As legislators and government regulators create more requirements for electric transportation, examples of enthusiasm outpacing reality are beginning to pile up and manifest in situations that pit one environmentalist value against another. One such example is the Thacker Pass lithium mine on the Nevada-Oregon border which is expected to provide much needed lithium for batteries to please one faction of environmentalists, yet is alleged by another faction of environmentalists to be disruptive to the environment.

The latest in questionable energy policy is HB 4015 which permits a developer of a facility or the governing body of a local government after consulting with the developer to elect to defer regulatory authority to the Energy Facility Siting Council for the siting of a battery energy storage system. According to analysts, this would make it easier to site battery energy storage systems. It was passed by the legislature last session and recently signed into law by Governor Kotek. HB 4015 has no sponsor, but identifies at the request of Representative Pam Marsh (D-Ashland).

Unlike dams, the efficiency of windmills and solar installations fluctuates greatly depending on the weather. They require massive storage batteries to compensate for times when the output cannot meet the need. According to experts, industrial batteries are highly toxic and vulnerable to leakage. The bill allows local communities to give up their authority for approving locations, allowing the Oregon Energy Siting Council to rubber stamp locations. Some opponents say that the Council has a questionable history of project approvals in recent years.

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According to legislative watchdog Les Poole, "There are many assumptions and unanswered questions regarding the viability and safety of placing toxic batteries on our lands. The Siting Council has a history of approving large projects that have underperformed and/or created unacceptable environmental impacts. Approval of HB 4015 would invite both practical and legal battles." He cites 1000 Friends of Oregon vs Jackson County as an example.

Poole continued, "The promoters of this legislation and the Siting Council apparently believe the need for this legislation is justified because solar facilities will be approved on thousands of acres of farmland, much which is zoned EFU. It's a legally flawed concept that defies the spirit and purpose of the Oregon Land Use Plan." Poole cited another current legal battle taking place in Umatilla County at the Nolan Hills Transmission Project.

"What will be done with massive batteries after their lifespan?" Poole asks, rhetorically. "Where will they be stored, and what risks are there in transporting them? Will another situation occur where there's a lack of a permanent storage facility, reminiscent of the Umatilla Ordinance Depot and Yucca Mountain/Hanford nuclear waste depositories?


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-04-07 19:40:35

Last Update: 2024-04-07 21:34:08

Editors note: This is the last in a five-part series on School Choice Initiatives aimed for the November 2024 election ballot.

No child should be denied access to the learning environment that works for them, says Donna Kreitzberg, sponsor of the School Choice Initiates IP 5 and IP 6. Oregon schools are lagging behind in recovery from the pandemic lockdown creating learning deficits.

The Education Recovery Scorecard, 2024 study, shows Oregon’s elementary and middle school students remain an average of about two-thirds of a year behind in reading compared to pre-pandemic levels and three-fourths of a year behind in math. That’s roughly two to three times the deficit faced by students nationwide despite a $1.6 billion infusion of federal pandemic aid. The report shows Oregon schools have yet to spend $544 million. Why are districts faced with making cuts as students get further behind while teachers walk picket lines?

Stand for Children Oregon reviewed how schools spent the federal pandemic funds and found the 10 largest school districts directed relatively little of the federal money towards the strategies that research found most helpful to catch students up. They include frequent small-group tutoring, academically rigorous summer school, or extending the school year. Oregon had one requirement that 20% had to go towards academic recovery, and that was essentially meaningless to produce results. Most of the money was spent on preserving teacher’s jobs, which needs explanation since schools were fully funded. Preparing for the end of federal funds, districts were allotted a $900 million increase, but many districts are still faced with cuts in their workforce.

Oregon’s argument for having one of the longest school closures isn’t valid when other similar states are bouncing back and most are back to 2019 levels. In an interview with Oregon Live, Charlene Williams, Department of Education Director, said Oregon needs to strengthen instruction systemwide. She sited Oregon’s long tradition of local school district control as a problem.

If local school district control is a problem, then where does that leave parents? Governor Brown’s task force stated, "Local school district leaders should be given wide latitude to choose what is best for their students and communities." Then they passed a bill making it virtually impossible to fire failing school superintendents.

The Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card ranks Oregon 51 overall, tumbling 11 places. Heritage sets standards in the report card for achieving and maintaining education freedom in states. They measure more than two dozen factors in four categories: Oregon ranks 46 in Education Choice, 51 in Teacher Freedom, 25 in Transparency, and 39 in Return on Investment. They found Oregon has done little to provide transparency and choice for families. They criticized the state for still using Common Core and advised eliminating aligned assessments. They saw waste in the growth of non-teaching staff, particularly “chief diversity officers.” In public schools, Oregon employs 0.76 teachers for every non-teacher. Teacher salaries are above average, still teacher unions blame low results on underpaid teachers.

