Why does Portland Public Schools keep facing budget cuts?
Portland Public Schools, like other Oregon school districts, depends on the state for the vast majority of its operating dollars. The state relies heavily on income taxes, which fluctuate wildly as the economy booms – or busts. State funding per student has not kept pace with inflation, dropping by 20 percent compared with the early 1990s – and that was before the current economic recession. Here’s the history: Portland Public Schools used to receive most of its money from local property taxpayers. in 1990, control shifted to the state when Oregonians voted for the Measure 5 property tax limitation, with a new requirement that lawmakers distribute money equally to schools statewide. Since then, the state has struggled to maintain support for schools, with restrictions both sources of revenue to the State School Fund: local school property taxes and income taxes. State school funding is distributed based on the number of students in each district. State spending per student is down by 2
