Support Public Education

House Bill 2632 – Lower property taxes & boost school funding?

May 22, 2013

There is a new idea in Salem in the form of House Bill 2632. Check out this short story from the Oregonian and if you are in support, contact your legislators and let them know today!

Oregon House will vote on bill to divert $4.5 million from PDC to schools

on May 22, 2013 at 12:11 PM

jules bailey

SALEM — Because of Oregon’s quirky property tax system, a bill heading to the floor of the Oregon House
could simultaneously lower property taxes in Portland and boost funding for schools.

That contradictory effect is the result of the interplay between the taxing authority of Portland’s urban  renewal agency, the Portland Development Commission and Portland Public Schools.

Currently, the PDC can divert funding from other property tax districts such as the city of Portland, Multnomah County and Portland Public Schools. And because the agency’s taxing authority predates 2001,     it can also divert money raised by local option levies.

House Bill 2632 would remove that authority. It would affect nearly 100 urban renewal agencies statewide,   but the vast majority of the monetary impact would be seen in Portland, where the PDC currently diverts    $7.5 million from Portland school levies.

If the bill passed, that $7.5 million would be sent back to schools. Along the way the tax would be subject to “compression” thanks to Oregon’s property tax limitations, resulting in $4.5 million in new revenue for Portland Public Schools and a $3 million tax cut for property owners.

“We think the voters want that money to go to education and we want to find a way to get that back,“ said David Williams, a lobbyist for Portland Public Schools.

There’s one glitch left to work out. Multnomah County thinks it could cost up to $300,000 to reprogram the county’s tax assessment system to handle the complex transaction.

The House Revenue Committee unanimously approved the bill Wednesday morning, acknowledging that the Senate may need to amend the law to make it phase-in over time, allowing for tax assessors to upgrade software.

That’s a small price to pay for a $4.5 million shot in the arm to schools, said Rep. Jules Bailey, D-Portland.

“We shouldn’t let a small one-time cost in administration get in the way of getting more money to schools and critical services,” Bailey said.

–Christian Gaston

READ MORE
Support Public Education

Chance to talk money for schools TONIGHT Thursday March 21st @ Winterhaven

March 21, 2013

Sunnyside parents have been invited to join the parents and PTSA of Winterhaven School TONIGHT (March 21, 2013) … it’s all about 

winterhaven (1)

money for schools! Please attend and learn more about the process of funding schools, both in general and for this specific year.  

·When: Thursday, March 21st, 6:30 – 8:00

Joining us will be:·Where: Winterhaven School

·Ruth Adkins, Portland Public Schools Board Member

·Deborah Kafoury, Multnomah County Commissioner, former Oregon State legislator, school funding advocate and Winterhaven parent

·Otto Schell, Oregon PTA Legislative Director

·Mark Sandilands, Winterhaven Principal

READ MORE
Support Public Education

Your chance to speak out – Gov. Kitzhaber in Portland Monday Town Hall March 18th

March 15, 2013

This Monday, you’ve got an opportunity to speak out and make a difference for school funding.

Gov. Kitzhaber will be in Portland on Monday evening for a town hall

ImageProxyOregon has the third largest class sizes in the country, and one of the shortest school years.on education. It’s your chance to make your voice heard about the need to put more money into our classrooms  by reining in out of control tax breaks and using tax dollars   efficiently. Visit this link to let us know you’ll be there:http://ouroregon.org/townhall                       

 Kitzhaber Town Hall on Education Monday, March 18 6-7:30pm, Madison High School 2735 NE 82nd Avenue Portland, Oregon 97220 The questions for the town hall are being moderated by the Portland School Board—get your question in now by submitting them to the PPS Facebook page. Here are some facts to help you put your questions together:  

  • Over the next two years, Oregon is expected to give away more than $36 billion in tax breaks.
  • Since 2009, the amount of money Oregon gives away in tax breaks has grown by 29%, even while budgets for schools and critical services have been cut.
  • Oregon is now tied for the lowest business taxes in the nation.
  • Funding for K-12 schools is $3 billion below what experts believe we need in order to provide a quality education for every Oregon kid.

 

READ MORE
Support Public Education

A Better Way Forward Proposed by Our Oregon

March 4, 2013

Our Oregon has already responded to the new legislative budget proposal. Here is an excerpt from their blog today: Path Forward

There’s a path forward to protect our schools, health care, and the critical programs that keep our communities safe and healthy.

This morning, the chief budget writers of the Oregon legislature released their proposal for how to fund schools, health care, and public safety over the next two years.

While the co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee have recognized that it’s critical to put more money into the things that matter most—K-12 classrooms, senior care, and help for struggling families—there’s still much more to be done to make sure the budget isn’t balanced solely on the backs of the middle class.

