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Funding discussion to focus on Kitzhaber proposal By DAMIAN MANN With almost every school district in Jackson County faced with budget cutbacks and staff reductions this year, a school funding summit has been set Saturday in Medford. State Treasurer Randall Edwards and members of the Coalition for School Funding NOW! will discuss Gov. John Kitzhaber�s $5.2 billion education plan at the meeting, planned for 9 a.m. to noon at McLoughlin Middle School in Medford. The coalition is a grass-roots movement pushing for reform in school funding throughout Oregon. The meeting will address what the coalition says has been inadequate state funding for the past 10 years. Districts such as Ashland, Medford, Phoenix-Talent and Eagle Point are facing cutbacks because they lack enough funding from the state to maintain educational programs at previous levels. To make matters worse, most of the districts� expenses � primarily salaries, insurance and energy � have risen faster than revenues. With the economy worsening, many schools are worried the governor�s budget plan could be reduced once it gets through the Legislature, causing more cutbacks in local education. The funding dilemmas have hit districts throughout the state. In the Portland and Eugene areas, schools are being closed to save money. In Jackson County, enrollment declines have meant less money for some districts. But others, such as Eagle Point and Medford, have had increasing or flat enrollment and have, nevertheless, been hit with budget problems. Superintendents from various Rogue Valley school districts will be available to answer questions about the budget�s implications for their school systems. Bill Thorndike, owner of Medford Fabrication, will speak about the Quality Education Model as a member of the model�s commission. The model, a school reform study, recommended in 1999 that education funding be increased to $5.2 billion. Thorndike said when the study was completed, it was thought that more efficiencies could be wrung out of the educational system. On the other hand, it was concluded that smaller class sizes and specialists would be needed to help students meet the state standards. "It�s a two-way street," he said. "The resources should be there to produce the best education. But at every level, these resources should be used widely." For more information on the summit, contact Amy Amrhein at 482-8079. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.