Oregon Senate Passes Largest School Budget in State History

State spending per student in public school is $2,000 more than average private school tuition

By Eric Fruits. Ph.D.

Recently, the Oregon Senate overwhelmingly approved a $9.3 billion education budget. That amounts to $11,800 per student—and that doesn’t count the money from local sources.

What do we get from that kind of spending? We get the third worst graduation rate in the country and a middle-of-the-pack ranking in college preparedness.

What could we get with that kind of money?

One thing you don’t hear much in the mainstream media is that the average private school tuition is about $9,800 a year. Think about that: Our kids can get a private school education for $2,000 less than the average cost per student in the public school system.

Just think of what a family could do if state school fund money went to the student instead of the system. Their kids can get a first rate education and still have money left over to buy books, pay for tutors, and enroll in enrichment classes.

Our state is failing its students and the system is failing families. The time is now for families to demand that state funding support students instead of the system dominated by entrenched special interests.

Eric Fruits, Ph.D. is Vice President of Research at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization.

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  1. Avatar for Larry Sparks

    Larry Sparks

    5:07 pm - May 28, 2021

    The citizens must demand that Critical Race Theory and 1619 project be unlawful in all Oregon School. We do not give our tax dollars to teach Communist and Socialist philosophy and that math is racist. Billionaire Bill Gates have given Oregon Department of Education millions of dollars to teach this left wing Communist and Socialist philosophy and teach false history of Howard Zinn.

    Any Teacher or School administrator teaching or advocating Critical Race Theory or 1619 project must be fired. It is time that parents and citizens take control of the school board and break teachers unions if required. The teaching of culture wokeism and anti Whilte attitude can not be tolerated. All the culture data and law enforcement data strong indicate that their is no systemic racism in America.

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