Oregon's School Funding: Who's Right?

Oregon's lawmakers claim they've finally met the school funding targets set by the Quality Education Commission. This is the first time in 25 years they've said this. But not everyone is convinced.

Funding Discrepancies

The commission said the state needed $13.5 billion to fully fund schools. Lawmakers approved $11.36 billion. However, they argue that schools actually receive the full $13.5 billion because of an extra $2.2 billion from a corporate activities tax. This tax was set up in 2019 to support public education.

Advocates' Concerns

School advocates aren't buying it. They say the state is still not funding schools enough. They point out that the Legislature's analysis might not be accurate. The Oregon Department of Education is still trying to understand the differences.

Historical Context

The Quality Education Commission was created in 1999. It's supposed to give an expert estimate of how much the state needs to spend on schools. The goal is to have a 90% or higher on-time graduation rate. But the impact has been the opposite. Lawmakers have been pushing back on the commission's methodology.

Accountability and Oversight

School advocates have been using the commission's report to hold lawmakers accountable. But lawmakers have been pushing for more oversight on how schools spend state dollars. The state is supposed to fund schools according to the commission's recommendations. But a 2009 decision by the Oregon Supreme Court gave lawmakers some flexibility.

Recent Trends

In the last decade, lawmakers have put more money into schools. But student academic outcomes have gone down. Labor-driven costs have gone up. This has led to frustration on all sides. Advocates say the state still hasn't made up for years of underfunding.

Report Findings

The new report was written by analysts from the Legislative Fiscal Office and the Legislative Policy and Research Office. It says the commission's model didn't fully account for the Student Success Act funds. This is called an "extremely misleading" omission. The report also says the commission's goals lack specificity.

Legislative Stance

The decision on whether to change the model rests with the Legislature. Lawmakers have made it clear they're not happy with the commission's methodologies. They say the model doesn't give feasible and realistic solutions. They also say local school districts need to be held accountable for how they use state funding.

Model Limitations

The commission's methodology is based on a 360-student elementary school. It includes class sizes of 20, dedicated physical education and music teachers, and computers for all students. But in reality, the state has both tiny rural high schools and mega-elementary schools. The median class size in Oregon middle and high schools is 24.

The model also hasn't been updated to reflect the full costs of aging school buildings. It also hasn't accounted for the rise in virtual schooling, the higher costs of educating students living below the poverty line, and rising student behavior challenges.

Public Discontent

The conflict over school funding spilled out into public view during the three-week-long teacher strike in Portland in 2023.

School board members took the state to task for disinvestment in the public school system. Lawmakers countered that the district was at fault and needed to realign its spending priorities. After the strike, Gov. Tina Kotek's office added half-a-billion dollars to the calculation of "current service level" funding. But with enrollment declining, labor costs rising, and school districts bracing for budget cuts, the pressure on lawmakers continues.

Advocates' Statements

Angela Bonilla, the president of the Portland Association of Teachers, said she was struggling to square the conclusions with a previous state-commissioned report. That report said Oregon needed to spend far more per pupil to raise outcomes for students. She said the Legislature can pat themselves on the back, but it doesn't hide the fact that school districts are facing millions in cuts for next year.