BEAVERTON, Ore. - The Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) is asking parents and teachers to bring their opinions to a series of upcoming meetings. The board is charged with creating a new plan and budget to improve education in Oregon, and hiring a new Chief Education Officer to carry it out.

Hanna Vaandering, with the Oregon Education Association, is the only K-12 teacher on the board. She says they've discussed not only how children learn, but the factors outside of school that can hold them back.

"It's not easy sometimes to talk about poverty. And until we address this with our families, and make sure that we're putting into place a program that helps these students be successful, we will not be able to reach our 40-40-20 goal."

That state goal is that 40 percent of Oregonians will have earned bachelor's degrees; 40 percent will have post-secondary or associate degrees; and 20 percent will have high school diplomas or the equivalent, by 2025.

Margarett Peoples of Portland is a special education teacher who plans to attend. Her view is that the current system is focused too much on test scores. She says kids, parents and teachers are frustrated that schools have cut many programs and activities, and she thinks the board needs to hear those frustrations.

"It's not just about the teacher and what goes on in a classroom. It's about parent involvement, community involvement, and resources. So, everybody should be involved. Even if you don't have kids, you need to be involved."

Not everyone is convinced that a statewide board is the right way to go to reform education, says Otto Schell, a parent and Oregon Parent-Teacher Association member.

"There's a lot of concern being expressed about the distancing that's occurring when you go to a board, or to an appointed official. Where's the recourse? Where's the opportunity for accountability? Because just like we're expecting a high level of accountability with a student, I think we should have that same level of accountability with public officials who make policy."

The board's priorities this year are to hire the Chief Education Officer, and to create new standards for preschool learning.

Important Note: Late Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 17), the first public meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather. It was set to take place at PCC's Rock Creek Campus in Beaverton. The OEIB says it will be rescheduled. For meeting dates and places, see the OEIB website. Click on "Public Outreach Meetings."




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New Mexico is taking a deep dive into its funding of public colleges and universities to determine if inequities need to be addressed. The Higher Education Sustainability Study will review and recommend changes to the formula used to fund higher ed.

Gerald Hoehne, director, Capital Outlay Division with the New Mexico Higher Education Department, said it will look at possible inequities among the full range of sectors - from colleges and universities to research institutions, independent community colleges and branch campuses.

"The differences between community colleges and research institutions - those differences have come into how they're funded. So, this study gives us an opportunity to look at that in more detail," he said.

Community colleges disproportionately serve low-income students and students of color, but New Mexico is among the majority of states where two-year institutions receive thousands of dollars less in education revenue per student enrolled than four-year institutions, according to a 2020 study by the Center for American Progress.

Hoehne expected study results to be available by mid-October ahead of the 2025 legislative session, so lawmakers have insight and can make changes they feel are needed. The Legislature earmarked $187 million for higher education in 2024 - more than double last year's investment and one of the largest investments in higher education in state history. Hoene said an initiative within the study will look at how New Mexico's funding compares to other states.

"To understand if there is different ways in which other states are addressing the different types of institutions and how we potentially may be able to incorporate any changes to our process to address those differences," he continued.

The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems is conducting the equity study on behalf of the state.

New York's 2025 budget creates universal access to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program.

School districts statewide will have the resources to help high schoolers complete the application. Those who do not fill it out must sign a waiver stating they know of the available aid but are not pursuing it.

Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Sunset Park, the bill's sponsor, said FAFSA's required information can be daunting.

"Some students or some families are well-prepared and well-equipped to review that document and provide that information; some students might not be," Gounardes acknowledged. "Some students might not even know where to turn to get that information, especially if they're the first in their family to pursue college if they're the first generation here."

Some schools have moved closer to charging $100,000 a year for tuition, which Gounardes said can deter students from considering college. But through the FAFSA process, scholarships and grants can provide enough to shave the number down to a more reasonable figure. A Sallie Mae report showed college spending is up as families spend close to $28,000 each year on college.

Feedback for the proposal was positive, considering most high school seniors who complete the FAFSA are likely to go to college after graduation. Gounardes argued the state can build on the progress by reviewing admissions practices to ensure they are fair and do not exclude students from certain backgrounds.

"In particular, I think it's high time we end legacy admissions," Gounardes emphasized. "There's no reason why we should have affirmative action for privileged kids in New York state, especially from institutions that receive significant public dollars either for grants or construction or awards or this or that or whatever."

He introduced a bill ending legacy admissions, which is still in committee. Among public and private colleges in New York, 42% still consider legacy applicants for admissions.

More than 70% of adults with student loans report having delayed at least one significant life event because of their debt situation, yet a new Lumina Foundation-Gallup poll shows few Americans seem to understand the cost of obtaining a bachelor's degree.

During the 2021-22 academic year, the average cost of attendance ranged from $10,000 per year at public two-year institutions to more than $56,000 per year at private four-year nonprofit colleges.

Michele Scott Taylor, Ph.D - is president of College Now Greater Cleveland, a nonprofit that works to increase higher education accessibility.

She said for students who are potentially first-generation college goers or from lower socio-economic backgrounds, the conversations around college affordability can be overwhelming.

"The issue for that subset of the population is really around helping them understand what college costs, but then more importantly, how do I afford it?" said Taylor. "What are the ways in which that I could afford whatever that cost might be? "

The poll found that more than half of never-enrolled and previously enrolled adults say cost is a "very important" reason why they have not enrolled or re-enrolled in college.

Unenrolled adults across race, age and first-generation potential students consistently rate tuition cost as the most important factor in their decision to not pursue a college degree.

Taylor said more efforts should also go toward helping students persist and complete their degree, once they've signed up for those loans.

She said higher-education institutions could work better with college access organizations to communicate their programs and offerings in ways that are enticing to get students to want to enroll.

"We want them to show better their return on investment," said Taylor. "We want them to be a little bit more transparent about the cost and what the costs entail."

Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that in the 2022-2023 academic year, the number of undergraduate degree earners nationwide fell for the second year in a row.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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