The Oregon legislature’s Ways and Means Committee heard from nearly 200 people in a packed lecture hall at Lane Community College in Eugene Saturday. People urged lawmakers to increase funding for higher education, K through 12, health care, services for people with disabilities, public safety and more.
“My name’s Linda Peterson and I’m a former 16 year care worker. And I’m here to urge you to not balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable people in Oregon.”
“My name is *Brandeis Zaklan. I’m a parent. I’m a veteran. I’m a school counselor at Gillam Elementary. I serve 561 students and their families on a daily basis. You are either choosing to invest in holistic, engaged education for our kids or you are choosing to invest in increased criminal services, drug addiction services and all the things that go with them.”
“My name’s Christine Drew and I’m a PhD student at the university of Oregon in special education. I was told when I moved here was that education was a high priority in Oregon and one thing I have seen that counteracts that is the lack of funding for special education, EC, early childhood through 12.”
The legislative Ways and Means Committee stopped in Eugene Saturda as part of its budget road trip. It’s final stop is Tillamook next weekend before heading back to Salem. The state faces about a $1.6 billion budget shortfall.
*An earlier verions of this story had Brandeis Zaklan identified incorrectly.
