Rep. Jason Kropf of Bend spearheads lawmakers’ efforts to address issues of early childhood literacy

Update: (Adding video, Kropf comments)

Kropf says top priorities also include housing and homelessness, mental and behavioral health

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- State Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, said on Tuesday's opening day of the 2023 Legislature that he's working to tackle some very pressing issues affecting the community, including being one of the lead lawmakers on early childhood literacy efforts.

“We know when you transition from third grade to fourth grade to fifth grade, you move from learning to read to reading to learn," Kropf said. "If you do not have that foundational piece, you’re going to start to drift away from school."

Childhood education is considered by many to be a crisis in Oregon. According to the 2023 Child Literacy Statistics by Thinkimpact, 67% of Oregon fourth-graders are not reading proficiently at their grade level.

"Right now, we know we have too many kids who are not reading at a third grade level when they are in third grade," Kropf said. "We know there’s a much greater chance of them not graduating from high school. So if we’re talking about people being successful and having the tools they need to be successful in life, it’s that educational piece that’s critical.” 

As of last July, 29 states passed laws geared to address children’s literacy. However, Oregon is not one of them.

The new policies center around phonics and phonemics, focused on letter-sound relationships.

According to the Oregon Department of Education, all 197 school districts in Oregon have the liberty to adopt their own core curriculum.

“On a personal level, you know I spent 20+ years of my career in the criminal justice system and I was a public defender," Kropf said. "I had a number of clients that didn’t graduate high school. When I was in the juvenile justice system, I saw those kids start to drift away from the school system."

As there are a number of big issues to address, Kropf said he’s also advocating for the ongoing investment in mental health and behavioral health systems, along with other platforms.

“Also been working on -- and you’re always going to hear me talk about, 'How do we support things like our child advocacy centers, how do we support our domestic violence service providers?'" Kropf said. "That is going to be work that I've done a ton of in 2021, and I’ll continue to push for in 2023.” 

Additionally, Kropf is also tackling housing accessibility and affordability.

One focus of his when it comes to housing struggles is to help the homeless transition from shelters into more permanent housing.