Lobbying Efforts For Small School Funding Pay Off

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) – Klamath County School District’s four rural high schools will continue to receive $2.2 million for needed programs thanks, in part, to the lobbying efforts of 10 students.

The Herald and News reports the school district was at risk of losing the money because growing enrollment in its suburban schools put the its overall weighted enrollment at the state’s cap for small high school funding. The students from Gilchrist, Chiloquin and Bonanza traveled to Salem to testify before lawmakers in February, pushing them to support a bill that increased the enrollment cap, guaranteeing funding for their schools.

That bill, HB 2967, was signed into law Aug. 9. It raises the enrollment ceiling from 8,500 to 9,500 for the number of students who can be in any one school district in order for its small high schools to receive extra funding. The bill included a provision declaring an emergency, allowing it take effect July 1 for the 2019-20 fiscal year.