Baker, Union & Wallowa County school districts set to receive over $935,000 in 2025 state funding

By on Monday, March 17th, 2025 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories

NORTHEAST OREGON – The Oregon Department of State Lands recently announced the 2025 school funding allocations from the Common School Fund. In total, 14 districts from across Union, Baker, and Wallowa Counties will receive allocations worth a combined $935,396 out of the 76.8 million dollars being distributed statewide. The amount allocated to each district depends on the number of students served by the district. Individual allocations are as follows:

Union County: ($526,400)

  • Cove SD: 15 $43,547
  • Elgin SD: 23 $57,951
  • Imbler SD 11: $45,024
  • La Grande SD 1: $290,515
  • North Powder SD 8J: $35,797
  • Union SD 5: $53,566

Baker County: ($286,294)

  • Baker SD 5J $242,421
  • Burnt River SD 30J $4,893
  • Huntington SD 16J $10,946
  • Pine Eagle SD 61 $28,034

Wallowa County: ($122,702)

  • Enterprise SD 21: $57,104
  • Joseph SD 6: $37,802
  • Troy SD 54: $271
  • Wallowa SD 12: $27,525

For more information on the Common School Fund and the 2025 allocations, see the full press release from the Oregon Department of State Lands below:

(Release from the Oregon Department of State Lands)

Oregon’s K-12 public schools will receive a record $76.8 million from the Common School Fund in 2025, state officials announced today.


“Across the country, school districts are facing budget shortages caused by the expiration of federal pandemic relief dollars, declining enrollment, increasing costs due to inflation, and many other factors,” said Governor Tina Kotek. “Here in Oregon, we are lucky to have the Common School Fund – a critical and reliable resource in our shared goal to give students the best shot to succeed.”


Every one of Oregon’s 197 school districts receives money from the Common School Fund, which has supported public education since statehood, every year. How much each district receives depends on the number of students served. Portland Public Schools, the state’s largest district, will receive $6.6 million in 2025. Redmond School District will receive $974,288. Coos Bay School District will receive $382,092.


The average 2025 distribution is $389,607. Bethel School District in Eugene, with about 5,000 students, will receive $806,193 in 2025. See how much every Oregon school district will receive from the Common School Fund in 2025 (PDF). 


“The Common School Fund is consistent and can be used for anything, from keeping the lights on to providing instruction,” said Benjamin Dodds, teacher at Bethel School District’s Willamette High School. “That’s what makes it such a helpful funding source for schools across Oregon.”


The Common School Fund has contributed to schools since Oregon became a state, when the federal government granted nearly 3.4 million acres “for the use of schools.” The State Land Board – Oregon’s Governor, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer – was established to oversee these school lands dedicated to generating revenue for the Common School Fund.


Valued at $2.38 billion as of February 2025, the Common School Fund is managed by the Oregon State Treasury, with oversight from the Oregon Investment Council. The Fund achieved a 9.7 percent return in 2024.
 

Annually, 3.5 percent of the Fund is distributed to schools. The 2025 distribution of $76.6 million is $2.4 million more than the 2024 distribution of $74.2 million and $4.4 million more than the 2023 distribution of $72.2 million.

“Schools are the foundation of healthy families and communities,” said State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner. “We’re committed to safeguarding the Common School Fund and ensuring that our responsible investment strategies continue to generate returns that put more educators, counselors and other staff in front of students across Oregon.”
 

Today, about 681,000 acres of school lands in all 36 Oregon counties are managed by the Department of State Lands on behalf of the State Land Board. Ranchers and farmers, Tribal governments, businesses, and more work with DSL to lease and buy lands, plan for future community needs, and keep lands healthy. School lands generated $7.2 million in revenue during fiscal year 2024.
 

“This is a historic investment and a smart one,” said Secretary of State Tobias Read. “Oregonians value education because we know our tomorrow depends on the students and teachers in classrooms today. We must continue to manage these lands wisely so Oregonians can keep benefitting from this valuable resource for generations to come.”
 

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary of State Tobias Read, and State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner. Established by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, the Land Board oversees the state’s Common School Fund. The Department of State Lands is the Land Board’s administrative agency, managing the lands and resources that help fund Oregon’s public schools and protecting the state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide.