The Case for Prioritizing In-Person Education
Greater use of remote learning will not reverse learning losses. If elected Governor, I will prioritize keeping kids in the classroom.
My conversations with Oregon parents and educators make it clear to me that we are headed towards a crisis in our public schools.
Remote learning has resulted in a drop in proficiency scores in math and reading, and a stark increase in the number of high school students no longer on track to graduate on-time. Ask almost any parent and they’ll tell you how much happier their kids are being back in school.
Meanwhile, teachers have been stretched to the breaking point–juggling remote learning, safety protocols, and mental health challenges of their own and their students.
Greater use of remote learning will not solve these important problems. If elected Governor, when responding to the impending crisis in our public schools, I will prioritize keeping kids in the classroom.
As a parent of two kids in public schools, it’s clear to me that our kids need in-class instruction now more than ever—to make up for lost learning over the last two years; to preserve their mental health through social interaction; and, to allow working parents to continue to work. That’s why we should be talking about providing more in-class learning opportunities through summer learning and enrichment programs.
I believe we must come up with solutions that keep kids in the classroom while giving teachers the support they need. In the short term, we need to provide emergency funding for our schools to give them the resources they need.
Part of these funds should bring more mental health professionals into our schools. Teachers tell me the level of need their students are facing far exceeds what schools can provide, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels. And we should also look at providing more support for our teachers and staff to better cope with the stress and demands they’re facing.
To address short-term staffing shortages we should put out an urgent call to retired teachers and ask them to come back to the classroom. We should follow that up by easing the administrative hurdles that might be in the way. In addition, we should offer retention bonuses for teachers and staff willing to commit to stay on in their current position for the next few school years, providing a measure of stability and predictability for school districts across the state.
In the long-term, the supply issue requires building out a career pipeline of potential teachers. It’s clear we need to attract a larger crop of public school teachers. Making the profession more financially lucrative could assist with that. Loan forgiveness or down-payment assistance for students graduating from Oregon colleges and universities who commit to a career in teaching would result in more students pursuing teaching as their profession.
This is an all-hands on deck moment. Our kids cannot afford another lost year of instruction. And our teachers need more support to keep their classrooms running.
Finally, we have to tackle the looming Covid threat of new and existing variants. I continue to support a vaccine mandate for all teachers, staff, AND students to keep everyone safe and our schools open. To prevent widespread quarantining and school shutdowns, we need to give school districts the ability to test every student weekly and prevent Covid from spreading.
The upcoming special legislative session would be a perfect time to deal with this pressing issue and provide the urgent funding needed to keep our schools running.
This is not just a short-term crisis—it will have lasting consequences for our kids’ future and the quality of our schools and teachers. We need to treat this crisis with the urgency it demands. Our teachers, our kids, and our future all depend on it.
A proud Democrat, Tobias Read was elected State Treasurer in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Before that, he represented the Beaverton area from 2006 to 2016 as State Representative. He lives in Beaverton with his wife Heidi and their two kids. He is running for governor.
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photo credit: "Pacific Hall" by Wolfram Burner is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
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It is NOT a pay or facilities problem...it goes way beyond those issues...! Sherm Simmons C.T.E. BUSINESS ED. etc. B.S./M.S. +++++++
Yes teacher pay would help but this job is becoming so difficult you can’t pay anyone enough to do it. Teachers want to be and feel effective. Reduce class sizes, reduce caseloads. Period. Build more schools, and yes as you said address the teacher pipeline. Make developers build a school in the midst of their new development or pay the taxes to make that possible. While we are waiting for that, hire armies of paraprofessionals. We need help now.