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Hello Friends,
Hello! What a
beautiful autumn we have had this year. I love the color of the leaves and the
crisp mornings and evenings. Plus, we got some much needed rain to settle the
dust, clean the air, and provide irrigation for the fall crops. I truly feel
blessed to live in Oregon.
I have spent two wonderful months meeting
with community members and leaders. I have also been meeting with community
groups, school leaders, public safety officials, and city and county leaders in
order to listen to the challenges that are coming up this year and next within
their respective areas of expertise. School visits and a tour of the MacLaren
Youth Correctional Facility were important time spent on learning about what
educational experiences and programs we provide to children and teenagers in
our communities, from age three to twenty-one. I cannot wait to share it all with you.
National Manufacturing Day: On National
Manufacturing Day, I toured Usher Manufacturing with students from Forest Grove
High School. It was so interesting to see how this company measures and creates
all kinds of products--everything from airplane parts to baseball bats! They
also provide good paying jobs. I wanted to know what kinds of programs there
were in schools that would prepare the students on this tour for a job in manufacturing,
and hope that the students in attendance were inspired to pursue careers in
manufacturing one day.
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Washington County Food Bank: I toured the
Washington County Food Bank, which is a central hub that distributes food to
several smaller, affiliated food banks in my district and around the county. I
also learned that the Washington County Food Bank does so much more, from
gardening instruction to cooking classes especially catered to children,
teenagers, or adults.
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Governor's Volunteer Awards: I was pleased to help the Secretary of State, Jeanne Atkins, present the
Governor’s Volunteer Awards to Region 6 Volunteer Award Winner Briana Larios,
and State Level Youth Volunteer Program Award Winner, the Adelantes Mujeres
Chicas Program. Such achievement deserves to be recognized, and I am so proud
of each and every one of these young women.
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School Tour Day: As a teacher for 42
years, it was really important to me to spend a day touring some of the schools
in my district. What an engaging and informative day it was! My first stop was
Forest Grove High School, where I toured the Virginia Garcia school-based
health clinic. I was so impressed with the extent of the care that students
could receive right on campus--everything from sports physicals to mental
health counseling and dental care screenings.
After visiting the
health clinic, I stepped inside Forest Grove High School, where I met my two
student tour guides Lilly and Jonathan. Both are involved with student
government and are active leaders within their school community. We visited a
few different CTE (Career and Technical Education) classes including a cooking
class, woods and metals class, and a digital design class. I think a well
rounded high school education means introducing our students to a wide variety
of interests and career paths. In their culinary arts class, for example,
students were exposed to the skills that it takes to make it professionally as
a chef. Preparing students for employment means exposing them to a wide variety
of choices as early on as possible. I ended my time at Forest Grove High School
in Mr. Trevor Tusow’s AP Psychology
Class, where I talked a little bit about what a day in the life of a State
Representative looks like and answered questions from the students. All around,
a great visit.
My next stop was at
Free Orchards Elementary, where I stopped by a fourth grade and fifth grade
class. In the fifth grade class, I answered a lot of questions such as, “What’s
it like to be a Representative, anyway?” I hope that these students know that
if they work hard and believe in themselves, they can be leaders in their
communities one day.
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I was very interested to learn more about the CTE classes at Forest Grove High School, because I know how important they are to students and the future of our economy. |
As a former Speech and Debate teacher, I was excited to see this poster for the Speech and Debate Club at Forest Grove High School and had to show my support. |
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MacLaren Correctional Facility: I was invited to tour the MacLaren Youth
Correctional Facility in Woodburn, and some of the tour guides were residents
themselves! I saw the classrooms where these young men were able to access
community college and university classes funded by Pell Grants, as well as a
very special program where the residents could apply to help manage a dog-care
facility and learn to nurture and care for dogs and puppies until adoption.The
leaders of this facility were genuinely invested in the lives of their
residents. I thought MacLaren was an excellent demonstration of justice and
rehabilitation done right.
Committees met in
September during Legislative Days, and I attended four full committee meetings.
In Consumer Protection, I received
updates on projects that looked at different types of Online Loans. The state
is concerned about citizens who are going online and receiving services from
loans agencies that are doing business in Oregon, but are not licensed. The
state is working with a number of Departments to protect consumers seeking
these services.
The Agriculture and Natural Resources
Committee concentrated on a report from the summer firefighting efforts that
had taken place to protect forests, homes, and communities statewide. The
committee talked about forest management best practices and what we needed to
do to be more proactive with forest management. We also discussed working with
all property owners to carry this discussion forward.
In the Education Committee (K-12), I received updates on the Dual Language
Programs that are being used in different districts in the state. Both Forest
Grove and Hillsboro Districts have programs. The Department of Education is
looking at these programs and their effectiveness across the State. There was
also an update from Deputy Superintendent of schools, Salam Noor, who discussed
at length the challenges presented by educational funding, testing, and the measurement
of graduation rates.
I learned about two
different topics in the Transportation
and Economic Development Committee during September. The first one was on
Transportation elements of the Oregon Resiliency Plan. The presenters really
did a good job of presenting the challenges for the state on resiliency
planning after a major natural disaster. Paul Mather from Oregon Department of
Transportation also did a nice job presenting the first steps in building the
solutions and preparedness that will be started as we plan over the next 30 to
50 years for such an event. The committee also looked at a report that gave an
update of major construction projects that are in process at the present time.
Back to School Coffees: I hosted not one,
but two back to school coffees in September and October. Thank you to all who
attended. I was able to talk about some of the things that I achieved last
session and share what I am working on now. I also learned about my
constituents’ real concerns--things like class size, access to affordable
housing, air quality, transportation, and minimum wage--all of which I care
about and will keep in mind moving into November Legislative Days and the Short
Session.
Small Business Coffee: I hosted a Small Business Coffee with
Representative Joe Gallegos. We wanted to know about what concerns the
employers and owners in our districts had with running their small businesses.
I heard a lot with regards to transportation infrastructure and funding,
regulation, and the minimum wage. My late husband was a small business owner
and I know how challenging it can be! I have so much respect for our small
business owners because they provide jobs and contribute so much to the
positive atmosphere and culture of our communities.
On Monday,
November 9th, at 6:00 PM, I will be
hosting an Informational Session with CASA for Children. The meeting will be
located in Room 140 of the Public Service Building in Downtown Hillsboro. This
is an incredible organization and I hope to see you there!
On November 20th, from 4:00-5:00 PM, I
will be attending a coffee with teachers in my district to discuss their
concerns and what I can do in Salem to help them succeed.
I’ve been working with the Agricultural
Community in my district to set up a Farmers’ Coffee in December. Stay tuned
for more information!
In November,
December, and January I will be busy getting ready for the 2016 Session. I will
continue to attend events, have coffees, and go to meetings that will give me
the pulse of what is important to our communities. I am happy to meet with
citizens for conversation on the topics that are priorities for you, your
families or business concerns. Let me know what you are thinking and feeling
about the needs in Forest Grove, Cornelius or Hillsboro. I look forward to
seeing you or hearing from you in the coming months. I hope your Thanksgiving
Holiday provides you with time to enjoy, family and friends! Happy
Thanksgiving!
Yours Truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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