Parents, educators and union representatives testified that the state's proposed K–12 funding level would leave school districts short of the resources they need to maintain staff and services.

"Funding education means you don't have to put as much money into mental health, addiction, housing services," Suzanne Clark, a Gresham parent, told the committee. Clark described a recent shooting near her daughter's high school and said stronger investment in education is "a pathway to success." She urged the committee to fund the state school fund at true current-service levels.

Megan Vidal, West Linn–Wilsonville School District board director, urged the committee to "raise this antiquated special education cap and support fully funding our public schools at $11,360,000,000." She said the district's 14% special-education enrollment versus the 11% funding assumption produces a local $2,250,000 gap that would otherwise fund 17 teachers.

Angela Bonilla, president of the Portland Association of Teachers, urged revenue reform to fund the Quality Education Model, asked the legislature to "remove the special education funding cap and add funds to support that increase," and called for pay parity for adjunct community college faculty and class-size bargaining.

Why it matters: Witnesses described classroom-level impacts — staff cuts, larger classes and program reductions — that they said would follow from underfunding. They called on Ways and Means to increase state investments, remove the special-education cap, and implement the Quality Education Model (QEM) recommendations.

Details: Speakers urged the committee to fund the state school fund above the governor's current-service proposal; specific figures cited by witnesses included $11,360,000,000 for the state school fund and requests to lift the special-education cap that currently assumes 11% funding. Witnesses also urged immediate action on student basic needs funding and class-size protections.

Ending: Advocates said they will continue to organize and press for higher K–12 investments as the budget process continues.