Education boards may pay directors and districts must monitor classroom air

School and education service district boards may pay voting directors a monthly stipend. This applies to voting directors on school district and education service district boards. Each director must be allowed to decline the stipend. If a board provides no stipend, it must reimburse actual and necessary expenses; if it provides a stipend, it may also reimburse those expenses. A stipend counts as official compensation for ethics rules, but does not make a director an employee.

School districts must equip classrooms with carbon dioxide monitors and respond to repeated high readings when they spend designated building funds. These requirements cover classrooms in school districts that spend the designated funds. A district is not required to carry out these requirements until it spends federal and state funds made available specifically for indoor heating, ventilation, and air conditioning improvements. If readings exceed the alarm level for more than 15 minutes on more than four occasions in a month, ventilation must be adjusted or a direct outside-air measurement device must be installed and its accuracy verified. Schools must keep records of alarm breaches for at least five years.

Portland State University's Center for Public Service must study Oregon farmworkers' working conditions and report its findings to lawmakers. The study covers farmworkers in Oregon, including workers on different kinds of farms and workers under temporary employment visa programs. The center must consult Oregon State University and work within the allocated funding. The study must include farmworker engagement and a confidential farmer survey; identities must be protected as far as practicable. The final report must present findings without policy recommendations. A study status update was due May 1, 2026, a progress report was due September 1, 2026, and the final report is due December 1, 2026.

School and education service districts may buy lamps for educational buildings that are temporarily exempt from a state lamp restriction. This concerns lamps bought by Oregon school districts and education service districts for educational buildings. The exemption applies to lamps purchased by a school district or education service district for buildings used to provide educational services to students. The referenced restriction is ORS 459.485; the bill text does not describe that restriction. The school lamp exemption ends on January 2, 2030.

School districts must include an educational equity advisory committee member on the district budget committee when a vacancy occurs, if a member is willing and able to serve. This applies to school district budget committees and members of the district's educational equity advisory committee. A district does not have to include a committee member if no member is willing or able to serve. A district that lacked such a member on or after September 15, 2025, for that reason is not in violation. The rule applies to budget committee vacancies occurring on or after September 15, 2025.