Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon public employe. (Salem, Oregon) 1981-???? | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1994)
Which ballot measure helps children more? “Kids First” attacks children’s programs and Higher Education; SAFE initiative maintains public funding community colleges to the detriment Don’t be misled: the so- of higher education and other state called “Education First” Initiative, services is not fair nor is it the best also called “Kids First,” raises no solution for Oregon.” new money for schools. The initiative requires el Instead, as leaders of organi ementary and secondary schools and zations representing tens of thousands of Oregonians rec ognize, it takes away money—by the millions — for Ed First SAFE other services $1.5 billion 0 New Revenue which support chil dren and help edu Cuts needed to cate our youth. balance budget for: The initia 0 - K-14 schools 0 tive was recently 0 - All other programs -27% given the go-ahead bythestateSupreme Court. Its principal community colleges to receive fund backer is the OregonEducation Associa ing at no less than they are in this tion — whose members will be aug biennium. That amount must then be mented by paid signature gatherers in an increased for inflation and enrollment attempt to get more than 89,000 signa changes, while funding for all other tures on petitions before July 8. General Fund programs would be From a practical standpoint, the effort into-the - forced to lower and lower levels. The state’s General Fund “Kids First” Initiative will hurt the faces a shortfall of 14% in 1993-95, campaign to defeat the Tieman/ but the Education First Initiative Sizemore (PERS) Initiative. would almost double this deficit for “OPEU and other public em state programs — to an astounding ployee unions joined with OEA in the 27%. A deficitofthis magnitude would PERS Coalition to fight the threats to cost at least 4,700 state jobs. our retirement,” said OPEU/SEIU Many groups oppose this ap Local 503 President Dawn Morgan. proach to funding public services. “OEA’sapproachwithEducationFirst As important as education is, they will jeopardize our efforts in this coa recognize that Oregon has many lition struggle and hurt social services people who need support—and that and Higher Education that help young children often need support outside and old alike.” the classroom in order to succeed This initiative, if it makes it with their studies. on the November 8 ballot and is “The Education First Initia approved by the voters, diverts fund tive is bad public policy,” said ing from care for the mentally ill, Charles Vars of the League of Or from children’s services, from as egon Cities. “Our children need sistance to the disabled, from senior good education, safe communities, services, from the courts, and other, adequate housing, and human ser services creating more problems vices. The League of Oregon Cities than it solves. cannot support an approach to redis It doesn’t even put all of edu tribute inadequate resources and cation first. It leaves out Oregon’s thereby limit critical services.” four-year colleges and universities. “Funding education at the “When we talk about fund expense of human services will not ing for education, we need to in help bring about the future that we clude higher education in that dis envision for our children,” said Alice cussion,” said Robert Nosse of the Pickard of United Seniors of Or Oregon Student Lobby. “Funding egon. “Students cannot learn if they kindergarten through 12th grade and Effects on State General Fund Page 2 SAFE initiative helps children including state programs for them There is a better way to fund schools without devastating other public programs supported by the state General Fund. This initiative, called Solid Approach to Funding Education (SAFE), also sets support for schools at 1993-95 levels, but does it from property taxes rather than allowing 1990’s Measure 5 to become fully implemented and making up the difference from the state General Fund, as the Education First measure would. The difference to the state General Fund is $L5 million which costs state General Fund support to programs for human services, higher education — an educational program that would be further devastated by the Education First initiative— and corrections. This initiative is sponsored by county commissioners from eastern Oregon —3a part of the state that generally did not support Measure 5 in 1990. Specifically, what the measure would do is stop the reduction in property taxes required by 1990’s Measure 5 at this year’s level, at $10 instead of dropping down to $5 per thousand of valuation. Although 1990’s Ballot Measure 5 requires the state General Fundrto replace money to schools lost by the measure only through 1995-96, this measure would make that duty permanent. Thus, the ^ontinuederosion of public support for schools would be* halted. At the same time, state government budgets — at a cost of thousands of jobs and hundreds of programs, many geared toward chil dren and families — would not be eviscerated. are homeless, hungry, or caring for disabled or senior relatives as a re sult of human services budget cuts.” “Ironically, the Education First Initiative will mean very deep cuts must be made in human ser vices,” said Robert Cantine of the Association of Oregon Counties. “This will harm the very children who need help so they can be ready to learn. Instead of this approach, we should be seeking common ef fort between schools and human ser vices to insure that all the needs of all children are ‘first’.” This “Me First” approach by OEA divides the people and or ganizations who came together in 1990 in the Heart of Oregon Coali tion because we recognized that we needed to work together to protect public services. OEA was one of die public employee unions that formed the PERS Coalition to fight raids on the PERS fund and is now battling the Tieman/Sizemore Initiative. “The forces attacking any one of us —- teachers, public em ployees, or health care providers — are really attacking us all,” said Ellen Lowe of the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. “The Education First Initiative gives our opponents a wedge to divide us one from the other. We ought to be working to gether to build understanding of the interdependence of our spheres of in terest that together form community.” “You will recognize us and the organizations with whom we are associated as partners in seeking tax reform and public policy strategies that build community and reinforce civility,” Gerald J. Bieberle, of the Human Services Coalition of Or egon, said in a letter to OEA Presi dent Bruce Adams and Executive Director Bob Crumpton. “The‘stand with us’ theme has been a long- guiding principle for us. We view the Education First Initiative as a disruption of this partnership.” .
