For immediate releasecontact Susanne Smith, (503) 947-5637 June 1, 2010 Statement by State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo Urging Support for Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010 “I stand today in strong support of the Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010 and I urge the Oregon congressional delegation to support its passage. This bill would provide an estimated $230 million for Oregon K-12 education and prevent thousands of layoffs or a reduction in school days for the 2010-11 academic school year. “The recent state quarterly revenue forecast reported a $577 million shortfall for the current budget which translates into a $243 million cut to K-12 school budgets. Oregon needs this additional federal funding to protect key education jobs in our schools. “Too many of our school districts have had to make significant budget reductions in the past year and a half. This has meant furloughs, staffing cuts, larger class sizes, shorter school years and cuts to vital programs and services for our students. Our schools have little or nothing left to cut. “Preventing teacher layoffs makes good financial sense. These layoffs would have a ripple effect across communities, dragging our economy downward again just as we are starting to turn the corner. Studies have shown that for every 100,000 education jobs eliminated, 30,000 other jobs, including those in the private sector will also vanish. “These are jobs at the core of our communities, teaching our kids, keeping class sizes manageable, providing summer school, preparing students to enter the workforce, and providing the foundation of our economic future. We must ensure those foundations stay strong as the building blocks for our next period of economic growth.”
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