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558 N. Main St.,
Prineville, OR 97754
Phone: 541.447.6205 |
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| Back to you legislators |
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By Vance W. Tong
There is no doubt that the passage of Measure 19 came as a huge shot in the arm to school districts throughout the state.
With it, K-12 school will receive $150 million in funding. Granted there is another measure to be decided upon in January which will either mean more funding or huge cuts for schools, but both of these measures miss the real problem.
That problem is with Oregon's public school system and how it is funded by the state.
What measure 19 did was effectively put a bandage on a gaping funding wound. It'll stop the bleeding in the short run, but in the long run, that bandage isn't going to be adequate.
School Districts throughout the state need to take a long, hard look at what they're offering students. If it doesn't contribute to the education of the students, it probably doesn't need to be funded.
But the school districts are hardly the place to put the blame.
The Oregon State Legislature is remiss in its approach to the problem. They have become the consumer that pays off one credit card bill with another credit card. Until the state can teach itself to curb its spending habits, we will all be caught in a never-ending tax and spend cycle.
So, the voters have done their part. They have told the legislature that they believe in supporting the state's schools. The voters said, "Here's the bandage. Now, see a doctor and get that wound stitched up."
Given their previous record, comparing the state's legislators to doctors isn't exactly a comforting thought.
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