• A Local Option Levy is a funding tool authorized by the State of Oregon in 1999, allowing local communities to invest additional local dollars directly into their public schools. A growing number of Oregon districts have local levies in place, including Wilsonville, Philomath, Corvallis, Seaside, Sisters, Sherwood, and North Clackamas. If approved, this would be Canby’s first local school levy.

  • Canby School District is facing an estimated $6.3 million shortfall for the 2026-2027 school year.

    Several factors contribute to this gap:

    • Inadequate state and federal funding

    • Rising PERS costs

    • Rising operational costs

    • Declining enrollment

    • Unfunded state mandates

    • Unmet special education funding needs.

    The district has already reduced $7 million in funding for the 2025-26 school year; and students, staff, and families can feel the difference. An additional $6.3 million reduction would represent a compounded impact of $13.3 million in reductions–reflecting an estimated 26% total reduction in staffing over two years. A school levy would produce about $5.9 million and nearly eliminate the funding shortfall.

    If the levy does not pass, potential reductions would cut too deep and may include:

    • Measures to close one or more schools for the 2027-2028 school year

    • Elimination of approximately 60 educator and administrator positions

    • Larger class sizes (1:30 students in grades K–6 and 1:35–40 students in grades 7–12)

    • Blended classrooms in grades K–6 (children spanning two grades in one classroom)

    • Reductions to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs such as Construction, Culinary, Ag, and Manufacturing

    • Reductions to dual credit and Advanced Placement offerings

    • Reductions to music, art, reading supports, and counseling services

    • Reductions to athletics and extracurricular activities

  • If the levy does not pass, potential reductions would cut too deep and may include:

    • Measures to close one or more schools for the 2027-2028 school year

    • Elimination of approximately 60 educator and administrator positions

    • Larger class sizes (1:30 students in grades K–6 and 1:35–40 students in grades 7–12)

    • Blended classrooms in grades K–6 (children spanning two grades in one classroom)

    • Reductions to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs such as Construction, Culinary, Ag, and Manufacturing

    • Reductions to dual credit and Advanced Placement offerings

    • Reductions to music, art, reading supports, and counseling services

    • Reductions to athletics and extracurricular activities

  • It provides an option to address the worst of the school district’s budget cuts and stabilizes the district in the current funding environment. This measure is intended to maintain reasonable operational levels – not to expand programs, add staff, or hire additional administrators.

    The levy is designed to do three things for our community:

    1) Maintain the future viability of neighborhood schools

    Neighborhood schools are community anchors. They keep young students close to home and preserve relationships that make schools strong. Funds raised from the levy would keep schools stable and prevent imminent school closures. 

    2) Provide accountability and transparency

    If the community approves this investment in Canby Public Schools, the community will see exactly where every dollar goes. This levy is built with strict safeguards:

    • Citizen oversight, public reporting and transparency

    • Levy funds are tracked and managed in a separate account

    • Independent audits and regular public financial reporting 

    • No levy dollars spent on administration

    3) Ensure Stewardship and Local Control

    Unlike current property taxes that go to the state and then are redistributed, local levy dollars will go directly to local Canby schools to support Canby kids. 

  • Several factors contribute to this gap:

    Inadequate State and Federal Funding

    The share of the state’s budget allocated to schools has decreased over time from 43% in 1999-2001, 39% in 2017-2019, to 30% in 2025-2027. The state has never funded schools at the level required by the Quality Education Model.

    Declining Enrollment

    School Districts receive state funding based on the number of students enrolled in their schools. In Canby, enrollment has decreased by more than 600 students over the last 10 years. This dropped off largely at the time of the pandemic, and has not recovered with factors such as lower birth rates and housing affordability.

    Rising PERS Costs

    The unprecedented cost increases for the Public Employees Retirement System more than wipes out the Legislature’s increase in state school funding.

    Unmet Special Education Costs

    State and federal funds do not cover the full cost of special education programming and students placed in high-needs settings, requiring districts to use general funds.

    Just as households experience cost increases due to inflation, the district faces higher costs year after year, and the Legislature has not kept pace. Instead, the state has imposed further mandates without funding to go along with it.


  • If passed, the levy would raise approximately $5.9 million at a rate estimated not to exceed $1.50 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value within the district for five years. This would be not only an investment in our schools and students, but in the community of Canby. Communities are known by the schools they keep. Good schools are good for business. And research shows that investing in public schools even raises property values.

    Instructions on how to calculate your estimated levy tax is available online at Canbyschoolslevy.org.