Oregon PTA Challenges Education Spending Data Amid Ongoing Student Proficiency Crisis

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Parent Teacher Association is pushing back against data from Georgetown University‘s Edunomics Lab, which claims that increased education spending in Oregon has not improved student outcomes. In a memo sent last week to the Oregon Legislature, the PTA argues that the narrative presented by Edunomics lacks critical context and misrepresents the state’s educational funding situation.

Data from Georgetown indicates that Oregon’s investment in education increased 80% from 2013 to 2023, reaching $17,100 per student. However, proficiency rates on the Oregon Statewide Assessment have stalled since a drop during the pandemic, with only 42.5% of students demonstrating proficiency in English and language arts and 31% in math, particularly affecting Black and Hispanic students.

Dr. Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab, stated that the findings suggest Oregon does not allocate its education funding efficiently and needs to better track its outcomes. She expressed concern about how other states have utilized educational funds more effectively, resulting in better performance indicators for their students.

However, state legislators on the Joint Ways and Means subcommittee on education expressed skepticism towards the Edunomics data, questioning whether test scores are a reliable measure of educational success. In their response, the PTA emphasized that the Edunomics presentation omitted important context regarding funding fluctuations due to the fallout from the 2008 recession, suggesting the starting point of 2013 was a unique low for school funding.

The PTA’s memo further argued that using inflation growth as a comparison to increased spending does not fully represent the situation. Instead, they proposed utilizing the Quality Education Model as a better measure of adequate educational funding, highlighting that the state’s funding gaps have increased by $8 billion from 2011 to 2013.

Additionally, the PTA pointed out that although Oregon has increased its school staffing, there has been a net loss of 700 teachers since 2019, contributing to the decline in student outcomes. They warned that without increased funding, test scores could have worsened even further.

“We don’t know what test scores would be like if expenditures hadn’t increased,” the PTA’s document states. “It could be postulated that without the additional funding, the drop in test scores might have been worse.”

Dr. Roza acknowledged the complexity of the issue, asserting that while the Edunomics Lab did not claim that money does not matter, it is essential to look at how effectively funds are utilized. “We agree that no one can know what might have happened without the funding that did get delivered,” Roza stated.

The PTA recognized some initial progress in funding targeted towards specific groups, such as early literacy programs and high school career technical education, but noted that these students are not yet evaluated in statewide assessments since they are not in grades that require testing.

The memo ultimately left unanswered why other states saw more significant achievements with their increased spending, with the PTA acknowledging an ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of various pandemic responses. They reiterated their openness to review state and district spending.

Dr. Roza responded critically to the PTA’s call for patience regarding reform in Oregon’s educational system. “Today’s students don’t have time. Are we certain that if we stay the course, scores will turn around? I’d argue that more urgency, not patience, is needed,” she remarked.