Oregon Dems failed students for decades

May 24, 2022

Photo credit: Mark Graves

According to a recent audit by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, Democrat governors have failed to follow through on their commitment to improve state education standards for decades.

As the report states: “Oregon has not sustained past improvement efforts. Taken together, the [latest efforts] comprise Oregon’s fourth major K-12 improvement effort since the early 1990s. The previous three were all abandoned.”

“Democrats have held the governorship since 1987; it is no coincidence that Oregon’s education standards have not been met since,” said RGA spokeswoman Kaitlin Price. “After the significant learning loss caused by Democrat-forced school closures, the last thing Oregon parents and students need is a governor that fails to ensure school and student success. Christine Drazan has proven her commitment to public education and will change this failing state record after securing a victory this November.”
The Oregonian: Oregon risks wasting money for schools due to lack of accountability, tracking, auditors warn

“The auditors highlighted five risks and potential solutions and said that, based on their extensive reviews of Oregon’s K-12 system over the past six years, “a lack of intervention by (Oregon Department of Education), despite significant problems at the school and district level, has been a larger problem than infringement on local control.
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“Oregon is on its fourth try at improving K-12 education since the 1990s, after leaders abandoned the previous strategies, auditors said. Certificates of initial mastery, the Oregon Education Investment Board and its Achievement Compacts are among the high-profile efforts that past governors and lawmakers instituted – then abandoned before they took full effect, the auditors wrote. The idea behind the master certificates was that schools would have to ensure students mastered reading, writing, math and other academic skills to graduate, but that never happened. The Achievement Compacts were intended to require that school districts delivered on specific improvements in student results, including improved third-grade reading proficiency, decreased chronic absenteeism and more equitable graduation rates. That, too, was abandoned.
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“Auditors suggested Brown will likely leave a disappointing legacy in the education realm when she finishes her term in December, given how much power she could have used to bring about improved results from the massive spending infusion. “Under Oregon law, governors have a strong role in K-12 education, serving as superintendent of public instruction, appointing a deputy superintendent to direct (the state education agency), serving as the administrative officer of the state Board of Education, overseeing (state education) programs and proposing a K-12 budget to the Legislature.”