Supporters of a voter-approved ballot measure on high school education are pressing hard for Oregon lawmakers to fully fund the initiative. But the state's budget shortfall makes that far from certain.
Measure 98 directs state funding to high school programs for dropout prevention, college readiness and career training. It passed with a wide margin last November.
Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Hood River, was one of nearly a dozen speakers at a state Capitol press conference in support of the initiative Monday.
"I think that the voters of Oregon were clear in that they wanted some strategic investments and strategic and proven programs to help kids graduate," he said.
House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said she wants to honor the will of the voters.
"I will be honest, though. I don't know how you fund the whole thing for the biennium from our existing revenue," Kotek told reporters at a separate event.
The Democrat offered one possible alternative: Fund the program expansions, but only for the second half of the two-year budget cycle.
Oregon lawmakers are looking at ways to plug a budget shortfall that's expected to reach $1.6 billion.
Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting
