No more ‘As’ or ‘Fs’ for
children in early grades
■ OUR OPINION: Strange
new report cards reflect
each child's individual
learning progression
"Mommy, mommy, look
m my report card!"
"Did you do well In
school, honey?"
“YmIi, I did — instead of
that one little card, my
teacher gave me two whole
{rages of turat words and let
ters and stuff’"
”Umm. that's great sweet
ie — isn't it?"
it is for thousands of
Amerii an school* hildren
Parents of elementary and
middle school kids nation
wide are seeing a new
••pact in the increasing
trend within education
reform — report-card
reform
Instead of handing out the
traditional letter grades of A
through F for any single
subject. some public schools
are adopting a system of rat
ing students on more titan
150 different academic and
social skills
Proponents say the
change renta ls the desire of
many educators to educate
the “whole" child
Changing the traditional
grading system is a big
issue, but it is else an entity
that lias needed tinkering
for a long time
For years, educators and
psychologists have studied
the demographics and learn
ing patterns of children
Experts have found that the
physiological differences
between girls and boy* con
tribute* greatly to the way
the two Hexes not only com
prehend and interact with
their world, hut also how
they learn about their world
In kindergarten, and earli
er mm tal environments such
as childcare, many girl#
show a higher level cf matu
nly and learning ability
than their male counter
parts. Some studies show
that many little boy* aren't
even ready few the academic
and social demand* of pre
school
Difference* like these
demand a creative and new
approat h to grading each
individual s educational
progression Without
change* in the way educa
tors gauge student progress,
children can and will con
timie to struggle with of low
self-esteem and serious anti
learning altitude*
Beginning with kinder
garten and carrying over
into the primary grades,
school* are starting to
entourage children to leant
at their own pat e Thi*
emphasis is another reason
educators see the need to
replat e the standard letter
grade with the new rating
system
The c hange will not only
benefit children, but alto
parents concerned with the
quality of education their
children arc getting. In
answer to a parent's concern
and a child's need for indi
vidual development,
schools utilizing the new
grading com apt want to
communicate to parent*
more than just how well
their child to doing in the
trash subjects. The ability to
road phrases: read an entire
story without stopping,
apply mathematical formu
la* to real-life questions;
and respact diversity, are a
few of the at .Ith-mic area-,
teachers want to U-ac h t hil
drwn. and to keep parent*
informed about
Although |utrents and
educator* find the new grad
ing system confusing and
about as easy to decipher as
a big-city road map. the new
report cards represent a
move in the right direc tion
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Measure 20-54 robs Peter to Dav Paul
It ta a vary good thing that (oiks In Eugene
want to do something to provide affordable
housing When the utility sales las is defeat
•d, let's pun together with a common goal
getting the t ltv VjiHUH il to fund affordable hou*
ing now — out of the existing General Fund
Measure 20 54 should be defeated, A Utility
twins tax b« any purpose, no matter how war
thy, is • bad idea Here are (list three of the re*
ana* that Eugene resident* should vote “no" on
their mail-in ballots:
I) The measure taxes necessities to pay for
necessities
When the Oregon legislature proposed a sales
tax in HltlJ. It exempted utilities It resign I ted
that utilities an* netessilies. not luxuries The
Eugene Qtv Council should have shown a sum
lot sensitivity
Utilities and housing are imwrssitves In this
day and age, it is difficult to imagine a house
hold operating without water or electricity
This ta* is "tubbing Peter to pay Paul " It
take* money away from one purpose to pay (or
another and pays of! one debt only by incurring
a new one Toe goal of an appropmte ta* is to
provide more housing, not to tip (wople on the
economic edge over into poverty
2) Measure 20 54 is unfair to low and fixed
income ratepayers,
"That promise and a nickel will get vou a cup
of toffee "
l nfottunately m rm ket won't even buv a < up
of t offer aeiemote Infiation and taxes are
always on the rise, and those on low and fixed
im hum are unable to keep pa. e A utility vale*
lax it regressive because it taxes people without
any regard to their ability to pay
At a Eugene Water and Electric Board com
missioner. I know that the average utility bills of
low- and fixed income ratepayers are compara
ble to those of high-income ratepayers By
necessity . U»w and fixed-incooM ratepayers are
already conserving energy and water to keep
their bill* low An increase that seems small to
one ratepayer adds another burden to people
already Having trouble paying their expense*
The proponents make much of the to percent
of this tax that is promised to "energy assistance
program* “ This leaves the incorrect impression
that low-income bilk* might not pay the tax
In the early debate*, the city designated a pro
gram to receive these funds — one that pay* the
full bill of those least able to pay (those below
125 percent of the poverty line) It did not
address the tax paid by the majority of low- and
fixed income ratepayers
When this was pointed out. the proponents
deleted that language from their arguments and
adopted a “trust us" position as to how the 10
percent would be distributed Because the city
is not the Internal Revenue Service. It has no
record of individual income*, so the tax cannot
l «r
be based on ability to pay.
Therefore, moat low and fixed-income ralepay
ere should export lo pay this tax without relief, if
the (Jty Cxnanc.il laas a concrete plan for how to
avoid tins, it has yet to share if with the voter*
3) The tax targets non-profit organizations
such as schools, churches and other communitv
groups while exempting some other users.
Everyone ha* to pay for utilities The propo
nents argue tlaal because no one can avoid pay
ing utilities, the utility sates tax is an effective
way to raise lots of money for the city.
Ttie tax allows the City Council to lap an
"untapped market." namely nonprofits, which
are usually tax exempt Nonprofit* are tax
exempt for a reason: Society has determined that
nonprofit* provide a social good We should
continue to exempt nonprofit* from taxation.
In fact. EWEB steam customer*, "interrupt
ible" customers of Northwest Natural Cuts and
those who use oil or wood for heat have already
been exempted or have been promised that they
will las exempted from |>aying this tax In addi
■ ton. Measure 20-54 would allow customer
classes to petition the Gty Council for an
exemption >ifter the fact You can expect the
politically influential to line up at City Hall for
tin* exemption should the measure pas*
I’ve opposed the utility sales tax tim e it* pro
posal in May 1995 I remember how it feels to
be unemployed and have to worry about how to
make my next payment A lot of expenses can he
cut drastically, but utilities are not among them
There were months whan 1 had to kite my
utility payment to pay off student tuans or other
bill*. I was fortunate I had a history of paying
my utility bills regularly, so EWEB was sympa
thetic to my difficulties Even though l am now
employed, my decisions are shaped by that
humbling experience
I and many EWEB customers give to Enar
gvShore to help those less fortunate to make
their energy payments. Charity comes from the
heart, not just the pocket book W# need to con
tinue to entourage than table contributions
The Gty Council made a mistake when it
referred the utility sales lax to the voter* with
out a public hearing lx»fs negate that error by
voting down Measure 20-54 lag's tell the Gty
Council to fund affordable-bousing needs
through it* existing funds, rather than by a "ere
alive tax,"
Vote "no" on Measure 20-54.
EWEB Commissioner leff Omnku is a University
alumnus and a spokesman far Defeat Utility
Sales Tax.