Oregon School Districts Criticize Costly Light Bulb Mandate

In 2023, Oregon lawmakers celebrated the passage of what seemed like a straightforward climate-friendly bill: requiring buildings to replace fluorescent lights with energy-efficient, mercury-free LED bulbs.

However, school districts say they were left out of the conversation—and now, some are raising serious concerns.

In Lebanon and Sheridan, officials report that LED bulbs flicker, burn out quickly, and don’t work well with existing fixtures, creating distractions in classrooms.

“They buzz, they hum, and they produce less than optimal light,” said Sean Vesper, operations and facilities manager for Sheridan School District, which serves 700 students. “It affects these kids in ways that I can’t explain.”

Replacing outdated fixtures with compatible ones is also proving to be a major financial burden. In the Salem-Keizer School District—the state’s second-largest—Superintendent Andrea Castaneda warned lawmakers that retrofitting schools for LEDs could cost $42 million, a sum the district cannot afford to pull from its general fund.