State Rep. David Gomberg
An Introduction to School Funding
6/17/2024
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
Several weeks ago, I received a call from American Legion Post 97 in Lincoln County. The wanted a “special” American flag to fly on a new pole over Veterans Plaza in Lincoln City.
More specifically, the Post asked if I could help them get a flag that had been flown over the Capitol in Washington DC. I smiled. I smiled because as we spoke, I was sitting in the outer office of Congresswoman Val Hoyle in Washington waiting to meet her with a Newport delegation to discuss water project funding. Half an hour later, I called the American Legion back. I had their flag tucked under my arm and would bring it home later that day.
Saturday, Flag Day, we unveiled the new flag in a special gathering at the Ed Johann Veterans Plaza. It was my honor to present the flag to WWII Marine Frank King who then handed it to members of our Coast Guard station for the formal raising. The pole is illuminated, and the flag will fly there every day to honor our veterans and our communities.
It’s been three months since the Oregon Employment Department (OED) launched its new computer system, called Frances Online. The Employment Department’s leaders say Frances is performing fine, technically, and that it’s paying most claims promptly. Total weekly payments are roughly on par with what the agency was paying before the new system kicked in. But for those having issues, it’s been a frustrating transition. Many unemployed Oregonians remain exasperated and struggling financially.
The new technology hasn’t solved problems that predated Frances including long hold times and slow claims processing. Those were common issues during the pandemic that resurfaced last year. The employment department blames a falloff in federal funding that triggered a two-thirds reduction in the number of staff processing benefits applications.
Earlier this year, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that will redirect $45 million in funding over the next two years to administer the unemployment insurance program. That’s enough to hire 72 more people to answer phones and process claims. Lawmakers initially took up the bill in 2023, but it died before getting a vote, a victim of a contentious legislative session and Senate walkout. The new bill doesn’t take effect until the end of June and the employment department warns it will take time to hire and train the additional staff.
Your legislature recently received an update about what the Employment Department is doing to make their new computer system work better and to get claims resolved. If you are interested in this topic watch the hearing. Meanwhile, if you are having challenges getting unemployment or you know someone who is and you reside in my district please reach out for help to get what you need or get your claim resolved.
Oregon’s economy is strong. More people are working and more people are getting paid better for the work they do. But our state economists are guarded. That means we may again face a situation where tax revenues exceed forecasts. The “extra” money will come back to taxpayers in another kicker. That leaves lawmakers struggling to pay for the increasing costs of priorities like schools, continued investments in housing, public safety, and our roads.
I have written at length recently about the challenge facing our highways, roads and bridges. Gas tax income is falling as maintenance costs rise. Technically, road funds do not come from income tax revenues. But that could change as we work to fill potholes and clean landslides. This year we committed $19 million from the General Fund for winter maintenance, road striping, and clean-up.
I have also written about our efforts to build affordable housing, address homelessness, and secure funding for housing infrastructure like water and sewers. This year we approved a $376 million housing package that included infrastructure funding, a new revolving loan for middle-income housing, more money for homeless shelters and a boost to state rent assistance.
That brings us to schools.
In 2019, the Legislature passed the Student Success Act, which created a new tax on business sales in order to raise around $1 billion a year for primary schools (it’s actually generating closer to $1.5 billion a year). The Student Success Act washeralded as a watershed moment for solving the state’s long-running school funding dilemma.
In 2023, we passed a $10.2 billion K-12 budget which was an increase from the previous funding of $9.5 billion. The allocation was the largest in state history –and nearly identical to the amount school districts were demanding to avoid budget cuts.
Now we’re hearing that isn’t enough.
Superintendents in four Oregon school districts, including the two largest in Portland and Salem, called on state leaders to boost funding for public education, and saying school funding is a “crisis.” In Portland, a three-week teachers strike brought learning to a halt, as school officials insisted they did not have the money to meet educators’ demands. Meanwhile, Salem-Keizer schools said they were bracing for at least $70 million in budget cuts in coming months, as the district attempted to craft a new labor contract of its own.
