Lawmaker panel on student success to visit C.O.

Students across Oregon are back in school, and so too is the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Student Success.

The committee will continue its statewide tour to explore the best practices employed in Oregon’s most successful schools and address the gaps that are limiting student success in other schools, with a series of site tours and meetings in Central Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge September 12-14.

Members of the public will have a chance to address the 14-member committee in a public hearing set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 13 in the auditorium at Ridgeview High School in Redmond.

The trip to Central Oregon is part of an aggressive schedule which is taking the committee around the state. Thus far the committee has toured schools and held meetings in Lane County, Eastern Oregon, Clackamas County, Woodburn, Southern Oregon and Washington County. The committee has held seven public hearings, eight student listening sessions and toured 28 schools and programs.

Committee members will begin September 12 with a tour of the Oregon Youth Challenge Program outside Bend. Site visits in Bend include stops at Pilot Butte and High Desert Middle Schools; and Bend and Mountain View High Schools. Committee members will hear directly from area students in a listening session in the afternoon at Sky View Middle School, followed by a roundtable discussion with school safety officials.

On September 13, the committee schedule starts with a roundtable discussion with Central Oregon business leaders at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, followed by a student listening session at Ridgeview High School. Site visits on September 13 include stops at Redmond Proficiency Academy, Gregory Middle School, the Edwin Brown Education Center and Tumalo Community School. The day concludes with the public hearing at Ridgeview High School.

Friday, September 14, the committee will travel to Hood River for a student listening session and tour of Hood River Valley High School, followed by a meeting with school health professionals.

Legislative leadership created the special committee to develop a plan to improve student success, including a budget proposal that ensures every student in Oregon, regardless of where they go to school, will have the opportunity to achieve success.

The remaining schedule of public hearings includes:

September 13, 7 p.m.

Auditorium

Ridgeview High School

4555 SW Elkhorn Ave, Redmond

September 27, 7 p.m.

Auditorium

James Madison High School

2735 NE 82nd Ave, Portland

October 10, 7 p.m.

Auditorium

Marshfield High School

972 Ingersoll Ave, Coos Bay