Education

Education is a right to be shared, not a privilege to be sold to the highest bidder. Oregon citizens deserve a quality educational system with sufficient and equitable funding so that all levels of public schools are safe, well equipped, and staffed by appropriately trained professionals. Action items:

• Withdraw Oregon from “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” as these top-down programs centralize and nationalize the local issue of educating our children 
• Student loan indebtedness is a 21st Century version of indentured servitude. Make all Oregon public colleges and universities free to Oregon residents who have lived here at least three years. 
• Fully fund health and physical education as a response to the growing problem of childhood obesity. 
• Improve school breakfast/lunch programs to include more locally grown whole foods and less processed foods 
• Focus the food offerings upon a plant-based diet with meat as a side dish. This inclusive approach satisfies all dietary needs, affirms healthy diets, and lowers our collective impact on the food chain. 
• Ensure that school grounds are zones of tolerance that do not accept any physical, verbal, emotional, or electronic bullying or harassment of any person for any reason

We the People demand:

• An emphasis on the teaching of skills for a democratic society including communication, conflict resolution, environmental awareness, and respect for diversity. 
• Affirm that cultural and immersion programs are positive tools of diversity and empowerment in education.
• Reduced class sizes to ensure a quality learning environment for students and work environment for teachers.
• Schools offer pass/fail and portfolio options as alternatives to standard grades.
• Schools explore the cost/benefit of e-readers (i.e. Kindle, iPad) for students to combat both the back strain from heavy textbooks and the technology divide.
• Honor the multiple intelligences of students by providing vocational, academic, professional, and artistic educational pathways.
• Full funding and support for Special Education, English Language Learner, and accelerated programs.
• Prohibit corporate and military advertisements in public K-12 schools, except passively in high school career centers.
• Expand community college opportunities for continuing education and job training for all adults.
• Because Oregon is a state of many languages, we oppose efforts to make English the official language of Oregon. To affirm this, schools will offer second language programs to broaden the learning of all students.