Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) chairs the Senate Committee on Education, which is sponsoring SB 732 that requires school districts to establish an educational equity advisory committee.

The legislative session has been jam-packed with “equity” bills, but SB 732 is no ordinary handout to the underserved. The bill starts with a disclaimer, “Nothing in this section shall interfere with the duties, responsibilities and rights of duly elected school district boards.” But, then it goes on to establish at each school district an educational equity advisory committee that effectively serves as an unelected school board member with veto power.

The Equity Advisory Committee would advise the school district board and superintendent:

• On the educational equity impacts of policy decisions;
• Inform when a situation arises in a school of the school district that negatively impacts underrepresented students and advise on how best to handle that situation;
• Create and revise the school district’s continuous improvement plan under ORS 329.095
• Participate in the creation and approval of the district budget under ORS 328.452

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Schools that have experienced equity teams report that they have caused students and families to leave public schools because they do not agree with their agenda. Equity teams have also caused some strife among staff members. With the addition of this type of political speech, it could further cause declines in enrollment causing families to homeschool or move to private schools.

The committee creates a shadow board that isn’t accountable to parents or the school district. It reports to the legislature taking jurisdiction from the district school boards.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-03-08 07:21:00

Last Update: 2021-03-09 20:32:03

Annually the Oregon Department of Education is responsible for calculating the minimum pay rates for substitute teachers in Oregon Public Schools. The daily salary is defined as “the prior year average annual salary of beginning teachers who hold a bachelor's degree divided by 190 days”.

An ODE Executive Memorandum for the 2020-2021 school year stated the following rates for substitutes:

• 5-day a week schools are $189.32 per day ($42,318 divided by 190 times 85%).
• 4-day a week schools are $212.98 per day (the 5-day rate $189.32 times 1.125).

In situations where a substitute is needed to teach for more than 8 consecutive days (4 day a week schools) or 10 consecutive days (5 day a week schools) there is an additional law guiding the calculation for long term sub rates.

Substitute teachers are paid either directly by the district or through the Educational Service District where the school in need is located. They are paid wages only and are currently not eligible for other benefits. Benefits that are collectively bargained by year-round employees of a school district. These benefits may include reimbursement for continuing education, additional pay for extra duty activities, PERS contribution rates and health insurance.

HB 3130 introduced by Representative Courtney Neron (D-Wilsonville) looks to expand some collectively bargained benefits to substitute teachers by considering them employees of school district.

A teacher employed as a substitute teacher for one or more days at a time by the same school district shall be considered an employee of the school district and eligible for retirement benefits as an employee (PERS) and eligible for health benefit plans as an eligible employee.

Substitute teachers often work for multiple districts and each of those districts typically have different collective bargaining contracts with regards to benefits. School districts and local teachers’ unions negotiate many contractual provisions, but one negotiated item is health insurance contribution rates. For example, a district may pay 100% of the benefit cost for fulltime employees and 50% for part-time employees. Those benefits are collectively bargained by the union representatives for the benefit of their members who are employees of the district. Substitute teachers are not a part of the collective bargaining units in any of the districts that they may choose to work in.

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This bill falls short of addressing critical questions. First, which district pays the benefit for the substitute teacher that works one or more days in school district A and one or more days in school district B? If a substitute works in multiple districts during the year, which collective bargaining agreement applies to the substitute teacher? The bill also states that the substitute teacher, after teaching for one or more days, shall be considered an employee of the district. Are they considered a full-time employee or a part-time employee and of which district and which collective bargaining agreement?

In addition, the bill has a retroactive portion which could cause financial obligations for school districts that have not budgeted for the additional cost. The bill states:

To the extent allowed by public employees’ retirement law and health benefit plans under ORS 243.105 to 243.285, a teacher shall be eligible for any benefits that would have accrued to the teacher under ORS 342.610 (5), as amended by section 1 of this 2021 Act, between the 2017-2018 school year and the effective date of this 2021 Act.

