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East Oregonian
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
State must bring parity to schools
E
very child in Oregon deserves an
excellent education — regardless of
where the student lives or attends
school, regardless of whether the stu-
dent comes from a well-to-do family or an
impoverished one, regardless of academic
ability, and regardless of ethnicity or race or
background.
Last week’s Department of Education
report on graduation rates shows that is not
the case in Oregon. But last week’s report
from the Legislature’s Joint Committee on
Student Success provides a path forward.
Across Oregon, high school graduation
rates increased by 2 percentage points last
year to almost 79 percent. The improvement
is welcome news, but it remains deeply con-
cerning that one-fifth of public high school
students fail to graduate within four years.
There also are vast variations among
demographic groups. The graduation rate
was 82 percent for girls but 75.6 percent for
boys.
Graduation rates generally were lower
for students of color but higher for former
English Language Learners.
Only 54 percent of homeless students
graduated within four years of high school.
As members of the Student Success com-
mittee said last week, the public has had
enough. Oregon has been grappling with
these issues for decades, with too little
progress.
Insufficient funding has been a major
obstacle, especially since voters’ passage of
Measure 5 in 1990 put the onus on state gov-
ernment to fund public schools. But money
EO File Photo
A group of Echo fifth-graders hang out in their new classroom on Aug. 22, 2018, during an
open house for the new addition of the Echo School.
is not the only issue. It’s how the money is
spent.
On the one hand, the collaborative
approach espoused by the nonprofit, non-
partisan Chalkboard Project has achieved
profound academic gains and higher staff
morale in participating school districts.
On the other hand, the state’s recent audit
report on Portland Public Schools shows
“how a school district should not operate,”
according to Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.
The bipartisan Student Success commit-
tee has abundant ideas for reforms — excel-
lent ideas — but with a combined price tag
of well over $3 billion. Not everything can
be done.
The Legislature will significantly
increase education spending. But PERS’
unfunded actuarial liability will consume
a huge chunk of any additional money ear-
marked for reducing class sizes, extending
the school year or making other improve-
ments. The majority Democrats and Gov.
Kate Brown must face up to their responsi-
OTHER VIEWS
Kindness is a skill
went into journalism to cover
ing backward and assigning blame. If
politics, but now I find myself
you are having a problem conversation
in national marriage therapy.
you’re saying that one episode — the
Covering American life is like cover-
moment the government shut down
ing one of those traumatizing Eugene
— was the key to this situation, rather
O’Neill plays about a family where
than all of the causes that actually led
everyone screams at each other all
up to the episode. Instead, have a pos-
sibility conversation. Discuss how you
night and then when dawn breaks you
D aviD
can use the assets you have together to
get to leave the theater.
B rooks
But don’t despair, I’m here to help.
create something good.
COMMENT
I’ve been searching for practical tips
Your narrative will never win. In
on how we can be less beastly to one
many intractable conflicts, like the
another, especially when we’re negotiating dis- Israeli-Palestinian conflict, each side wants the
agreements. I’ve found some excellent guides
other to adopt its narrative and admit it was
— like “Negotiating the Nonnegotiable” by
wrong the whole time. This will never happen.
Daniel Shapiro, “The Rough Patch” by Daphne Get over it. Find a new narrative.
de Marneffe and “The Art of Gathering” by
Never threaten autonomy. People like to feel
Priya Parker — and I’ve compiled some, I
that their options are open. If you give them an
hope, not entirely useless tips.
order — “Calm down” or “Be reasonable” —
The rule of how many. When hosting a
all that they will hear is that you’re threatening
meeting, invite six people to your gathering
their freedom of maneuver, and they will shut
if you want intimate conversation. Invite 12 if
down. Nobody ever grew up because an angry
you want diversity of viewpoints. Invite 120 if
spouse screamed, “Grow up!”
you want to create a larger organism that can
Attune to the process. When you’re in the
move as one.
