Portland responds to Ways and Means budget
Students, Portlanders speak out at committee hearing against proposed state budget reduction
By: Eva Fitzsimons
Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: News
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The Jefferson High School auditorium was packed with citizens outraged with the changes made to Governor Ted Kulongoski's proposed budget.
"Budgets are all about the choices you make," said Representative Mary Nolan, who officiated during the meeting.
The Ways and Means Committee, the state budget committee that takes the governor's proposal and makes its own budget proposal to submit to the state Legislature, cut about $33 million from the budget Kulongoski recommended for the Oregon University System. The committee cut over $300 million from the capital construction budget, which funds work like building renovations in universities.
Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams, one of the first to speak, urged the co-chairs to add more to their budget for higher education, saying that PSU brought a significant number of jobs and a large amount of revenue to Portland.
Johnnie Ozimkowski, PSU student and current vice-presidential candidate for the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU), said he planned on testifying, but by the time he had signed up, the list was already full.
Ozimkowski said that Oregon relies heavily on college graduates. He said graduates "grow the seed" of the economy, and that the higher salaries earned by college graduates benefit the state.
ASPSU President Courtney Morse said that she was let down by the budget. She said the smaller budget could cause drastic cutbacks in the childcare program, and the possible condemnation of Lincoln Hall.
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