Oregon
DAITY EMERALD
Friday. October 3. 1990 ■ °rc*on V >>lumC
Today i* the lut day to
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Michael Keeton i* a
landlord* wont night
man U» the aw thriller
Pacific Heights. coalar
ring Matthew Mod in*
and Melanie Griffith.
About SO woman
marched, tallied and
walked Thuxsday evening
promote women** safe
in the annual "Trim
Back the Night.”
Funding, districts facing change
Third-grade teacher laa Golick works with Luke Syrios at Edison
Elementary School, part of Eugene's 4] School District. The future funding
of all state public school could be decided in the November election.
School officials fear
Measure 5 disaster
By Don Peters
Emerald Associate Editor
High property taxes and school funding controver
sies are nothing new to Oregon residents.
It’s been a part of life for a long time. While other
states restructured their education systems, Oregon got
left behind, relying on archaic means for funding its
schools.
In an attempt to combat surging property tax rates,
some voters have come up with state ballot Measure 5.
While proponents argue the measure is designed to
force lawmakers to come up with an alternative form
of school funding, some opponents - including h»cal
school district officials, contend Measure 5 could have
catastrophic effects if passed
‘‘If Measure 5 passes, it would be a disaster," said
Nancy Heiligman. financial services manager for the
Eugene 4| school district. "This just won't impact
schools, this will have ramifications throughout the lo
cal economy."
Measure 5 would limit the amount of property taxes
Oregon homeowners pay toward school funding In
five years, that amount would shrink to almost noth
ing. Any loss of school revenue would have to be
made up out of the state General Fund.
Property taxes account for the majority of local
school district budgets. Experts and local leaders agree
that to be suddenly shut off from that source of rev
enue could send many school districts into bankrupt
cy
"Some districts are operating at the breaking point
already." said Ahn Nguyen, reseurch analyst for the
School Finance office. "Budget-wise, they're at the
bare bones. The effect of Measure 5 could bo cata
strophic."
The measure has received little local backing. The
Eugene City Council recently passed a resolution con
demning Measure 5. Estimates of financial loss to the
city of Eugene in just the first year run between
Turn to 4J, Page 5
Ballot measures stir controversy in schools
By Joe Kidd
Emerald Associate Editor
Oregon voters will have a va
riety of political predictions to
choose from in November when
they decide the fate of Ballot
Measure 5. the most recent
move in the continuing saga of
funding the state’s public
schools.
Opponents and proponents
of Measure 5 are each trying to
paint their own pictures of Ore
gon’s future if it passes Predic
tions range from a healthy edu
cation system with happy tax
payers to financially strapped
schools and a rupturing state
budget.
Measure 5 calls fur a consti
tutional limit on property tax
es. establishing a limit on prop
erty taxes collected for schools
and a separate lid on property
taxes for non-school govern
ment operations.
The measure — the sixth
election attempt since 197H to
change the way Oregon's pub
lic schools are funded would
set a 1991-92 property tax limit
for schools at $15 for every
$1,(>()() of assessed value. The
measure would continue to
lower that ceiling over a five
year period, resulting in a
l‘»‘J5-06 limit of $5 per $1,000
Property taxes taken for non
school government operations
would Ih; limited to $10 per
$1,000
The co-authors of the meas
ure say the move would solve a
number of state wide problems:
It would quickly cure the
state's school funding prob
lems. relieve citizens and busi
nesses of a heavy properly lax
load, and distribute education
dollars more evenly around the
state.
Meanwhile, opponents say
the measure would throw Ore
gon's budget into chaos, later
demanding at least one of sev
eral bitter medications to rem
edy the situation. They claim
Measure 5 would strangle the
state's school system and result
in either higher income and
corporate taxes, u sales tax. or
Turn to MEASURE 5. Page 5
Choosing a child’s place of education now up for vote
By Joe Kidd
Emerald Associate Editor
Two measures on the Nov. 6 ballot have
thrown not only the state’s system of fund
ing public schools back on the drawing
board, but also the very design of the
school system itself.
And the move has drawn national atten
tion as a result.
While property tax-limiting Measure 5
would restructure the way the state funds
its public schools. Measure 11 would virtu
ally erase school district boundaries, sup
planting current attendance rules and giv
ing tax breaks to those who learn outside
the public school system.
Measure 11, on the ballot by initiative
petition, would amend the Oregon Consti
tution. calling for what is now termed
"educational choice" — an open enroll
ment system that would allow parents to
send children to the school of their choice.
The measure would also give income tax
credit to those who pay for students to
learn at secular or religious private schools
or those who learn at home.
Because the initiative would make Ore
gon the second state, following Minnesota,
to establish such an open enrollment poli
cy. the measure has received wide-spread
attention.
In August The Sew York Times ran a
page-one article calling the measure "The
most ambitious plan yet." citing the fact
that the Oregon initiative would give a
$2,500 tax credit more than twice the
size of the tax credit in the Minnesota plan.
Moreover, Vico President Dan (Juayle's
trip to Salem last week was partly designed
to draw attention to the measure. Although
Quayle's trip was to provide support to the
campaign of Rep. Denny Smith. R-Ore.. in
Smith's biii for re-election, the vice presi
dent also met with about a dozen support
ers of Measure 5.
“We know the system is not working,"
Quayle said. "There is competition in ev
ery sector of society except in our school
system There is competition In higher ed
ucation. and our higher education system
is the envy of the world."
Turn to Meaaure 11, Page 6