WHEREAS, due to
the Oregon economy’s slide into recession, the September 2001
state economic and revenue forecast for the 2001-03 biennium is
projecting general fund resources of nearly $300 million less
than was predicted when the 2001 Regular Session of the Oregon
Legislative Assembly adjourned in July; and
WHEREAS,
predictions of a state general fund budget shortfall of even
greater magnitude when the December 2001 is released have
prompted discussions between the governor and legislative
leadership regarding a possible special legislative session
after the first of the year to re-balance the 2001-03 state
general fund budget; and
WHEREAS, the
$5.2 billion appropriation to elementary and secondary schools
for the 2001-03 biennium, recommended by Governor Kitzhaber and
overwhelmingly adopted by the legislature, represents 42 percent
of total general fund and lottery spending and has been
mentioned as a possible target for reduction in a budget
re-balance special legislative session.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE
IT RESOLVED that the Oregon School Boards Association
opposes any reductions in the 2001 Legislature’s $5.2 billion
appropriation to elementary/secondary schools for the following
reasons:
- The governor and
legislature should not renounce their K-12 funding
commitment after clearly making public school funding one of
their highest priorities;
- According to the
Quality Education Model, even at $5.2 billion, the K-12
appropriation is $862 million short of providing the
resources necessary to allow students to meet state-imposed
academic achievement standards;
- School districts’
2001-03 operating resources already have been reduced due to
anticipated reductions in local revenue sources (i.e. Common
School Fund earnings and property tax collections);
- On a
per-weighted-student (ADMw) basis, school districts’
operating revenue will increase by only an estimated 2.8
percent this year and 4.0 percent in 2002-03, barely
matching expected inflation and further eroding the
purchasing power of schools’ resources in the face of
substantial increases in energy, fuel and health care costs;
- Attempts to shore
up the state’s sagging economy should not include
reductions in the financial resources of school districts,
the largest employer in many Oregon communities;
- Measure 1,
overwhelmingly adopted by Oregon voters in November of 2000,
requires the legislature to appropriate a "sufficient
amount to assure that the public school system meets the
quality education goals established by law" or identify
the reasons for the insufficiency.
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Oregon School Boards Association strongly
urges the Oregon Legislative Assembly to use all anticipated
financial resources available (e.g. tobacco settlement, federal
Medicare, emergency funds, etc.), enact temporary tax increases
(e.g. a surtax on the personal and corporate income tax) and/or
delay scheduled tax reductions (e.g. the increase in the federal
tax deduction) to re-balance the 2001-03 state general fund
budget.
Submitted by: OSBA
Executive Committee
Resolutions Committee recommendation: Do Pass
Membership Action: Unanimously adopted at Nov. 17, 2001, Annual
Meeting
