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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2020)
A4 THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, JANuARy 7, 2020 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 Farmers right to be skeptical T he results of a study of stakeholder attitudes regarding the proposed breaching of Snake River dams were hardly surprising, but agri- cultural interests say the docu- ment may serve to educate propo- nents of the complexities the issue presents. We can only hope so. The study was recommended by a task force on reviving the orca population in Puget Sound. Scien- tists blame a declining orca popu- lation on a lack of Chinook salmon for the killer whales to eat. All Snake River salmon runs are federally threatened or endangered species. Washington Gov. Jay Ins- lee and the Legislature supported the $750,000 study to catalog dif- ferent perspectives on breaching the dams as a way to increase fish runs. The preliminary study rep- resents the views of farmers, tribes, environmentalists, fishermen, ship- pers and government officials. Breaching the dams would make it impossible to ship grain down the Snake River. Loss of water impounded by the dams would impact irrigation on thousands of acres of farmland, and the loss of electricity generated by the dams would increase the cost of pump- ing groundwater. Proponents of breaching the dams have suggested that subsidies to farmers could be built into the multibillion dollar price tag. “It is important to make agricul- AP Photo The Ice Harbor dam on the Snake River near Burbank. ture ‘whole,’ so farmers do not suf- fer significant economic losses if the dams are breached,” the study reported. But, according to the study, farmers don’t believe they will be made whole. Farmers are worried about being “at the mercy of railroads” that would take over shipping and skeptical about switching to crops that use less water, according to the study. Washington Grain Commission CEO Glen Squires said he appre- ciated that the report’s writers cap- tured different views on breaching the dams. “I think they genuinely listened and began to realize this whole thing is more complicated than meets the eye,” he said. “It’s not as easy as giving a farmer a nickel, dime, 20 cents a bushel — case solved.” Indeed, it is complicated. The livelihoods of farmers, barge oper- ators, deck hands, dock workers and the vendors who support them hang in the balance. The loudest proponents of breaching the dams seem to have the least personally at stake. We don’t know anyone who is against saving the whales or the salmon if the real human costs and impacts can be realistically addressed. Count us as skeptical that could ever be the case. THE LIVELIHOOdS OF FARMERS, BARGE OPERATORS, dECK HANdS, dOCK WORKERS ANd THE VENdORS WHO SuPPORT THEM HANG IN THE BALANCE. THE LOudEST PROPONENTS OF BREACHING THE dAMS SEEM TO HAVE THE LEAST PERSONALLy AT STAKE. GUEST COLUMN Some New Year’s ideas on education I ’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions or annual predic- tions. Instead, in the interest of stir- ring the political pot, I offer five possi- bly provocative proposals for education in Oregon. 1. Kill the idea that teachers and other educators have been underpaid. Salaries are based not on one’s worth to society but on the number of people deemed available and competent to fill the job. That’s why Joe and Josephine Pro Athlete make more than you and I do — although Joe is paid zillions more than Josephine, which is unconscionable. However, there are caveats. As the pool of quali- fied job applicants dwin- dles, school districts must innovate. Raising salaries is one approach, espe- cially when union and DICK district leadership agree HUGHES to put the money into entry-level salaries. Labor-management negotiations prob- ably would look far different if the prior- ities were set by potential job applicants and new employees. For example, ditch- ing the traditional seniority system for job placements, work schedules or other areas could make a district far more attractive to new hires. So could offering free child care to young couples. A related issue is that working-class Oregonians, like their kin across the country, cannot afford to buy homes. Student loans are one reason. Until Con- gress acts — if it does — the Oregon Legislature and school districts could take matters into their own hands by offering loan repayments. Should the state launch a program to support people going into education, rural health care or other desired jobs that meet the state’s goals? 2. Require a full academic year of student teaching — and pay the stu- Colin Murphey/The Astorian Good teachers, counselors and administrators put in an incredible amount of unpaid time. dent teachers, or at least cover their tuition cost. Teaching is really hard work. Stu- dent teaching is time-consuming. How- ever, future teachers need the experience of preparing for the school year, open- ing the year, going through the ups and downs, and closing the year. One term of student teaching is inad- equate. There is too much to learn, espe- cially about classroom management. Better-prepared teachers will be more effective teachers and more likely to last longer. 3. Bring back sabbaticals. It’s true that teachers and many other school employees get summers “off” and vacations during the year. But the good teachers, counselors and administrators put in an incredible amount of unpaid time during those supposed vacations. Burnout is real. Research suggests that if a student starts the day in a class led by a teacher suffering from burn- out, that student’s learning will suf- fer throughout the rest of the day. Dis- tricts axed sabbaticals to save money, but people should be encouraged to take extended time off to get a fresh take on life and learn new skills. This would be one way to retain expe- rienced teachers. 4. Allow Oregon’s community col- leges and small institutions to unite. Small private colleges are in a finan- cial bind. Meanwhile, the regional state universities struggle to maintain their places. Why not allow a community college to join with a regional or private uni- versity? That might bring down stu- dent costs while maintaining diversity in offerings, including varied approaches to teacher training. I know, I know, there would be all sorts of things to work through. But are you going to be naysayer or a “Let’s do it”? 5. Make classes relevant. In my era, boring classes seemed acceptable. That won’t cut it anymore. Dropping out no longer is considered appropriate. The key is for each student to have a reason to come to school each day. That calls for profound redesign of cur- riculum and teaching methods to make classes interesting, perhaps transform- ing basic science into “crime science analysis,” economics into “how to be a music mogul” and English composi- tion into “how to create and produce a screenplay.” We’ve come to our senses by recog- nizing that career and technical educa- tion classes have tremendous value. It is common for 90% of CTE students to graduate, as Gov. Kate Brown fre- quently touts. What she and others don’t say enough, however, is that music, the- ater, sports and other programs also can achieve those levels. For each student, the answer may be different — but it always involves a caring adult. North Salem High School sought to raise its graduation rate through identi- fying a trusted adult to serve as an advo- cate for each student at risk of drop- ping out. For many advocates, that meant checking in daily with their student. The school’s goal was to boost the graduation rate 10 points within four years. It was accomplished in one year. dick Hughes has been covering the Oregon political scene since 1976.