The lack of accountability has parents pulling their students out of public schools. Eighty percent of $1.6 billion was spent on non-academic priorities. The Department of Education thinks it will cost $1 billion more per year to bring students up to state academic benchmarks and raise graduation rates to 95 percent.

Heritage found Oregon is the 24th-most per pupil spending among states, spending $15,523 in 2023. OregonLive reported losing 43,000 students from public schools since 2019, yet Oregon school districts operate in the red, so the legislature added a historic $900 million in additional funding for the 2023-2025 biennium budget. Oregon-EdChoice estimates Oregon spends closer to $17,000 per public school student per year.

The per student spending will naturally rise without increasing the budget as public school registrations declines. With private school choice, there could be more funding available for each public school student without increasing taxes. When a public school student leaves the student takes all of their costs but only a portion of their funding. The public school then has none of the costs for the student but keeps a portion of the funding for the student. The funding the student leaves behind can be spent on all the students who remain at the public school.

The legislature calculates a “Formula Revenue for Distribution” as a portion of the amount spent on students in public schools. For the June 2021 State School Fund. the estimated amount was $9,535 per student. IP 6 is designed so that 80% of that yearly per-student amount will follow a student to private school or homeschool. IP 6 also sets a floor of $9,500 so that the minimum amount that will follow a student will be $7,600 (80% of $9,500). A minimum of $1,900 (20% of $9,500) will remain in the home district. IP 6 could be a solution to problems such as funding shortages, understaffing, large class sizes, or staffing cuts in public schools.

Eric Fruits PhD, Vice President of Research with Cascade Policy calculated that there could be an increase to districts of $277 per public school student. In another Cascade report, “Education Savings Accounts Can Boost Per-Student Spending in Public Schools,” Fruits evaluates the effect of an Education Savings Account (ESA) program on local school district budgets. He examined funding for every Oregon school district and found that if 5% of public school students used an ESA program to transfer outside of the government-run system, per-student spending for the remaining students would increase by an average of 1.7%. Fruits concluded that, "Contrary to critics’ concerns, school choice programs such as ESAs do not “defund” public schools. Instead, school choice programs simultaneously reduce costs to public schools and increase per-student funding."

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Looking beyond the money, parents are also tired of a leftist agenda that puts them on edge every legislative session. In 2023, the legislature passed HB 2002, which allows girls of any age to obtain an abortion without her parents’ knowledge. The legislature was back in 2024 with SB 1583 attempting to block parents and citizen-elected school boards from having input to determine and exclude age-inappropriate books and materials used in the curriculum.

Heritage criticized Oregon lawmakers for not rejecting the prejudice caused by the application of critical race theory in schools, and not addressing the threats to minor-age children from the teaching of “gender” in place of biological sex. School Choice is a system where policies set by the legislature still gives parents the power to decide if such policies are in the best interests of their children. If parents decide such policies are not right for their children, they can choose a different learning environment without financial and regulatory roadblocks.

Whether a student is learning in a traditional public school, charter school, private school, or homeschool setting, they are all Oregon students. As Oregon students, they should have equal access to the taxes Oregonians pay for education and have a right to learn in the way that will allow them to thrive and succeed.

For more information, Education Freedom for Oregon website has information about the petitions, events on gathering signatures, and print and mail petitions.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-04-05 11:36:30

Last Update: 2024-04-04 18:36:36

Oregon Fourth Congressional District Candidate Monique DeSpain (R-Eugene) reacted to a story published by the national news outlet The Daily Beast stating that the U.S. Attorney’s office has confirmed Val Hoyle (D-Eugene) is now under federal investigation and, according to newly publicized emails, Hoyle:

• Asked to "set the agenda" and be the key organizer of La Mota executive meetings
• Personally lobbied for the approval of the illegal $500,000 grant to La Mota-linked non-profit ENDVR, while simultaneously cashing in on campaign contributions from La Mota executives
• Has not fully returned all of the tainted contributions

“Today, we learned that Val Hoyle directly planned and orchestrated the agenda and decision-making process of the Apprenticeship Council, to the point of coaching La Mota’s people via text message from her personal cell phone during the meetings in which the decision to issue the illegal grant was being considered -- while she chaired the meeting,” said Monique DeSpain. “The evidence is clear: Val Hoyle has disqualified herself from being a Member of Congress.”