Not only could this be costly for school districts, but it could also be extremely hard to track. For the 2017-18 school year until today, districts could have re-negotiated collective bargaining agreements. So, if there is a benefit claim for 2017-18, does the school district where the substitute worked apply the formula from the collective bargaining agreement in place during the time of the claim, or apply the agreement that is in place currently? Does the substitute teacher make claims against multiple districts if they worked in more than one school district? Healthcare benefits would be impossible to do retroactively so the assumption is that the retroactive clause in Section 2 of the bill will only be applicable to PERS contributions, but again the bill is unclear.

The bill has yet to be scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Business and Labor, so maybe these questions will be answered at that point in time.


--Terese Humboldt

Post Date: 2021-03-07 21:03:45

Last Update: 2021-03-07 21:18:46

After a failure to move legislation through the 2015 Legislative Session. Oregon minimum wage proponents brought SB 1532 to the legislature during the short session of 2016. It was one of the most contentious bills of the session. The hard-fought bill was introduced as a tiered approach, but the dollar amount for the tiers was left blank. Over the next month, the bill moved though the Senate on a party line vote and then to the House where it moved out of committee to the floor of the House on another party line vote.

On February 18, 2016, demonstrators in favor of the bill chanted outside Governor Brown's office and pounded on the outer walls of the House chamber. It forced deliberations to be stopped and the State Police to barricade lawmakers inside the chamber. After nearly six hours of debate, SB 1532
The tiered approach passed into law carved the state into three zones with different glide paths to reaching close to $15 in at least one of the zones by June 30, 2023

However, a group of first term legislators believe that this glidepath is no longer good enough and instead it needs to be a steep ramp to $17.00 in all three zones. HB 3351 was introduced by Representative Wlnsvey Campos (D-Aloha).

The bill dismantles the zones and jumps everyone in all three zones to $17.00 per hour July 1, 2023. For rural parts of Oregon, this would be a 27% increase.

The bill has not been assigned to a committee but will most likely be sent to the House Business and labor Committee which is the same committee it went to in 2016. The difference between 2016 and 2021, however, is that there are only two committee members that were on that committee in 2016, Committee Chair Representative Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) and Representative Evans (D-Monmouth). In addition, of the other nine members of the committee, only three of them were in the Legislature in 2016; Representatives Post (R-Keizer), Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie), and Brian Clem (D-Salem). With the majority of the committee being new to the minimum wage conversation, it could make for a replay of the battle of 2016.


--Terese Humboldt

Post Date: 2021-03-07 20:55:25

Last Update: 2021-03-08 17:07:26

Editor's note: This is the second of a three-part series on the collapse of small business in Oregon and is reprinted with permission from the blog of Echo Alexzander She and her husband owned FIRST Corvallis, a massage therapy clinic

The Mental Health Impact

We left off in the part 1 blog with the reality of the financial impacts that 'non-essential' small businesses like ours were facing in 2020, the actual figures. Think of how you might feel if you lost your business that had been your passion for 8-10 years. What emotions might you experience as you watched your finances slip away?

As a bodyworker, how would you feel getting desperate texts and emails from your clients asking when they can see you, and knowing that it was illegal in your state for you to practice your licensed profession to be able to help them?

Confusion. Depression. A feeling of an absolute and complete loss; many of the phases of grief including denial and anger. Mental health is a cause that we speak out on often. This is also something that has been a large focus of James' business and he has put countless hours into advocating for himself and others. From personal interviews with OSU graduate students studying PTSD, to forming community support groups under The Archangel Programs (T.A.Ps) where James built a rucking crew with over 90 members to support fitness and build community while battling mental health stigmas and supporting people, James and I will never stop speaking out to bring awareness and healing. (If you don't know about rucking I've blogged about Rucking Fitness Adventures before).

How did we as a society come to this place of inflicting this abuse onto select business owners in our free nation?

How can we define who is essential?

Don't Jump.

I was so taken by how Mike Rowe described his December 17th interview on Hannity, I had to just point to him and that post on his Facebook page. Jump over there to read it and then hurry back, we have more to talk through! I can only echo Mike's message of encouragement to all of the others in our same position:

"To those millions of Americans who have lost your livelihoods, now teetering on the edge your own metaphorical bridge, wondering if perhaps you’re worth more dead than alive, I say this: You still matter. You are still essential to someone, even if only to yourself. Why? Because you are still a part of a great tapestry - a single tile in a mighty mosaic that connects us all. And, because you are still loved. Which is a long way of saying, don’t jump."

