Breaking down ballot measures
With four more days until ballots are due at county offices, ASOSU addresses the issues
Julia Shoesmith
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: News
ASOSU stated that it's less costly than measure 61, and it will cost $9 million the first year and increase to $143 million after the fourth year. This will divert funding from post-secondary education.
Measure 58
- Measure 58 would prohibit teaching public school students in languages other than English for more than two years. The cost of these additional resources would be $253 million in each of the first two years. This will put more strain on the state's funding for education.
Measure 59
- Measure 59 creates an unlimited deduction for Federal Income taxes on individual taxpayers' Oregon income-tax returns. This would reduce total state funds available for education, public safety and human services by nine percent. This would mean drastic cuts for services and programs for students.
Measure 60
- Measure 60 promotes teaching to the test and pays and retains teachers based on classroom performance, not seniority, and determines pay raises. This would require about $12 million in one-time costs the first year and $60 million for operation costs per year in subsequent years. It would further stretch Oregon's education funding, according to ASOSU.
Measure 61
- Measure 61 creates mandatory minimum sentencing for certain thefts: identity theft, forgery, drug and burglary crimes. This measure will cost between $8 million and $10 million in the first year and will increase between $161 and $274 per year after that and will divert funds from post-secondary education.
Measure 62
- Measure 62 amends the constitution to allocate 15 percent of lottery proceeds to go to public safety, funds for crime prevention, investigation and prosecution. Currently, it is mandated that the Oregon Legislature spend 44 percent of lottery funds on parks, bond payments and education reserve fund. The remaining 56 percent of the lottery is spent on a variety of programs including K-12 education, according to ASOSU. This will reduce funds for these programs.
Measure 58
- Measure 58 would prohibit teaching public school students in languages other than English for more than two years. The cost of these additional resources would be $253 million in each of the first two years. This will put more strain on the state's funding for education.
Measure 59
- Measure 59 creates an unlimited deduction for Federal Income taxes on individual taxpayers' Oregon income-tax returns. This would reduce total state funds available for education, public safety and human services by nine percent. This would mean drastic cuts for services and programs for students.
Measure 60
- Measure 60 promotes teaching to the test and pays and retains teachers based on classroom performance, not seniority, and determines pay raises. This would require about $12 million in one-time costs the first year and $60 million for operation costs per year in subsequent years. It would further stretch Oregon's education funding, according to ASOSU.
Measure 61
- Measure 61 creates mandatory minimum sentencing for certain thefts: identity theft, forgery, drug and burglary crimes. This measure will cost between $8 million and $10 million in the first year and will increase between $161 and $274 per year after that and will divert funds from post-secondary education.
Measure 62
- Measure 62 amends the constitution to allocate 15 percent of lottery proceeds to go to public safety, funds for crime prevention, investigation and prosecution. Currently, it is mandated that the Oregon Legislature spend 44 percent of lottery funds on parks, bond payments and education reserve fund. The remaining 56 percent of the lottery is spent on a variety of programs including K-12 education, according to ASOSU. This will reduce funds for these programs.
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