Our future depends on it

Original Source | The Oregonian
By Susan Castillo, Wednesday February 11, 2009

Giving our youngest citizens an education necessary for future success has always been a fundamental building block of democracy. Each generation has benefited from educated citizens who were ready to lead when their time came.

Today, this foundation is fracturing under the weight of millions of dollars in likely school budget cuts.

I know from my prior legislative experience that our legislators are facing tough choices, and I understand that their options are limited as K-12 claims 41% of state funding. However, not protecting our schools during this economic storm would have grim consequences now and long into Oregon's future.

The immediate effects of cuts to K-12 funding are stark. I'm hearing from many school districts that they will be forced to close their doors 10 to 20 days early. That's 10 to 20 days of learning our students will never get back. Some districts have voiced concern that their graduating seniors may not have enough hours to receive a diploma if this happens. Looking into the next 2009-11 biennium, schools will have no choice but to roll back the achievements they've made over the past two years. Vital programs will once again be cut and class sizes will balloon as teaching positions are cut.

In the long-term, the costs of reduced education funding could rise exponentially if schools are forced to scale back implementation plans for the new graduation requirements. We are the only industrialized nation in which a teenager has less chance to graduate from high school than their parents did. Investing in improved high school systems that reduce dropout rates and better prepare students for graduation has far-reaching economic benefits for our state.

According to the Alliance for Excellence in Education, Oregon would save over $64 million a year in remediation costs and lost earnings if all Oregon's high school graduates were ready for college when they graduated. We know that the skills needed to succeed in college are the same skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century workforce. In addition, the lost lifetime earnings in Oregon for the 13,000 students that did not graduate from high school in 2008 equals more than $3.5 billion. Just think of the lost income tax revenue that could go toward any number of vital state services.

State funding for schools is down more than $200 per student since 1991 after adjusting for inflation, and the state continues to fund K-12 education at $1.75 billion below its own estimate for a quality education. We need to do more, not less, to ensure that we provide an education necessary for this 21st century global economy.

We need to expand early childhood education, including access to pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten. This early investment pays dividends in preparing students for the rigors of middle and high school curriculums that we know are crucial for success after high school. Some estimates predict a cost benefit to the state of $17 for each $1 invested in early education.

Oregon cannot afford to retreat from the recent gains made in our classrooms. With the new Oregon Diploma requirements, we now have a defined vision for student achievement that recognizes all students' fundamental right to graduate ready for life. Making sure our youngest citizens have the basic tools necessary to graduate ready for life is not only fundamental to democracy, it is good fiscal sense that we cannot afford to ignore.

Our future depends on it.

Susan Castillo is superintendent of Oregon public schools.