Oregon Governor Kulongoski Signs Historic Education Budgets

Head Start, K-12 and Higher Education budgets create more opportunity for all students

June 28, 2007 -- Salem – Today Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski was joined by hundreds of education supporters, lawmakers, school children and others to sign landmark education budgets that reverse the years of disinvestment in Oregon Head Start, K-12 and Higher Education, representing the largest funding increases in more than a decade.

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“This session has been lauded as a landmark session on many fronts. And we’ve seen a tremendous amount of progress in many important areas over the last six months. But there is nothing more important – and more critical – to the future of Oregon than education,” the Governor said. “These budgets not only allow us to play catch up from years of losses, but they also help us begin to move forward and ensure every student in Oregon – from pre-school through graduate school – has access to a quality education.”

The Governor signed a total of five budget bills that comprise the “Education Enterprise” during today’s ceremony, including:

Pre-K/Head Start: Moving Toward Full Funding. This budget bill (HB 5019) secures $39 million in additional funding to enroll three quarters of all eligible low-income 3- and 4- year-olds in the program – reaching approximately 3,200 more kids and 13,000 kids total statewide.

K-12: Full School Years, Smaller Class Sizes and Increased Opportunities. By signing these budget bills (HB 5019, 5020, 5021),the Governor keeps his promise to provide record funding for K-12 – or a nearly 18 percent increase. Public schools will receive a total of $6.245 billion over the next biennium, $5.985 billion through the State School Fund and another $260 million in investments from the school innovation fund to reduce class sizes, offer full-day kindergarten and restore programs cut during the recession.

Post-Secondary Education: Reinvesting in Oregon Universities and Community Colleges. After decades of disinvestment in Oregon’s public university and community college system, these funding bills (SB 5515, SB 5012) help begin to restore Oregon’s higher education system. The $868 million higher education general fund budget for the 2007-2009 biennium represents an 18 percent increase, including a $20 million investment in student enrollment, a nearly $7 million investment in reducing student/faculty ratios and additional programs to help recruit and retain rural Oregonians. In addition, Oregon’s community colleges will receive $500 million next biennium, the highest level of state support ever.

Oregon’s regional and smaller universities will also receive $9 million, helping restore campus programs in many rural communities.

“Today we are making a statement that Oregon cares about students and we are ensuring that we have the best trained, best skilled, best educated citizenry and workforce in the nation,” said Governor Kulongoski. “We’re done looking at the past – it’s time to look forward – and this session marks the beginning of a renewed commitment to education at every level so can deliver economic opportunity and security for all of Oregon.”

A copy of the enrolled bill language can be found here:

HB 5019: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb5000.dir/hb5019.en.pdf
HB 5020: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb5000.dir/hb5020.en.pdf
HB 5021: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb5000.dir/hb5021.en.pdf
HB 5012: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb5000.dir/hb5012.a.pdf
HB 5515: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/sb5500.dir/sb5515.a.pdf

Source: Oregon Governor