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Many school districts across the state want to provide full-day kindergarten options to parents, but lack state funding to provide such programs.

Within the state's funding model, students in kindergarten count as half whereas students in other grades count as one. The legislature is moving to assess these programs at the state level and perhaps will provide more funding in 2-3 years, but in the meantime programs are at risk of being cut locally due to lack of funding.

Debate has been heating up in school districts across the state, with many parents attending school board meetings for the first time.

Here is a small sampling of how this debate is shaping up in one community -
Kindergarten Quandry published in the Gazette Times
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/education/article_728bf07e-d1b3-11de-a60f-001cc4c03286.html

It seems like an appropriate time for a state-wide discussion about how each school district is grappling with the issue.

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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I disagree strongly with Sen. Morse's notion that the burden of the red-tape created by the creation of sales tax would not be significant.

I am a small business owner, entrepreneur, running an online and physical retail business of three years. In my own experience, the absence of sales tax in the state of Oregon greatly lowered the barriers to entry for a small business like my own. I've found that it is also a source of competitive advantage for Oregon businesses as I compete with over 300 online retailers in the same marketspace, I am one of the very few that can advertise 'no sales tax'.

I participate in some online discussion forums for retailers and one of the most common problems for retailers like myself who run both online and physical stores is the tendency for local customers to come into their shops and look at everything, then go home and shop online out-of-state because if they purchase from the local store they will have to pay in-state sales tax.

Creating a sales tax would place signifant costs, barriers, and competitive disadvantages on small Oregon retail businesses.

posted 4 years, 1 month ago
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