To: Oregon Voters

Let's 86 student debt in Oregon!

Oregon students are drowning in debt, and need our help. Can you join me and pledge to vote YES on Measure 86, which would create a permanent student assistance fund to help more Oregonians attend college?

Why is this important?

Right now Oregon is 47th in the country for what we invest in higher education. There are only three states doing less to support students in America than we are!

We have the opportunity to do something really big to support higher education by voting YES on Measure 86, which would allow the state of Oregon to create a fund called the Student Opportunity Fund -- a constitutionally-protected source of student aid for higher education and job training.

I believe our students -- who make up the future workforce -- are every bit as important to our state’s economic vitality as infrastructure. Measure 86 would allow the legislature to use the same funding mechanism we use to pay for new bridges and highways to pay for our students to get a college education.

Oregon’s graduates right now each have an average of $29,000 in debt. That’s not the Oregon I want to leave to our kids. Support our students and vote YES on Measure 86 on Election Day!

There are some really good ideas out there to support students trying to get an education. We already have the Oregon Opportunity Grant which provides direct support to students in need. Also on the horizon, I am very excited about the innovative Pay it Forward proposal that my friends from Oregon Working Families have been leading the way on.

Ted Wheeler
Oregon State Treasurer