middle of an emotional disagreement, shift
Scramble the chairs. If you invite disagree-
attention to the process of how you are having
able people over for a conversation, clear the
the conversation. In a neutral voice name the
meeting room, except jumble the chairs in a
emotions people are feeling and the dynamic
big pile in the middle. This will force every-
that is in play. Treat the hot emotions as cool,
body to do a cooperative physical activity,
objective facts we all have to deal with. Peo-
ple can’t trust you if you don’t show them
untangling the chairs, before anything else.
you’re aware of how you are contributing to
Plus, you’ll scramble the power dynamics
the problem.
depending on where people choose to place
Agree on something. If you’re in the middle
their chairs.
The best icebreaker. To start such a gather-
of an intractable disagreement, find some pre-
ing, have all participants go around the room
liminary thing you can agree on so you can at
and describe how they got their names. That
least take a step into a world of shared reality.
gets them talking about their family, puts
Gratitude. People who are good at relation-
ships are always scanning the scene for things
them in a long-term frame of mind and illus-
trates that most people share the same essen-
they can thank somebody for.
tial values.
Never sulk or withdraw. If somebody
Tough conversations are usually about tribal doesn’t understand you, not communicating
identity. Most disagreements are not about the
with her won’t help her understand you better.
subject purportedly at hand. They are over
Reject either/or. The human mind has a ten-
dency to reduce problems to either we do this
issues that make people feel their sense of
or we do that. This is narrowcasting. There are
self is disrespected and under threat. So when
usually many more options neither side has
you’re debating some random topic, you are
imagined yet.
mostly either inflaming or pacifying the other
Presume the good. Any disagreement will
person’s feeling of tribal identity.
You rigidify tribal identity every time you
go better if you assume the other person has
make a request that contains a hint of blame.
good intentions and if you demonstrate how
You make that identity less inflamed every
much you overall admire him or her. Fake this,
time you lead with weakness: “I know I’m a
in all but extreme cases.
piece of work, but I’m trying to do better, and
As you were reading this list, you might
I hope you can help me out.” When tribal dif-
have thought the real problem was other peo-
ferences are intractable, the best solution is to
ple’s obnoxiousness, not your own. But take an
create a third tribe that encompasses both of
honest look at yourself. You just read all the
the warring two.
way to the end of a piece of emotional advice
The all-purpose question. “Tell me about
written by a newspaper columnist.
the challenges you are facing?” Use it when
Sad.
there seems to be nothing else to say.
———
Never have a meeting around a problem. If
David Brooks is a columnist for the New
you have a problem conversation you are look-
York Times.
I
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of
the East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
bility to rein in public pension costs, instead
of wringing their hands over court decisions
that overturned past reforms.
School districts must accept that addi-
tional funding will come with requirements
for accountability in how that money is used.
Unlike previous political endeavors that
chased the educational flavor of the day, the
Student Success committee based its recom-
mendations on reality. Lawmakers visited
more than 50 schools— from the coast to
Eastern and Southern Oregon — and talked
with hundreds of students, staff members,
parents, businesspeople, civic leaders and
others.
This week, committee members are
starting work on determining which pro-
posals would achieve the greatest return on
investment and how to pay for them. Their
top priorities include the importance of early
childhood education and the drastic need for
more school counselors, mental health ther-
apists and other behavioral health services
— throughout the state.
In their letter submitting the Student
Success report, the committee’s Democratic
and Republican leaders wrote: “A student’s
achievement should be a result of their own
efforts, not their parents’ income or their
race, ethnicity, or ZIP Code. Unfortunately,
factors entirely outside of a young person’s
control too often determine their access to
a high-quality education. Oregon’s students
deserve a public education system that sets
them up for success.”
That is the challenge for the 2019 Legis-
lature. That is the challenge for Oregon.
YOUR VIEWS
A nation divided
One hundred and fifty years ago,
President Abraham Lincoln warned
a nation on the edge of civil war, “A
nation divided against itself can not
stand.” Lincoln referenced Jesus in
Matthew, who also warned every king-
dom divided against itself will be
brought to desolation.
