Education Failure, Part I

As a state legislator it is easy to quickly get drawn into a deep dive on any subject: Taxes, transportation, energy, healthcare, public safety or education. The list is seemingly endless. Bills and committee hearings are structured in a way that requires legislators to focus on a myriad of details, making it challenging to keep proper perspective and rise above the established agenda in order to see the overall picture clearly, “to see the forest for the trees”. 

On the whole — Oregon public education system is failing our children. Seldom do the education committees in the legislature spend any significant time evaluating results of our public education system. Low graduation rates, low proficiency of students or high absenteeism are rarely discussed. Instead, committee time is dedicated to a particular subject until the committee’s time runs out. I believe this is largely by design to distract from dismal results from our public education system. When confronted about this fact, the Department of Education and those legislators which defend the current system, often blame a lack of funding or systemic inequities (racism, sexism and poverty).

At the national level, Oregon’s public education continues to rank near the bottom, when measuring graduation rates or competency. While the legislature keeps increasing funding for public education in record amounts, the results continue to be lacking. Legislators often play wack-a-mole with singular problems and then take credit for band-aid-like solutions de jour; for example: increasing school funding or more scholarships for Pre-K education. 

While a lot of money is allocated to our pubic education system what is actually needed is reform. I certainly acknowledge there are some bright spots in our public education system (a good school or great teacher). However, on the whole the results and trajectory of all 197 school districts continues to be more than concerning. Looking at the Oregon Department of Education’s own data, it doesn’t take a genius to see how poorly students are doing.

(SOURCE: Graph created by Save Oregon Schools compiled from data provided by Oregon Department of Education.)

Before COVID student proficiency in Oregon was subpar, but now it is much worse. The lockdown of society and shutdown of schools had a disturbing impact on our students ability to learn and their well being. 

As if things weren’t bad enough, in 2021 the legislature suspended student standards in order for students to receive a diploma. SB 744, passed by only Democrats, changed the State Board of Education requirements. Students are no longer required to reach an established level of competency in particular subject areas — meaning there are currently no statewide standards for graduation. The Department was to develop new standards by 2024. However, now the State Board of Education wants to extended the date for delivering those updated standards from 2024 out to 2028. Bottomline: This will mean no statewide graduation standards from 2021-2028. This is not a funding problem or an issue-based problem but rather systematic and structural failure with damaging consequences to the educational success of Oregon’s children.

Education Problems Run Deep

Our current public education system is outdated — a 19th century model designed to create a workforce for industrial age factory work. The public education system is a one-size fits all and is unable to efficiently and effectively customize teaching and services for particular needs; it forces children to attend the closest school even if isn’t the best fit for every child; worst of all it puts public unions and the Department of Education at the helm of what is best for children, rather than parents. 

It is critical to see an important shift in priorities by the Department of Education — and by Democrats who enable their behavior. Rather than prioritizing reading, writing, arithmetic, history, science and appropriate standards to measure student comprehension, ODE is now placing emphasis in developing a new morality in our children. A quick look at the most recent Oregon Department of Education “Healthy Relationships and Violence Prevention” document shows a shocking list of goals.

For Kindergarteners K.HRVP.3 states:

“Recognize there are many ways to express gender.”

The goal advocates a worldview contrary to that of many parents. Furthermore, such a goal begs the question as to whether the topic is age appropriate for 5 and 6 year olds. These are moral conversations, in which parents should lead, not a state agency on their own initiative.

Sadly, there is more.

1st Grade:
“1.HRVP.4 Analyze the differences and similarities in how people with different gender identities are expected to act.”

2nd Grade:
“2.HRVP.3 Identify how people may be treated unfairly and unequally because of their gender.”

3rd Grade:
“3.GD.5 Give at least two examples of ways to include and affirm different kinds of families.”

Again, these goals are part of the Department’s “Healthy Relationships and Violence Prevention” policy document. These goals can cause great confusion in children and get in the way of the Department of Education's core mission to educate our children, not indoctrinate.

Get Involved. Be Heard.

The place to start is your local school board by asking questions and getting answers. If they are unwilling to answer your questions, then you have reason to be concerned. The best way to reform our current education system, for the betterment of our children, is to first be aware of what is happening, and then to get involved. Again, there are some bright spots in the system, but they are often more of the exception than the rule.

Furthermore, your awareness must extend to elected leaders, from School Boards to Governor. Their views on important issues such as public education is essential to making wise choices at the ballot box. The solution of spending more money on the broken education system will change nothing — matter of fact it will make it worse.

From grass roots to elected leaders we can make a difference in turning Oregon’s decades long decline in public education into one of the best in the nation. We need to seriously reform public education to allow for real school choice: more home schools, charter schools, virtual schools, speciality schools and private schools. Data shows when real educational choice is available to parents, even public schools get better. But it will take all of us to make this happen. Get informed. Get involved. Sitting on the sideline is a vote for more of the same.

Best regards,

E. WERNER RESCHKE
State Representative, HD 55
The Crater Lake District

Capitol Phone 
(503) 986-1455

Capitol Address 
900 Court St. NE, H-383
Salem, OR 97301

Email
Rep.EWernerReschke@oregonlegislature.gov

Website
www.oregonlegislature.gov/reschke