FAIL: Oregon’s Department of Education gets a failing grade for spending transparency
By Shelby Sebens | Northwest Watchdog
A new study by the Cato Institute claims Oregon’s Department of Education is failing when it comes to transparency of spending.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank based out of Washington D.C., gave Oregon an F- or a score of 47 out of 100 for the information the department provides on per pupil spending, total spending, salaries and public accessibility.
The study says that while Oregon’s data is easily accessible on its website, it lacks instructions and a clear way for the public to maneuver and understand the data. The state also fails to provide district level average salary and benefit data as well as statewide spending data, the study finds.
Oregon’s neighbor Washignton faired much better in the study, scoring a B. Some of the main differences between the states are that Washington provides average salary data and the state got a 15 out of 15 for public accessibility. Oregon got a 10.5 out of 15.
The study charges that because of incomplete data, the public is not fully aware of the true cost of education.
When the state education departments provide incomplete or misleading data, they deprive taxpayers of the ability to make informed decisions about public school funding. At a time when state and local budgets are severely strained, it is crucial that spending decisions reflect sound and informed judgment.
Half of all states report a “per pupil expenditures” figure that leaves out major cost items such as capital expenditures, thereby significantly understating what is actually spent. Alaska does not even report per pupil expenditure figures at all.
Contact Shelby Sebens at Shelby@NorthwestWatchdog.org
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Oregon flunks transparency in education spending, study says
