SALEM – Public education in Oregon needs “long-term, dedicated, sustainable funding.”

That money, specifically, should be allocated toward specialized education, reducing class sizes, hiring more mental health specialists and reducing the workload of those already employed in public schools. More counselors, more educational assistants and more programs that aim to enhance learning and engage students also are needed.

That’s according to a handful of the about 5,000 educators, students, parents, lawmakers and others who gathered outside the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem on Monday to call on lawmakers to provide more funds for public education in the state.

More than 350 Oregon Education Association members from the Eugene, Springfield, Bethel and other area district attended the rally and march, according to Eugene Education Association President Tad Shannon. The Oregon Education Association is a statewide teachers union. The Eugene Education Association is a local Eugene teachers union.

Many of those who flocked to the capitol steps on a foggy President’s Day, a federal holiday for most, were dressed in red hats, shirts, scarves, skirts and mittens as part of the Red for Ed movement. The event featured a rally with several speakers from the Oregon Education Association, a statewide teachers union, and teachers from across the state.

The rally was followed by a march around the Capitol building in downtown Salem.

“Large class sizes,” said Jo Filder, a fifth-grade teacher in the Beaverton School District. “That’s a major issue and it has a ripple effect on everything else. It impacts mental health and compounds behavioral issues.”

Filder, who’s been an educator for about 15 years, said the state of Oregon needs to devise a stable way to pay for education.

“The impact of inadequate funding has been huge,” Fidler said. “We need long-term, dedicated sustainable funding. The state of Oregon needs to establish a way to fund education that’s not just a Band-Aid.”

Many of the educators present at the rally and march repeatedly said they “just want education to be funded as presented in Gov. Kate Brown’s budget proposal” for the 2019-2021 biennium.

In the proposal, released in late November, Brown breaks down how funding would be allocated to various programs and efforts, primarily to reduce class sizes, extend the school year and expand career technical education programs.

Of her $23.6 billion statewide budget plan, $11.8 billion would be spent on education.

About $797.3 million of that funding would be used to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through third grade and to extend the school year to 180 days in the state’s 197 school districts. The budget would allocate $133 million to fully fund career technical education programs in public schools under Measure 98 approved by voters in 2016.

Others advocated for more specific numbers — $2 to $3 billion more — to be invested in Oregon public schools.

“We need to dedicate more to class sizes, more staff, more teachers and more mental health professionals in schools,” said Scott Perkins, a fifth-year math teacher at Glendale High School, about 120 miles south of Eugene.

An additional $2 billion education “investment package” also is included in the proposal. Brown says the extra funds would address long-term structural obstacles and improve the education system at all levels from preschool to college.

That investment package — likely funded by a significant tax increase — proposes an additional $358.9 million to expand preschool and kindergarten readiness programs to serve 10,000 more children.

The problem, to some educators and education advocates, is that the budget is not guaranteed to be passed in full by the Oregon Legislature. Even though Democrats have a three-fifths super-majority in each chamber of the Legislature and could pass legislation without help from their Republican counterparts, Brown still would need voter support for any major tax hikes.

That support isn't guaranteed. Oregonians seem to be averse to tax increases as evidenced in 2016 when Measure 97, a major corporate tax that would have raised an estimated $3 billion per year for public services such as education and government funded healthcare, failed.

Brown, in part, used recommendations from the Joint Interim Committee on Student Success to craft her budget proposal.

The committee is made up of 14 legislators who beginning in spring 2018 toured districts across the state to determine best practices in Oregon schools and identify gaps that limit student success. They spoke with students, educators, school board members and parents, among others, to determine what practices are working and which areas need more funding.

Ultimately, the committee aims to improve student success across the state and increase on-time graduation rates. Oregon has the third-lowest graduation rate in the nation, lagging at 77 percent.

Following the months-long tour, the group made education policy recommendations ranging from increased early childhood support and learning to dropout prevention and educator support, including specific funding recommendations. The funding recommendations would cost an estimated $3 billion.

Sarah Nelson, a 29-year-old school counselor in the Oregon City School District, said more funding should be provided to students who need mental health supports.

“Students aren’t even in the mindset to learn,” Nelson said.

A special education teacher in the same school district, located about 20 miles southeast of Portland, agreed with Nelson.

“We don’t even have a counselor at our school every day of the week,” said Brent Georgeson, 34. “We need more support to reach the 35-plus kids in our classrooms."

Visits with legislators



Following the education rally and march, several advocates made their way into the Capitol building to make their case to legislators on both sides of the aisle.

Senate President Peter Courtney said he was proud of the educators who showed their support Monday.

“Even on their day off, teachers are here still fighting for their students,” he said. “I welcome them and want them to know that full funding for education is one of our top priorities for this session and we couldn’t do it without teachers.”

Meanwhile, across the building, a large group of about 40 people from Lane County met with Democratic Sen. Lee Beyer, who represents District 6, which includes Springfield, parts of southeast Eugene and more-rural areas of Lane and Linn counties.

About 130 educators from the Eugene-Springfield area talked with legislators Monday, according to Joy Marshall, the Lane County director of Stand For Children, an education advocacy group.

The group of students, teachers, parents, current and former Springfield School Board members and others emphasized the importance of career technical education courses, urged more investment in school buildings and learning spaces and stressed the need for expanded advanced classes.

Students at the table with Beyer ranged in age from elementary to high school.

Promita Baker, a mother of two Springfield Public Schools students, said career technical education courses, also known as CTE, are the classes that keep her children engaged at school.

“Elective courses are the ones that keep my kids going to school,” she said. “My son loves his web design courses at Springfield High School and I just think we need more of those classes — the ones that students love.”

Beyer thanked constituents for their input and asked that more people come forward to voice their thoughts and opinions about public education.

“I’ll always support funding for education," Beyer said, but who offered no evident plan for where increased education dollars would come from.

“Realistically it would have to be a large tax of sorts,” he said. “And any tax is effectively a sales tax.”

Alisha Roemeling on Twitter @alisharoemeling. Email alisha.roemeling@registerguard.com.

Editors note: We've changed the story to reflect that there were about 350 Oregon Education Association members from the Eugene, Bethel, Springfield and other Lane County area districts who attended the "March for our Students" event at the Oregon State Capitol Monday.