Oregon Schools

     Since moving to Portland, Oregon in the summer of 2007 it was always apparent that the way the State of Oregon and the State of Washington fund and support their schools differed drastically.  Coming from Washington where the state constitution includes K-12 education as the paramount duty of the state, the lack of support in Oregon has been shocking.  This lack of support hurts Oregon's competitiveness and is a long term drag on the state's economy.
     My wife and I moved to Portland in part to attend graduate school to get our Masters in Education.  For me the delusion of Oregonians as to the actual state of their public schools began to take shape in our masters classes.  Many of our professors praised Oregon's reforms and accountability as a model for the rest of the nation.  Yet the state does not adequately fund education in a method that allows students to reach the high standards the state has set forth.  Setting high standards is important to achieving great results, but as anyone who works in a high pressure job will tell you, that unless you have the tools needed to achieve those results those high standards are pointless.
     Oregon does not provide its students or teachers the tools needed to achieve the results needed to be successful in an increasingly more competitive global economy.  Oregon has one of the shortest school years in the country, and often when funding is cut Oregon school districts simply shorten the school year even more, lopping days or weeks off the school year.  Most experts believe US schools need to increase the number of school days, not decrease them.
   The Portland Public School District is the biggest district in the state in the biggest city in the state, and has an overall graduation rate of just 66%.  This is due to many factors, including declining state support, buildings that average 65 years old, and increasing mandates and requirements which funnel money from the general student population to a small percentage of students with special needs.   Just this week the people of the City of Portland voted down a $548 million bond measure that would have made a significant dent in the districts declining and unsafe buildings, and prevented capital maintenance from siphoning off funds from the general operating budget.  To their credit voters did approve an operating levy saving the district from having to cut $19 million from the budget from next year.
   Not approving the capital bond is just one example throughout the state where voters have decided not to fully fund education.  Many communities this past Tuesday voted down measures designed to shore up their local schools, and prevent draconian cuts that are sure to devastate our children and have long-term consequences for the states economy.
   My wife and I now both work in secondary education, however instead of finding jobs in our local community we have been forced across the river and into Washington State to work in Vancouver, where jobs are more plentiful and support more evident.  We are now on the verge of having our first child and despite purchasing a house in a neighborhood we really like, in Portland, a city that is just wonderful we find ourselves questioning how long we can stay in Oregon.  Are we willing to risk the education of our soon to be son by staying in Oregon?  And while we believe in public education, we would consider private school if that is what was best for our child, yet as public school teachers it is unlikely to be a realistic option due to cost.
     How long before we decide to leave the State of Oregon?  And if we are taking the education system into account even with our limited middle class income, who else is thinking the same thing?  Portland a  medium sized city with fewer large corporations than many cities its size is always looking to create jobs, and does not need one more thing working to dissuade young educated middle income professionals from relocating to the city.  Oregonians are delusional about the state of their schools and how it effects the state in general.  Oregon needs to diversify its funding sources, decrease its budgeting volatility and just plain support its schools more.  Until then it will continue to be an outdoor lovers dream, a hipster paradise with great food choices, but also just a  bad place to raise a middle class family that puts a high value on education.   I wonder how long before we call the moving trucks.