Oregon needs to face reality when the state board that runs the state’s public pension system meets later this month. The state has been masking the severity of the shortfall of the Public Employees Retirement System. Under the current assumptions about the future, the state faces a shortfall of some $22 billion between what it […]
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Meaningful pension reform should be a bipartisan goal. Just because Democrats couldn’t craft a tax plan doesn’t mean they should hold back on a bill that will allow state and local governments to put more funds back in classrooms, social services and other project that benefit all Oregonians. Source: Pamplin Media Group – Our Opinion: […]
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Democratic leaders conceded on Thursday morning that they’ve given up on making major changes to Oregon’s business tax system until at least 2019. Gov. Kate Brown said that also means the state will not move ahead with any significant effort to rein in public pension costs this session. Oregon’s pension fund has a $22 billion […]
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Efforts to craft an Oregon tax reform plan were shelved Thursday as the 2017 legislative session winds down. Gov. Kate Brown, in a joint statement issued with Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek, said lawmakers will strive for “a balanced budget now” and “structural reform” in 2019. Source: Lawmakers jostle to assign […]
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University of Oregon leaders and supporters are staying visible in Salem as legislators continue to work through important bills and policy issues. President Michael Schill met with legislators and was present for the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 37, which honored the University of Oregon for its recent academic and athletic achievements. The resolution was […]
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For far too long, Oregonians have been squabbling over Oregon’s state budget and corporate taxes. This squabbling has left our state in jeopardy: underfunded schools, high school graduation rates among the lowest in the country, critical services for seniors and children in danger of vanishing. Source: A budget for Oregon creating great schools, grows business […]
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As the Legislature approaches the end of its 2017 session, the Oregon House soon will vote on a proposed $8.2 billion budget for kindergarten through 12th grade education. With this level of funding, school districts won’t be able to regain the ground they’ve lost over several decades of budget cuts, and some districts will face […]
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Some of the most interesting parts of a June 6 Associated Press story about educational funding pointed to why people criticize the Oregon education system. They appeared in a Wednesday story about the Legislature’s latest goings-on. Happening just then were protests by unionized government workers hoping to jump on legislators sufficiently to make them increase […]
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The Ontario School District will not need to cut any staff positions. This was a big takeaway during a budget meeting of the Ontario School District Budget Committee, which passed the budget on to the school district’s board of directors for final approval, which it will need to do before the budget becomes official. Source: […]
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In other news: You won’t get a vote on the national popular vote. Gov. Kate Brown last week named the seven-member panel that will consider selling a variety of public assets—including several state agencies—to raise up to $5 billion to reduce the state pension deficit. Source: Murmurs: What Do All Seven Members of Gov. Kate […]
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