By Rep. Jeff Helfrich
The Mountain Times
As we move ever closer to the start of the 2025 long session, my fellow Republicans and I took time to reflect on where we fell short in the last biennium. From that, we agreed that it’s time for us to get back to basics on several issues that face our communities. While crime and disorder are challenges we must address now, it is equally important to safeguard against them becoming problems in the future: we must take a critical look at our education system. With slipping standards, increased absenteeism, and a shrinking workforce, Oregon is not doing right by her students.
During the pandemic, the legislature passed SB 744 (2021), which suspended the requirement that high school graduates demonstrate proficiency in essential learning skills. The main driver was that standardized testing could not be provided while everyone was in lockdown. In a decision made back in October 2023, the Board of Education decided to extend that suspension through 2029. That means that for nearly a decade, Oregon’s graduating students will have had no metric for success. While championed as a move for equity, it leaves all of our students, including those from marginalized communities, at a disadvantage when competing for work, furthering the generational iniquities we see in those communities. Oregon may drop her standards for reading and writing, but employers nationwide will still require resumes and cover letters that our students won’t know how to write successfully. The House Republican Caucus will advocate for the reinstitution of the graduation standards. If our youth are failing these basic standards, it’s not because the test is targeting them but because our education system has failed them.
Session after session, educators inform us they don’t have the tools to be successful. They are overburdened with too few teachers and too many students. We have poured billions of dollars into our public education system over the last few years yet have very little to show for it. Our teachers deserve better. They deserve to go home feeling fulfilled and accomplished for the important work they do. The funding of our public education system needs to stop being a political chip and start being a legislative priority. Funding of our K-12 system should happen early in the next session, so that teachers have the peace of mind that they are being heard and prioritized.
We must ensure that our students are graduating with the tools to help them compete in today’s job market and provide them the resources to excel in the classroom. Our teachers who have gone into this noble line of work shouldn’t be made to feel like they are being hamstrung by a system that does not prioritize their success and instead overcrowds their classrooms. It’s time the legislature puts its money where its mouth is, and to fully fund our public education system. It may mean difficult decisions for other areas of government assistance, but our future and our kids deserve it.
As always, you can reach me at Rep.JeffHelfrich@oregonlegislature.gov or 503-986-1452.