Patrick Green

By Patrick Green
SHARE:

Schools in Crisis, part 1

Schools in Crisis: An Our Oregon Mini-Documentary

The numbers are staggering. More than 20,000 students in Oregon were homeless in 2010. That’s more than double since 2004, and the numbers only appear to be getting worse.

By Patrick Green
SHARE:

A Session of Missed Opportunities for Middle Class Families

This legislative session was an opportunity to meet the needs and priorities of struggling middle-class families. Unfortunately, most efforts to protect regular Oregonians were blocked by Republican Co-Speaker Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) and the corporate lobbyists who hold influence over him.

By Patrick Green
SHARE:

URGENT: Oregon Schools Need Your Help Today!

As the legislature works to bring the 2011 session to a close, a deal is being made that will have a profoundly negative impact on our schools. Lawmakers are working behind closed doors to hold money for our schools hostage to bad public policy bills. Legislators are looking to horse trade $25 million in additional school funding in exchange for bills that would:

  • expand charter schools at the same time we're being forced to close public schools all over the state,
  • revoke enrollment policies, causing more financial havoc for already-struggling districts,
  • force public schools to pay for students to attend for-profit virtual, charter schools,
  • take money out of emergency school reserves and use it to fund a private, merit-pay program.

Oregon’s teachers, parents, and education advocates are speaking out against this bad deal. We need to tell legislators that these bad policy ideas don't make sense for students and would only take money and resources out of our classrooms.

We need your help TODAY! This deal is being made NOW and your legislators and the governor need to hear from you.
 

By Patrick Green
SHARE:

Welcome to Our Oregon!

It’s clear that Oregon is facing a nearly unprecedented set of challenges.

We’re in the midst of an ongoing budget crisis (thanks a lot, Wall Street!) that is hurting our schools, critical services, and vital jobs. The political environment is threatening the progressive gains that countless organizations and individuals have fought for in recent years. And the greed of large banks and credit card companies is squeezing families and small business owners more and more each year.

But whenever we’ve faced tough challenges before, Oregonians have come together to stand up for what’s right—to protect our priorities and our values and our communities. And that’s exactly what we need to do now.

Syndicate content