Hope Community,

As you know, we receive less State School Funds than our neighboring public schools. In fact, a new report by ECONorthwest found that Oregon public charter schools receive less than half the funding compared to their district counterparts. In addition, as charter school enrollment has gone up over the last decade, the gap in their funding relative to district-run schools has grown.

We Can Change This

Oregon HB 3444 will address this by increasing funding for charter schools AND allow transportation costs to be included in expenses that can be covered by the State School Funds.

HB 3444 is scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday, March 12th at 3pm in the House Education Committee. The bill (and a clarifying amendment that ensures ALL public charters are included), increases the State School Fund pass through for ALL public charter schools to 95%.

This would amount to about a $400,000 increase in State School Funds for Hope Chinese Charter School!

What You Can Do

We need to turn out AS MANY charter school supporters as possible!  We want legislators to know that parents, school leaders, school board members, school staff, community members support public charter schools.

1: Submit Written Testimony

Submit here: Testimony Submission

Instructions:

  • Select House Committee on Education and the meeting date (March 12, 3:00 PM)
  • Choose HB 3444
  • Enter your contact information and select “Support”
  • Submit a text testimony or upload a PDF
  • Click “I’m not a robot” and then “Submit Testimony”

2: Sign Up to Testify Live (In-Person or Virtual)

Deadline: One hour before the hearing (March 12, 2:00 PM PST)
Register here: Testify Registration

Instructions:

  • Click “Register to Testify”
  • Ensure you are signing up for HB 3444 in the House Education Committee
  • Select the meeting date: March 12, 3:00 PM
  • Choose In-Person or Virtual testimony (In-person can be more impactful)
  • Select “Support” and complete the form

Testimony Resources

Parent Template – Please MAKE A COPY of this template, add your personal story and signature, and either copy and paste the text to submit a written testimony OR save it as a PDF and upload it per the instructions above.

School Employee Template – Please MAKE A COPY of this template, add your job title and signature, and either copy and paste the text to submit a written testimony OR save it as a PDF and upload it per the instructions above.

Talking Points for Public or Virtual Testimony – Your voice is powerful! If you’re able to make a public or virtual appearance, these talking points prepared by ORC3S can help.

RSVP here to join the public hearing!

Please share with your whole school community — parents, staff, board members, charter champions!