What if it is too late for them?

Deaths of Despair

I believe how businesses and other non-essential citizens have been treated is a significant contributor to the ‘deaths of despair’ that I wrote about in the Not My New Normal blog.

Did you know that throughout most of 2020, there were as many suicides in Oregon as COVID deaths? But I guess those lives didn’t matter since they don’t flood our local news headlines. And I guess our concern wasn't actually the health of Oregonians or Americans, only those dying of this popular new headline cause.

The final point I will make on mental health here is to please do not cast your beliefs on those who are struggling. I say that speaking from an experience of one of our long term clients. She emailed us in response to our notice of our business closure to blame us that our 'taking too much time off' and 'not working our business '24/7/365' as the cause of our downfall. Not COVID, not government shutdowns and tyranny against small businesses (remember, big businesses were always essential), but her impression of our business management. How sad, how naive, and how hurtful.

But weren't the lockdowns in states like Oregon justified by their data?

So much for following 'the science'

I will let the headlines and data speak for themselves in late January 2021: OREGON HAS 4TH FEWEST VIRUS CASES, YET AMONG STRICTEST LOCKDOWNS

Don't be misled that the low case numbers there are thanks to the lockdowns. States that never implemented lockdowns have lower cases than Oregon. Looking at actual numbers is always eye-opening.

• California and New York were among the strictest on state mandates yet still had spikes months into their lockdowns and mandates and still have more cases than the other states.
• South Dakota had one major spike and then a major drop in cases and no major lockdowns or mandates. Despite differing approaches, most of these follow similar patterns.

We must be honest about the full impact here, on our children, our businesses and economies, and beyond.

Re-injuring Oregon

As I write this blog, we have already fled our home state of Oregon where we are still making good on our long-term lease paying rent to a landlord in a state we no longer live or do business in until that space can be rented to another tenant. #BeAPersonOfYourWord

Surely now that many businesses on the EO 20-12 have been allowed to re-opened to 100% capacity, these are all things of the past right?!? No. They continue to be threatened, locked down, heavily restricted, and wholly unsupported by their state leaders.

Our business never got above 20% capacity after the initial shut down. From March until December each time there was a new shut down in any sector (even if we weren’t impacted) our clients still reacted and our volumes fell further and further to 15% and 12% of what we started. So no, just “re-opening” all business 100% won’t immediately resolve all issues, though it will be a good starting point and must be done ASAP.

How many citizens like me lost ‘disposable’ income to take advantage of services like haircuts or self-care in the form of things like acupuncture or massage?

I did. I've shared our business impact for my husband James, but my personal example has come from work as a contracted consultant in the healthcare IT industry for six and a half years. In that time, I have not been without a contract for longer than two weeks on average. In 2020, I ended a contract as anticipated on 7/31/20 and was without work for almost 27 weeks. So as the primary breadwinner, the reality became for us that I was forced to apply for unemployment for the first time in my life (and I have worked since I was 14 years old).


--Echo Alexzander

Post Date: 2021-03-07 09:56:16

Last Update: 2021-03-05 18:37:15

SB 395, sponsored by senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene), would increase the amount required to be spent in highway projects from 1% to 5% on bike and walking paths. The discussion needs to include and recognize that the review of projects seeking grant money may be too loose.

Recently, the Oregon Department of Transportation provided transportation grant dollars for a proposed bike path in Yamhill County before the project had a masterplan or the required permits. Farmers with land adjacent to the proposed trail were forced to defend their property rights by legal means. Land Use law requires the County to seek a Conditional Use permit before continuing the concept of a bike path in EFU zones. Senior County department heads deliberately defied Land Use law. They sought and obtained grant monies, they bought land and begin construction without regard for due process. Try doing that the next time you build something.

ODOT was happy to be complicit in their actions. The matter went to the land Use Board of Appeals several times. On all five occasions LUBA told the County to stop. Neither the County nor ODOT ceased in spite of all those red flags. As long as ODOT has a sugar daddy complex and County officials think of grants as gift certificates these unfortunate incidents can and will occur.

