On Wednesday, lawmakers passed five complex policy bills dubbed the “grand bargain.” But at the heart of the special session, and the core of Gov. John Kitzhaber’s motive for calling it, is education.

He traveled the state, drumming up support for the idea that trimming retirees’ benefits would mean smaller class sizes, more teachers and longer school years for districts statewide.

He said the opportunity to “turn the corner on the teacher layoffs and lost school days” would happen this year. But it turns out the money won’t be sent to districts until the next school year.

Still, school districts “can count on that cash. Some will use it now, some will wait,” said Kitzhaber’s spokesman Tim Raphael.

The money, when it reaches school districts in the 2014-15 school year, will average roughly $150 per student. The school districts have discretion on how to use the funds.

“We hope we’ll see reduced class sizes and more teachers, but on a district-by-district basis, they make the determination about what the greatest needs are,” said Crystal Greene, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Ron Wilkinson said his district is considering spending some of the money now by counting on the additional revenue down the road.

“If the board is willing, we will cut into our end-of-year fund with the idea in mind that we can replenish it when the money comes,” Wilkinson said. “However, we will act on the conservative side. We will move forward with how we would have spent the money, but not quite as much.”

Wilkinson said that regardless of when the money is spent, his “highest priority” is to add teachers to his district.

Plans for the extra money range across Central Oregon’s other school districts. Crook County Superintendent Duane Yecha said his district has no set plans for the money but may use it to help with a state-mandated transition to full-day kindergarten.

Culver School District Superintendent Stefanie Garber is hopeful the money will aid her district’s planned transition to a STEM and project-based curriculum.

“Our move toward STEM means that we’re going to need more staff for specialized education,” Garber said. “For instance right now, our art teacher is (two-thirds time), and she has to cover K-12. It would be great if she could be more available to the students to help with bigger projects.”

In Redmond, Superintendent Mike McIntosh said the district plans to use the money to add three more days to the calendar, that it has maintained a “reasonable” student-to-teacher ratio of 26 to 1.

Administrators in Sisters said that they hope to add teachers, preparing for the implementation of the Common Core in the 2014-15 school year and upgrading the district’s technology.

In addition to funneling more money to school districts, long-term savings from changes to the Public Employees Retirement System are expected to help districts in the years to come.

“In addition to allocating more dollars to our schools, the Legislature also tackled PERS reform. While I know that changes to the retirement system are always complex and controversial, I also know that this was work that needed to be done,” according to a prepared statement by Rob Saxton, deputy superintendent of the Oregon Department of Education.

Sue Levin, director of the school advocacy group Stand for Children, said the debate over trimming retirees’ benefits was blistering at times, but she was relieved it came to a productive end. Stand for Children advocated for changes to PERS.

“Retirees have always and understandably been focused on this issue and forceful about protecting their pensions they earned and they deserve, and I understand that,” Levin said. “What changed this year was other voices were heard, and they weren’t your typical anti-union, anti-public employee voices.”

Public unions have already challenged cuts to PERS by the Legislature earlier this year. It’s likely the most recent changes will also be challenged in court. If the Oregon Supreme Court overturns the laws and finds them to be a breach of contract, the state could potentially have to dip into the PERS contingency fund.