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Students at Tualatin Elementary School attend an all-school assembly on the first day of school in September 2014.
(The Oregonian/OregonLive staff)
By Alan Olsen
Until fixing Oregon's broken education system for our children is the Legislature's highest, primary priority, Senate Republicans cannot in good conscience make any other budget decisions. Oregonians are counting on us to make "education first."
We have our work cut out for us this session, and the first step to addressing Oregon's education crisis is to insulate our education system from being held hostage by partisan budget negotiations. By ensuring school funding is prioritized and off the budget chopping block, we can protect our students and educators from irresponsible and harmful cuts.
Oregon's education system has bold, failing grades across the board, and funding our schools and prioritizing our children is imperative. Our broken education system is jeopardizing the future of Oregon and it is endangering our children. Forty-seven other states rank higher than Oregon when it comes to graduation rates and we rank 43rd for overall performance. In 2011, only 67 percent of Oregon students graduated from high school within four years, and only 70 percent within five. In Oregon, 69 percent of the class of 2013 graduated with a diploma, compared to 81 percent nationally.
Graduation rates are a symptom of deeply flawed education policy and it is a form of institutionalized oppression. Oregon is one of few states where the student achievement gap is not contracting. And when 1 in 5 of our kids live in poverty, this is dangerous. According to the Oregon Health Authority's public health division low-income students in Oregon rank among the lowest performing students in the nation. And per Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Book we rank 35th for the economic well-being of children.
How are children supposed to live a fulfilling and prosperous life when they aren't being equipped with the tools they need to succeed? Per EdWeek, in 2015 only 37 percent of fourth grade students were proficient in math, and only 33.9 percent were proficient in reading. This may not come as a surprise if people knew Oregon students lose almost a year of education when class times and school years are compared to national averages. Children should not be statistics. They must be our highest priority.
We must also look at how students are treated within our broken education system. Disabled students are disproportionately disciplined in Oregon. According to Diplomas Count 2015, 14.9 percent of students with disabilities were suspended, while this was true for only 7.2 percent of students without disabilities. By improving our broken education system with targeted and responsible classroom funding increases we can provide students and teachers with more tools to address the unique challenges they face.
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Currently, students are being managed like inventory rather than being treated like future CEOs or leaders. In 2011, Portland Public Schools added what they called "study halls" to its seven biggest high schools after it slashed more than 40 teaching jobs. A campus security guard supervised 90-minute study halls packed with as many as 200 students in a crowded cafeteria. Not only are students being crammed into cafeterias, over 50 percent of vulnerable Oregon students need free and reduced lunches. How are students supposed to elevate their potential and escape a cycle of poverty, if our broken education system shackles them in a life of poverty and inequity?
Government is broken and fixing it must start with education. Senate Republicans are committed to our students, teachers and our future. We must increase classroom funding and prevent our children from being held hostage during budget negotiations. Education must come first.
Alan Olsen is a Republican state senator from Canby.