Passage of Property-Tax Limit Concerns Ore. Educators

By Laura Lang

The narrow passage of a property-tax limit in Oregon has educators confused and concerned about how it will affect school budgets.

The measure, which calls for an immediate 20 percent decrease in property taxes statewide, will leave a $1 billion hole in local tax revenue over the next two years, according to state officials. About $400 million of that would come from local funding of schools.

The tax-limit vote Nov. 5, which was not decided until absentee ballots were counted, leaves the state legislature the job of trying to make up for the losses with state...