Oregon's most underserved students are being left behind, and the state knows it.

A state whistleblower, Jesse Helligso, was fired after exposing serious problems with the way Oregon allocates school funding. According to his lawsuit, the formula the state uses actually gives more money per student to higher-income districts, while schools that serve low-income families receive less support.

This is happening in communities like Reynolds, Woodburn, Salem-Keizer, Klamath Falls City, Sweet Home, and Milton-Freewater. These are districts where kids already face barriers to success — and where reading, math scores, and graduation rates consistently lag behind. The state is using outdated poverty data to decide how much extra help those schools get, even though more accurate tools exist.

Jesse tried to raise the alarm internally. He scheduled meetings, flagged the problem to budget and policy staff, and pushed for a fix. Instead, the meetings were canceled. His concerns were shelved. And when he spoke up anonymously to the press, he was interrogated and fired within days.

We’re calling on the Oregon Legislature and Governor Tina Kotek to take immediate action:

• Fix the outdated school funding formula to reflect the real costs of educating low-income students
• Use modern, direct certification data instead of flawed Census estimates
• Restore protections for whistleblowers who expose harm to students and communities
• Commit to a public, transparent review of how funding decisions are made

This isn’t just a policy failure. It’s a moral one. Our education system cannot claim equity while knowingly shortchanging the schools that need the most support. And we cannot silence those who dare to tell the truth.

Sign this petition to demand accountability, funding fairness, and real protection for Oregon students — and the workers who fight for them.

Photo: Julia Silverman/The Oregonian