In a striking revelation, Robin Roemer, vice president for legislative advocacy for the Oregon PTA, highlights the ongoing educational crisis in Oregon. Twenty-five years have passed since voters amended the state constitution, mandating that Oregon provide a quality education for its children. Yet, as Roemer points out, every year since the amendment, the Legislature has failed to meet this constitutional obligation, consistently providing funding that falls short of the state’s own educational expectations.
Oregon has now graduated twelve generations of students—equating to nearly 500,000 children—without delivering the quality education promised in the constitution. Although public school funding has seen nominal increases, the reality is that services available to students are dwindling.
Tightening budgets are exacerbated by rising student needs, external mandates, and escalating costs for essentials like textbooks and pensions, which are growing faster than inflation. The recently approved $11.4 billion State School Fund merely sustains current operations for some districts, while others may face cuts. Roemer criticizes the state’s leadership, accusing them of misleading the public by touting this funding allocation as “historic.”
Financial analysis reveals that, when adjusting for the cost of living, Oregon ranks about 35th in per-pupil spending nationwide. This figure falls significantly short compared to states like Kansas, Ohio, and North Dakota, which invest thousands more per student. The impacts of this funding shortfall are evident in classrooms across the state—larger class sizes, fewer counselors and librarians, and insufficient funding for maintaining deteriorating school infrastructures.
The 2023-24 school year saw alarming rates of chronic absenteeism, affecting 179,000 Oregon students. Concurrently, test scores indicate that most of Oregon’s 545,000 students struggle to meet grade-level reading requirements, with seven out of ten students lagging in mathematics. Disturbingly, a recent analysis reported that Oregon ranks last in the country for academic achievement among fourth graders.
Parents are increasingly frustrated as they witness the decline in educational excellence, with state leadership failing to rise to the challenge. Rather than addressing this pressing issue with a sense of urgency during the legislative session, politicians fell short of their already modest goals.
Roemer criticizes the governor’s accountability initiative, Senate Bill 141, labeling it as misguided. The bill aims to establish performance goals for local school districts without equipping them to meet those targets. Predictably, when districts inevitably fall short, the governor’s plan involves sending consultants from the Oregon Department of Education to take control, despite the fact that the state agency grapples with the same limitations and inadequate funding as local districts.
Furthermore, legislative efforts to tackle chronic absenteeism have been significantly watered down, resulting in nothing more than a study and the formation of an advisory committee, despite the urgency of the situation. Citing wasted resources, Roemer emphasizes that without students present in classrooms, efforts to improve educational outcomes are ineffective.
Discontent in the legislature also surfaced around House Bill 2007, which involved funding summer learning programs. Some legislators directed their focus solely on literacy instruction, neglecting broader educational skills such as creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving, which are equally vital for students’ success.
Efforts to increase funding for special education students—a pressing concern given the inequities faced—failed to progress to a vote on the floor, leaving many children without the resources they need. Notably, while legislators secured sufficient funding for free school meals for all students, plans to make this a requirement for school districts fell through during the chaotic end of the session, leaving some students without adequate nutrition during the school day.
Roemer asserts that students in Oregon deserve more robust solutions, notably from the Quality Education Commission. Established to identify best practices within the education system, the commission has unfortunately been sidelined by ongoing legislative discussions. The commission’s biannual reports and financial models are outdated and require urgent revision. Despite a comprehensive $300,000 report highlighting various shortcomings in Oregon’s educational framework, the legislature has yet to address these issues.
To regain public trust and outline a path forward, Roemer urges lawmakers to take the consultants’ recommendations to heart and to revitalize the Quality Education Commission. By expanding its membership to include national experts and current legislators, adequately funding it, and ensuring it is staffed appropriately, the commission could offer research-based, evidence-driven recommendations to guide policy effectively.
Only through a concerted effort—one that incorporates a shared strategy, urgent funding, and implementation—does Roemer believe Oregon can improve its educational outcomes significantly.
As the state prepares for the arrival of 30,000 eager kindergarteners, the immediate needs of Oregon’s educational system become increasingly clear. The adults in charge have a responsibility to curb the damaging status quo that threatens to compromise the quality of public education for generations to come.
image source from：oregonlive
