About the Open Books Project

The Chalkboard Project began its work in 2004 with an unprecedented level of statewide public opinion research on education. Sixty-five per cent said they would have greater confidence in K-12 schools if they could easily find standardized budget information to 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 Books Project aimed to provide ordinary Oregonians with an open, simple look at where K-12 dollars really go.

But it’s not just about money.

Four years later, the Chalkboard Project expanded Open Books. It’s still an easy-to-use portal. But now it includes all kinds of information about K-12 school districts, streamlined together so that Oregonians can get the facts they need to make smart decisions about their schools.

Most of the data is supplied by the Oregon Department of Education in cooperation with Oregon's 197 school districts. Other sources include the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Open Books is funded by the Chalkboard Project, a non-partisan, non-profit initiative of Foundations For A Better Oregon. 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 Books:

For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.