Legislature turns to budget with all eyes on schools
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Democrats in charge of the Oregon Legislature have promised to find more money for schools. This week they'll show their cards.
The Legislature's chief budget writers are expected to release their proposed two-year spending plan on Monday — a sort of counteroffer to Gov. John Kitzhaber's proposal late last year and a blueprint that will drive budget discussions in the coming months.
The proposal is likely to include at least $6.75 billion for schools, which House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, has set as her top budget priority. That's $1 billion more than the current two-year budget — enough to reverse some of the budget cuts that have plagued schools with fewer teachers, larger classes and shortened school years.
There will be a catch, though. Sending that much more money to the classroom would mean spending less on teachers' retirement and all eyes in Salem will be on how deep the budget chiefs propose cutting into pension benefits for public employees.
Lawmakers also could propose reducing tax deductions or credits to raise additional revenue.
"It will take some political will on both sides, but we believe we can get it done," said Rep. Peter Buckley, an Ashland Democrat who serves as one of two co-chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee, the Legislature's budget-writing panel.
Current school funding is about $5.7 billion. Kitzhaber proposed raising it to $6.15 billion, plus an additional $250 million from cutting pension benefits.
All public employers — including counties, cities, school districts and the state — are facing a big hike in their pension costs this summer to help repair the damage of severe investment losses during the Great Recession.
Democratic leaders have said they're open to considering pension reforms, but they must be constitutional and fair to government workers.
Rep. Dennis Richardson, a Central Point Republican and former Ways and Means co-chair, said he'd like to see cuts to public-employee pensions and also a shift of money from human services to education. He said human services expenditures — which include safety-net programs for low-income Oregonians, seniors and the disabled — have risen faster than education spending.
"This trend of expenditure allocation cannot be continued, and the ones who suffer most are the students in our Oregon public schools," Richardson said.
That could be a tough sell to majority Democrats.
Buckley said the budget will also rely on a renewal of a tax on hospitals to help pay for Medicaid, the government-funded health plan for people with low incomes. Hospitals have agreed to support a renewal of the tax for two more years and also to hike it 1 percentage point to raise additional money that would be used to help them enact new Medicaid reforms approved last year.
The tax is projected to raise about $600 million over two years. Because it raises state revenue, the tax requires support from three-fifths of lawmakers and will need votes from some Republicans.
The agreement of the hospitals, the Oregon Health Authority and coordinated care organizations that administer Medicaid is crucial to ensuring it passes, Buckley said.
"I cannot tell you how important it is that we got that done," he said.
Hospitals support the tax because it ensures thousands of people keep their health care coverage. Otherwise, they'd seek emergency-room care for which hospitals would not be reimbursed.
DHS bought 2700 MRAP armored vehicles for domestic use today, and on Sunday we gave Egypt another $250,000,000, and the Pentagon gave the Navy $750,000,000 to build new drones.Â
Don't worry, Obama fans. We won't let you forget because you seem to not want to come to terms with that this morning. This is obviously the Change you voted for.Â
"Lawmakers also could propose reducing tax deductions or credits to raise additional revenue."
Bwahahaha! Are we talking about this in Oregon? Never! They'll raise our taxes is what the Legislature will do.Â
vote no on all levies and bonds. the schools are as wasteful as the govt itself.  babysitter this!
There is already too much money going towards education. Reform is the only way our schools will succeed. Too much money is spent on pensions and administration. 10k per student should result in far greater results than we are currently achieving.
Forget the schools. Â Until the teacher's unions are put out of business every dime you give the schools will be wasted.
Time to repeal measure 11 and defund the prison industrial complex.
@Trickledown I couldn't agree with you more. While measure 11 intentions were well placed. The consequences with the demand on the prison system and unbalanced prison time for certain or circumstantial crimes.Â
Throwing money at the schools is like throwing gas on a fire- it only gets worse.
@PeterAWolf Until you run out of "gas", so we just buy more.
" There will be a catch, though. Sending that much more money to the classroom would mean spending less on teachers' retirement and all eyes in Salem will be on how deep the budget chiefs propose cutting into pension benefits for public employees."
Hahaha.. Hohoh,hehehee... heh. 'Spending less on teacher's retirement an---" BAAHAHAHAAAA!!  I do love a good belly laugh.
