Will 2023 Be Oregon’s Year of Parental Choice in Education?

Oregon’s 2022 gubernatorial race features three competitive candidates, two of whom are not supported by public employee unions. For the first time in decades, it’s possible that Oregon’s new governor will not be beholden to teachers unions that have financially dominated Oregon politics for years. If that happened, what could be done to quickly expand students’ opportunities, improve outcomes, and even save taxpayers money?

A lot has changed since 2020. Before the pandemic, education options to meet the needs of K-12 students in Oregon were already increasingly diverse. Oregon had thriving private and parochial schools, public charter schools (including online options), homeschooling, tutoring and learning centers, magnet schools, and more. Since COVID-19, new types of learning environments have become increasingly popular, like micro-schools, learning pods, and hybrid education.

During the pandemic, district public schools and the teachers unions that largely control them alienated parents. Many parents who previously defended their local schools said they were disillusioned, frustrated and angry that schools, which continued to receive per-pupil taxpayer funding (plus emergency COVID money), couldn’t provide an adequate education that met their children’s learning or developmental needs.

Parents are now “voting with their feet.” Private school, charter school and homeschool enrollments have increased nationwide and in Oregon. In Portland Public Schools, next year’s district enrollment is projected to be down a cumulative 14% from pre-pandemic levels, due to a number of factors, including enrollment choices. Public schools have lost 30,000 students statewide since 2019-20.

Last year, more than 20 states created or expanded school choice laws that will help students get what they need to succeed. Two recent Supreme Court decisions (Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue in 2020 and Carson v. Makin last week) affirmed parents’ rights by preventing states from excluding religious schools from their school choice laws or state tuition assistance programs. These two rulings open new doors for states like Oregon to maximize the education options parents may voluntarily choose for their children.

Here are a few ways new leaders could make a difference for Oregon students in 2023:

1)      Provide leadership in support of Oregon’s thriving public charter schools and encourage the legislature to raise the cap on charter enrollment, currently limited to 3% of students in the district. Removing the cap would allow successful and popular charters to meet student demand.

2)      Expand public school district transfer policies so parents can choose among public options that already exist. This would help create incentives for schools to respond to parents’ needs and concerns, and reward public schools that achieve better outcomes. No child’s future should be a prisoner of a ZIP Code.

3)      Remove state-level restrictions on taking the GED exams. The General Educational Development Testing Service requires test-takers to be 16 years of age. Oregon has additional, state-level barriers that make it difficult for students to sit for the GED and proceed to higher education or work, even if they have the skills. In Oregon, people under 18 may take the GED exams only if they have already dropped out of high school, are married or emancipated minors, or are in juvenile detention. This is a burdensome regulation that mandates spending time in high school even if a student is academically prepared to begin college or a career.

Oregon devalued high school diplomas by removing proficiency standards for graduation with Senate Bill 744 (2021). Students deserve a credential that means something to colleges and employers. By earning a GED, students who may be in danger of dropping out — or who are advanced and ready to graduate — can demonstrate high school-level, college-ready knowledge through an option that’s already well known and recognized by colleges and employers.

4)      Assure a “money-back guarantee” for Oregon parents. State-level education funding is allocated per child and paid directly to district schools, regardless of outcomes or parent satisfaction. Converting a portion of this funding to portable accounts for students would empower parents to find the best fit for their students to succeed.

On June 25, the Arizona legislature expanded the nation’s first Education Savings Account (ESA) program so that every child in Arizona will be eligible to exercise the state’s ESA option. Arizona’s law will allow $6,500 per child per year to follow the student to a private school, homeschooling, learning pod, tutoring or other educational service chosen by the student’s family.

An Oregon ESA program constructed along this model would expand students’ opportunities, save taxpayers money, reduce burdens on struggling schools and districts, and make schools accountable to the parents and students they are meant to serve.

A shift in mentality from top-down, bureaucratic, one-size-fits-all education mandates to expanding options for parents would work miracles for students and promote improvement in schools. Thirty-two states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted 76 educational choice programs. Oregon should join them. It’s time Oregon parents took full advantage of the new education landscape and matched their children’s needs and goals with teachers and resources who will serve them best.