Oregon has a huge budget shortfall... 30-40% by some accounts. One of the measures proposed to deal with this is to cut school funding. We're looking at dropping 18 days between now and the end of the year (from what is already one of the shortest school years in the country). We may get a 2 week Spring Break and then go 4 days a week instead of 5. Similar actions are being considered for next year, including a reduction in teachers/increase in class size. That means that by the time my 1st grader hits high school, she may have missed out on an entire school year. This sucks.
The larger teacher to student ratio really sucks for the students. That's too bad. It's horrible that all of these future generations of students will be punished because of this stuff.
Yep. Oregon has this rep as a whacked out left-winger state, but there are some definite conservative strongholds and they're often strong enough to stand in the way of anything sensible. ( I think 8.25 is too high. I'd be OK with 3-5.)
How do a state end up with a 30-40% shortfall? Did tax revenues drop that much? Or was spending going up at a crazy pace? I can see that over several years, but how do you end up 40% off in 1 yr?
It seems like outside of Portland and Eugene, the rest of the state is pretty conservative. Seriously, the sales tax would help solve a good bit of the state's budget shortfall. Hell, out here in California they're actualy raising it about 1% from 8.25% to about 9.25%.
You'd think they'd cut a llot more of the bureaucracy rather than have the kids in school less. I guess it is hard to fire union people, though.
The only way the sales tax would pass would be to lower the state income tax rate which is currently at 9%. That's one of the reasons revenues can be so up and down. When the economy is strong the income tax revenues really kick in.
Sadly Americans, including school kids, will have to suffer more until the conservative anti-tax, anti-government craze has been even more exposed.
Only a kook fringe liberal would point to a Democratic-governed state like Oregon and blame conservatives for the problem. Clueless.
LOL, Oregon has a dem governor, a dem majority senate and house. Talk about just making stuff up, what a freaking idiot.
Why is it that politicians always axe education when trying to cut budgets. Isn't this sort of thinking one of the main reasons why USA is losing the #1 status on economy in the world? Yes, I know this specific example isn't university level but still, you gotta focus on the roots.
Because for states education is often one of the biggest parts of the budget. Anyway that sucks Rimrocker. A couple of rural Minnesota school districts have gone to a 4 day week so this could become a nationwide trend. Oregon's problems are bad but they're not alone as every state not called North Dakota are facing budget problems.
I don't know if it's the case in Oregon, but I know in Lakeville, MN (and other suburban school districts), they offer a ridiculous amount of high school classes. While it is nice to have a number of options to choose from, these are classes that could easily be cut and I doubt anyone would notice. Examples: Interior Design and Housing Trends Basic Foods Creative Foods Textiles and Fabric Arts Building Construction and Applied Architecture Women in Engineering Introduction to Sports Medicine Broadcast Media Film Analysis The list could go on and on. None of the classes I listed are AP or Honors classes, simply electives any student can take. If the students want to be that well rounded, have them take these types of classes before or after school and pay for them.
It is sort of sad as we have to cut public schools since we are so poor. Things might get desperate enough that we may have to skip a war or two for awhile.
Maybe they should consider allowing offshore drilling. Oil companies are looking to spend money on development and I'm sure Oregon could use some of the jobs and revenue that it creates. But than again..that would be too easy of a helpful solution.
