School funding

Grant School District is hundreds of thousands of dollars into a project that is supposed to be reimbursed by the federal government. Now, it’s not clear the feds will pay.

In fact, those scores have decreased over time. That’s according to recent research examining public spending on education across the country, compared with reading and math test scores.

Oregon law restricts how much money schools can get from the state for students with disabilities. Lawmakers are considering raising the decades-old cap. A bill to eliminate the cap entirely is gaining traction.

Democratic and Republican U.S. legislators from Western states are joining forces to get the 20-years-old Secure Rural Schools bill reauthorized.

Over the past few years, the Oregon Legislature has responded to industry-wide labor shortages in manufacturing, tech and health care by directing millions of dollars to workforce development programs. Now, education advocates say it should do the same for child care and preschool teachers.

The biggest question this session is about how much money the state will invest in public schools for the next biennium. But it’s not the only question.

Federal funding for rural schools goes to 39 California counties. School districts in those communities consider the money a lifeline.

Every year, school boards across Oregon — and around the country — buckle down and spend months finalizing their district budgets.

The state’s public universities and community colleges are calling for increased investment in higher education.

Voters across Oregon were asked to approve taxes to help local schools at a time when districts throughout the region are facing substantial budget shortfalls. According to initial election returns, Oregonians, in many cases, said “no.”

The judge ruled that the Jewell School District failed to make the case that the Oregon Department of Forestry was violating a funding law by reducing logging.

The Jewell School District in Clatsop County plans to “bet the farm” to overturn a habitat conservation plan that threatens the district’s timber funding.