Archive for Oregon
Recent Stories for Oregon
Oregon measure seeks merit-based pay for teachers
Category: Government Accountablilty · State: Oregon · Source: Forbes
- A ballot measure that aims to tie teachers' pay to their "classroom performance" is adding another round to a long-running feud between Oregon's teachers unions and conservative activist Bill Sizemore. Sizemore, a one-time gubernatorial candidate who sponsored the teachers' pay initiative and four others on the November ballot, says basing educators' salaries on merit rather than seniority would improve the quality of the state's schools. Opponents argue otherwise. Members of Parents and Teachers Know Better, a coalition of teachers unions, parent and education organizations campaigning against the measure, say that if passed the measure would lead to more standardized testing, forcing educators to "teach to the test" instead of work with individual students.
Oregon Group Alleges Petitions Were Forged
Category: Unions · State: Oregon · Source: Seattle Times
A union-funded watchdog group has asked the state to investigate whether signatures on initiative petitions circulated by conservative activists were forged. Meanwhile, the conservative activists have gone to federal court to try to force the state to ease or overturn new restrictions. The complaint filed by the watchdog group Our Oregon alleges that at least four signatures, including of Ellen Clay, of Keizer, were forged on current election-cycle petitions.
Petitions Slide Through Legal Loophole
Category: Bill Sizemore · State: Oregon · Source: The Oregonian
A coalition of labor groups says it has found evidence of widespread use of illegal practices to gather signatures for several conservative initiatives aimed for the November general election ballot. But the practices in question, including the use of carbon paper to duplicate printed names and addresses on multiple signature sheets for different initiatives, were not illegal until Jan. 1, when a new law governing Oregon's initiative system went into effect. The signature sheets examined by the labor coalition were all dated before Jan. 1. As a result, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who has scheduled a news conference on the subject today, has concluded that no action can be taken against the petition sponsors.
Recount Shows Oregon Measure 53 Passes
Category: Crime · State: Oregon · Source: The Oregonian
A recount shows an Oregon constitutional amendment on civil forfeitures narrowly passed. The results released Friday show Measure 53 with 490,158 in favor to 489,477 opposed — a difference of 681 votes. The initial count in the May 20 primary showed the measure winning 489,592 to 489,042 — a difference of 550 votes.
Initiative Set for Ballot Would Curb Bilingual Ed
Category: Bill Sizemore · State: Oregon · Source: Oregon Statesman-Journal
An initiative to end bilingual education in Oregon has qualified for the November ballot, officials with the secretary of state's office said. If approved by voters, Initiative No. 19 — sponsored by Bill Sizemore — would ban bilingual education for all children in public schools learning English as a Second Language after two years of instruction. The proposed statutory amendment does allow for instruction of a foreign language to English-speaking students.
Monthly Archives for Oregon
- September 2008 (1)
- July 2008 (3)
- June 2008 (4)
- May 2008 (1)
- December 2007 (5)
- November 2007 (28)
- October 2007 (15)