The very foundation of America
is under a full fledged frontal assault,
including our Founding Fathers, our
Constitution, our separation of powers,
freedom of speech, freedom of religion,
and now our border sovereignty. Our
duly elected president is attacked and
maligned mercilessly by the national
press, the media, Hollywood, and the
global left both Democrat and establish-
ment Republicans. Our nation, the great
bastion of freedom for the whole world,
is virtually impotent because our Con-
gress can not function or pass legisla-
tion, our president and any who assist
his administration are hounded merci-
lessly by the press, and the power of our
government (DOJ, FBI, Special Coun-
sel Mueller, IRS) has been fraudulently
weaponized to destroy a president and a
nation that elected him.
It matters not whether you love or
hate President Trump because this
assault will inevitably lead to the des-
olation of our liberty, our freedom and
our way of life. Despite this incessant
attack against our president, the left has
failed miserably to win the soul of those
that support his pro-God, pro-America
agenda. In the process the national lib-
eral press has lost all credibility.
Our borders are being infiltrated
with terrorists, gang members, drugs,
and illegal immigrants with the full
support of the Democrat-controlled
press and media. Our currency boldly
declares “In God We Trust” yet the
mere mention of the God of our fathers
has been erased from our schools, our
universities, our government, and our
courts.
As a frequent critic of the East Ore-
gonian editors, I applaud their recent
effort to report news forthrightly. I
exhort my American brethren to trust
in our lord Jesus Christ and stand with-
out compromise for our God and our
country.
Stuart Dick
Irrigon
A wall too far
Not too long ago The Donald, on
national television, assured democratic
leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy
Pelosi, and the country, that he will take
responsibility for a government shut-
down, if it occurs.
And despite claiming that he has an
amazing memory, The Donald quickly
and conveniently forgot, stating later
that he blames the Democrats for his
shutdown.
It was laughable when The Donald
stated, again on national media, that he
can “relate” to the financial hardship
of the laid-off and furloughed federal
employees who must go without pay-
checks because of his shutdown.
The Donald manufactured the
so-called “crisis” on our southern bor-
der to “justify” his demand for $5.7 bil-
lion of taxpayer funds for his “beau-
tiful,” and racist, wall. Actually, the
“crisis” exists only in his imagination.
Throughout his presidential campaign
rallies, The Donald’s call to arms for the
faithful was that Mexico will pay for
his wall. What happened to this insis-
tent claim?
It is a moral crime that 800,000 fed-
eral employees, and many more federal
contractors, must endure serious finan-
cial hardship just because of Trump’s
bigotry. It is outrageous that many must
turn to food banks, use up their life sav-
ings, etc., just to try to make ends meet
for their families. Many are on theverge
of losing their family homes that they
worked hard for.
To add insult to injury, Secretary
of Commerce Wilbur Ross questions
why these employees must turn to food
banks, and Trump’s daughter-in-law tut-
tuts and downplays the financial ordeal
of these employees. This clearly demon-
strates that Trump’s inner circle is out
of touch, and cannot empathize with
average Americans. Worst of all are the
phony acts of “compassion” displayed
by these super-rich one-percenters.
Genuine terrorists are now working
on electronic systems that will bring
down airliners. So, how will Trump’s
wall prevent this? Building walls to
keep people out lost its practicality with
The Great Wall of China.
The Donald put himself in a
boxed-in corner of his own making
because of his insistence that his wall
be built. A current national poll found
that 71 percent of Americans do not
believe the wall is a valid and legitimate
reason for the government shutdown.
The Donald’s disapproval rating
went up just since December 2018. It is
this rising disapproval rating that will
get The Donald’s attention, and he will
be forced to re-open the government,
without his wall.
Bob Shippentower
Pendleton
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies
for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights
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editor Daniel Wattenburger,
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Pendleton, OR 9780, or email
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