There’s a way to stop cuts to things that matter most, protect retired seniors, and make sure large corporations and the wealthy are paying their fair share. Time is of the essence! If you want your voice heard in support of Our Oregon’s proposals, you need to contact your legislators by email or phone as soon as possible this week!

In order to protect the priorities that all Oregonians value, we’ve identified more than $700 million that can be used now to hire back teachers, lower class sizes, protect senior health care, and ensure that critical services are there for families when they need them.

Our proposals include $278 million in government savings, nearly $300 million by capping tax breaks for wealthy households, and using some reserve funds now.

See the entire blog with details on their proposed ways to stop cuts here on their Sockeye Blog.

You can find your legislators and TAKE ACTION TODAY to let them know that you support these cost savings proposed by Our Oregon.

Here is a handy graphic of the proposals they are making:

PathForwardProposals

 

READ MORE
US SenateSupport Public Education

Urgent Action Request to Stop the Sequester

February 26, 2013

Although the Oregon PTA sent out this urgent action request to it’s members this week, it certainly wouldn’t hurt for concerned citizens and parents who may or may not be members to make their voices heard on this issue as well. If you would like lawmakers to find a way to keep sequestration from taking even more away from our schools, please consider acting NOW:

congress
  • As many of you know, without Congressional intervention this week, Sequestration is set to take effect on March 1 (Friday). Sequestration is the across-the-board federal budget cut totaling $1.2 trillion which will go into effect on Friday, March 1st.  
  • The estimates around the potential final impact have been fluctuating, but the updated impact data are based on an approximated 5% cut to federal education funding. Please note that the below state-by-state specific links are provided by the White House – which means they are written by the White House and the tone can be slightly political.Oregon PTA urges all of our members to take just five minutes and contact their federal representatives and senators and ask them to ensure sequestration does not happen.  Below is a sample letter/talking points for advocates to use when contacting their legislators, as well as detailed impact data for Oregon, a link to find legislator contact information, and a link to National PTA sequestration toolkit, which contains a handy FAQ, giving you more information about 
  • sequestration.
  • Hello, I am ________, president/member/etc. of _________ PTA.
  • As a parent and constituent voter, I am calling/emailing to urge Senator/Representative _______ work across the aisle to identify a balanced, responsible deficit reduction plan in
  • place of sequestration that does not further reduce investment in education and long term economic health.
  • Non-defense discretionary programs have already contributed $1.5 trillion to deficit reduction – a disproportionate share. Since 2002, per-capita inflation adjusted spending on education alone has been reduced by 14.2%, excluding Pell Grants.
  • Without Congressional action, Sequestration will result in approximately $2.4 billion in cuts to education programs – leaving students, schools, and families short-changed starting in the 2013-2014 school year. For (STATE), this will mean (fill-in using state-specific numbers below).
  • Thank you for taking time to speak with a concerned parent and advocate about investment in education – a necessary component of long-term national prosperity.
  • PTA is counting on Senator/Representative ________ to act on behalf of students and families.

We ask that members contact their Senator/Representatives by Thursday, February 28th, 2013 by 1:00pm PST. If you are calling, please contact the Washington DC office, and ask to speak to the staffer who handles budget and/or education.

Thank you for your continued work on behalf of Oregon and its students!  Please contact Nina Carlson at 503 312-0683 or teufelhill@yahoo.com  with questions about this Action Alert, and if emailing, please include office@oregonpta.org in the cc line.

For details about what sequestration means to Oregon students visit:http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/sequester-factsheets/Oregon.pdfTo find your legislator visit: www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr

For more information about sequestration visit: http://pta.org/advocacy/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3402

 

 

 

 

READ MORE
Support Public Education

Understanding Oregon K-12 School Finance

February 17, 2013

capitol_salem_oregon_01

Came across this nice PowerPoint presentation from Michael Elliott,    State School Fund Coordinator, Oregon Department of Education.

If you would like a better understanding of how and why we are where we are at with Education Funding here in Oregon, this just may help.

https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2013R1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/1966

And with President’s Day, please remember, comes another important way to advocate for better school funding. Write an e-mail to your state legislators … it is a quick and easy but important process … see details in this previous post:

email image

https://www.sesptsa.org/featured/oregon-pta-virtual-lobbying-day-presidents-day-february-18-2013/

—

Funding educationAlso a recent Letter to the Editor in the Oregonian that gets to the point:Ed funding image

Oregon chief education officer Rudy Crew wants to “fix” our schools by changing their “educational architecture” and buying a lot of new technology (“Call for new ‘educational architecture’ in Oregon,” Feb. 11).

