The observation that schools in Bend are good but could be even better has begun to resemble a mantra on the Oregon House District 54 campaign trail.

For both Democrat Craig Wilhelm and Republican Knute Buehler, getting from good to better is a top priority, and the main issue is clear — schools need more money. The two candidates support many of the same uses of such money, such as reducing class sizes, while they also display occasionally different levels of enthusiasm for certain reforms. But although the issues are clear, and an array of policies have been suggested, both candidates have been less specific on funding their proposals, saying less waste and more efficiency will do the trick.

Buehler, a surgeon, has developed a seven-point plan for education, which touches on a wide range of subjects. Buehler has contrasted this plan with his opponent’s, noting in an interview Wilhelm’s website “has only 36 words on the topic” — it actually has about 170 — while his own plan elaborates on proposals such as support for setting the school budget as the Legislature’s first task and assisting families with housing and nutrition so students come to school ready to learn.

For his part, Wilhelm, an executive with Resource Recycling Technologies, has placed a greater emphasis on providing technical education opportunities, which he sees as essential to improving not only a student’s education, but also the local business climate. Both candidates in the Nov. 4 election acknowledge addressing these issues will take more money, and both say they will look to improve efficiency and improve the economy before increasing taxes.

“There’s a lot of money that has been wasted in Oregon,” Buehler said, pointing chiefly to Cover Oregon, which he said cost the state $300 million.

“That’s money that could have ended up in schools,” Wilhelm said of the failed health care exchange.

Wilhelm also suggested the addition of “creative” revenue streams, such as the one generated by House Bill 4143, which allows the state to absorb and use uncollected money from a class action lawsuit. Buehler, meanwhile, has stressed the need to collect “the billions in uncollected taxes that are already out there.”

The Republican also said agencies that underperform should face cuts and a change in staff. This same kind of accountability, he noted, should be brought to school districts and the Oregon Department of Education. As an example of money well-spent, Buehler has repeatedly championed the turnaround of Madison High in Portland, a 1,000-student school that received $3 million in federal funds.

“I don’t know the exact specifics of what happened at Madison, but something went on there, and we need to study it and bring it to the rest of the state,” Buehler said.

The money, part of a U.S. Department of Education School Improvement Grant, allows schools to bring in additional staff to target struggling students. To supply as much per-student funding across the entire state as Madison received would require about $1.65 billion.

Although Madison’s $3 million was controlled by the school, Buehler said, “It’s irresponsible to just throw a lot of money at schools.” Instead, he said, the state should push specific programs to study their impact before expanding them across the state.

Money isn’t the only issue, however, something both candidates say they have learned from visiting local schools. Starting in the spring, the state will implement a new standardized test in math and reading tied to the Common Core State Standards, a document that the state adopted four years ago and that guides what students should learn at each grade. The new standards were intended to increase rigor and allow for the comparison of scores across states, but they have since become controversial, with a few Republican-led states dumping the Common Core.

In this race, both candidates have supported the standards while calling for a delay in the implementation of the tests, putting the two on the same side as the Oregon Education Association, the state’s teachers union, which called for a delay this summer. According to the OEA, teachers and students are not ready, and more needs to be known about the tests.

“I think we need to make sure our kids have the education to compete globally,” said Wilhelm, who is endorsed by the OEA. “I do believe there are growing pains in terms of implementation, and going back to the values, I really think we need to make sure kids are taken care of.”

On his website, Buehler calls for “a full-scale review” of the standards and, in person, said he supports delaying the new Common Core-aligned tests for a year.

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Ron Wilkinson said “delaying implementation would be a mistake.”

“I’m not quite sure what a full-scale review would look like,” he added, noting teachers have been preparing for the test for four years and that a delay may endanger a waiver that frees Oregon from certain aspects of federal oversight.

As advice for whoever wins, Wilkinson said he needs to understand the issues, so something that sounds like a good idea on the surface doesn’t bring any unintended consequences into classrooms. To do this, he said, legislators should talk to those who work in schools.

Both candidates have referred to their time in local schools. Buehler has said he plans to tour every school, whereas Wilhelm has repeatedly described visiting an elementary class with 36 students — a number the district disputes, saying the Pine Ridge teacher Wilhelm visited, Emily Daprano, had 24 students.

In response to the discrepancy, Wilhelm elaborated in a statement: “K-12 classrooms in this state are drastically overcrowded. This is a situation that is frankly unacceptable for anyone who has worked in, or been near a classroom, in the last several years. My focus will be on reducing class sizes so that our children get a quality education that will lead to better opportunities throughout their lives.”

Another source of information for the candidates that Wilkinson suggested is the region’s elected education leaders, who have entered the fray en masse, with the balance of the Bend-La Pine School Board backing Buehler.

In interviews, supporters of both candidates tied their decisions to the candidates’ personal qualities more than policy differences.

Bruce Abernethy, a member of the Central Oregon Community College board and an employee of Bend-La Pine Schools, has backed Buehler, despite being a Democrat. Abernethy noted Buehler has more experience in education, having served on the OSU Foundation board, OSU-Cascades advisory board and Ford Family Foundation board. Abernethy also stated he is drawn to the candidate because of his willingness to evaluate decisions on a case-by-case basis, instead of backing the agenda of a party. This trait is something Buehler has championed, but is also a note Wilhelm has hit throughout the campaign.

Julie Craig, the lone school board member backing Wilhelm, said, “They are very similar in a lot of ways,” but that she “liked Wilhelm more on a personal level” and she didn’t want a representative who saw this position “as a steppingstone” to higher office. Buehler, who in 2012 ran for secretary of state, didn’t deny wanting to be governor when asked directly by Wilhelm in their first debate.

— Reporter: 541-633-2160, tleeds@bendbulletin.com