Measure 26-64: Vote no, don't repeal education

Oregonians are being faced with a decision concerning the education of future generations. However, lucky for them, this decision is simple: Vote no on Measure 26-64 and maintain a full school year for Multnomah County schools.
It would be ludicrous to pass this measure. If passed, the tax money lost would eliminate, on average, six weeks of school or 574 teachers. Before these cuts would be made, schools would try to eliminate after school programs such as sports, Outdoor School and music and arts programs.

So now students are expected to attend a school with no extracurricular activities. Wow. That’s boring. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see attendance dropping, since many high school students claim they would not even bother with school if it weren’t for sports.

Cutting school days is not an option. On average, school districts would lose 37.5 days of school or 143.6 teaching positions. But it’s not just about the cut and dry facts of numbers, it’s also about the obvious problem for many working parents. They now have to find a place for their children to be while they are at work. Parents will have to find childcare, which will cost money that they may not have.

And those 31 days cut from Gresham-Barlow and the eight weeks cut from Parkrose leave parents wondering how their student will regain that lost education. And they may be forced to resort to home schooling in order to provide their student with an adequate education.

Schools need to be able to educate their students, plain and simple. But, they sometimes fall short of the funding so it is then the taxpayers job to support the schools in their community. If students are not provided with even the standard education, how will they succeed? How will they become someone successful?

They won’t.

Education is the key to success.

Last May, Oregonians voted in favor of Measure 26-64 which instituted the three-year 1.25 percent income tax. That promised schools at least three years, each being a full school year. Oregonians need to keep that promise and help Multnomah County schools provide the best possible education for its students.
The measure should not pass by any means. There is no excuse to take away money from schools. It would eliminate $90 million in this school year as well as for the 2005-06 year. $90 million is a lot of money to take away from schools and education.

The schools in Multnomah County need this money. It would be a waste to end any school in March, shortly after spring vacation. Students would not have nearly enough time to learn everything that they would have during a regular nine-month school year.

Despite the fact that this measure does not affect funding for MHCC, students still need to take a stand on the issue. Current MHCC students may find that the incoming freshmen are far behind where they should be and that could, in the long run, make the advanced learning classes decrease or become unnecessary because students do not have enough knowledge to be placed in these classes.
Voters, regardless of whether or not they have children, need to take a serious look at the school districts and see how they are struggling to stay afloat. With Measure 26-64, the struggle can ease up a bit and teachers can feel safe in their jobs as well as students can expect a full year of learning, education and fun after-school programs that will help them better themselves in life.