Oregon Legislature passes record $8.2 billion K-12 budget

SALEM – A record-$8.2 billion package to fund Oregon’s K-12 public school system cleared the Legislature in a 31-28 vote after a lengthy debate in the Oregon House.

The package approved Tuesday is up 11 percent from the current biennium and now heads to Gov. Kate Brown. It provides public schools with the majority of their funds, about 70 percent, for the 2017-19 budget. The next budget cycle begins July 1, meaning educators may need to retroactively adjust their budgets for the upcoming school year accordingly.

For most of the state’s 200 or so districts, it’s enough money to keep current services going. But others like metro Portland’s Beaverton School District say they needed at least another $200 million to avoid scaling back staff and programs.