In mid-February, Willamette Week reported that Federal Investigators have expanded their current investigation into La Mota and ex-Secretary of State Shemia Fagan to include Congresswoman Val Hoyle’s $500,000 grant to La Mota’s non-profit while leading BOLI. A subpoena was issued just five days after DeSpain’s January 24th press conference launching WhatsValHiding.com and her letter to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Natalie K. Wight, calling on Ms. Wight to expand her investigation to include Hoyle and her activities. DeSpain has taken credit for drawing public and law enforcement attention to the glaring pattern of corruption exhibited by Hoyle’s words and actions by urging the U.S. Attorney to investigate Hoyle, saying:

“I sounded the alarm on this in my January 24th letter to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Natalie K. Wight. Just five days later, on January 29th, investigators issued a subpoena for BOLI to ‘provide all records’ related to Hoyle’s illegal grant,” stated DeSpain, adding, “Our campaign is about ending the reign of career politicians in Washington -- the same politicians, who like Val Hoyle, serve their own interests above those of the voters. That is why I am running for Congress, and this investigation proves that the stakes couldn’t be higher.”

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-04-04 21:09:16

Last Update: 2024-04-04 22:22:38

Two election law violation complaints have been filed by a voter in Yamhill County regarding attempts to conceal a donation by Oregon Taproot PAC (formerly Save Yamhill County PAC) to "Bubba" King for Oregon PAC. King is currently running to unseat Commissioner Lindsay Berschauer who serves as the Chair of the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners.

The complaints allege that Oregon Taproot PAC and its director Lynnette Shaw, as well as Bubba for Oregon PAC, intentionally tried to conceal a political donation from Oregon Taproot PAC to Bubba King by unlawfully filing the transaction as a personal cash contribution from Lynnette Shaw. Shaw was able to make such a large personal contribution after filing for “reimbursement” from the PAC she controls. As it turns out, Shaw had no reimbursements due to her, and taking money out of a PAC for personal use (in this case campaign contributions) is against Oregon law. The complaint alleges that Bubba for Oregon PAC then recorded a personal “cash contribution” from Shaw instead of recording it as coming from Oregon Taproot PAC (formerly Save Yamhill County PAC).

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The complaints also allege that Shaw failed to report all of the money. The transaction in Oregon Taproot PAC shows that Shaw gave Bubba for Oregon a total of $3,468.00. However, in the Bubba for Oregon PAC, it only shows a cash contribution of $3,018.00. The complaint alleges that the missing $450 has not been reported or recorded anywhere in either PAC.

Oregon Statute 260.402, which covers campaign finance transactions, states that: “It is a criminal offense to make a contribution or donation or to directly or indirectly reimburse a person for making a contribution or donation relating to a candidate, measure, political committee, or petition committee in any name other than the person that provides the contribution (i.e., a contribution in a false name). Likewise, it is illegal to knowingly receive a contribution or donation in a false name or enter it into a committee’s account. Making a contribution or donation in a false name is a class C felony, punishable by up to five years imprisonment and/or a $125,000 fine.”

Save Yamhill County is a familiar name in Yamhill County’s political arena. In 2021, the group attempted to recall sitting Commissioner Chair Lindsay Berschauer and failed to qualify the necessary number of signatures needed, despite hiring a professional signature gathering firm to collect them. The group, many of whom are also members of Progressive Yamhill, tried again and gained the necessary number of signatures. The special election occurred on March 22, 2022, and Commissioner Berschauer defeated the recall attempt by earning more votes than she previously did in her original run for office in 2020.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-04-04 13:57:25

Last Update: 2024-04-04 14:38:11

On April 3, Democrats and Republicans gathered in glee to watch Governor Tina Kotek sign House Bill 4024, which establishes campaign contribution limits.

“Often, the word ‘historic’ can feel overused. But I know for a fact that there were many people – including myself at times – who thought getting campaign contribution limits through the legislature would never happen,” Governor Kotek said. “But, we are here today to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts that have led to House Bill 4024 in this year’s legislative session, bringing Oregon into the company of 45 other states that have campaign contribution limits.”

House Speaker Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) stated, “We set out to find a compromise because the alternative was an expensive and potentially confusing fight at the ballot--as well as years of legal challenges. Thankfully, everyone involved came to the table in good faith, and I'm grateful for their hard work. HB 4024 truly represents the Oregon Way of getting things done.”

The bill passed with very little bipartisan support from Republicans. "HB 4024 is a phony campaign reform conducted by corporate interests and unions as an end run against a ballot measure," said Senator Brian Boquist (R-Polk). "If the People want reform they must do it themselves."

This bipartisan effort was led by then-House Majority Leader Julie Fahey and House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich in partnership with a variety of stakeholders. House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) stated, “Oregonians expect fairness and transparency in their elections. This bipartisan bill takes great strides to achieve more of both. Republicans remain committed to uncoupling power from insiders and returning it to the people of our great state."

Forty submitted testimony in support from mostly unions, and 190 opposed from such organizations as Voters of Oregon, Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network, Common Cause Oregon, Philanthropy Roundtable, Alliance for Democracy, League of Women Voters of Oregon, and even the Pacific Green Party acknowledged large loopholes leading to dishonest elections calling it smoke and mirrors.

