Oregon Voters Support Dedicated Funding for Gifted Education
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all back increasing investment in gifted students
Education Progress is excited to release the results of a new survey showing widespread support for dedicated gifted education funding across party lines in Oregon. Below is the press release we’ve sent to Oregon news outlets and education reporters nationwide. The full survey results are embedded at the bottom, and the assets and cross-tabs are available in our public folder here. We sincerely thank Margaret DeLacy and Jonathan Plucker for lending us their voices, and we look forward to publishing our deep dive into the results soon. Please share it widely!
PORTLAND, Ore., May 26, 2026 — A new survey finds 66% of Oregon voters would support a proposal to increase funding for gifted and talented programs, without raising taxes, to 1% of the state education budget.
The survey, conducted by FM3 Research and commissioned by the Center for Educational Progress, polled 860 likely November 2026 voters statewide. Results found robust bipartisan support for the proposal: 65% among Republicans, 66% among Democrats, and 68% among Independents. Majority support also cuts across racial identity, geography, and education level, and rose to 69% overall after voters heard positive messaging.
“The lack of dedicated funding for gifted education means Oregon’s gifted students from rural, low-income, and racially diverse backgrounds are most likely to be overlooked,” said Margaret DeLacy, president of the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted. “Half of Oregon’s 197 school districts either identify no gifted students or report no spending on TAG services.”
Oregon does not provide categorical state funding to school districts for TAG services. As a result, less than 0.1% of its $7.5 billion annual K–12 budget goes toward programs and services for gifted students. Fifty-six percent of voters polled consider this too little.
“These results speak to a growing body of evidence that policymakers have underinvested in advanced education, often drastically,” said Jonathan Plucker, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education and director of the National Research Center on Advanced Education. “The current baseline for public investment is essentially zero. For our economy, our culture, and the lives of students and their families, we must find ways to help more of our students perform at advanced levels.”
Oregon voters appear to agree: 92% say some children need more than classrooms geared toward a typical student can provide, and 91% say gifted students deserve a challenging, engaging education in Oregon public schools.
That sentiment extends to specific priorities. Eighty-three percent of respondents consider it extremely or very important to increase funding to provide all students an education that meets their academic level, and 79% feel the same about providing students more opportunities to be challenged academically when needed. Advanced math classes (77%) and advanced reading classes (73%) also rank among the highest-priority items.
Methodology: The survey was conducted by FM3 Research from April 28 to May 3, 2026, among 860 likely November 2026 voters in Oregon, reached by telephone and online. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The ballot measure was tested with a split sample using two wordings, one referring to “1% of the education budget” and the other to “$120 million.” The 1% wording produced higher initial support (66%) than the $120 million wording (55%), for a combined total support of 60%. After hearing supporting arguments, support rose to 69% and 62%, respectively; after hearing opposing arguments, it settled at 63% and 54%.
About the Center for Educational Progress
The Center for Educational Progress is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to studying and promoting excellence in education. Founded in 2025, the Center publishes Education Progress, which aims to unite pro-excellence voices from across the educational landscape.
There is a meme-candidate running a write-in campaign for governor as "Pencil" on the platform of boosting Oregon's abysmal literacy rates. It's obviously not a serious campaign, but the fact that it has gotten a surprising amount of attention probably reflects the fact that there is an appetite for education reform ideas that are not getting addressed by major candidates in the state.
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/31/oregon-governor-campaign-pencil-running-education/
We wouldn't need gifted and talented programs if public schools had decent and consistent curriculum. This is just a blind for getting more money for ineffective people to continue to waste our children's time.