Signs of single education budget in governor’s 2011-2013 proposal

During last year"s campaign season, Gov. John Kitzhaber made reforming education -- and the way it"s budgeted -- a big focus of his campaign. It"s a system, he said, that requires systemic changes and he would be happy to provide them.

One of the biggest changes Kitzhaber promised was the creation of a single budget for the entire education system, that means kindergarten on through a student"s theoretical PhD.

On Tuesday, with the release of his budget, Kitzhaber appears to be making progress toward keeping this promise. The governor"s proposed budget outline plans for a new "0-20 education investment budget – the Oregon Education Investment Fund – which will be administered by a new Oregon Education Investment Board.”

Kitzhaber can only get so far with this promise on his own. While the governor can -- and plans to -- establish the board by executive order, he"ll have to work to get a package of legislation through the Capitol in order to make the board functional and the fund (his ultimate goal) a reality.

According to the budget proposal, "legislation will be introduced to move the position of the State Superintendent of Public Education to an appointed position within the Executive Branch as the state"s Chief Education Investment Officer. And the state will begin the process of moving to a long-term budget framework to better account for link investments with results.”

That is to say that this is all still a ways away from being a promise kept, but it"s certainly In the Works.

We"ll keep you updated as he forms the board and introduces the legislation.