ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3rd starting at 5 PM the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will be hearing testimony about the proposed agency cuts.
This includes the Oregon Department of Education cut to the TAG position currently funding Angela Allen our TAG specialist.
This may be our ONLY opportunity to object to the elimination of this critical position. The last time the legislature made an emergency cut to TAG was in 2002. That cut was never restored.
Please plan to participate. You can sign up to testify in person or remotely or you can send written testimony up to 2 days after the hearing.
Keep your testimony short and clear. If you testify in person, you will have just 1-2 minutes
Send your talking points with the OATAG President and they will be passed on.
Angela is responsible for ensuring that districts have the technical support they need to implement the Oregon TAG mandate. That includes: having a district TAG plan, identifying students in need of services, informing families (including students) of the services they will receive, and providing students with instruction at their assessed rate and level of learning.
Angela also
Angela is at the center of all TAG accountability in Oregon. Without her, there will be NO ONE at the Department of Education with any comprehensive understanding of our TAG mandate or the needs of our students.
TAG is ALREADY our most underfunded education service for special needs students.
Total district and state spending on TAG are less 0.0013 percent of the state education budget. Over the past 20 years, it has fallen from nearly one percent of special population spending to just one third of one percent. TAG spending has fallen even as every other education service has been increasing. Cutting our last TAG position won’t save any real money but it will eliminate all accountability for this legally-mandated service and pave the way for even more district cuts.
The press release is below.
It just arrived this afternoon. I apologize for the late notice.
Also, there is no link to the actual agency proposals so if you weren’t already aware of the agency plans, you have no way to view them now.
This whole plan seems to be designed for insiders and privileged organizations and their lobbyists.
Margaret
Lawmakers to Hear Feedback on Budget Reduction
Options Proposed After Federal Cuts The Legislature will be considering budget reductions in the upcoming
session as part of its balanced approach to responding to the budget crisis
SALEM, Ore. – Today, the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means announced they
will hold a public hearing to receive feedback on budget reduction options proposed by state
agencies after federal actions put a $900 million hole in Oregon's budget.
The public hearing is scheduled for February 3 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Hearing Room 40 in the
Oregon State Capitol building. Members of the public can attend the hearing in-person or tune
in virtually through the Oregon Legislative Information System.
Individuals interested in providing testimony on possible budget reductions can register to
speak via the committee's webpage on OLIS. Written testimony can also be submitted and will
be accepted for up to 48 hours following the hearing.
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Committees/JWM/2026-02-03-17-00/Agenda
This includes the Oregon Department of Education cut to the TAG position currently funding Angela Allen our TAG specialist.
This may be our ONLY opportunity to object to the elimination of this critical position. The last time the legislature made an emergency cut to TAG was in 2002. That cut was never restored.
Please plan to participate. You can sign up to testify in person or remotely or you can send written testimony up to 2 days after the hearing.
Keep your testimony short and clear. If you testify in person, you will have just 1-2 minutes
Send your talking points with the OATAG President and they will be passed on.
Angela is responsible for ensuring that districts have the technical support they need to implement the Oregon TAG mandate. That includes: having a district TAG plan, identifying students in need of services, informing families (including students) of the services they will receive, and providing students with instruction at their assessed rate and level of learning.
Angela also
- carries out a public engagement process when new administrative rules concerning TAG are created or old rules are amended, and drafts rule language,
- works with district TAG coordinators on the most effective and appropriate district TAG programs
- meets regularly with TAG coordinators
- advises OATAG on the interpretation of state laws and rules so we can answer parent questions
- provides legally mandated training for building TAG identification committees
- monitors district reports to the Department.
Angela is at the center of all TAG accountability in Oregon. Without her, there will be NO ONE at the Department of Education with any comprehensive understanding of our TAG mandate or the needs of our students.
TAG is ALREADY our most underfunded education service for special needs students.
Total district and state spending on TAG are less 0.0013 percent of the state education budget. Over the past 20 years, it has fallen from nearly one percent of special population spending to just one third of one percent. TAG spending has fallen even as every other education service has been increasing. Cutting our last TAG position won’t save any real money but it will eliminate all accountability for this legally-mandated service and pave the way for even more district cuts.
The press release is below.
It just arrived this afternoon. I apologize for the late notice.
Also, there is no link to the actual agency proposals so if you weren’t already aware of the agency plans, you have no way to view them now.
This whole plan seems to be designed for insiders and privileged organizations and their lobbyists.
Margaret
Lawmakers to Hear Feedback on Budget Reduction
Options Proposed After Federal Cuts The Legislature will be considering budget reductions in the upcoming
session as part of its balanced approach to responding to the budget crisis
SALEM, Ore. – Today, the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means announced they
will hold a public hearing to receive feedback on budget reduction options proposed by state
agencies after federal actions put a $900 million hole in Oregon's budget.
The public hearing is scheduled for February 3 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Hearing Room 40 in the
Oregon State Capitol building. Members of the public can attend the hearing in-person or tune
in virtually through the Oregon Legislative Information System.
Individuals interested in providing testimony on possible budget reductions can register to
speak via the committee's webpage on OLIS. Written testimony can also be submitted and will
be accepted for up to 48 hours following the hearing.
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Committees/JWM/2026-02-03-17-00/Agenda