Our present model doesn’t serve students well, he says, completely ignoring the effects of years of inadequate funding on the schools we have. Remember the state’s Quality Education Model? In every biennium, the gap between what the QEM has established as resources needed and actual funding has grown. That gap was $1.64 billion in 2007-9 and is projected to be $2.44 billion in 2013-15. This reminds me of G.K. Chesterton’s words: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

In Oregon, stable, adequate and equitable funding has been found difficult and not tried. Instead, our leaders continue to take resources out of classrooms, spending scarce education dollars on bureaucracy, consultants, testing and expensive technology. Let’s focus on the basics: students and teachers working together in schools that are supported with the wherewithal for learning.

Until we try appropriately funded schools, we won’t know how effective they can be.

WENDY SWANSON
Southwest Portland
Swanson is an education instructor at Portland State University and has 31 years of elementary teaching experience in Oregon.

READ MORE
school kidsSupport Public Education

Oregon PTA Virtual Lobbying Day – President’s Day: February 18, 2013

February 11, 2013
They are asking you to send a simple email to your legislators – every Oregonian has a state senator and state representative who was elected to act on your behalf.

What should your email include?OPTAlogo

  • Introduce yourself. 
  • Briefly state why you are writing.The Oregon PTA wants your legislators to know that you are keeping track of what they are doing in Salem and that you care about every child in the state of Oregon, andsubsequently that Oregon PTA is watching as well.
  • Tell a personal story about how the cuts in education funding have affected you especially with increased class sizes and lost programs.
  • Thank the legislator for their concern and service. 
  • Offer to be available to the legislator if they should have questions or need further information. 
  • Provide your preferred contact information and respectfully sign off.
  • Please include OPTARegion2@gmail.com in the CC so we can keep track of people responding. We want to help build the connection with our legislators.

Where to send the message:

If you want to find your legislator, here is a link you can follow where you just put in your address and it will list all of your representatives, nationally and in Oregon.   www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/ , or go to the list below.

If that is too much of a hassle here are the legislators associated with each school address.  You can use the school which is nearest to your home and you will most likely be okay.

Schools:

Sunnyside

Senator:  Diane Rosenbaum     www.leg.state.or.us/rosenbaum

Representative:  Jules Kopel Bailey      www.leg.state.or.us/bailey

==========

Example Email:

“My name is Scott Overton and I am an advocate for children and education.  I am a member of the PTA at Grant HS and the father of two boys, Joe and Adam. I am interested in Oregon reinvesting in education and making sure that all children have access to a bright future.  So I am asking you to make sure that the percentage of the state budget dedicated to education does not further decline and even increases with the result of a no cut budget for schools throughout Oregon.  My children, Joe and Adam, are very different in how they learn.  Joe can independently learn most material and does quite well in every class situation.  But Adam is not so lucky.  He requires extra time to understand his work and in second year Algebra he has 35 other students in his class which means the teacher cannot spend much time with him.  Luckily the teacher has made herself available after hours to help students and Adam is taking advantage of this but I fear there are many in his class that are not able to come during lunch or after school because of responsibilities outside of school and they are not getting the time they need from the teacher to understand the concepts. The teacher should have fewer students so that she can attend to every student during the class period.  Thank you, Representative Dembrow, for listening to my concern and for your service to our community.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need further information.  I am available to help make education work in Oregon.

Sincerely, Scott Overton

==================

Just one more way to get involved in School Funding and Advocacy in Oregon! Let me know if you have questions and keep an eye out in the SES Messenger for a new section all about this blog and Public Education Advocacy opportunities each week.

 

 

 

 

READ MORE
Support Public Education

Oregon Legislature begins work

February 4, 2013

The Oregon Legislature is back in session, starting today, Monday, February 4, 2013. In case you haven’t yet heard,

Kitzhaber

 

…Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, put out a recommended budget that included two mandates for the legislature:
…Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem… and House of Representatives Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte… McLane both said the economy would be a top priority, as well as education funding… Make changes to Oregon’s criminal justice system and Public Employees Retirement System. He tied the savings to education funding in his proposed budget and told legislators to cut $1 billion from the state budget if they don’t pass the reform packages…

For the full Salem Statement-Journal story from today’s edition, go online to: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20130204/NEWS/302040005/Oregon-Legislature-begins-work-earnest?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|p.

And from today’s Oregonian:

EDUCATION

As usual, most of the attention will be on money. Kitzhaber has proposed $6.15 billion for K-12 schools in 2013-15, an 8 percent increase from the current two-year budget. School advocates want more. Kitzhaber says he can deliver what he has proposed only if the Legislature approves controversial changes to the Public Employee Retirement System. He and his chief education officer, Rudy Crew, also will ask lawmakers to earmark $10 million to $120 million for four key initiatives — early childhood reading; science, math and engineering; advising to nudge students toward college; and recruiting, training and mentoring of teachers.

