Civic Education in Oregon: It’s About Time

Any systematic curriculum to educate people about how government works is a good thing — and I say that not just because I am a professor of politics.

Jim Moore is a longtime observer of Oregon and west coast politics. Political analyst for various media outlets, professor at Pacific University.

Courtesy, Oregon Department of Transportation

The Oregon legislature enacted a requirement for civic education in our schools. In a time of heightened partisanship at all levels of government, the bill passed Oregon’s House with a 60-0 vote.

Republican chief sponsor Fred Girod (R-Stayton) — who also serves as the Republican leader in the Senate — said, “Instead of pushing agendas in the classroom, our kids need to be taught the fundamentals.” The Democratic chief sponsor, Rep. Paul Evans (D-Monmouth), put it this way: “Civics education is the necessary component for the security and sustainability of a Republic based upon democratic ideals and this landmark bill will give the next generation of Oregonians the knowledge and tools they need to lead.”

All this is to the good. Any systematic curriculum to educate people about how government works is a good thing — and I say that not just because I am a professor of politics.

But what ought to be in the class?

There is a lot of government out there. Most people only pay attention to government during elections (and then usually in just the last few weeks before election day) or when one of their personal issues arises between elections. Americans and Oregonians are notorious for not being able to name their representatives at any level below the presidency. And there is often confusion about which part of government is responsible for which policies. Those involved in elections for state and local office in 2006 reported many questions about what candidates would do about the U.S. war in Iraq — something well beyond the job description of a county commissioner or state legislator.

If I ran the world, here’s what I would have in the class.

First, start with the government that is most relevant to people’s lives. Since these will be kids in school, let’s begin with the school board. What does it do? Who serves on it? How does it reflect or not reflect the community it serves? How is public school paid for? What is a property tax?

This will lead right into the state legislature and governor. The result of 1990’s Measure 5 is that the state legislature is the place that decides how much money is available to school districts. How is the legislature elected? How are districts determined? What is the role of the governor and the legislature in creating budgets for big categories like K-12 spending?

As a curricular sidenote, in the early-1970s (when civics was a required class in Oregon schools), there was a movement in the legislature to require an additional class on public finance so students would understand the tax system and how government spending priorities were balanced across the many, many competing programs out there. The public finance class idea did not go anywhere.

Second, sticking with the levels of government most relevant to everyday life, get into city and county government. What is a county commission? What is a city council? What is a city manager? How do streets get paved in a community? How come there is clean water and toilets that flush? For those from a rural area, what on earth is a vector district or an irrigation district? For those in my neck of the woods (unincorporated suburban Washington County), what is a park district, and an enhance sheriff patrol district, and a host of other government roles that create safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life. Spend more time on property taxes and how they work.

Another aside. I occasionally brief international groups (usually legislators and some businesspeople) on the United States system of federalism. No other country does it like we do. I always take my property tax statement (16 districts, 8 bonds) with me to show them how many independent policy and taxing authorities there are. The biggest surprise to them is usually that a higher level of government (e.g. statewide elected officials) cannot fire somebody elected to a lower level of government. That we the people elect those who run entities like sewer systems is mind-boggling to those from other countries.

Third, back to the state level for everything that is not K-12 education. What is the executive? The legislature? The judiciary? Spend a lot of time on how taxes work (taxing income, sales, and property, as well as the major variations of each). What does an attorney general do? How about a treasurer? And what on earth is a labor and industries commissioner? What is public higher education? How are public employees selected and paid? This might take another entire class, but what about retirement obligations for public employees and how decisions on that have an impact on government choices at all sorts of levels?

Fourth, and only after all the above has been explored, get into the national government. Spend a bit of time with the Constitution noting how the longest section is about the legislature, the second longest is about the executive, and by far the shortest is about the judiciary. Highlight how the reality of governing is within this 230-year-old framework, but how it has evolved in some amazing ways over the centuries. Learn different reasons we can all name the president, but progressively fewer of us can name our senators, then our representatives, our Supreme Court members, and then the presidential appointees who head up agencies that play a big role in some of our lives. Spend some more time on taxes.

Fifth, and last, get into how on earth our election system works. To select a president, we have 57 primaries or caucuses to choose party nominees for the presidency (lots of territories along with states). Then we have 51 separate elections to select the actual president (DC gets to vote). All this is filtered through that 230-year-old Constitution and the Electoral College. Then, each state gets to figure out how its elections work pretty much independently of any other state. This is a nice time to dip into Oregon’s 40-year experience with vote by mail. To make it more fun, wrap up the election section with a brief introduction to campaign finance at all levels. Compare Oregon’s wide-open system with the snarl of laws and judicial interpretations for any national office.

By the end, students should know that local government has the biggest impact on their everyday lives, that taxes are the price we pay for services we want, and that elections are pretty entertaining, but they are not the business of government.

With that under their belts, they will be ready to be as engaged or unengaged as they choose in public life. But they will know what the implications are for their choices.

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