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Pupils, parents appeal for aid Want legislators to plan $5.1 billion for schools By PETER WONG SALEM -- To Brandon Reavis of Central Point and Forrest Wells of Ashland, the numbers now before the Legislature matter less than what the results are at session's end. But they were among the hundreds of pupils, parents and patrons from around Oregon who gathered at the Capitol Monday, a school holiday. They were there to advance the efforts of the Coalition for School Funding Now to secure $5.1 billion in state aid for Oregon's 198 school districts in the next two years. "That way I can get better subjects, and teachers do not get cut from my school," said Brandon, a student at Scenic Middle School in Central Point. "I think we have a real good librarian," said Forrest, a second-grader at Lincoln Elementary School in Ashland. "I don't want to lose her, but it may happen if there are cuts." Nearly 100 people came up from Medford, Ashland and Central Point to add their voices for $500 million more in aid than proposed by Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber or Senate President Brady Adams, R-Grants Pass. Two years ago, the coalition pushed legislators to approve $4.35 billion in aid, including a bond issue of $150 million and one-time textbook and equipment grants of $50 million. Voters approved the lottery-backed bond issue as Measure 52 in November 1997. Together with earlier details of how Kitzhaber's budget would affect individual districts, the coalition's rally marked the start of the biennial legislative debate over how much school aid should be in the state budget. Many parents said they will not settle for a compromise this time. "If we don't have education starting now, for all the other services they are concerned about such as medical care, there are not going to be enough smart people around to run those services," said Brenda Poulton of Medford. Most Rogue Valley legislators expressed sympathy for their cause, but a couple made a point of saying that it's easier said than done when there are many competing demands on the state budget. "I told them they have a compelling case," said Rep. Rob Patridge, R-Medford, who's on the Legislature's joint budget committee. "But I also explained to them it will be almost impossible to get to that level unless the economy picks up dramatically. We have to teach kids about reality." Property tax limits that voters approved in 1990 and 1996 have shifted the main source of school support to state income taxes. State aid amounted to about 30 percent of district budgets before 1991, but exceeds 75 percent today. The budget picture will become clearer in a couple of weeks when the next forecast of state income is released, although legislators make final budget decisions based on the May 15 forecast. Peggy Penland, a Medford School Board member and parent, said schools still are not getting enough to cover rising costs, let alone make progress on new state academic requirements. "I don't want to make those hard decisions. That's why I didn't run for the Legislature. But I just know that everybody has to take a turn at taking cuts -- and education has done it for eight years. It's somebody else's turn." Patridge, Rep. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, and Rep. Jason Atkinson, R-Jacksonville, signed on as co-sponsors of House Bill 2900, whose chief sponsor is Democratic Rep. Randall Edwards of Portland. It sets the coalition's goal as the Legislature's. "I support the goal," Atkinson said. "I do not know whether this Legislature is going to be able to do it." Rep. Judy Uherbelau, D-Ashland, said she supports more state aid for schools but not at the expense of other vital human resources and health-care services. "I think you cannot say to schools that they must have reform and put all these things into place and not give them the money to do it," she said. "But we don't want to pit schools against human services. If your kids aren't healthy when they come to school, no amount of money we put into schools is going to help them." In front of the Senate chamber, Uherbelau got into an exchange with Teresa Reavis, mother of Brandon and a daughter, Breanne, at Mae Richardson Elementary School. "That's her job -- my job is to let her know we are concerned," Reavis said later. "My job was to get up at 4 this morning, ride up here, meet these people and let them know we care. But it is not my job to make those decisions. "I look at my daughter's school and we have no stage any more because we are out of classrooms. I look at kids who are trying to pass tests that the state has mandated, but there's not enough for language, arts -- for what they want." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA