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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2019)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, SEpTEmbER 17, 2019 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN publisher DERRICK DePLEDGE Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation manager JOHN D. BRUIJN production manager CARL EARL Systems manager OUR VIEW Vocational education reflects today’s reality S etting educational policy should follow the old adage, “It takes all sorts of people to make a world.” Too often, it does not. The leadership philosophy of administrators and governing boards essentially determines how much priority our public schools give to vocational education. Some want to push as many stu- dents as possible toward high- er-level academics-focused edu- cation, ideally at four-year institutions. More enlightened ones, how- ever, have already concluded that is not the path for everyone. Thus it is pleasing to see that North Coast school districts are realizing that society needs to make vocational education a priority. Thanks in large part to fund- ing from the voter-approved Mea- sure 98, career-technical classes are becoming more and more a feature of curriculums. As Edward Stratton recently reported, this has meant construc- tion in Jewell, welding in Knappa, automotive in Warrenton, agricul- ture in Astoria and culinary arts in Seaside. Warrenton’s automotive and metal fabrication classes are a par- ticularly good example — mov- ing ahead in a new career-technical building being constructed next to the high school. In Astoria, we lamented the loss of the agricultural program some years ago and are delighted that the class and its accompanying Future Farmers of America chapter is being revived. Seaside’s approach is, in large part, an acknowledgement that its community is focused on main- taining a strong hospitality indus- try and its course offerings should reflect that. Educational policy tends to Baylee McSwain, a senior at Astoria High School, shows off her Nigerian dwarf goat, Monica, to ninth graders attending their first agriculture class. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT A SuCCESSFuL FRESHmAN yEAR IS CRuCIAL TO SmOOTHING THE ROuTE TO GRAduATION. WE dREAm OF THE dAy WHEN THE GRAduATION RATE IS 100% — ANd COmmENd ALL EFFORTS TO mAKE THAT HAppEN. swing back and forth as leaders seek the right mix. Decades ago, an illogical stigma developed for the practice in which high school stu- dents were sorted into “A,” “B” and “C” groupings to reflect the subject matter or level of academic rigor in their class offerings. This practice, sometimes labeled “streaming,” fostered the inevi- table belief among some observ- ers that students labeled “C” must be less smart. It led critics to argue that these students were being writ- ten off rather early in life. And that created pressure to switch gears and place all students together — an inevitable recipe for failure. Later, more enlightened educa- tional researchers concluded the opposite. Not all students demon- strate the same aptitudes, so why not acknowledge that and fashion courses differently? Those destined to work with their hands as well as their minds clearly need a dif- ferent path. Such efforts can begin in public schools then continue with apprenticeships and technical classes. All this effort is sparked by a desire to improve Oregon’s appall- ing graduation rates — too often among the worst in the nation. While we are still lagging, the approach has seen some noted improvements. Measure 5 in 1990 essentially hobbled educational funding when it capped property taxes and made Oregon schools more reliant on income tax revenue, which fluc- tuates considerably. The state has been suffering ever since. As Stratton reported, North Coast school districts have invested Measure 98 funds on easing the transition into high school, add- ing tutoring while increasing staff efforts to track students’ progress. Research shows that a successful freshman year is crucial to smooth- ing the route to graduation. We dream of the day when the gradua- tion rate is 100% — and commend all efforts to make that happen. Across the river in Washington state, community leaders are press- ing for similar approaches. Some months ago, Long Beach Penin- sula builders supply store Oman’s presented the Ilwaco High School shop teacher with thousands of dol- lars of tools to boost his program. Year-round, company leaders serve with others on a vocational liaison committee to help guide thinking on this strategy. The neighboring Naselle-Grays River Valley School District is a fine example of a district with high expectations for every individual student. Among the two-dozen gradu- ates of the Class of 2019 at Naselle High School, some were destined for college degrees, while others were looking at training in nurs- ing or graphic arts. Still more were signing up to train to become power company linemen or enter- ing the workforce. At