Help reclaim Oregon’s public education

Want a chance to discuss public education in Oregon with longtime education advocate Art Pearl? Check out “Who Calls the Shots in Public Education?”, an April 23 meeting featuring Pearl and a group of fifth graders from Edison Elementary School voicing their thoughts on democracy and the Bill of Rights as pertaining to public education.

Last year, the Reclaiming and Renewing Our Public Education Community Dialogues hit the scene with a talk from Nancy Golden, Oregon’s chief education officer, and a series of collaborative conversations between students, teachers, parents and other interested community members. The upcoming meeting is the third in the series, following last November’s group discussion led by a teacher from Seattle who took issue with standardized testing in Washington state.

These community dialogues seek to address public education issues in a unique way, featuring guest speakers but also allowing time for audience participation and round table discussions. The way we think about public education needs to change, and finding ways to allow everyone to contribute to the conversation is a good first step.

“Who Calls the Shots in Public Education?” starts 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 23, at South Eugene High School, 400 E. 19th Ave. The event is free and open to the public. Check out its Facebook page here.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!