David Wall, known as Mr. Oregon in writing testimonies wrote, “HB 4024 is an unregulated quagmire, a warren of legal complexities forcing astute candidates for office to hire an Attorney(s). This alone stamps out democracy."

Wall points out that "In-Kind Donations" in the bill can be easily corrupted and a good way to "launder money". For example, a contributor to a campaign could say their "In Kind Donation" to their candidate of choice was worth $2000.00 when in fact the "In-Kind Contribution" has a value of, $10.00. Who at the Secretary of State will be the wiser?

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Senator Brian Boquist (R-Polk) warned in testimony of the unions backroom secret meetings and said those dealings need to be made public. He wrote in testimony, “Corporate Union Feudalism has been gradually taking over the entire country over the past two decades, It is obvious most elected legislators, both state and federal, think you or we are part of the future ruling class. Be warned, as history records, we legislators will be peasants and serfs not rulers of anything very shortly. All of us regardless of caucuses or parties or even independents.

“The effort in this bill to make citizen campaign participation meaningless while empowering the corporations with their union backers is a clear effort to keep the police state oligarchs in power. The Oregon Supreme Court made it clear in Elkhorn (2020) we are a police state. The court's exact words. We legislators would be making a serious mistake to assume millennials and younger will simply sit by while we continue their indenturement. We have become used to the sheep classes of older people which is a mistake. The silence in the Capitol halls as citizens abandon participation, the lack of emails, the lack of telephone calls, is not acceptance at all. It is the beginning of a Millennial Revolution.”

What the supporting Republican legislators failed to recognize is why Democrats allowed this bill to pass. HB 4024 takes away the method Republicans had to raise funds and kept how Democrats raise funds, and leaves unions unchecked with unlimited campaign funding. The way around this law is how Democrats have been operating for years establishing thousands of political action committees to raise funds. Now Republicans have to start from a disadvantage to set up a system of thousands of political action committees in order to be competitive with Democrats. Is HB 4024 the kind of reform voters were hoping for?

State agencies overseeing elections and campaign finance in Oregon will now work to implement the law so that it can go into effect smoothly in 2027.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-04-04 13:24:52

Last Update: 2024-04-04 00:36:21

Oregon Governor Kotek signed into law HB 4002, a bill reversing much of Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment in response to a deadly addiction crisis plaguing major cities, suburban neighborhoods, and rural communities across the state. The bipartisan proposal cleared the Oregon Senate with overwhelming support exactly one month ago.

A key priority for the Senate Republican Caucus last session was to address drug addiction, homelessness, and crime. Recriminalizing possession of small amounts of hard drugs was at the top of the list. It is widely supported by Oregon voters.

Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend) responded to the Governor's signing: “Now that the Governor has given the recriminalization bill her stamp of approval, we can finally end the chapter on Oregon’s experiment with decriminalizing hard drugs. HB 4002 is not a perfect solution; legislators will undoubtedly have much more work to do in upcoming sessions. But it sets a standard for how the state should approach the drug addiction crisis: by empowering law enforcement and our behavioral health systems to work together to help Oregonians struggling with chronic addiction seek life-saving treatment.”

House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) offered the following statement: "Republicans stood united and forced Democrats to do what Oregonians demanded: recriminalize drugs. Make no mistake, this bill is not enough to undo the disaster of Measure 110. House Republicans are ready to continue the work we started and bring real change to Salem in the next session."

Representative Kevin Mannix (R-Keizer/North Salem) serves on the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety. He comments, "I am delighted that the Governor has now signed House Bill 4002. This was a major bipartisan effort to get Oregon back on track in dealing with hard drugs and their terrible impact on our communities. We have now made it clear that possession of such drugs is a crime, but we have coupled this with comprehensive treatment approaches to help people end their addictions. We will all need to work together to build up our treatment programs and to support law enforcement as they deal with the new unclassified misdemeanor of possession of hard drugs. We have much more to do. I will be presenting proposals to our Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety. These include identification and expansion of treatment facilities, recruitment of treatment providers, and support for law enforcement activities."

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Kelsi Manley, MD, FACP; and Jenny Silberger, MD, FACP; testified on behalf of the Oregon Chapter of the American College of Physicians. "We commend the legislature's efforts to recognize SUD as a public health issue and improve access to treatment. Substance use disorders are chronic medical conditions, akin to other chronic illnesses, and acknowledging them as such is vital for crafting effective, evidence-based solutions. As healthcare workers, we witness the suffering that addiction causes, but we also witness how treatment can result in remission, improved quality of life, and recovery for our patients and communities."