A 1787 quote from Scottish professor and historian foretold the experience of government grants:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

--Alexander Fraser Tytler

--Tom Hammer

Post Date: 2021-03-06 13:26:12

Last September, the Senate Committee on Education met in an informational meeting to discus Equity in Education Policy Proposals and have a panel discussion that included Kali Thorne Ladd, Executive Director of KairosPDX which describes itself as "a non-profit organization focused on delivering excellent, equitable education to underserved children, their families and their communities." It's a public charter school located in inner Northeast Portland.

During the discussion, Senator Dallas Heard (R-Roseburg) asks the panel a broad and simple question, "Are you supportive -- and the groups you're associated with -- of more school choice for parents to be able to dictate where they want their child to be educated?"

After a pause, Thorne Ladd takes up the answer.

"...Choice definitely disproportionately favors privileged children -- mostly white -- and definitely middle class. And as such, becasue the public education system is to educate all children and all children don't exercise choice, I don't think the answer is having lots of choice."

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Thorne Ladd continues, clearly recognizing her own hypocrisy, and calls herself out.

"Now, I say that, recognizing that I do run a public charter. I think we found that the black children were failing at such high rates that we wanted to find an option that could yield different results."

In other words, the local public schools were failing at such high rates, so we created an alternative charter school -- school choice -- but we don't think this is the answer.

It causes one to wonder, why the negative cast on the value of choice, which most people think is generally a good thing, and specifically could be a great tool to help resolve the problem of failing inner-city schools, coupled with the defense of dollars being poured into failing inner-city schools? Could it be that the political operations of the educational-industrial complex are more important than actually helping kids? Watch this three minute video to see




--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-03-06 12:16:59

Last Update: 2021-03-06 14:06:42

Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part series on the collapse of small business in Oregon and is reprinted with permission from the blog of Echo Alexzander. She and her husband owned FIRST Corvallis, a massage therapy clinic

Most people are likely aware that so many small businesses have struggled in 2020. But have you talked with them (if you aren't one of them)? Do you understand how they were (or continue to be) impacted? What about those who lost all? I would like to share our journey not because it is easy to talk about, but in hopes that it might educate and inspire change in 2021 and beyond.

This series wasn't easy to write or share, but it feels so necessary. We must all understand the reality of this situation to immediately put a stop to it. And more importantly, to never allow it to happen again in our great nation.

Disclaimer: This is a real-life example of one family-owned small-business in the service sector in Oregon, USA. The details shared here are to help educate the public and provide an inside look to those who may be far removed from these realities. How did our business start out in 2020?

How did our business start out in 2020?

We had long ago survived the initial hurdles in the start-up years. "Only 78.5% of small businesses survive their first year" and we were well past that point with eight years in full-time practice.

Our hard work and success had resulted in over 1,300 clients for one practitioner. To give perspective on this volume in terms of day to day customers, before 2020 an average return customer appointment waitlist was about a month for their next appointment. New patients usually had to wait closer to two months to get their first appointment. So there was high and consistent demand for services.

Knowing we had become well established, we had weathered the ups and downs, and we had learned how to strategize between high and low seasons, what could there be to fear?

Unforeseen Circumstances

As 2020 was unfolding we had frequent conversations with people about the situation we were up against as small business owners. A comment we heard was how 'annoying' or 'inconvenient' it must have been during the shutdowns, as though they had been some loosely defined recommendations. I found myself correcting them to clarify that our business was made illegal by the Governor of our State as a non-essential business by the end of March.

This could hardly be viewed as a slowdown in business, or a seasonal occurrence we could prepare ourselves for. So how did it get to that point?

Executive Order No. 20-12 effective March 24th, 2020 our business was among a list that the Oregon Governor prohibited under penalty of Class C misdemeanor if found in violation and convicted. How could we now be at risk to face jail time if found in violation of what was, as of yesterday, operating our business to provide for our family?

