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Class Sizes & Caseloads

Growing class sizes and caseloads are making it harder than ever for educators to meet the individual needs of their students.
OEA member Mary Skillings and her class

Class Size in Oregon

Oregon has large class sizes and inadequate school funding. Reducing class size and caseload are critical puzzle pieces to improving our schools and ensuring students can be successful and this is intertwined with how much money our schools can spend. OEA works at the state legislature to advocate for lower class sizes and increased public school funding at all levels. Educators can’t continue to do more with less, and our students deserve better.

A 2021 report

from the Oregon Department of Education found that more than 16,000 classrooms in OR were were larger than 26 students.

OEA has the right

To bargain over class size in more than 700 schools in Oregon - but we know that students in every school deserve smaller class sizes.

Class Size as a Mandatory Subject of Bargaining

In 2022, OEA fought for and successfully passed legislation that made class size and caseload a mandatory subject of bargaining for all of Oregon's Title I schools. This means that our union has the legally protected right to address growing class sizes in our contract negotiations.

Oregon Education Association logo

Keeping the Promise of Quality Public Education

The Oregon Education Association (OEA) is a union committed to the cause of providing the basic right of great public education to every student. OEA represents about 41,000 educators working in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 public schools and community colleges. OEA’s membership includes licensed teachers and specialists, classified/education support professionals (ESPs), community college faculty, retired educators, and student members. OEA members also belong to the 3.2 million members of the National Education Association (NEA).
About us
Join OEA

The Oregon Education Association is a state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.

Learn more at NEA.org