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--> --> Advocates off to Salem to fight for school funds By Mark Norby Ashland Daily Tidings Decrying state budget cuts and their impact on Ashland schools, the Ashland School's Coalition is geared for Salem Friday, and members are determined to be heard at the special legislative session organized by Gov. John Kitzhaber. "I know as a state we're going down and that school funding and our declining enrollment figures in Ashland means more cuts to the school's budget," said Kevin Cooney of the coalition. "But please - we'll express to the State Legislature - please don't do this to us anymore." Cooney and Heidi Parker-Bowles will leave early Friday morning with hopes that their call to action will motivate other Ashlanders to join them on the journey northward. Outlining the revenue reductions and adjustments for schools that have been proposed in the budget balancing debate under way in Salem, coalition member Amy Amrhein - who will remain in Ashland Friday - emphasized that they are asking the legislature to seek new approaches and new revenue sources in order to balance the budget. "We're really asking the state to implement new ways of finding the money. We don't care how they find it, they simply need to find it," she said. "The money can come from anywhere." Pointing out that increased federal funds for schools encourages the state to cut more money out of the budget, Amrhein emphasized how the state's self-defeating approach cripples opportunities for the Ashland community to contribute additional money to schools. "Many Ashland families are willing to pay more into the budget for schools, but we cannot because, according to the current structure, the cuts result in money being taken away from schools regardless of our willingness and ability to pay in," Amrhein said. Currently, Ashland receives approximately $5,000 a year to educate a student . "This contrasts to the $5,600 per student that Ashland voters were spending in 1993," Cooney said. "We're going backwards." "What we need to look closely at is the infrastructure, to see if it's running efficiently so that these cuts might be further avoided," Amrhein added. Cooney and Parker-Bowles emphasize that legislators need to know that K-12 education must be adequately funded even in years of financial strain. Commenting on current use of funds within the district, Parker-Bowles said that "The schools do a lot with the money that's available and I encourage the public to visit our schools and see how far their money goes. But the money that is available simply is not enough. "Where we're going reminds me of when I lived in Cave Junction and had a child in school. The teachers were actually buying socks for kids that needed them. Ashland kids are very fortunate, but we're seeing more and more families that are leaving our city because it's just too expensive," she said, referring to the link between declining enrollment and decreased school funding. Parker-Bowles and Amrhein expressed additional concern about declining enrollment, saying that in Ashland "35 percent of families have kids, that's not a lot." Parker-Bowles said. "That means 65 percent of the population does not have children, and this is simply because a family wage is very difficult to find here, and so they leave," Amrhein said. In Salem, the coalition also expects to impress upon legislators that tax-wise Oregon is an inexpensive place to live compared to other states in the country. "We pay some of the lowest taxes. But we're squeezing our schools and paying less and less in taxes," Cooney said. "Money for our schools has to come from somewhere." A group of students from Ashland High School and Crater High School in Central Point will also take the trip to Salem to observe the special session and to meet with Governor Kitzhaber to discuss how the budget crisis affects them. "We want to express our feelings and to observe our leaders in action and to voice our opinions about the education budget situation," said student leadership advisor Leeanne Wallace. The students also hope to meet with state representative Alan Bates, D-Ashland, and to see other Oregon leaders in action. Interested community members can contact The Ashland School's Coalition by calling Kevin Cooney at 488-1836. Their new Web site is at: www.ashlandschoolscoalition.org Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing