Oregon School Funding
Funding is an important element of school sustainability. There need to be adequate financial resources to provide excellent instruction and services, and to provide and care for school resources (including facilities and staff). Schools are funded differently from state to state.
Overview of School Funding Sources in Oregon
LOCAL
A lesser portion of Oregon’s school funding comes from local sources; property taxes, local option levees, and other.
STATE
A large part of Oregon’s school funding comes from the state.
- State School Fund (SFF) provided biennially by the legislature, largely derived from state
income taxes and lottery revenue - Oregon’s Common School Fund.
- Other sources
FEDERAL AND OTHER
A small portion comes from federal and other sources.
Oregon School Funding Information and Resources
Open Books Project
The Chalkboard Project created Open Book$, an online tool that gives you the facts about Oregon K-12 school spending in a simple, easy-to-understand format.
Oregon Common School Fund
The Common School Fund is a trust fund, managed by the Oregon Department of State Lands for the benefit of Oregon´s K-12 public schools. It is derived from the management of certain state lands and their mineral and timber resources, as well as other resources under the State Land Board´s jurisdiction. Other sources of money contribute to the Common School Fund as well. The State Land Board distributes the earnings annually, directly to Oregon’s school districts.
Oregon Department of Education (ODE) - School Finance 101
This webpage includes the basic terms and processes related to school finance in the State of Oregon.
Oregon Legislative Revenue Office
- 2007 Oregon Public Finance: Basic Facts - This research report issued by the Oregon Legislative Revenue Office provides a summary of state revenue and budgeting. Section G covers schools. Oregon school districts operate with relative autonomy within guidelines specified by both the Legislature and the State Department of Education. The federal government also requires certain mandated programs.
- 2007 School Finance Legislation - Funding and Distribution - This research report issued by the Oregon Legislative Revenue Office describes legislation affecting Oregon’s school finance system that was passed in the 2007 regular legislative session.
- List of additional research reports covering various school funding topics
Oregon School Boards Association
- OSBA Focus on Critical Issues, Winter 2003, Overview of the school funding situation in Oregon
- Extensive collection of information about school funding
Stand for Children, Oregon
Stand for Children is an organization that provides an independent, non-partisan citizen voice for children. Their mission is to teach everyday people how to join together in an effective grassroots voice in order to win concrete, long-lasting improvements for children at the state & local levels.
- Stand for Children’s perspective on tax reform changes that could increase adequacy & stability for public education
- Oregon Politics 101 [Powerpoint] from Stand for Children which focuses on education funding
