• District Funding and Investments
Banner - district funding and investments

Student success is at the heart of all we do

  • Revenue is not keeping pace with the cost of operating our schools.

    Graph and bar chart comparing revenues with inflation

  • During our last three-year contract with the Portland Association of Teachers, we served fewer students with more educators, and the costs associated with those educators increased three times as much.

    This shows trends over the last three years.

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    But our costs have also increased because we're supporting our students as they recover from pandemic-related learning losses.

  • These investments also keep class sizes low.

    The graphic shows K-5 class sizes between 2018 and 2023. 75% of elementary classrooms have no more than 25 students.

    And our average elementary class size is 23 students.

  • We use the majority of our resources on direct school support.

    HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW...

    PAT says:

    red arrow moving downward

    PPS spent LESS on classrooms year after year

    PPS spending on direct classroom support dropped from 49 to 29 percent in 4 years, and is far less than other Oregon districts.

    The truth is:

    green arrow moving in a straight line

    PPS spending on classrooms year after year is STABLE

    PPS spending on direct classroom support remained stable and steady at 48-49 percent over 4 years, and is on par with other Oregon districts.

     

    PAT's claim is based on numbers that the Oregon Department of Education has confirmed are incorrect, and which they have corrected.

     

    90% of our operational spending goes back into our buildings.

    Bar chart comparing erroneous ODE data with corrected ODE data

    View the long description associated with this graphic

     

    And we spend more per student than the state's largest districts.

    PPS invests $18,001 per students, which is more than comparably large districts.