Umatilla fifth grader Alfonso Bernal and COSA President Colt Gill joined dozens of other education advocates Tuesday morning as they testified before the Education Subcommittee of Ways and Means to ask the legislature to provide an appropriate 2015-17 State School Fund.

Alfonso compared his school experience to that of his older sisters, and told legislators he needs "more help, more teachers and more activities" to achieve his dream of becoming an engineer.

"After years of dramatic cuts that have impacted our students…and in a year when we are no longer in a recession, a year when we are supposed to be implementing full-day kindergarten...the Co-Chairs K-12 budget of $7.235 billion delivers less per student funding than this current year," Colt told the committee.  "We owe our children more, and we owe the future of our state more."

Both sets of testimony are well worth watching.  You can view them here:

Alfonso Bernal testimony

Colt Gill testimony

Testimony continues tomorrow morning before the Education Subcommittee of Ways and Means.

Learn more about what proposed 2015-17 State School Fund levels will mean for Oregon students by viewing statewide and local school funding posters.