School boards adopt resolution supporting education funding, but more voices needed
Monday, February 11, 2019
More than 20 Oregon school boards have passed a resolution urging legislators to adequately and sustainably fund schools, but education advocates say more are needed.
“This is a great start,” said OSBA Legislative Services Director Lori Sattenspiel, “but we need to continue the momentum with more school district boards urging legislative action.”
The resolution is part of OSBA’s Oregonians for Student Success campaign to prioritize education investment. OSBA Executive Director Jim Green said it is important for legislators and community members to see that school boards are seeking revenue reform and improved education funding.
The resolution highlights that Oregon has consistently underfunded public education since the 1990 passage of Measure 5, which limited property taxes. The prolonged period of unstable and inadequate funding has led to a shortened school year, larger class sizes, teacher layoffs and program cuts – all described by the resolution.
Gov. Kate Brown’s 2019-21 budget proposed $9 billion for the State School Fund, with a possible additional $1.3 billion for early learning and K-12 education. The Quality Education Model, a nonpartisan assessment of the costs of a high-quality Oregon education system, recommends $10.7 billion for the biennium.
“School board members need to help shoulder the responsibility for making the case to Oregon's voters that the Legislature needs to prioritize investing to the level of the QEM to assure educational opportunities for every student in every district in our state,” the resolution says.
