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CLEAR Temp: 67 °F Wind: NW at 7 mph Sunday, June 2, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 2, 2002 Profiles in uncertainty Students, teachers and administrators wait for answers about Oregon’s school funding crisis By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The numbers are everything. But they’re not the only thing. With less than two weeks left in the school year, education officials across Jackson County and Oregon are struggling to make sense of a state budget climate that promises nothing but uncertainty. The profiles The student: Not enough books, not enough desks The teacher: Relishing "aha" moments, worrying about the future The administrator: Reluctant bearer of bad news After the defeat last month of Measure 13, local school officials expected to lose some $10 million countywide, in addition to some $7 million in cuts already made. But that was before last week’s revelation that declining income tax revenues have gnawed a $550 million hole in the state budget, bringing the total deficit to about $870 million, according to state economist Tom Potiowsky. Gov. John Kitzhaber this week called for a temporary tax increase and a September vote to plug the gap, and he plans to call the state Legislature into special session in mid-June to address the problem. In the meantime, however, school district administrators, teachers, students and their parents are grappling with the legacy of the limbo. How much money will there be? What programs will be cut? How big will classes be? Who will have jobs? Who won’t? "Nobody really knows," says Gene Evans, a spokesman for the state Department of Education. "There are no good estimates." Evans has been answering dozens of calls from folks trying to discern the future. "We’re hearing it from superintendents who ask, ‘What do you think is going to happen?’ and we’re hearing it from parents who say, ‘Should I be doing something different with my kids?’ " he says. "There’s no good answer for anyone." In the face of that uncertainty, many local officials have adopted a wait-and-see-attitude, at least in public. Steve Wisely, superintendent of the Medford district, the area’s largest, has decided not to offer scenarios of further cuts. "I refuse to pick it up based on so many unknowns," Wisely says. "I don’t want to upset our community any more, I don’t want to upset our staff any more, I don’t want to upset our parents any more." The way he sees it, there’s a 2002-03 budget on a shelf in his office, ready for the July 1 date set by the state. Until he knows for sure if and how much more needs to be cut, he’s sitting tight. "Why go through the exercise of pain and agony if you don’t have to?" he says. Privately, of course, participants throughout the education system are making contingency plans, trying to cope with an uncertain future. "You either have to plan that it’s going to be all cuts and go for a worst-case scenario, or you say there’s going to be a bail-out and risk not planning ahead," says Evans. "I certainly understand what the districts are going through." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S