Wait, what?!? A Class C Misdemeanor? “Under Oregon law, a Class C misdemeanor is punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,250, or both.” Crimes defined as Class C Misdemeanors include:

• Most Traffic Tickets
• Disorderly conduct
• Public intoxication
• Bad Checks of less than $20
• Simple assault
• Criminal trespassing
• Gambling
• Bail jumping
• Leaving a child in a vehicle
• Petty theft including shoplifting of an item under $50
• Possession of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle
• Minor driving under the influence of alcohol
• Minor in possession of alcohol
• Minor in possession of tobacco
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

So surely there must be a plan for all of those impacted by this government action, right?

How can an Emergency be Indefinite?

At the time this was issued the Oregon EO 20-12 was indefinite until terminated. There was no cutsie ‘two-weeks to hold on tight’ catch-phrase offered by the Governor to businesses to help them know how to react (not that it apparently helped any Oregonians since the two-weeks is looking to stretch a year).

This was with no end in sight. You have lost your ability to legally earn a living while still being financially liable for all your prior expenses. How does a business prepare themselves financially or psychologically to be made illegal to operate a mere 20 days after the declaration of a State-level emergency? And for a potentially indefinite period of time.

Where is this in business risk planning scenarios or modeling exercises in school? I have a business degree and can assure you that this wasn't on the menu. When did a service sector business think, 'someday, it might be a crime in my state to have close personal contact with other humans', and if it does, how will I "pivot" to online in order to succeed like other sectors? This EO 20-12 impacted 42 total sub-industries by name in our state, think how many businesses those entire industries represented?

It ended up lasting just under 68 days in total. For 68 days, due to no fault of our own, our business was simply not allowed by our state government to legally operate. Two months and one week we waited. We paid all of our bills, so those we owed didn't feel any impact, at least not from our business. And we received no outside support, we simply watched our savings drain away.

But there were government bailouts coming, weren't there?

Surely There Was State Funding!

There was a period where independent contractors were able to apply for unemployment (which my husband qualified as) under the PUA, but due to the brokenness of the Oregon Employment Department system, it was badly delayed (it began in August after the impact in March), and very little paid out in comparison to what my husband both qualified and applied for. It lasted four weeks and paid him $1,352 in total when all was said and done.

Our example business overhead in a four-week period run closer to $3,200 not including payroll or retirement contributions. Don’t forget any, examples of these expenses for a business include things like: office supplies, medical insurance premiums, power, internet, software, email, credit card processing, and website fees, business insurance, rent, sewer, city water, natural gas, bottled water service, payroll tax (yes, even when you have $0 payroll period there is still tax and filing fees due, not including the bookkeeping and CPA expenses) and legal services.

What about all those other alphabet acronym funding sources the news was always talking about?

What About All of Those Other Support Programs?

• PPP - This was not applicable to our particular situation/business so we were unable to apply.
• EIDL - We were awarded $1k in 'potentially forgivable' support (originally it was a loan meaning that it drove our business into debt). Of that money, we would then owe $332 taxes, be able to use $418 for payroll, and the remaining $250 could be applied to other overhead expenses (think utilities, etc).
• CARES Act - Oregon was the last state in the union to pay theirs out to citizens. Even though they received these funds from the Federal government at the same time as all of the other states, the Governor opted to hold the funds throughout the year and finally released funding in late November 2020.
  • None of this money was given for the independent contractor claim that James had filed. For those who did qualify, these payments began coming as early as 11/20. However, the reality for so many was that was too late. In our example, we gave notice to our clients on 11/14 that we would close our doors forever in Oregon on 12/31. How many others weren't able to hold on as long as we were?
• Benton Country where our business operated offered two grant options from the total $55M in state-level funding. These funds if awarded would act as non-repayment, taxable income. In the end, they funded only 25% of those over 300 businesses who applied (image right).

--Echo Alexzander

Post Date: 2021-03-06 09:02:55

Last Update: 2021-03-05 18:37:02

The Senate Interim Committee on Education Chaired by Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) introduced SB 223, which requires private school registration with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) if they want their students to participate in interscholastic sports or activities with public schools. This is the latest attack on schools outside the public system, an attack against school choice.

