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Medford leaders warn enrollment declines and PERS increases strain school budget
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Brad Earl told legislators the district faces enrollment and birth‑rate declines, rising compensation and PERS costs, uncertainty in property tax forecasting and unfunded special education variances that together threaten program stability.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Brad Earl told legislators the district is grappling with multiple budget pressures, including enrollment and birth‑rate declines, the mechanics of state school fund distribution and a biennial budgeting process that complicates planning. Earl listed rising compensation costs and projected increases in Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) as major cost drivers that affect classroom staffing and long‑term planning.
Earl also flagged specific program costs and liabilities: special education funding shortfalls described as an "unfunded variance," a district-level unfunded mandate tied to unemployment benefits, and security program expenditures such as school resource officers and marshals. Board members and legislators asked follow-up questions about how the district models property tax forecasts to align with the governor’s proposed budget and what trade‑offs might be required if state assistance does not increase.
The board framed the funding discussion as context for its legislative priorities and noted it will continue to brief lawmakers as the session approaches.
