Kitzhaber has laid out a funding base for schools, but will it last?

Tracking the state"s school budget is no easy task. Economic forecasts consistently show the state bringing in less than expected, forcing lawmakers to chip away at the budget. Meanwhile, when Congress is feeling generous, federal funds have occasionally come in to make up for some of the losses.

All of this movement -- up and down, but mostly down -- has left schools in a precarious situation, budgeting with one number while wondering whether they"ll have to readjust later on.

Throughout his campaign, Gov. John Kitzhaber said the fluctuations in education spending had to stop. He promised voters that, if elected, he"d "make education funding stable.”

That"s a tall order and one open to different interpretations.

With his proposed budget, however, Ktizhaber begins to address this promise. He allots $5.56 billion to Oregon"s K-12 public school system. This, he writes, "establishes a stable funding floor.”

It"s a start. What remains to be seen, then, is whether the Legislature will back this total and whether whatever economic issues might shake the state budget going forward also affect the education budget.

We"ll move this promise to "In the Works” with an eye on education funding as the governor"s term progresses. We"ll also be talking to the state"s schools to see whether they feel their situation becomes more stable over the coming years.