Oregon ranks 19th in nationwide school spending

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Department of Homeland Security declares schools a safe space from immigration arrests

Immigration officers will no longer be able to make arrests on school grounds, at hospitals, and other protected spaces defined in an October memo from DHS.

“We can accomplish our law enforcement mission without denying individuals access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the displaced access to food and shelter, people of faith access to their places of worship, and more," DHS

Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said of the decision.

This announcement is part of a larger agenda of the Biden administration, which will work toward undoing some of the more severe immigration policies of the previous leadership. Other places that have been declared ‘off-limits’ are day care and medical facilities; places of worship; playgrounds and recreation centers and demonstrations and rallies.

Oregon ranks 19th in nationwide school spending

As more K-12 dollars flood in through the American Rescue Plan, Oregon leaders must address a glaring equity gap. Currently, the state spends over $1,000 less per student than the national average of $15,114. But the number is much lower for students who attend schools in highpoverty areas.

According to the Education Law Center’s 2021 report: Making the Grade - How Fair is School Funding in Your State?, Oregon spends just over $13,000 per student in schools with the highest levels of poverty. The state received a ‘D’ grade for distributing funding equitably among schools with the most need.

The reality is that the complex school finance system that is used to calculate state school budgets leaves Oregon schools without the necessary resources to provide quality public education to students.

ACLU files lawsuit against the State of Oklahoma, claims that banning CRT infringes on First Amendment rights

Oklahoma is one of many states who have placed legal restrictions this year on how educators can approach the topics of race and gender in their classrooms.

But, the ACLU argues that this legislation is unconstitutional and strips teachers of their right to free speech and equal protection.

The lawsuit states that HB 1775, which passed the Oklahoma legislature in the Spring, unnecessarily and unlawfully censors educators’ ability to teach historical truths, specifying the Tulsa Race Massacre. It also alleges that the law creates a hostile environment for LGBTQIA+, Black and Indigenous students.

Educators and administrators are already becoming fearful of losing their licenses in their quest to provide an accurate depiction of history and the current experience of minorities in the United States, the suit claims.

The next court date is set for the Spring of 2022.