ critique echoes similar, bipartisan concern in the U.S. Senate. The National Science Foundation was removing research buoys from waters off the Oregon coast and elsewhere, but late last week reversed course, saying they'll halt further removals and work on a plan to redeploy ones that have been removed. [OPB]

Calls for a Hillsboro City Councilor To Resign

After a contentious City Council meeting, two Hillsboro city councilors — Elizabeth Case and Saba Anvery — took to social media to support a public censure for their colleague Councilor Cristian Salgado if he doesn’t resign. At the meeting, a fourth councilor, Olivia Alcaire, accused Salgado of “antagonizing the audience” by livestreaming the meeting from his perspective. Salgado is also accused of blowing a kiss at an audience member, which attendees condemned as sexual harassment. Salgado denies that last action, which was not captured on the city’s video, and says he was merely showing his perspective. [Oregonian]

Darcelle VX Plaza, City Council Travel, and Supporting Downtown Businesses

The city officially opened a new park honoring the late drag queen Darcelle XV. Also, how much did city councilors spend on travel last year? And the owner of a small downtown business explains how she transitioned her pop-up into a permanent brick-and-mortar destination. [City Cast Portland 🎧]