You can read more about the complicated and conflicting views of Oregon school funding here.
The Governor and legislative leadership are now looking at a statewide conversation about school funding. The Governor said she plans to create a new office within the Oregon Department of Education to make budget information easier to understand and more transparent. Governor Kotek also said it’s time to consider whether Oregon needs a minimum statewide teacher salary. That would benefit rural communities that struggle to find and keep new teachers. Starting pay in Coos Bay is $32,000 but closer to $50,000 in Portland.
I do not sit on the legislature’s education committee and I am not an expert in education policy, but I see on a daily basis the role that our schools play not only in education but in holding our communities together and meeting so many basic needs for our neighbors.
How did we get to this point? Here is an illustrated guide and brief history of education funding in Oregon, created by Lindsay Ray.
I expect that school funding will be front and center again next session.
We are essentially caught between statewide voter approved limitations on local school district’s ability to raise property taxes to fund schools (as most other states allow), and the state’s myriad of funding priorities in the general fund that schools must compete with. Oregon has made progress to create more independent funding streams for education, but our needs have also deepened on many fronts, not just in our schools.
While we learn about the legacy and history of school funding in Oregon, I also want to share some resources and organizations that are doing important work to connect our school communities to advocate for education.
Oregon’s Quality Education Commission – What would it take to fund Oregon schools to meet the actual needs of our communities, and where do we fall short? The 2001 Legislature established the Quality Education Commission in statute to determine the amount of funding needed to meet the state’s quality education goals. You can dive deep in the budgets and programs that are recommended and their costs and shortfalls here.
L. Ray’s Illustrated A Brief History of School Funding in Oregon
– A great illustrated snapshot of the efforts in Oregon to expand and limit school funding, and the legacy that we inherit as we work to fund Oregon schools in a consistent, stable, and equitable way.
Oregon PTA – connect with your local school PTA and follow the Oregon PTA and their monthly virtual series, “
From the Capitol to Our Classrooms – Championing Investments in Public Schools“.
Representative David Gomberg
House District 10
email: Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov
phone: 503-986-1410
Sen. Ron Wyden
Today marks the second grim anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson, the ruling in which right-wing extremists on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ripped reproductive health care and bodily autonomy away from millions of women across America.
Over the past two years, we’ve continually seen the true horror of the far-right’s crusade on women and the constitutional right to privacy:
- Women denied the health care they need in emergency rooms, putting their lives in danger
- Doctors fearing being persecuted for doing their job
- Women forced to flee states to receive abortion care
- Efforts to ban IVF, mifepristone, and basic birth control
And the list goes on.
But as difficult as the last two years have been, they have also reaffirmed a fundamental truth: the American people don’t sit quietly when their rights are taken away.
We’ve seen record turnout in down-ballot races against anti-choice extremists and their agenda that is wildly out of step with what the American people want. We’ve even seen voters in “red” states such as Montana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Kansas defeat abortion bans or pass abortion protections. History and public opinion are on our side – and if we elect a Democratic House, Senate, and President this November, I know that our first order of business will be legislatively codifying federal abortion protections.
While the fight ahead won’t be easy, our cause is stronger than ever, and the path to victory is possible. So Judith, I hope you’ll join me in my efforts to elect more pro-choice Democrats to the Senate. Every bit of support helps!
Onward
Ron
Senator Jeff Merkley
Today marks two years since the three extremist, right-wing Supreme Court Justices handpicked by Trump led the Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision. We’ve been living with the dangerous, disastrous aftermath ever since.
Make no mistake: The last thing anybody needs in the exam room when making personal, intimate decisions about our bodies are judgmental politicians who want to dictate the outcome regardless of the health risks.