Oh, yeah, and just to remind everybody:
'CAIRO (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reforms by releasing $250 million in American aid to support the country's "future as a democracy"'
I have a photo of Marines from the 2nd Expeditionary Unit painting a grade school in Djabouti. What happens if you ask the Marines to paint schools in America?
Lets tax poor people and  that will fund poor people and still fund teachers PERS & Kotex.
"Buckley said the budget will also rely on a renewal of a tax on hospitals to help pay for Medicaid, the government-funded health plan for people with low incomes."
And until Buckley and others of his ilk understand that it is NOT government funded, we're screwed.
Those are taxpayer dollars, Buckley. They were taken from us by force and have been pissed away at your discretion for too long.
If the state chooses to  put the kids at the top of the priority  list in front of  appliance subsidies,  green energy subsidies,  and many other  similar programs..... there would be plenty of money for kids.
In the last few years when the income in my household dropped..... I didn't just  maintain every thing I spent money on and only paid a reduced amount  for each of my bills, No  I did away with some of the wants so I could fully fund  my needs.Â
I expect the state to do the same thing, but I'm not holding my breath.Â
It's discracefull that they are useing your children to threaten you in order to raise taxes again.
Are those "Christmas trees" in the carpet design in that photo?Â
@last boyscout Yeah they lay out he trees & YOU keep the presents under them.
Let's also stop giving newly hired administrators huge retirement packages. Let them save for their own retirement like the private sector. There should be no 'more than 100 grand salary' plus a housing allowance and car allowance. If you can't afford a house and car on 100 grand, you're too stupid to be working in education.
@AmiM LOL!  My wife is a "recently-hired administrator" for a local college, and I can tell you that even with experience they start out at less than half of the salary you're quoting, and there's no such thing as a housing allowance and a car allowance. Who gets THAT?!
@PlayanekesElementary and Middle schools... I'm only familiar with a few of them, but take a look at Reynolds for example. College admin, at least community college level admin doesn't get much. Have a cousin at that level.
Start by dumping textbooks. There are SO many better ways to learn and the cost of a textbook is utterly ridiculous. Go to a four day school week. Add a little time to each of those four days to make up for the 'missed' time. For the younger set, allow them to go out and play BEFORE you feed them lunch. Stops them from taking three bites and running out the door to recess. I realize these are all common sense ideas, so no one will even consider them. But it would save a buttload of money.
We can throw all the money in the world at schools and it won't make a difference. Things will not turn around until parents start taking some responsibility for their children.Â
@2012 Hope and Change ........unfortunately some, and I mean some, parents look at school as day care !
It is a lot more than 'some'.
@2012 Hope and Change Absolutely true. We need more parents and fewer breeders. Education is at least 50% the responsibility of those that reproduce. Schools have been crying for more money my whole life. Anyone can get an education if they want one. But it takes some discipline and work. Money alone won't solve the problem. Expect nothing and get nothing. We need to expect much more from both schools and breeders. When schools actually educate and parents actually parent then, and only then, will I consider supporting more money for schools.
If we took a bunch of money from drug treatment, welfare checks, and DHS paid buss passes for felons and child abusers, and invested it into great teachers and schools....we would have a lot less druggies, government leechers, felons and child abusers. Children are our future. Invest in children now, and you won't have to pay for their misdeeds later.
You sound like reverent lovejoy's wife " WILL SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?'
@The_AnnaCannard  Maybe if we took a bunch of money from overpaid cops who shoot unarmed people and raid pot growers, from over zealous prosecutors, repealed measure 11, we would have money for schools.Â
Will it happen? There are so many cops because the Klu Klux Klan class that used to run Oregon not too long ago needs to feel safe
@The_AnnaCannardYeah, invest in the children. Â We already did that and ended up with the flash rob generation.
@The_AnnaCannard THAT SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE HAS BEEN  PROVEN A BIG LIE
@The_AnnaCannard If $/child were proportional to results we would lead the world.  Teachers Parents and Society are all 3 broken and you reaping the harvest of humanism.
Boy, that Susan Castillo did one heck of a job didn't she?? And all that lottery money and tax initiatives and bonds..........well it all just worked out nicely.
Oh wait. There's an education problem?? Well lets just throw some more money at it and include some incompetent administrators and I'm sure it'll sort itself out !