Chair Rep. Hudson announced plans to introduce a short-session bill to restore the Measure 99 4% lottery funding level that was not provided in the 2025 budget, after witnesses told the House Interim Committee on Education that recent cuts have already reduced program length, staff and student access.

Dr. Spirit Brooks, director of the OSU Extension Outdoor School Program, and Daniel Prince of Friends of Outdoor School told the committee that Measure 99 and earlier Senate Bill 439 established a durable funding stream for outdoor school and that evaluation data show measurable academic and social-emotional benefits. Prince recalled the 2016 ballot campaign and said Measure 99 dedicated "4% of lottery funds so that every child in Oregon could attend outdoor school." He described outdoor school as an immersive K–12 program grounded in field science curricula and reported statewide outcome differences versus a typical classroom week.

Brooks provided a financial snapshot: the program received its full $56,000,000 allocation for the 2023–25 biennium but carried a $29,000,000 balance in late 2023; OSU Extension worked with legislative fiscal staff and returned $20,000,000 of the '23 allocation as part of a spend-down plan while maintaining services via earlier carryover. She warned that reductions since the 2025 budget mean most schools now receive 17–22% less funding and that the full impact will become clear after spring session when attendance data are finalized.

Committee members heard concrete examples of program effects: speakers said about 6,000 students out of an estimated 36,000 attended this fall under shortened programs and that educational hours were roughly halved for the fall cohort. Brooks said some programs cut staff by more than half, recruitment of high school student leaders declined, and OSU Extension laid off approximately one-third of its central staff (five salaried positions). Eleven districts did not apply for funding this year; several districts canceled fall programming.

Students and former leaders told personal stories about the program's value. A sixth-grader from Waltmore Middle School, Amina, said the experience "was one of the most memorable experiences I will remember from my entire life," describing hands-on field science (tests of river pH and soil infiltration) and social benefits. Jamieson McFarland, a former cabin leader, said outdoor school helped students who struggled with attendance and inspired him to consider education as a career.

Representative Hudson framed the next step as legislative: "I will be introducing a short session bill to restore the funding to what the 4% percent for outdoor school would have been," she told the committee. The announcement was presented as an intent to act; no formal motion or committee vote occurred during the hearing.

Why it matters: Advocates said restoring funding is necessary to avoid a return to uneven access for students across income and geography, to preserve gains in social-emotional learning and to sustain the seasonal workforce that runs outdoor sites. Committee members requested further fiscal detail and outcomes data to inform any bill language.

What happens next: Chair Hudson signaled a short-session bill will be introduced; the committee did not take a formal vote and ODE/OSU presenters did not provide a final legislative text at the hearing.