Concerns are in recriminalizing drugs that may inflict more government harm and violence on Black and brown communities. HB 4002 calls for the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to conduct a study to determine best practices for deflection programs and make recommendations for funding, for standards and best practices for the state. "Deflection program" is defined to mean a collaborative program between law enforcement agencies and behavioral health entities that assists individuals who may have substance use disorder, another behavioral health disorder or co-occurring disorders, to create community-based pathways to treatment, recovery support services, housing, case management or other services.

Testimony focused on getting to the source and not exasperate the mistakes of liberal policies. "Drug dealing of any amount of hard drugs needs to be at the very least a class B felony. We need to go back to a zero tolerance approach with no more of these social experiments in the name of humanity and reductions of incarcerated populations. End this travesty now. No more studying bad choices of the Oregon government. The time for action is now."


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-04-03 11:17:29

Last Update: 2024-04-04 13:57:25

The same day Oregon Governor Kotek signed into law HB 4002, recriminalizing much of Oregon’s drug laws, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced that it has forfeited on behalf of the United States 14 real properties located in Oregon—together worth more than $5.7 million—that were used by an interstate drug trafficking organization to illegally grow marijuana for redistribution and sale in other states. The owner of a 15th property agreed to pay the government $400,000 in lieu of having their property forfeited.

The properties, located in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties, were used until September 2021 as illegal marijuana grow houses by an interstate drug trafficking organization led by Fayao “Paul” Rong, 53, of Houston, Texas. On July 19, 2023, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, Rong was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

In early September 2021, a coordinated law enforcement operation led by DEA and OSP targeted Rong’s organization. Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners executed search warrants on 25 Oregon residences and Rong’s home in Houston. During the precipitating investigation and ensuing search warrants, investigators seized nearly 33,000 marijuana plants, 1,800 pounds of packaged marijuana, 23 firearms, nine vehicles, $20,000 in money orders, and more than $591,000 in cash.

According to court documents, Rong purchased numerous residential houses in Oregon using several different identities and, with others in his organization, used them to grow and process marijuana and prepare it for transport to states where its use remains illegal. In a 12-month period beginning August 2020, Rong’s organization trafficked more than $13.2 million dollars in black market marijuana.

The Rong organization takedown followed a 14-month investigation initiated by OSP after the agency learned of excessive electricity use at the various properties, which, in several instances, resulted in transformer explosions. Multiple citizen complaints corroborated law enforcement’s belief that Rong was leading a large black market marijuana operation. With the assistance of the Columbia and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices, OSP found associated marijuana grows in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, and Polk Counties. On February 18, 2022, Rong was arrested by DEA agents in Houston.

“This prosecution and yearslong effort to forfeit properties used by the Rong organization to grow and process thousands of pounds of marijuana demonstrate the long reach of our commitment to holding drug traffickers accountable and mitigating the damage these criminal organizations inflict on neighborhoods and communities,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

This case was investigated by DEA, OSP, and the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Oregon Department of Justice; Portland Police Bureau; the Yamhill, Clatsop, Marion, Multnomah, Columbia, and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices; Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team; and Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team. This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture proceedings were handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division.

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“The Oregon State Police is committed to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations operating within our state. Our priorities include safeguarding Oregon’s natural resources and mitigating the impact illicit marijuana has on them,” said Tyler Bechtel, Oregon State Police (OSP) Lieutenant. “This case is a great example of the results that can be achieved when all levels of law enforcement work together toward our common goals.”

The proceeds of forfeited assets are deposited in the Justice Department’s Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF) and used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of other law enforcement purposes. To learn more about the AFF, please visit here.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-04-02 12:23:32

Last Update: 2024-04-02 01:18:12

Editors note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on School Choice Initiatives aimed for the November 2024 election ballot.

Oregon’s 2024 Legislature passed nine education bills and dropped the most controversial bill of the session that would have taken decisions on curriculum materials away from school districts and parents.

Representative Ed Diehl (R-Santiam) sponsored a school choice bill, HB 4161, which mirrors IP 29 and IP 30. HB 4161 was the first school choice bill to receive a curtesy hearing, but leadership never intended for it to move forward. He is also tabling IP 29 and IP 30 for more work. It should give parents new inspiration to help pass the school choice initiatives, IP 5 and IP 6.

If school choice initiatives, IP5 and IP6, were to pass, parents will have options against the legislature passing undesirable bills that affect the public school system. Legislation is a one-size-fits-all solution, and school choice allows a parent to at the minimum select the "one-size" option that fits their student's needs.

The 2024 legislature’s idea of boosting the education and graduation rate seems to be a strategy with little valuable action. Three bills that passed involving students are:

• HB 4137- Allows kids enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program to qualify for a high school diploma without completing state requirements. Aimed at students that move across international borders. Governor signed.
• HB 4160 - Defines a graduating student as a student for one year following graduation, - to prevent “grooming” by a teacher or staff member that involves sexual conduct. (Current statute is 90 days.) Governor signed.
• SB 1532 - Requires the Oregon Department of Education to create an education plan for asylum seekers, immigrants, and refugees. Awaiting Governor's signature.

