Friends,
I am spending the 2009 interim working on education issues in my capacity as the Chair of the Senate Education Committee.
My overall goal in this capacity has always been to keep schools open from the opening bell to the final day – without closing early. So far, we’ve been able to keep to that standard in spite of this turbulent economy. I will do everything in my power make sure schools are not cut short in the coming year. The truth is we need to go the other direction – and add days to the school year.
Year-Round Education - SB484
This is what SB 484 intends to do. This measure was signed into law a few months ago and enables Oregon school districts to add days or weeks to the summer schedule through grants, tuition or pilot study programs.
Already the Beaverton School district is experimenting with a 10-month school year. And foundations such as the Chalkboard Project and Intel are looking at ways to help.
The basic premise is this: We don’t have bad schools. We don’t have bad kids. We just don’t have our kids in our schools long enough. Year round education eliminates the summer “regression” that all teachers know all too well. The research is stunning. Ultimately, I believe with a 210-day calendar, instead of the current 170 days, students will be graduating form high school in ten years instead of 12.
Full-Day Kindergarten - SB 44
I will also be chairing the full day kindergarten “implementation committee” this year and next to study how we can thoughtfully bring full day kindergarten into all Oregon schools. This law also passed the 2009 legislature after much debate and careful consideration. Our panel is charged with calculating the costs and logistics to bring this much-needed change to reality.
It is an exciting time to be in education – with the changes, the technology and the new energy from thoughtful Oregonians. If you have ideas or want to roll up your sleeves and help – please let me know.
Sincerely,
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