Yet, that’s exactly what’s happening right now. We are seeing the very real and dangerous consequences across the country of taking away the right to safe and legal abortions. Across the country, MAGA Republicans have passed laws banning abortion, criminalizing providers, and restricting access to contraception. More than 1 in 3 women in America currently live under some form of abortion ban. Women are waiting longer for needed care, being turned away from emergency rooms, and, in some cases, being forced to travel hundreds of miles to get the reproductive care they need.
In Oregon, we’ve made it clear we will stand strong for the right to compassionate reproductive care. That’s how it should be across the country. The decision to have an abortion is one that should be made by you and only you – not by judges, not by MAGA politicians, and not by your ability to pay or the zip code you live in.
It’s outrageous that MAGA Republicans continue to put lives at risk by playing partisan games to criminalize reproductive care.
Restoring and defending reproductive rights for all Americans is one of the reasons I’m so focused on holding the Senate Democratic Majority, flipping the House in 2024, and holding the White House.
It’s on all of us – members of Congress, medical professionals, advocates, and voters – to stand up against this nightmare vision of women forced to carry pregnancies to term against their will. Each one of us should have the freedom to live our lives without politicians forcing their way into our bedrooms and exam rooms.
Onward!
Jeff
US Rep Val Hoyle
If you need help with a federal agency or benefit, or have a question or concern about a federal policy, I am here to help. Contact my Eugene office at 541-465-6732 or my DC office at 202-225-6416 for assistance.
Photos: Register Guard
Standing with Workers
Over the past few months, we’ve seen workers across all industries stand up to demand fair wages, hours, and working conditions. I was proud to join the Teamsters at their conference in DC this week. I also spoke on the House Floor in support of the United Auto Workers who at the time I write this newsletter are considering striking against the Big Three U.S. automakers for increased wages and benefits. Like I said at the Teamsters conference: “You either stand with workers or you don’t – and working people know who stands with them!”
Securing Funding for Oregon’s Firefighters
I was glad to be in Corvallis to tour the new fire station that received funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Our first responders need our ongoing support, and I’m glad to see that this fire station will help retain and recruit talent.
| I am so proud to represent Southwest Oregon. There is no place in the world like it. Don’t just take my word for it. In case you missed it, both Newport and Bandon were listed on the ’20 Best Beach Towns in America.’ |
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve you.  |
| Val Hoyle Member of Congress |
Governor Tina Kotek
Kotek holds signing ceremony for bills on ghost guns, fentanyl and Oregon’s police training backlog
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek held a symbolic signing ceremony for seven new public safety bills Monday afternoon, touting legislation aimed at cracking down on “ghost guns” and fentanyl, bolstering Oregon’s overloaded public defender system and clearing a backlog at the state’s sole police academy.
The deadline for Kotek to sign bills from the 2023 legislative session has already passed; all of the bills she mentioned at Monday’s news conference were officially signed back in July, but the governor sought to highlight them as a group, declaring that they “represent concrete steps forward to ensure that Oregonians are safe and have trust in their justice system.”
The ghost gun bill was one of two bills targeted by a six-week walkout led by Senate Republicans earlier this year, which ended when Democrats agreed to scale down both pieces of legislation before passage — something Kotek acknowledged at Monday’s news conference, although she didn’t mention the parts that got cut.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek celebrates law protecting gender-affirming care, abortion
To celebrate its passage, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday held a ceremonial signing of a bill protecting rights to gender-affirming care and abortion.
The controversial House Bill 2002 had previously been signed into law and took effect July 13.
“Neighboring states are banning and criminalizing essential health care, threatening patients and providers, cutting off access to care in rural communities, and targeting access to lifesaving health care for transgender and non-binary individuals,” Kotek said. “Here in Oregon, we’re taking a stand.”
The law clarifies and protects provider and patient rights to abortion and gender-affirming care, allows for minors under the age of 15 to seek abortions and reproductive care without parental consent and requires insurance coverage of medically necessary gender-affirming care.
