About Us

When the Chalkboard Project conducted the most extensive statewide polling ever of Oregonians on education issues and priorities, 65% said they would have greater confidence in K-12 schools if they could easily find standardized budget information they could compare and contrast.

People want to know where their money is going, and they want that information in a straightforward manner that is easy to understand.

The Open Book$ Project aims to provide ordinary Oregonians with an open, simple look at where K-12 dollars really go. Audited data is supplied by the Oregon Department of Education in cooperation with Oregon's 198 school districts.

Open Book$ is funded by the Chalkboard Project , a non-partisan, non-profit initiative of Foundations For A Better Oregon. Launched in early 2004, Chalkboard exists to inspire Oregonians to do what it takes to make the state's K-12 public schools among the nation's best, while restoring a sense of involvement and ownership back to taxpayers. Chalkboard aims to help create a more informed and engaged public who understand and address the tough choices and trade-offs required to build strong schools.

Additional partners joined with Chalkboard to share a common vision for budget transparency, and to create Open Book$:

• Citizens for Oregon's Future
• Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA)
• Oregon Association of School Business Officials (OASBO)
• Oregon Department of Education (ODE)
• Oregon Education Association (OEA)
• Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA)

For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.