This bill came out of the blue with no mention at the fall committee meeting. The take-away from that meeting was the anti-choice sediment expressed by one Senator eluding to choice as a white-privilege. Not all members agreed, but perhaps “choice” was translated to “private schools,” That still doesn’t explain requiring private schools to report and submit for approval on the following:

• Curriculum
• Student behavior & discipline policies
• Instructional time
• Student mental health & abuse investigation
• Facility health and safety
• Teacher competency & background checks

Currently, ODE policy states: “non-public education is recognized as a vital part of Oregon’s educational system. Private schools do not have to register with the State of Oregon, unless they are contracting with public school district for services.” SB 223 would change this and would require private schools to register with ODE annually. Over 50,000 Oregon students choose private schools, primarily for the added religious curriculum. Should the state have approval over religious curriculum?

The Supreme Court has upheld parents’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights as they relate to education. The First Amendment grants parents the right to choose education for their children that doesn’t interfere with their religious beliefs. The Fourteenth Amendment protects parents’ rights to direct the education of their children and ensures that differences between public and private school cannot be eradicated. State regulation of private education must be reasonable and not without limits. If private schools need ODE approval for all plans and procedures, they would become de facto public schools.

The bill states, “The unique qualities of private education while seeking to further the educational opportunities of students enrolled in private schools.” By limiting the participation in interscholastic activities to private schools that are registered, it creates a problem that they propose to solve by requiring registration.

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SB 223 is a threat to the future of private schools, religious freedom, parental rights and school choice. It undermines the broad educational goals of private education as well as essentially eliminate private schools’ jurisdiction over their own schools.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee On Education on March 17 at 3:15 PM.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-03-05 20:05:52

Last Update: 2021-03-05 20:23:58

With SB 683 our schools would teach a curriculum of history based on racism. The plan is to make it part of the 1619 project which celebrates the arrival of the first slaves in North America. SB 683 was introduced by Senators Lew Frederick (D-Portland) and Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego).

Why don’t they teach a true history of racism? Begin with the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabic lands, India, isolated empirical China and Japan then follow it to its expansion into the America’s with some historical context.

Why would the curriculum begin near the historical end of slavery in 1619 and not include 5500 years of earlier activity? Perhaps the reason is political. Some think it is nothing more than revised history by omission.

Slavery didn’t start in the U.S. It all but ended here. In Oregon the native tribes held rendezvous at Celilo Falls and Willamette Falls into the time of the white man’s arrival. The Modoc tribe would sell Paiute prisoners into slavery at those annual gatherings. One slave for a horse or three blankets. Mexican cartels sell young girls into slavery currently and that sex trade has accelerated with more border crossings facilitated under our new administration. In many Muslim countries today, women are second class citizens living lives tantamount to slavery. China has slave labor camps to reprogram nonconforming religious and dissident citizens. We are told those are OK because it is a cultural thing.

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The industrial Revolution did more to end slavery than any other single event. When machines were invented that did more work of a reliable quality than humans could do the economic necessity for slavery was gone. Why don’t schools teach our kids that it was President Thomas Jefferson that banned the importation of slaves in 1809? Maybe the course should examine the slavery that controls the actions of people once they are made to be economically and psychologically dependent on government.

The greatest deterrent to slavery is a population that believes in the pursuit of self-sufficiency. What are we doing to teach self-sufficiency?

Photo by Dean Franklin


--Tom Hammer

Post Date: 2021-03-05 17:53:41

Last Update: 2021-03-05 18:17:56

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced plans for an executive order that would bring some certainty to parents and kids who are suffering under school closures, including a planned return to in-person instruction. Governor Brown has been under pressure from students, parents and Republican lawmakers to open schools to increased in-person instruction, in the face of opposition from teachers' unions.

Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Lyons) issued the following statement:

“For weeks, Senate Republicans have been standing up for students and families who have been left behind by school closures. Thousands have spoken out, marched, and demonstrated for their education. We elevated their pain and stories that have been ignored for too long.

“The Governor’s planned executive order is a step in the right direction to give our students the education they deserve. It is our responsibility as legislators to ensure the Governor delivers on her promises. We know hybrid instruction still is not the best option for students. We look forward to holding the Governor accountable for returning all of our students to in-person classroom instruction.”