Oregon has struggled with education. As early as 2013, Oregon's graduation rate was the lowest of any state in the nation at 68.7 percent, meaning a poor education system can't be blamed on the pandemic. By 2019 it started to rise ranking the fourth lowest, but slow growth was blamed on low graduation rates and poor funding. However, since the pandemic, it has plateaued at 81.3% in 2022 and 2023. The state makes the case that minorities and low-income have a harder time and depress the graduation rates, so they have overwhelmed schools with equality policies.

The Oregon Department of Education said they don’t have stats on private schools because they don’t have authority to require them to register, but pointed to the National Center for Education Statistics. The data for private schools shows a graduation rate average of 96% with an increase in graduations the larger the school to 99.4% for schools 500-749. Beyond 750 the rate was 97%. Graduation rates also improved for nonsectarian schools with Catholic private schools graduating 99.1%.

Students participating in school choice programs are significantly more likely to graduate from high school. The Heritage Foundation reported that education researcher Greg Forster, PhD, conducted an analysis of all existing empirical evaluations of school choice programs to date. According to Forster, 11 out of 12 random assignment studies found that choice improved the academic outcomes of participants; not a single evaluation found that school choice had a negative impact on academic outcomes.

Students participating in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which helps low-income students attend private schools of their choice, experienced a 21 percent increase in graduation rates.

Forster also examined the evidence on the impact of school choice on students who remained in nearby public schools. Of the 23 studies conducted, 22 observed that school choice improves outcomes at public schools as well. A study in Florida also showed that school choice improved test scores of students in public schools that risked losing students. “In other words, it occurs from the threat of competition alone.”

It was also established in Florida that significant increases were found in the test scores of students with disabilities who remained in the public system as more private schools entered their voucher program, suggesting “that schools were serving those students better when they faced more competition.… Vouchers do not drain public schools of their ability to serve disabled students; instead, schools are pushed to serve those students better.” Oregon’s IP6 replaces a voucher program so the funding follows every student.

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School choice creates greater opportunities for all children to have access to education that instills democratic values. One concrete example comes from New York, where low-income and minority students were more likely to register to vote and turn out in elections.

A study in Milwaukee showed an increase in students graduating subsequently increased enrollment in college by four to seven percent.

Donna Kreitzberg, sponsor of IP5 and IP6, says, “IP5 and IP6 are not intended to replace public schools, but it is the hope of petitioners that public schools will respond favorably and upgrade education practices for students in their care. School choice gives students the opportunity to pick their own public school, charter school, private school, online learning option, private tutoring, or homeschooling option, and make the state responsible for equity in funding."

For more information, Education Freedom for Oregon website has information about the petitions, events on gathering signatures, and print and mail petitions.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-04-01 19:41:08

Last Update: 2024-04-01 16:35:41

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the first abortion-related case the court has taken since the court struck down the Roe vs Wade in 2022. The current case would limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, a FDA-approved drug. Mifepristone, also known as RU 486, is a synthetic steroid used to terminate pregnancies up to week 10 of pregnancy.

While Oregon Democrats would have you believe that this is all about a doctors ability to assist patients seeking reproductive health care, it is a play on words. While nationwide access to abortion could be curtailed again, the judges appeared not to be impressed.

Still, Oregon Democrats used the occasion to highlight grants issued last week as a result of their work to ensure that access to care in Oregon is protected and strengthened across the state.

Representative Andrea Valderrama (D-Outer East Portland) led the efforts for grant funding said, “When there’s no silver lining in the headlines coming out of D.C. today, we have a lot to be proud of here in Oregon as the work we did is going out into communities to increase access to abortion care across our state. These grants show a commitment to ensuring longer-term, systemic investments to protect and increase access to abortion care for all Oregonians.”

They neglect to mention the nearly 1,000 aborted lives every month. How many lives are taxpayers ending by awarding 23 organizations $8.5 million to fund abortion healthcare access and affordability barriers faced by marginalized Oregon communities.

Democrats worked to approve funding for the Reproductive Health Equity Fund for projects, programs, and organizations focused on expanding reproductive health equity through: 1) provider workforce and other care investments; 2) direct support for people seeking abortion and other reproductive services; 3) community-based outreach and education; and 4) research.

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The Reproductive Health Equity Fund began in March 2022 with a $15 million allocation from the Oregon Legislature to address gaps in Oregon’s reproductive healthcare infrastructure and expand access for the state’s most vulnerable populations.

“Money and distance should never stand between an Oregonian and the basic health care they deserve – no exceptions. I’m proud that our state is doing what’s right for our people and their health,” said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D-Beaverton & SW Portland).

