Oregon’s schools will need nearly $2.5 billion more to maintain the status quo of service for the 2027-29 school years, and nearly $5 billion more to help students meet new accountability and attendance targets, according to a recent estimate unlikely to gain traction as the Legislature sets budgets next year.
Oregon’s Quality Education Commission, an 11-member volunteer committee tasked with producing recommendations for K-12 school funding, shared the numbers in a recent report. They represent a roughly 22% increase to the $11.3 billion lawmakers most recently allocated for K-12 spending from the State School Fund to maintain the status quo, and roughly 41% more to meet new accountability standards and rules.
This is or should be a dead on arrival proposal, and here’s why:
The state now spends about $1,000 more per-pupil than the national average — roughly $19,700 per K-12 student as opposed to the average of about $18,800 — but outcomes have not improved, and Oregon’s kids rank at the bottom in national assessments of reading proficiency when adjusted for demographics.
As I repeat ad nauseam, THE PROBLEM WITH OREGON EDUCATION IS NOT FUNDING; IT IS HOW THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT.