Oregon's Public Schools Can't Guarantee an Education, or Raise Standards

We’re going to give Gov. Kate Brown, D-Ore.,  the benefit of the doubt and assume she didn’t have a public signing ceremony or issue a news release concerning Senate Bill 744 (Oregon 81st Legislative Assembly) because she was embarrassed by the substance of the that bill.

That’s because the result of SB 744 will mean an Oregon high school diploma isn’t worth the paper on which it’s printed. According to Fox News, the bill "drops the requirement that high school students prove proficiency in reading, writing or math before graduation, a report said."

Instead of marking a milestone in learning, an Oregon high school diploma will be glorified certificate of attendance. It won’t be any indication the person possessing the diploma can read, write, or handle simple arithmetic in English or any other language.

As taxpayers send more and more money to the "heroes" of education, they receive less and less in return. That’s why we will repeat advice we’ve given previously: "Get Your Kids Out of Government Schools!"

The reason for dumbing down — really eliminating the standards — is the usual: white supremacy. Or in this case test supremacy. The governor’s office excuses gutting the standards by claiming, "new standards for graduation will help benefit the state’s "Black, Latino, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color."

When you get past the equity spin the fact is Foundations for a Better Oregon, the governor and the legislature just don’t think "children of color" are as smart as other children.

Or as Fox put it, "Supporters of the bill insist that considering math and reading essential skills has been an unfair challenge for students who do not test well."

We’ve got news for the ignorance enablers: Life is a test and it’s mandatory.

Bills like this aren’t "compassionate," they're a slap in the face. 

Such legislation telegraphs to minority students that the educational system doesn’t think they can achieve, so schools will remove any chance to achieve.

Employers will be free to consider all Oregon high school graduates equally ignorant and incompetent.

Our question is how many of the Foundations for a Better Oregon staffers and legislators send their children to private schools?

Or, have children in the first place? It ought to be mandatory that politicians and organizations setting standards for government schools be required to send their own children to government schools.

We don’t often agree with editorials in Oregon newspapers, in fact we can’t think of a one.

But The Oregonian hit the nail on the head this time: "Oregon schools were among the last in the country to reopen to in-person instruction during the pandemic," an editorial read. "Our legislators should be focused on how to help students regain the ground they’ve lost after a year and a half of distance learning and hybrid instruction — not on lowering standards."

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.