“As Democrats, we will always work to protect access to abortion care in Oregon no matter what The Supreme Court decides,” said House Majority Leader Ben Bowman (D-Tigard, Metzger, & S. Beaverton).

It appears the Majority Leaders are following in their predecessor’s footsteps.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-03-31 20:39:39

Last Update: 2024-03-30 22:40:50

Salem Police patrol officers arrested Ross Benjamin Sierzega, a 33-year-old Salem man, without incident on multiple warrants stemming from a nearly two-year investigation by Felony Crimes Unit detectives into incidents of mail theft and related crimes in the Salem area. The Salem Felony Crimes Unit detectives finished sorting through all the documents seized as part of a lengthy mail theft investigation.

Following the arrest, a search warrant was served in partnership with the United States Postal Inspection Service at Sierzega’s apartment in the 3300 block of Crawford ST SE. The search of the dwelling resulted in the seizure of two lock cores from community mailboxes, several counterfeit mailbox keys and tools to manufacture the counterfeit keys, multiple checks, bank cards, and financial documents not in Sierzega’s name, and approximately 30 pounds of mail. In addition to the evidence collected, detectives seized a short-barreled shotgun and home-made body armor.

To help expedite the return of hundreds of personal documents to their rightful owners, a webpage with information has been created. Residents who suspect they may have lost documents through theft can determine if they are on the list of individuals who can recover their property.

Things to know:

• The web address for the page is salempd.info/document-return.
• If your name is listed, complete the form to start the process of retrieving your property.
• Items must be picked up by the owner.
• The owner must present valid identification, such as your state-issued ID or driver license.
• You may pick up your property at the Salem Police Station, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is 333 Division ST NE.
• Additional instructions are available on the webpage.

All residents should note, any unopened mail collected as part of this investigation will be returned by the US Postmaster.

Any Salem residents who have been a victim of mail theft but have not yet reported it, should do so at salempd.info/online-report. Theft of mail should also be reported to the US Postal Inspection Service online or by calling 1-877-876-2455.

Detectives urge any victims of identity theft to visit the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft website, for helpful information and recommend an identity theft alert be registered with the three major consumer reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

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Sierzega is currently in custody of the US Marshals Service on federal charges related to this investigation. In addition to 11 outstanding Oregon warrants, Sierzega was charged with the following:

• Felon in possession of a firearm
• Unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun
• Felon in possession of body armor
• Identity theft
• Forgery, first-degree
• Criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree
• Possession of burglary tools

Sierzega will make his initial appearance in federal court March 26, on a federal warrant, which was based on charges of mail theft, aggravated identity theft, and bank fraud. Under US Code, manufacture of a counterfeit mail key carries a maximum sentence of 10 years upon conviction.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-03-28 18:51:25

Last Update: 2024-03-29 00:00:46

Editors note: This is the third in a five-part series on School Choice Initiatives aimed for the November 2024 election ballot.

School choice may answer a catalog of ways that schools are systematically structured so as to foster racism. The monopoly of a public school system creates an inability to find a market solution to discrimination, and all the answers evolve around funding, which goes to the district and not to students.

Oregon is considered to be a high spending school system, but ranks as one of the worst five states for student to teacher ratio contributing to a low quality of education. Teacher salaries are above average, still teacher unions blame low results on underpaid teachers. The state makes the case that minorities and low-income have a harder time and depress the graduation rates, so they have overwhelmed schools with equality policies.

What did Oregon do? They passed a Corporate Access Tax (CAT), implemented equity standards, instituted confusing gender identity into all curriculum, and dropped graduation standards. In 2023 Oregon was added to the list of states identified as “dumbing down education.” For the past decade, Oregon legislation has focused on boosting education for minorities until it is approaching reverse discrimination. Equity standards focus on the lowest denominator, which translates as no standards. No standards have been shown to foster meritocracy, and meritocracy is colorblind.

Oregon's response included a costly Student Success Act, initially funded with $2 billion by the Corporate Access Tax (CAT), which should have improved Oregon’s ranking since it was passed in May 2019, in time to combat the pandemic. The biennium funding from CAT has grown to $2.8 billion for 2023-25. Fifty percent was proposed to go directly to school districts for top local priorities in specific areas, distributed through grant requests.

Twenty percent goes towards early learning, and House Bill 2025 extended the pre-school age range to include prenatal through age three services using $193.5 million to fund a $365.4 million budget. Some question whether prenatal is a qualified expenditure that actually should be supported by the Oregon Health Authority. It is close to the amount needed to initially implement school choice.

