2 weeks Ago By Letters to the editor
Gov. Tina Kotek has raised attention to the growing crisis of poor learning outcomes in our public schools and the alarming low literacy rates across the state. I applaud her steps to connect education funding to improved student outcomes.
If the governor is serious about accountability for school districts and making sure state funds have an impact on student learning, she should start by doing everything she can to make sure dollars allocated for schools actually get to students. While the Legislature has upped allocations for K-12 schools in the last two budget cycles, much has been eaten up by districts’ obligations to the unfunded liabilities of the PERS retirement system , amounting to up to 15% of some districts’ personnel budgets. This legislative session the governor should actively work to kill Senate Bill 916 , which would pay unemployment benefits to striking public employees .
Where do legislators think this money comes from? School districts and strapped municipalities must repay the state unemployment fund for these costs. This is money districts should be spending directly on kids, and to state the obvious, we should be working on incentives to support teachers focused on student learning, not incentives to strike. Accountability works both ways.
Let’s hold our school districts accountable for results, and let’s hold our Legislature accountable for making sure that money spent on schools actually serves students. Amy Kohnstamm, Portland Kohnstamm served on the Portland Public Schools Board of Directors from 2015 to 2023. To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.
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