Schools and Budgets? (Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro: transfer, school district, property tax) - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

hyetech · 08-22-2007, 06:40 PM

My family and I are thinking of moving north to Oregon (likely the Portland area, but haven't decided) from LA. I keep hearing about the lack of elementary and high school budgets. What's this all about? Are Oregon schools really in as much trouble as I hear? I keep hoping it's a lot of talk, but not reality (at least, from what I see, the SAT scores are pretty high - comparable to WA).

If I were to move to a place like Lake Oswego, Sherwood or West Linn, how would the public schools compare to those in the Southern CA areas (Pasadena, Burbank, etc)? How do they compare to WA? I keep hearing conflicting reports, but I see good things on bestschools.net, so I'm lost.

If you think the budgets are bad and have experienced this, I'd love to hear about it - it's our highest priority in moving. And, if they are bad, would you recommend going just a tad north to WA cities?

Thanks.

orygun · 08-22-2007, 09:58 PM

Oregon has had a lot of financial trouble for quite some time now. I left in 2006 and I don't think it has changed much. The deficits are substantial. Everything comes down to a lack of money. I tried like crazy to get extra help for my twins which they needed badly and what I got wasn't much. It is true the law states what every child is to get, but actually getting a child to do it is another story. One of my twins was held back in 1st grade and it had a LOT to do with the 2nd/3rd grade classroom already having special need kids and it would be too much for the teacher because there wasn't budget for more staff or aides or what have you.

There was no way to get a counselor to come to the school for my boys like other places had. The amount of speech therapy they received wasn't enough. It was a real struggle. I think Oregon's schools are in the toilet. The taxpayers won't fund anything because they think Oregon is wasting their money and want them to manage it better. In the meantime the kids suffer.

I was in Spokane for a short time in Washington and it was the same story. I think WA has a lot of trouble too. Who doesn't right? Here in Montana the government has a surplus believe it or not. The schools complain about lack of funding but it sure seems better than Oregon was.

mdvaden · 08-22-2007, 10:10 PM

Move to almost any one of the west side suburbs and toss your fears away.

There are so many influential people living in those areas, and the schools are so decent anyway, there's nothing to worry about.

Any problems that's really an issue will get dealt with.

It's just that simple.

Beaverton, Tigard, Wilsonville, Hillsboro, Sherwood, Lake Oswego to name a few.

Put your kids in any of those city's schools and you should be amply satisfied. I'd be happy to attend in any of those towns if I could repeat again.

I was graduated from Aloha in 1977. Went to Beaverton schools 12 years solid.

hyetech · 08-23-2007, 09:16 AM

mdvaden,
How would you rate the special education in those areas? I have a child who is visually impaired. If the schools in those cities you mention are great, does that also mean their special ed is as great?

I'm definitely going to check out those specific areas (already looked at LO - very nice school district).

And, yes, I agree with both replies based on what I'm seeing - it seems the specific city you live in has a huge impact on the schools (just like anywhere else, I imagine).

halfmoonbaygal · 08-23-2007, 02:39 PM

Let's keep this thread going! I'm a special ed teacher, with a grandson soon to be born that has Down Syndrome. I'm familiar with how we do things in California and I'm fortunate to work in a premier district (Cupertino). But who can afford to live there? I can't! My daughter is looking into the areas you mentioned, where housing is at least somewhat affordable (esp. Tigard). She will need early intervention services, which might suffice where she is now (Altadena, near Pasadena), but they also have another daughter (typically developing) that will need to attend school in a couple of years, and that's probably when the relocation will happen.

Getting services for your kids is always a struggle, but is shouldn't be an impossible one.

Larry Caldwell · 08-23-2007, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdvaden

Move to almost any one of the west side suburbs and toss your fears away.

There are so many influential people living in those areas, and the schools are so decent anyway, there's nothing to worry about.

Any problems that's really an issue will get dealt with.

It's just that simple.

Beaverton, Tigard, Wilsonville, Hillsboro, Sherwood, Lake Oswego to name a few.

Put your kids in any of those city's schools and you should be amply satisfied. I'd be happy to attend in any of those towns if I could repeat again.

I was graduated from Aloha in 1977. Went to Beaverton schools 12 years solid.

You graduated 15 years before the property tax revolt and Measure 5 removed local control from schools. Now, the school gets what the state gives them. Local school boards are just rubber stamp organizations that can hire superintendents, but have no control over their budget.

Anyone who thinks Oregon schools are good has nothing to compare them to. Oregon has some of the worst schools in the nation.

hyetech · 08-23-2007, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

You graduated 15 years before the property tax revolt and Measure 5 removed local control from schools. Now, the school gets what the state gives them. Local school boards are just rubber stamp organizations that can hire superintendents, but have no control over their budget.

Anyone who thinks Oregon schools are good has nothing to compare them to. Oregon has some of the worst schools in the nation.

Can you show us the statistics which prove this? Not trying to argue or be a pain, but I keep hearing this and have yet to see any stats which make the case clear - in fact, looking at SAT scores alone (not a great metric, but it's something), Oregon compares to WA, which makes me think the schools are good. I'd love to get some hard data showing me the opposite - please send info, I'd appreciate it.

I can tell you, living in Pasadena, CA, the public schools are terrible and any site you go to (greatschools.net for example) will prove that - most schools don't meet the No Child Left Behind program (need improvement or eligible for transfer). I don't see that same thing for many Oregon schools (really depends on the city, it seems).

mdvaden · 08-23-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

You graduated 15 years before the property tax revolt and Measure 5 removed local control from schools. Now, the school gets what the state gives them. Local school boards are just rubber stamp organizations that can hire superintendents, but have no control over their budget.

Anyone who thinks Oregon schools are good has nothing to compare them to. Oregon has some of the worst schools in the nation.

We lived in Beaverton until 2 years ago, and our various children attended that district - at least - from 1988 until 2005 when we moved.

So I really don't rate when you think I graduated as a factor.

What I told our kids, is the Washington County schools aren't the best in the nation, but that they are good schools with plenty of resources. And the tools are there for a good education if the kids put forth their part to use the resources to their advantage.

albinoazian · 08-23-2007, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyetech

I can tell you, living in Pasadena, CA, the public schools are terrible and any site you go to (greatschools.net for example) will prove that - most schools don't meet the No Child Left Behind program (need improvement or eligible for transfer). I don't see that same thing for many Oregon schools (really depends on the city, it seems).

Don't use NCLB as any kind of measuring/reference. NCLB sucks. I am a teacher and the cost put into the piece of crap program to teach to standardized tests is absurd. Reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall".

hyetech · 08-24-2007, 09:47 AM

ok, then what exactly *should* be used to measure the schools in Oregon and where is the hard evidence that the schools are all "bad"? It seems no one thus far has any evidence that all schools in all cities are poor - rather, it seems that schools vary in a large way based on the specific city (which seems rather reasonable to me, given what I see here in LA).