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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2011)
BUILDING BOND One outstanding issue is whether the 4J and Bethel school boards will put school construction bond measures on the May ballot that could compete with the city measure to fund school operations. Under Oregon’s complicated tax system, voters can approve as much local funding as they want for school buildings, but they are severely limited in approving property taxes to actually pay for the teachers and other operating costs to keep those buildings open. District 4J Superintendent George Russell has said he’s concerned that putting a proposed $130 million construction bond measure on the same May ballot as a school operations measure could result in one or both measures failing due to voter confusion. “It would be very diffi cult for me to recommend a bond measure on the same ballot,” Russell told the School Board last week. “If the decision is made to put an income tax measure on the May ballot, by default that makes the decision about our bond measure, in my view.” “Putting the [construction] bond at the same time as the [city] measure will doom both,” said Johnson of the school supporters group. Delaying the school construction measure might mean that the district isn’t eligible for $15 million in federal matching funds. But the district may be able to use a portion of the city income tax funding to fund $15 million in borrowing and/or may be able to borrow from reserves or the city to get some or all of the federal match. HOW MUCH The group of school funding supporters have asked for the city council to refer a measure that would raise about $20 million per year for about four to six years. The city has asked the 4J and Bethel school districts to provide fi gures on the amount of money needed to avoid increases in class sizes and school closure days, but the school boards have not yet discussed the issue in full. Russell has included $10 million to $12 million in funding for 4J from the city tax in his proposed budget and about $4 million has been proposed for Bethel. Russell said he’s concerned that asking for a large amount of money could hurt the chances the ballot measure will pass. But school supporters argue that the measure has to include enough revenue for a the emu the signifi cant reduction in class size increases and school closure days. FRIENDS WITH Susan Klein Design A special benefi t & raffl e for Pro-Bone-O Complimentary wine by Territorial Winery Fri Feb 11, 5-9pm (Opening & Reception) Sat Feb 12, 10-6pm Sun Feb 13, 12-4pm 1190 2nd Ave @ Blair, Eugene • 541-513-5314 please join us for the opening reception Monday February 7 4:00-6:00pm Adell McMillan Gallery University of Oregon, erb memorial union Mary Hindman Paula Goodbar Rebecca LaMothe Michael DiBitetto Louie Gizyn Susan Detroy Susan Klein FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Girlyman with Coyote Grace www.girlyman.com UNITY OF THE VALLEY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Tracy Grammer and Brian Cutean www.tracygrammer.com • UNITY OF THE VALLEY THAI AMERICAN BREAKFAST SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13 David Wilcox with Jeff rey Martin Saturday & Sunday starting at 9:30am, $5.95 Daily Delivery 4:30-9:00pm Lunch & Dinner Specials All Organic Spices, Greens & Tofu Vegetarian & Vegan Options Wine & Cocktails Beer on Tap Bubble Tea & Smoothies www.davidwilcox.com UNITY OF THE VALLEY TUESDAY, MARCH 1 Joe Craven & David Jacobs-Strain www.joecraven.com • UNITY OF THE VALLEY SUNDAY, MARCH 27 Dan Bern and Ari Hest www.danbern.com • TSUNAMI BOOKS Visit Our Campus Location 11am-9:30pm MON-FRI 9:30am-9:30pm SAT & SUN TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ON SALE AT TSUNAMI BOOKS Get outstanding low prices on quality products. 6$9( 9 99 reg. 13.99 1-Step Folding Step Stool 6$9( 6 99 reg. 10.99 8-Pc. Paint Tray Set Includes 2 roller frames, 4 roller covers, plastic paint tray and wood handle brush. Heavy-gauge tubular steel with safety lock on slip- resistant top step. Cushioned grip on top rail. P 113 193 F2 While supplies last. K 133 237 B12 While supplies last. Craft Center presents Staff Art Show Sue Hunnel TSUNAMI BOOKS WITH HOPE CHEST PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS STATE WAIT School funding opponents have argued that school funding is not a city of Eugene problem, and that citizens should wait for a statewide solution. But school supporters argue that the state has been under-funding schools for decades and doesn’t appear likely to act. “We’ve been cutting schools since 1993,” said local state Rep. Phil Barnhart, co-chair of the House Revenue Committee. “The state of Oregon is not going to fi x this problem anytime soon,” he said. “The students we can take care of in Eugene, we should.” Newly elected Gov. John Kitzhaber hasn’t proposed any concrete solution to school funding in his budget. The state Legislature is just starting to wrestle with a projected $3.5 billion budget gap this biennium and $10 billion over the decade. With the state Senate split closely between Democrats and Republicans and the two parties sharing power in an evenly split state House, gridlock appears more likely than increased school funding from the state anytime soon. HEART Open Studio at PROGRESSIVE The city income tax for schools should have rates increasing with income similar to the progressive rates of the federal income tax, according to school supporters. The group suggested rates “such as 0.5, 1 and 1.5 percent.” The school supporters also said that the income tax should protect the poor by exempting those under “approximately the median-income level for Eugene, i.e., in the range of $30,000 to $35,000/year.” About 45 percent of Eugene residents would pay the proposed school tax, based on state data and assuming Eugene has a similar income distribution to Lane County. The local proposal would have a lower threshold than the $250,000 income fl oor for the State Measure 66 income tax increase, which passed by a 3-1 margin in Eugene last year. Supporters could increase the income threshold to lessen the impact of the tax on those struggling in the down economy and increase its chances of passage without losing much revenue. For example, exempting incomes below $70,000 would cut the number affected by the tax to about 20 percent while only reducing revenue by 32 percent, according to the state data. Artists: 2011 2ND ANNUAL FEBRUARY 6$9( 10 3/$ reg. 4.99 24-Pk., .5 Liter Bottled Water W 647 752, 127 894 1 While supplies last. Prices may not include applicable deposit or recycling fees. Eugene True Value Hardware 2825 Willamette Store Address information here Eugene, OR (541) 342-5191 www.truevalue.com/Eugene store url goes here craftcenter.uoregon.edu WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM Sale ends 00/00/11 ©2010 by True Value ® Company. All rights reserved. Find the right products for your project and expert, local advice at True Value. EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUARY 3, 2011 13
