OSBA applauds co-chairs' budget proposals for education
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Oregon School Boards Association applauds the Ways and Means Co-Chairs (Sen. Richard Devlin and Rep. Peter Buckley) for proposing a significant increase over the governor's recommended budget investment in Oregon's schools, our children and our future.
By recognizing the importance of adequate school funding, the co-chairs' budget will allow some districts to avoid making further reductions. In other districts this proposed budget may still make it difficult to restore programs or staff that have been reduced over the last several years. Across the state, school districts have been hard-hit in recent years, and children have paid the price. We are hopeful that this budget will help reverse lost ground and translate to increased student achievement and greater prosperity for all Oregonians.
OSBA appreciates that both the co-chairs and governor have recognized that some type of Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) reform is necessary so that Oregon can maximize spending on education. OSBA is ready to work with the Legislature on enacting PERS reforms that will create a stable, financially viable retirement system that balances system costs while still providing an adequate benefit to employees.
"Investing in our children and their education should be our highest priority," said Betsy Miller-Jones, OSBA's executive director. "We cannot continue to shortchange our most precious resource: our children, the next generation of Oregonians."
