A proposed billion-dollar business tax for Oregon schools took a big step forward Monday, as it passed out of a special legislative committee created more than 15 months ago, with this single piece of legislation in mind.
The Joint Committee on Student Success has been working for months on a commercial activities tax to fund early learning through high school. The spending side has been relatively clear for weeks, with a goal of investing at least $2 billion per biennium into three main categories: early learning, statewide initiatives (ranging from career-technical education to summer programs), and a grant program intended to allow school districts flexibility to make targeted investments aligned to specific needs they’ve identified, such as improving graduation rates or boosting attendance.