As Oregon Pushes Back Against a Federal K–12 Education Order, What Does It Stand to Lose?

By pushing back on a Trump administration attempt to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion in K–12 programming, Oregon risks losing about 7%—or $735.7 million—of its funding that goes toward public schools.

On Thursday, Oregon education officials refused to sign an April 3 document that asked state education agencies to certify their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the June 2023 Supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action from college admissions. By resisting the order, the state is putting itself in jeopardy of losing federal K-12 dollars.

The percentage of school funding Oregon is similar to the 12 other states that have declined to sign the document; most receive 7% to 10% of their education dollars from the feds.

The document the feds asked state agencies to sign threatened penalties if states signed and then continued to run DEI programs. In response, Oregon chose to prioritize its DEI programs.

“We are standing up for the rights of all Oregonians and will continue to promote diversity in our schools because we recognize it enhances learning outcomes for all students,” ODE director Dr. Charlene Williams wrote in a letter to the federal government.

But as school districts across Oregon face an already tight budget season, financial consequences could be heavy. One place to look as an example? The U.S. Department of Education is terminating federal K–12 dollars for Maine, which said it would not comply with banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.

The National Education Association has released an interactive dashboard that shows the consequences of stripping federal funding from Oregon’s schools. It’s based on a 2022 Survey of School System Finances by the U.S. Census Bureau, alongside other 2021–22 data from the federal Department of Education.

From the years the dashboard considered, Oregon received about $1,334 per student, a number that’s relatively low compared to other states that have declined to sign (for example, New York receives about $2,602 per student and Pennsylvania about $2,084).

The tool also shows spending per congressional district. Oregon’s 2nd and 4th congressional districts receive the most funding per student, at about $1,500. The 3rd District, which encompasses much of Multnomah County, also spends a little above the statewide average, at $1,415 federal dollars per student.

The dashboard displays how much each state and congressional district receives from federal programs. Oregon receives $266.6 million for school meals, $171.3 million in Title I grants, which fund low-income schools, and $149.9 million for special education grants.

According to the dashboard, Oregon’s state and local taxes would have to rise 8% to fully replace those federal dollars.

Explore the National Education Association’s data visualization here.