Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:00 am
Two measures on this year's election ballot have implications for education. Both come from organizers who would appear to be no friends of public education. Both are alarmingly vague and would tend to erode the local control that we pride in our school systems. Both could well be packed with unintended consequences.
We urge "no" votes on both Measure 58, which would prohibit teaching a public-school student in a language other than English for more than two years, and Measure 60, which says that a teacher's classroom performance, not seniority, determines pay raises.
First, let's turn to Measure 58, which may actually be less about education and more about a knee-jerk reaction to immigration issues - issues which, by the way, have been missing from the presidential campaign (possibly because the positions of the two major candidates are remarkably similar).
Measure 58, based on similar laws in Arizona and California, would limit the amount of time children can spend in classes taught in languages other than English. Some proponents argue that the job of U.S. schools should be to integrate students into American society - and having students learn English in a hurry is the best way to do that. Some proponents also argue that school districts have an incentive to keep students enrolled in English as a Second Language classes as long as possible, because the state provides additional funding for those students.
Opponents argue that Measure 58 ignores research showing that long-term bilingual education is the most effective technique for promoting both English acquisition and student achievement. In addition, they note that the measure's vagueness means that the Legislature will have to weigh in to determine some crucial details.
The cost of the measure is estimated at somewhere between $203 million and $253 million for each of the first two school years it's in effect. That alone is enough to justify a "no" vote. But the measure also could jeopardize the effective dual-immersion programs that are finding success in Corvallis, and it also takes another measure of control away from local elected school boards. Measure 58 sticks its nose into matters that local citizens should decide. We should reject it.
As for Measure 60, the idea seems great on the surface: What could be wrong with basing teachers' pay raises on their performances? Well, the idea sound great, but - as they say - the devil is in the details, and Measure 60 gets around that by simply not providing any details.
For starters, who - or what - will determine teacher performance? Legislators? School boards? State officials? Teachers' unions? Measure 60 doesn't say. What standards should we use? Should we plan on even more testing of students? What allowances should we make for teachers whose job it is to work with the most challenging students? Measure 60 gives no guidance on these questions. It could be that local school boards will have wide leeway in interpreting the measure. But if the example of No Child Left Behind is any indication, it seems far more likely that state officials and the Legislature would end up making decisions and setting rules that should be the province of local school boards.
If you liked No Child Left Behind, and the mandates that trickled down from the federal government into our local school districts as a result of that act's admittedly good intentions, you might well love how Measure 60 plays out in Oregon schools.
The rest of us should just vote "no."
Ballot measures at a glance
Here's how the Gazette-Times is suggesting you vote on the various measures on this year's ballot. As we weigh in on other ballot measures, we'll update this list:
Measure 54, to standardize voting eligibility for school board elections with other elections: Yes
Measure 55, to change the operative date of redistricting plans and to allow affected legislators to finish their terms in their original districts: Yes
Measure 57, to increase sentences for drug trafficking and various property crimes and to require addiction treatment for certain offenders: No
Measure 58, to prohibit teaching a public-school student in a language other than English for more than two years: No
Measure 60, to base teacher pay raises on classroom performance, not seniority: No
Measure 61, to create mandatory minimum sentences for certain property crimes: No
Measure 02-65, a city of Corvallis bond measure to pay for remodeling of the senior center and to fund improvements to city parks: Reluctantly, no.