Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, says lawmakers have to look longer into the future when making budget decisions and not spend all the state’s reserves on schools.SALEM — A key budget committee agreed today to spend $5.7 billion in state aid on Oregon’s public schools for the next two years, setting the stage for a vote in the full Senate.
The spending level is about the same as schools are getting now and less than what they got two years ago. School districts say they will be forced to lay off hundreds of teachers, grow class sizes and shorten school years as a result.
The Joint Ways and Means Committee approved two school funding bills. One sets aside just under $5.6 billion from general fund and lottery dollars. The other taps a special reserve fund for another $100 million, but requires districts to use it for smaller class sizes and to add days to the school year.
Although this was a critical vote to get the school budget moving, the debate over how much to spend on schools is far from over. A contingent of House Democrats wants to take more money from the Education Stability Fund to boost spending on schools.
Committee co-chairman Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, said he and other budget negotiators struggled with how much to dip into the state’s reserves. Oregon’s economy remains uncertain, which means the state may end up with less money than it expects in years to come, Richardson said.
“The challenge we faced was not only trying to deal with the budget for the next years, but also the governor has asked us to look at the next 10 years,” he said.
The school budget bills now go the Senate for a vote, possibly on Tuesday.
Harry Esteve
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