graduation, their accom- plishments and chosen paths were applauded with equal vigor because in Naselle the belief is that every Comet should soar. It is a philosophy the best educa- tional leaders all embrace. GUEST COLUMN Cap and trade is really just a tax A s a board member for the #Tim- berUnity Association, a grass- roots group, I recently attended the annual economic summit of coastal legislators in Florence. I wanted to hear firsthand lawmakers’ plans for the Feb- ruary session, specifically any attempts to revive the cap-and-trade tax that failed earlier this year. You see, I’m one of those truck driv- ers who stormed the state Capitol in June. As a rural, sixth-generation Ore- gonian, I’m one of the people Port- land-area politicians think they’re sav- ing by passing a climate change tax that they’re refusing to call a tax. As a woman and minority busi- ness owner of a small trucking company, I am responsible for providing jobs to my employees. When my husband died only four months after I started my business, not only did my obligations ANGELITA to my employees grow, SANCHEZ but so did my responsi- bility for my three chil- dren. There is little room for luxuries in our lives. I work hard just to feel like I’m barely getting by. At the summit, I was politely schooled by a state lawmaker about grants and programs that the cap-and- trade program would generate to help upgrade my older trucks. I patiently explained my trucks are so old, and money in my company is so tight, that even with taxpayer-funded grants, I’d never be able to afford it. She was unaware the grants she was talking about also don’t apply to trucks like mine, even though she’d voted for the bill. Being able to manage fuel costs determines whether there’s money left Nicole Bales/The Astorian #TimberUnity stickers have popped up on the North Coast. over to support my family after all other business costs are met. Any proposal to raise fuel costs would put me out of business. This lawmaker’s world isn’t my real- ity. I’d lamented over what type of busi- ness attire I should wear since my busi- ness attire is suitable for driving trucks, not fancy offices. After hearing one attendee whisper criticism of someone who’d worn jeans and question if that person was “raised in a barn,” I can only imagine what they said about me. I watched everyone eat until their bel- lies were full. Free food, wine, crab, and liquor … meal after meal, drink after drink, provided by sponsors — many of whom are the same donors and political special interests who make direct cash contributions to have access to these lawmakers. I don’t know one person, me included, who can afford to indulge like that. They talked about “polluters” but had no shame in the food they wasted, conference materials discarded in the trash, and the mess they left behind. I felt embarrassed for the legislators who dined for free, knowing some voted to tax the rest of us out of our jobs. They were oblivious to how disconnected they are from people like me. Some panelists argued climate change was an Oregon issue, but cited federal statistics, brought in leaders from California, speakers from big corpora- tions in Illinois, and utopian ideas from their fact-finding missions to Canada and Peru. Meanwhile, these same law- makers who said they’d listen to rural Oregonians didn’t seem to care for our concerns, shutting down panelists whose opinions didn’t support their climate change tax. The inconvenient truth is a new tax won’t change the climate crisis, but it will create a human crisis of lost jobs and broken communities. I’ll never forget the opening remarks at the conference about the impact of cost increases to small businesses: “A 10-cent increase in the cost of mak- ing donuts recently put a local bakery out of business.” Permanent, escalating fuel prices from a climate-change tax will put me out of business. Politicians, used to being wined and dined for free, won’t acknowledge that many Orego- nians budget down to the penny. Liter- ally, every penny. Rural Oregonians and those who work the land are addressing climate change. Foresters maintain healthy forests, planting more than they har- vest. Farmers and ranchers manage cli- mate effects in every aspect of their work. Truckers know you can upgrade our rigs, but being stuck in traffic jams which Oregon politicians won’t fix destroys any carbon-emission savings. Fishermen keep habitats clean and thriv- ing and have put forth innovative ideas to deal with ocean acidification and warming waters. Oregon leaders: we are waiting to talk with you, not have you talk at us. A cap-and-trade program is an ineffective solution designed to raise new taxes, not fix the planet. Stop pretending to be “climate warriors” when your actions undermine your words. We’re not buy- ing what you’re selling, and unlike you, we don’t eat for free. Angelita Sanchez is the president of Angel’s Rock N’ Roll Construction Inc. in Lebanon and a board member for the #Timberunity Association.
