The Oregon Education Association is governed by 44 teachers across the state that school boards have hired to teach students what the school board deems appropriate. OEA is losing strength as parents fight back against curriculums. Are teachers more invested in their union than teaching students?

OEA lists their priorities as:

• Class size – claiming Oregon has large class sizes and inadequate school funding even though class sizes have continued to be reduced and funding is near the top in the nation.
• Disrupted learning – students lack adequate support and students are coming to school hungry even though breakfast is now served at public schools. They view facing parents’ complaints as threatening. OEA wants legislation on policies that will support safe and supportive learning environments and working conditions that leave parents in the dark.
• Restoring programs and positions – restore art, music and physical education programs and positions that support students, such as custodians, bus drivers, teachers, and educational assistants.
• Protecting our jobs – salaries are higher for all employees because the union has the power to beat back attacks on educator benefits, protect jobs and make progress.

OEA focused on their own interests and supported the passage of SB 744 in 2021 that suspended essential skills graduation requirements through 2024. In 2022, they fought against two attempts at increasing enrollees for virtual charter schools, and fought against cuts to the Corporate Activities Tax raising the cost of living for all parents.

OEA supported an exemption and removal of federal minimum requirements of standardized testing contributing to Oregon ranking near the bottom. They supported removing safety officers out of schools, legal representation for families navigating the immigration system, increased health care benefit for part-time faculty, increased funding for grants, and purchase of Elliot Forest.

OEA has a coordinated system for teachers to address complaints from parents as harassment when it goes viral in the community over a lesson or homework assignment for its equity standards or social justice curriculum. They want to make this legislation.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Nationally, a recent declaration by American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten during a virtual educator’s event, praised Joe Biden as a hero for schools. “What you have done for American education…has been more than any president - even FDR.”

The Associated Press reported Biden’s education results as: “Math and reading scores for 9-year-olds in the US fell between 2020 and 2022 by a level not seen in decades, a foreboding sign of the state of American education two years after the Covid-19 pandemic began.” The results were from the “Nation’s Report Card,” part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend reading and math exams.

Biden seems to care more about the teacher unions, which donated more than $12 million to Biden and Democrats, than he does school children. Even though OEA dues does not support candidates, members have contributed $800,000 in each of the last two elections, and they endorse the Democrat ticket.

Seeing a visible attack against parents, Oregon Moms Union was founded in 2021 to help organize parents to fight for their kids’ right to a quality education. Their priority is to ensure school boards, school districts and elected officials are open and responsive to the voice of parents in their children’s education. Mobilizing parents to take an active role to ensure kids always come first.

Electing enough school board members that support these goals will roll up to OEA as their board is replaced with teachers that support their local school boards and parents. Teachers are not required to join OEA and OEA isn’t required to support the Oregon State Board of Education. However, both organizations seem to coordinate efforts that the Oregon Moms Union sees as needing reform.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-12-29 10:22:27

Last Update: 2022-12-29 11:22:21