Thirty percent is dedicated to creating new programs and expanding existing programs that serve African American/Black Students, LGBTQ2SIA+ and now includes five different Student Success Plans for the underserved. It also funds the High School Success program to help students stay on track through high school and graduate on time. Putting $840 million into the underserved seems to be funding an empire of programs that miss the mark parents and voters were promised for the cost of CAT. The commitment to improving equity by increasing access and opportunities for historically marginalized students is a major deception of the education system for which school choice presents parents a way out.

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Those who say school choice has racist roots are implying that parents, especially lower-income, black parents, should stay trapped in public schools that have failed their children for decades. School choice was originally brought about to support freed blacks. The federal government provided support for freed blacks through the Freedmen’s Bureau building all-black public schools, and converting black independent schools into public schools. History tells a story of how socialism removed school choice and segregated public education, which made it impossible for them to flee discrimination.

Oregon’s equity policy is aimed at the underserved, which is code for minorities, low-income families, and documented or undocumented residence. School choice breaks the arbitrary link between a child’s housing situation and the school they can attend. This means the price of home a family can afford no longer determines their child’s access to a quality education. School choice equalizes access to a quality education for all races and nationalities. Why then does Oregon leadership oppose school choice when they claim to be the guardians of the underserved?

School choice, IP 5 and IP 6, presents a way out of systemic racism by allowing students (of all colors and nationalities) who want to leave their assigned government school, to find an alternative, and still improve education for students who remain in their assigned public school.

For more information, Education Freedom for Oregon website has information about the petitions, events on gathering signatures, and print and mail petitions.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-03-26 12:50:38

Last Update: 2024-03-26 23:11:25

Oregon voters escaped a battle when House Joint Resolution 201 was left in committee on adjournment. Representative Paul Evans (D-Salem, Independence) crafted and requested the bill’s introduction. The Act would put in the constitution a state tax on property to fund public safety.

Rep. Evans writes, “Even though we did not pass House Joint Resolution 201, we made progress because it forced advocates to show up. For too long cities and counties have tried to publicly deny the necessity of real property tax reforms. Since 1991, the State of Oregon has paid an exponentially increased amount of “traditional local government services” that has led to disinvestment in traditionally state-funded enterprises – colleges, universities, and state police have suffered because of the necessary backfilling required to keep public schools open and local governments functioning."

The delusion of support comes from Rep. Evans own testimony and two others testifying in support and 17 in opposition. There are 1,458 written opposition, and 8 in support, but 4 are identical written by Evans.

One of the supporters wrote, “I want to encourage you to pass this insane bill. I hope you will mislead the voters about how much it will eventually cost, make sure the implementation requires as many new government employees as possible and further increase the tax bill for Oregonians so that we can leave no doubt where we rank on a national level for tax burden. Making any connection between the liberal approach to homelessness and the subsequent resulting need for further safety related expenses should of course be avoided.”

Rep. Evans wants to call it reform while passing a new tax that increases taxation. "HJR 201 put forward a new approach to funding necessary services through reforming property tax methodology. The reaction to the measure demonstrated the need for something like it – we simply do not have the resources available to fund statewide emergency services – and it is time to find a solution.”

Kevin Chambers is running against Evans for House District 20. As a business owner and advocate for public safety, he says, "We should be utilizing our resources via productive managed logging and management of our forests to drive more revenue. Simply put, Rep. Evans continues to utilize people and their wallets as a resource and mismanaging our tax dollars, instead of using our natural resources like timber. To many Oregonians are playing bill roulette as it is, yet Rep. Evans wants to make them pay more even though Oregonians already have less."

The Oregon State Fire Fighters Council saw dollar signs and testified regarding the need for fire districts. Lane County Intergovernmental Relations Manager, Alex Cuyler, wrote on the ice storm damage experienced in Lane County and said that federal emergency Public Assistance funds only paid for 75% of the costs. He supports this “modest, shared by all” tax that HJR 201 would generate even though it isn't an emergency fund.

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Taxpayers Association of Oregon published an alert to voters and taxpayers:

• We can’t afford it! Oregonians already pay higher taxes than most states.
• Removes current local control over property taxes from Counties/Cities by allowing new statewide property tax scheme without limits.
• This would allow Portland politicians to raise property taxes on rural Oregonians for their reckless spending.
• Removes current Constitutional limits on property tax rates (Measure 5) and assessment rates (Measure 50) with sneaky exceptions.
• Risk throwing seniors, the disabled and other limited income Oregonians out of their homes as property taxes become limitless.
• HJR 201 would be a referral to voters, because that is the only way politicians can remove/tinker with current Constitutional property tax limits that protect home owners.

This was not Rep. Evans first attempt and he made it clear that he will be back with another bill next session, if reelected. His plan would add $100 in property taxes to a modest valued home, but once passed, the legislature could increase the rate with a majority vote because it wouldn’t be a new tax.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-03-22 12:50:53

Last Update: 2024-03-22 20:00:50