In the higher ed arena, Kitzhaber wants the Legislature to recast the power structure to create a new postsecondary board over universities, community colleges and state financial aid. University champions also want to permit some universities to create their own boards, independent of systemwide control.

Watch list: Kitzhaber and his handpicked education lieutenants, Crew and schools chief Rob Saxton, will make the case for their spending and governance changes. The Oregon Education Association, which was unhappy with the education package the governor helped push through last session, should never be counted out.

Politics: School boards, superintendents and the teachers union all are expected to oppose parts of Kitzhaber’s plans, instead advocating higher spending on schools and less earmarking of how that money can be spent. Democrats are looking at alternative ways to pump more money into schools.

– Betsy Hammond

You may want to keep an eye on The Oregonian’s Oregon Education section in Politics: http://www.oregonlive.com/education/

I will be posting most likely more frequently in the days and weeks to come with action items for those who may want to get involved in trying to increase funding for Oregon Schools. A few groups to watch or to check out for more information on the history of education funding in Oregon include:

Oregon Education Association

http://www.oregoned.org/stay-informed/school-funding/k-12-funding

Oregon Save our Schools

http://www.oregonsaveourschools.blogspot.com/

Our Portland, Our Schools 

http://www.ourportlandourschools.com/

Invest in Oregon’s Kids

http://investinorkids.wordpress.com/

Chalkboard Project

http://chalkboardproject.org/what-we-do/

Please feel free to email me at s2adi@msn.com if you have questions, see groups or events you would like me to post about and/or have suggestions or ideas for me.

Best always,

Sue Lyon-Myrick

READ MORE
Support Public Education

The Election is almost here – ways to support the bond.

October 23, 2012

Hey folks. Thanks to everyone who has supported the bond with lawn signs and

making calls. We are having one more Sunnyside Phone Bank night for the bond on Monday, October 29th at   Bond Headquarters 1785 NE Sandy Blvd. from 5 – 8 pm. If you can make it, please let    Sue Lyon-Myrick  (s2adi@Msn.com) know to expect you and feel free to bring a friend!

Earlier that day you can join Our Portland, Our Schools at some of the busiest corners in town where they will be  smiling and proudly waving “Vote Yes on the School Bond” signs for morning commuters to see!  Pick one of 8 highly visible locations, and   let them know that they will see you there!

OR

You can sign up today to be a Bond Visibility Captain! Select one of the locations and have 2-3 friends join you for one of two shifts.

1. Monday October 29 – November 1, 7:30a.m.-9:00a.m.
2. Friday November 2 – November 6th, 7:30a.m.-9:00a.m.Show up at the site you select with your hand made 2012 School Bond Banner (or pick one up at the office)
1. 39th and Sandy Blvd
2. Burnside and W. 23rd Ave
3. East end of Broadway bridge
4. East end of the Hawthorne bridge
5. West end of the Hawthorne bridge
6. East end of the Morrison bridge
7. 39th and SE Powell
8. MLK/Grand at Broadway/Weidler

Find more information at their Facebook page for this event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/271400716296617/

READ MORE
Support Public Education

Calling all canvassers – great weather for a walk & a little “bond” talk

October 5, 2012

Hey folks. If you are interested in supporting the Bond and getting out in this gorgeous fall weather, have we got a deal for you!

With the amazing forecast for the next week or so, the bond campaign is focusing efforts on canvassing. This weekend,and all weekends, they are canvassing from 10 – 1 on Saturday and from 3 – 6 on Sunday.

Their location this weekend where they are meeting up to disperse into the neighborhood is Hamilton City Park in the SW next to Bridelmeyer School.

So if this is for you, get your walking shoes on!

———————————————————–

If you are feeling the need to advocate for Public Education but maybe from the comfort of your own home for now or at least not through canvassing door-to-door, the National Education Association is asking for your help to save education jobs:

Congress has left Washington, DC and won’t return until mid-November, when these critical issues will take center stage. Now is the time to make our voices heard. We need to tell Congress that education and other critical programs cannot continue to bear the brunt of deficit reduction. The choice is stark: Congress can protect students and their education, or it can continue to coddle the wealthiest two percent and corporations that ship jobs overseas.Don’t let them make the wrong choice!

Take Action Today:

• Tell Congress to take a balanced approach to deficit reduction and reject more cuts to education.
• See new state by state data on what the pending cuts would mean for students and educators where you live.
• Visit your Members of Congress when they are back home campaigning. Tell them to stop the cuts to education and to make sure the top two percent pay their fair share.

READ MORE
  • 1
  • 2