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Entries by Rick Metsger
Confronting the Problem We All Live With
Today in Federal Court, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken made it clear that America still has a long road ahead to fulfill that promise. In a strong rebuke, Aiken chastised a lawyer for the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments for firing Beth Schmidt, the former Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator, who embraced her responsibility to honor Ruby Bridges during a walk to school event for Salem-Keizer students last fall.
Ten Lesson Plans to Turn Around Oregon’s K-12 School Performance
Five changes the Legislature might consider to lift Oregon schools out of the nation’s basement in school performance. None will be easy. The status quo is a formidable opponent.
Podcast: Jim Green on Oregon Schools at a Crossroads
Rick Metsger dives into Oregon education issues with Jim Green, former Executive Director of the Oregon School Boards Association, in this month’s Political Center video podcast.
Time to Rebuild the Oregon Department of Transportation?
The ODOT director called it quits at the end of last year and two interim directors have warmed the chair since. Sources familiar with the search say finding a permanent replacement has been — to be kind — challenging.
Oregon Government’s Secret Society
Neither the Legislature nor the public have a clue what goes on behind the closed doors of the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability (CJFD). In the last 10 years, more than 2,000 complaints have been filed with the Commission charging some form of judicial misconduct, though not a single public hearing has taken place on any of them.
Moneyball: The Crisis in Oregon Public Education
Oregon’s education system is spending more than ever, yet student outcomes continue to fall behind. We examine Gov. Tina Kotek’s appointments to the Quality Education Commission, the growing influence of teachers unions, and the widening gap between school funding, labor costs, and student achievement.
The Sky Queen of Mount St. Helens
Forty-six years ago today, Mount St. Helens blew her top. Those old enough to remember recall the vivid images on their TV screen. Betsy Johnson has different recollections, ones that not only are seared in her mind but also seared her eyebrows.
There Is a Milepost Ahead. It Reads, ‘Election Day’
Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, and Dag Robinson, president of the Oregon Association of County Clerks (OACC), held a virtual town hall to talk election integrity and process. The fact that they felt compelled to even have a town hall on the subject says a lot about the times we live in.
Oregon’s Department of Recommendations
Oregon’s Department of Education was designed at statehood to lead Oregon’s students into adulthood with the educational skills necessary to succeed. But its toolbelt has neither a hammer nor a screwdriver. Instead, it leans heavily on masking tape, Gorilla Glue, and notes of encouragement.