Sen. Phil Lowry Sees Lack of Leadership;
Discusses Complications of School Bills
By STATE SENATOg
PHILIP LOWHY
Salem After 66 days of
struggling? this Legislature is
still suffering from a lack of
leadership. The
two dominant
issues of the
session, taxa
tion and edu
cation, are
badly bogged
down. The re
sult of this
lack of leader
ship may well
be haphazard
bra. Lowry
or expedient compromise. This
results far less from party par
tisanship than might be sup
posed. Most of the partisanship
on the education issue is geo-
grapnitai and intra-party.
On the tax issue, most of the
controversy is necessarily amone
the Democrats, because the Re
publican tax program was dis
carded by the Democrat ma
jority in the House of Repre
sentatives in the early days of
me session. Both the House and
Senate Education and Taxation
Committees are controlled by
the Democrats. The Democrats
in attempting to devise a tax
program, have been left in an
awkward position by the Gov
ernor. Both parties are confused
by the Governor's failure to
make any concrete budget rec
ommendations. According to the
grapevine, the Governor isn't
going to say anything directly
on this subject if it can possibly
be .avoided.
Kow To Spen4
The Democrats themselves are
In serious disagreement as to
how much money should be
spent, because it is now. appar
ent that not all of the campaign
promises can be kept if the tax
payer is to be considered seri
ously. The reason for this state
of affairs, goes back to the cam-
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I paign for the Governorship. In
consistent promises were made
which amounted to commitmertf
for tax relief and for vastly
increased state aid for a variety
of projects. The parties making
the promises recklessly ignored
how much it would cost the tax
payers to keep them. They now
find you can't spend heavily
without taxing heavily, and you
can't tax heavily without raising
a storm of public protest. The
parties promised are now in
Salem demanding performance.
Notably, on the education issue,
the Governor has been charged
by a member of his own party
with "double crossing and sell
ing education down the river."
The result is a hopeless poli
tical dilemma which has pre
vented an honest presentation
of the facts to the public.
Apparently the Governor
hopes that the Legislature will
have to absorb the blame for
any broken promises, but the
Legislators, themselves, of both
parties aren't about to be used
as the "scape goat."
Calls for Facts
There is no substitute for tell
ing the people the plain, un
varnished facts, no matter how
unpleasant they may be, both
before and after an election. It
is my belief that the people' of
Oregon will respond to any hon
estly presented, progressive pro
gram which is necessary.
Actually taxation is, in my
opinion, secondary to the educa
tion issue at this session, because
the education decisions will have
substantial control over the tax
program.
There are four fundamental
education issues before us: (1)
The so-called Key District plan
in the form of Senate Bill 64.
(2) House Bill 171 to increase
the Basic School Fund from $80
to $120 per census child. (3)
School reorganization. (4) What
to tlo about higher education.
I will attempt at this time to
discuss only the first two and
will reserve the others for later
comment.
Important Here
Of primary concern to Jack
son county is the Key District
Plan contained in Senate Bill
S4, of which I am one of the
bipartisan co-sponsors. This bill
would revise the formula, now
badly out of balance, for dis
tributing millions of dollars of
State general funds to the local
school districts in Oregon. The
present - law for distributing
these funds has produced a situ
ation where the counties with
the greatest tax resources are
getting more and more of the
State general fund at the ex
pense of the counties with limit
ed tax resources.
Portland and some Eastern
Oregon counties are bitterly re
sisting this bill because it would
deny them the undue advantages
which they are now receiving
under the present law. Last ses
sion, the Senate passed a bin,
but the opposition killed it in
the House Education Committee.
Th "rich districts" have coun
ter-attacked with a bill of their
own. It is obvious they do not
feel sufficiently strong at this
Session to simply rely on killing
Senate Bill 64. They now ac
knowledge some inequity in the
present law, which they conieno.
can be corrected with their bill,
but their proposal would retain
a large part of the advantage
they now enjoy.
! Theorv Devised
! Senate Bill 64 means a tre
I mendous amount in dollars and
i cents to counties such as Jack-
son. The basic theory of tne
1 bill was devised by a group of
! outstanding educators, including
our own superintendents, Leon
I ard Mayfield and Alt Mekvold.
i My mail indicates unanimous
I support of the public and all
: units of education in Jackson
i county for this bill. The bill is
I based on the belief that educa-
tion in Oregon is a state func-
tion, as stated in the Oregon
i Constitution, and that we must
I reasonably educate our children
where they live, irrespective of
1 the tax revenues available to
the district in which the chil
dren live. It absolutely does not
deprive local districts of the
control of their own operations,
nor does it require any addi
tional taxes. It simply redis
tributes tax revenues already
imposed. Both parties are split
wide open on this bill. Any par
tisanship on this issue is entirely
geographical.
Endorsement of this bill by
the Oregon Education Associa
tion has produced an extremely
violent reaction from tlie Port
land membership of that group.
Truce meetings between the pro
ponents and the opponents of
Senate Bill 64 have not been
productive of any compromise,
because the issue is so fundamental.
Sound Principle
It is my firm conviction that
Senate Bill 64 sets forth a sound
educational principle and the
Basic Fund distribution propos
ed under it is fair to all parts
of the state.
Just as explosive is House Bill
171, which would increase state
aid from $80 to $120 per school
census child. State taxes now
pay less than one-third of the
costs of elementary and second
ary education in Oregon. The
balance is made up by local
property taxes. This bill would
have the effect of requiring the
state to pay approximately one
half of the cost of elementary
and secondary education with
the balance to be paid out of
local taxes. House Bill 171 could
be one of the big "squeeze plays"
of the Session. Some Democrats
and some Republicans still hope
that this bill will be enacted.
