Gov. John Kitzhaber: Parents, educators need to vote to raise taxes before schools shrink class sizes, add back days | OregonLive.com:
by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
Gov. John Kitzhaber wants schools to deliver better results, but says he can't deliver more money until voters approve tax increases.Faith Cathcart / The Oregonian
Gov. John Kitzhaber responded testily Wednesday when he was reminded that parents, educators and students all are clamoring for smaller class sizes, a full school year, lower college tuition and other education services wiped out by eroded state funding.
The only way to afford those improvements, he said, is for the public to start clamoring for higher taxes.
"There is nothing we can do today that is dramatically going to add school days in the upcoming biennium. We are going to be lucky if it doesn't go the other direction. ," he told his overarching education board at its meeting in Portland on Wednesday, after several members urged him to tell the public he'll increase education funding.
