WHEREAS, the Oregon Quality Education Model estimates the cost to reach the level of student academic achievement set for K-12 students by Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century to be $5,880 per weighted student during the 2002-03 school year; and
WHEREAS, Oregon spending per weighted student has decreased to $5,352 in 2002-03, exclusive of state budget shortfalls; with an additional reduction of $202 per weighted student with the addition of current budgetary shortfalls; and
WHEREAS, deeper cuts to Oregon's K-12 schools this year will mean, for example, even larger class sizes, program cuts, a shortened school year and delays in purchasing updated textbooks and other needed instructional materials, and result in a direct negative impact on student learning; and
WHEREAS, the most common response (42 percent) from Oregon citizens when asked about the most significant problems facing Oregon K-12 education as part of the 2001 OSBA-sponsored public opinion survey (The Nelson Report) was "lack of funding"; and
WHEREAS, the OSBA Finance Project Task Force report, adopted by OSBA resolution at the Nov. 2001 Annual Convention, stated that "SOMETHING must be done for public schools during the 2003 Legislative Assembly to stop the ‘slide’ exemplified by loss of public school programs and the failure of school support distributions to keep up with enrollment growth and inflation over the past decade. Attention to the immediate crisis cannot await the longer term solution;" and
WHEREAS, the OSBA Finance Project Task Force further called for OSBA to: "build a credible coalition at the state level, and call upon its membership to build local coalitions to begin the discussion community by community;" with the aim of "enactment by the 2003 Legislature as a first step... and failing that, seek a referral by the 2003 Legislature for voter consideration in 2003 or early 2004 or, if necessary, structure efforts toward an initiative in the November 2004 General Election."
NOW, THEREFORE, BE
IT RESOLVED that OSBA will draft, present and support a specific tax restructuring proposal addressing the OSBA goal of stabilizing adequate K-12 school funding to the 2003 Legislature, and failing legislative enactment of this proposal, will seek legislative referral of this proposal to the voters at a November, 2003 special election, and failing passage of legislation or failure to refer the specific tax measure, will work to present an initiative to voters at the November 2004 General Election; and
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that OSBA staff will provide school board members throughout the state the necessary tools and follow up support to effectively mount a grass roots campaign, community by community, to communicate with legislators and voters both the successes and the challenges faced by public education in Oregon today; and
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED, that OSBA will provide these grass roots organizations with the necessary tools and follow up support to promote any tax restructuring proposal which specifically supports K-12 public education.
Submitted by: Crow-Applegate and Eugene School Districts
Resolutions Committee recommendation: Do Pass
Membership Action: Adopted at Nov. 16, 2002, Annual
Meeting
