Sixteen Oregon legislators sent a letter last night to Portland Public Schools’ board members that encourages them to check under their own couch cushions for money to settle the teachers’ strike and to be grateful for what they were given in the spring.

“PPS needs to right size its priorities, refocusing on classroom and student learning investments, and cutting superfluous administration spending,” says the letter, first reported this morning by The Oregonian.

The Portland-area legislators, including Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) and Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D-Portland), criticize the school district for spending too much on administration. PPS spends about 48% of its budget in the classroom while comparable districts spend about 55%; PPS spends about 6% on administration while comparable districts spend 2% to 3%, according to the letter.