Others, however, have simply
come out and said there should
be no increase beyond $90.
I believe many of the Republi
cans in the Senate would seri
ously consider the full increase
to $120, if the increase were
fully offset locally by reduced
property taxes.
Would Shift Burden.
In any event, the Republicans
will try to insist that any in
crease go. back to the local
school districts as a direct budg
et receipt within the six per cent
limitation. No increase or de
crease in total taxation would
be involved. However, there
would be a shift of the burden
of taxation from the local prop
erty taxpayer to those taxpay
ers contributing to the State
General Fund. By insisting upon
these conditions, any increase in
the Basic Fund would not simply
be an additional expenditure for
education but would be a direct
local property tax offset. It
would also have the merit of
meeting our educational needs.
Under this arrangement, if
local voters wanted to exceed
this amount, they would have
to vote for school budgets out
side the six per cent limitation.
Nobody should be deceived that
this means any less overall tax
bill in Oregon. It doesn't. How
ever, I think it would be perilous
to vote any increase in the Basic
Fund without giving the local
property taxpayers the suggest
ed protection. Otherwise, we
have simply called upon our
taxpayers to pay more taxes at
the State level with the prob
ability that the local taxes
would soon climb back up as
high as before.
Increasingly Concerned
(I have become increasingly
concerned over the plight of
local property taxpayers. Farm
ers appear to be carrying a dis
proportionate share of the tax
burden in some areas, and the
unfortunate fact is that local
property taxes fall due whether
there has been any income to
pay. them op not. My mail also
indicates there is a terrific
squeeze on the modest prop
erty home owners, often beyond
the working age, who have a
limited or fixed income. To
some of these people, already
hurt by inflation, a mounting
property tax bill is a real hard
ship. The dividing line here be
tween the independent, self-sus-
J taining, low-income citizen and
a Welfare case is getting pretty
thin.)
Another feature of the appar
ently developing "squeeze play"
in education is the effort to con
nect the increase in the Basic
Fund to Senate Bill 64. if Port
land can get the increase as
high as $110 per census child,
it will soften the opposition to
Senate Bill 64, because Portland
would then receive no less than
at present. No doubt, a move
will be attempted to tie Senate
Bill 64 with an increase in the
Basic Fund. This I think would
be a great mistake. Both, mat
ters should be decided inde
pendently on their own merits.
Also, if we increase the Basic
Fund without a sound revision
in the distribution formula,
counties such as Jackson could
be left in a bad position.
Enrollments Up
Any way you look at it,
mounting school enrollments
and increasing costs can only
mean more taxes to educate
our children. If the State does
not provide additional help, the
inevitable increased cost will
fall on locally owned property.
The only advantage to this is
that local tax dollars are spent
more efficiently than at the state
level. It also tends to prevent
extravagance and useless frills
in education. Our real concern
should be the net product of
education and not simply the
physical surroundings in which
it functions.
The problems discussed here
are really most difficult of sound
solution. It will take sensible
leadership, taxes and public
interest to solve them.
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Bill To Abolish
Fair Commission
In 4-4 Deadlock
Salem (U.R) A bill to abolish
the State Fair Commission and
put the fair back unde 'the di-l-ction
of the State Department
of Agriculture remained in the
Senate Agriculture Committee
today after failing to pass out to
the floor with a "do pass" rec
ommendation.
The vote was four Republicans
against the move to pass the bill
out favorably and four Demo
crats in favor. The fifth Repub
lican on the committee. Sen.
Francis W. Ziegler of Corvalhs,
explained he had not made up
his mind.
Apparently Not Killed
Members said the unusual tie
vote action in committee appar
ently did not "kill" the bill or
"lay it on the table." But they
said it just remained in commit
tee and might be brought up for
action at a future date.
The legislation ,was recom
mended by Gov. Robert D.
Holmes, who said he thought the
emphasis would be more on
agriculture and less on "carni
val" if the fair was placed back
under the griculture .Depart
ment where it was until 1951,
when the Legislature created the
fair commission.
Voting to bring out the bill
with a favorable recommenda
tion were Democratic Sens.
Dwight Hopkins of Imbler, Ben
Musa of The Dalles, Andrew J.
Naterlin of Newport and Monroe
Sweetland of Milwaukie.
Opposition Voles
And voting against the motion
were Republican Sens. C. D.
Cameron of Grar'.j Pass, Walter
C. Leth of Monmouth, Leander
Quiring of Hermiston and .Tru
man A. Chase of Eugene, chair
man of the committee.
Sen. Quiring, in explaining his
vote, said he thought the time
element was involved. He said
the fair, which opens the Satur
day before Labor day, already is
behind schedule in arranging its
premium books and other plans,
and V thought the directing
body should remain as' it is for
the present.
Badden Submits Low
id for FS Timber
Cave Junction Francis Bad
den, Cave Junction logging con
tractor, was the successful bid
der at two oral auction timber
sales held March 19 at the Il
linois Valley ranger station.
Badden bid $199.20 for 24,000
feet of Port Orford cedar on
Forest service land in the Gray
back creek area. He bid $523 for
32,000 feet of Douglas fir and
white fir in the Lake creek area.
Other bidders were' Ael Lund
on the Grayback timber and
Alfred Mellow on the Lake
creek sale.
Another forest service timber
sale has been called for 'April
2 when oral bids will be received
for 32.000 feet of Douglas fir
and white fir in the Oregon
Caves Resort dumping area.
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