In response to this pressure, and despite the pushback from teachers' unions, Governor Kate Brown announced today she will be issuing an executive order to return Oregon public school students to the classroom. In a letter to the Oregon Health Authority and the… , she directed all Oregon public schools to offer universal access to in-person instruction on or before the weeks of March 29 for K-5 students and April 19 for students in grades 6-12.

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"Thanks to the smart choices Oregonians have made, our COVID-19 numbers have declined. All but six counties now meet or exceed Oregon’s advisory metrics for a return to in-person, hybrid learning for all K-12 grade levels,” said Governor Brown. "And, five of those counties meet the advisory metrics for a return to elementary school."

“The science is very, very clear: with proper safety measures in place, there is a low risk of COVID-19 transmission in school. Oregon parents can be confident about sending their children back to a classroom learning environment.”

After the weeks of March 29 and April 19, all public schools in Oregon will operate under either a fully on-site or a hybrid instructional model when counties meet or exceed Oregon’s advisory COVID-19 metrics. Individual students or parents who want to remain in comprehensive distance learning, or who have health needs, may do so. Comprehensive distance learning for all will be an option for school districts when community transmission rates of COVID-19 warrant a transition, as determined by state or local public health directives. No later than March 19, the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Education will issue updated guidance to match the directives set out by the Governor.

Continued Governor Brown: “Closing schools in Oregon is a decision I will never forget. Parents, educators, school staff, but especially students have come so far while navigating the challenges of this pandemic. Welcoming students back to every school across Oregon will be a milestone worth celebrating."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-03-05 17:31:58

Last Update: 2021-03-05 17:53:41

In response to community concerns about the rise in violence in Portland, and the calls to increase public safety and respond to calls in a timely manner, the Portland Police Bureau will take steps over the next two days to provide additional officers to respond to incidents of violence and public disorder.

Eight officers from the Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) will work Friday and Saturday evening with the express purpose of following up on shootings that have occurred and responding as quickly as possible to calls. ECST officers will enhance the work already being done by patrol officers.

Police response to shooting calls, especially when there are gunshot victims, takes multiple officers to locate fleeing suspects, render aid until medical help arrives, secure the scene, preserve evidence, and contact witnesses.

"The Enhanced Community Safety Team officers will focus on high visibility and an enhanced police response to incidents of gun violence in progress," said Assistant Chief of Investigations Jami Resch. "Their priority will be apprehending those engaged in this violence which threatens the safety of our community."

The Portland Police Bureau now claims it has listened to community members' calls for a stop to vandalism and senseless destruction that has occurred periodically over the last several months.

Portland Police will deploy additional uniform presence from its three precincts to keep watch in areas commonly targeted by vandals and respond quickly to any calls of public disorder. The community has expressed its desire for peace and safety in neighborhoods and shopping districts city-wide, and these additional officers are intended to be responsive to those concerns.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-03-05 17:03:03

Last Update: 2021-03-05 17:17:47

Several House and Senate Republicans have sent a letter to Oregon Governor Kate Brown, requesting that she "take decisive action and reopen Oregon schools for full in-person instruction immediately."

The letter begins, "As House and Senate Republicans, we are deeply concerned about the detrimental impacts ongoing school closures are having on Oregon students. We respectfully request that you utilize the full authority of the Office of the Governor and intervene immediately to reopen schools to full in-person instruction."

As the governor has tried to steer between the demands of teachers' unions, upset parents and students, increasingly damaged by the disruption of school closures, pressure has been mounting for schools to re-open. In a move that many saw as a policy punt, the governor issued guidelines that allowed schools to partially self-determine their own opening schedule.

The letter references the nearly half-billion dollar federal grant, directed at opening schools, "The state was recently allocated $499 million from the federal government, much of which was intended to get children back into the classroom. We find no reason that this funding windfall is not sufficient to reopen schools, especially when an ever-increasing body of evidence supports that it is safe -- even without the vaccination of teachers."

In a sad note, the letter says that "Students are facing challenges associated with mental health, peer suicides, and social isolation while not at school. Our kids need to be back in the classroom to have the necessary support. Last year, we saw nearly a 40% increase in calls to suicide hotlines among youth. A recent survey shows that over half of 11-17-year-olds reported having suicidal thoughts regularly.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-03-04 19:58:44

Last Update: 2021-03-04 20:20:52