Education Caucus

The Mission of the Oregon Democrats’ Education Caucus is to support the Democratic Party’s goal of enhancing public education in Oregon. For the purposes of this Caucus, “Education” means the informing and training of students through formal instruction and supervised practice. “Public” means education that is answerable to appropriate government entities, funded by public revenues, and inclusive of all Oregon residents.

The Education Caucus of the Democratic Party of Oregon, whose mission is to support and enhance public education in the state, thanks all teachers, administrators and school support staff who have struggled through the last year and a half to provide a quality education for our students. While we have all experienced unprecedented change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we celebrate educators who have done so publicly.

Read our full Open Letter to Oregon Public School Educators here.

Last meeting minutes:

• March 2025

View our past meetings archive and other resources here.

DPO Education Caucus Officers

Chair: Alex Rabchuk
Vice Chair: Deborah Barnes
Communications Secretary: Liz Marlia-Stein
Recording Secretary: Maureen Barnhart
Treasurer: Mary Thamann
SCC Delegate: Sami Al-Abdrabbuh
Alternate SCC Delegate: Louise Currin

Read the Education Caucus Bylaws

Democratic Party of Oregon 2023 Platform

Article 2: Education

Oregon Democrats believe public education is the foundation of democracy and essential to an informed citizenry. We support accessible, high-quality public education from preschool through post-secondary, including college and trade programs. Fully funded public education, in accordance with the Quality Education Model, provides the basis for a well-functioning economy and democracy and must be prioritized. School cultures must highlight dynamic learning environments of engaged learners and teachers, applying critical and creative thinking that connects the classroom, the school, the home, and the community. It is our belief that every student, irrespective of neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender expression, race, ethnicity, cultural background, or socioeconomic status, deserves a comprehensive education tailored to individual needs. We believe schools must provide a safe environment physically, emotionally, and intellectually, and that all students and staff should feel safe, secure, and supported.

Planks:

1. We believe in fully-funded, free public education from preschool through the university level, as well as apprenticeship programs.
2. We recognize that poverty impacts student learning and opportunity. We support free, comprehensive, year-round nutrition programs (including breakfast and lunch), and access to transportation, childcare, technology, internet, and other resources that overcome economic disparity.
3. We oppose efforts to weaken public education, including efforts to intimidate or control school boards; harass and dismiss educators without cause; ban books that show the diversity of the human experience; and teach inaccurate or narrow curricula for political ends.
4. We oppose the movement to undermine higher education quality by over-using and under-compensating part-time faculty; eliminating tenure for full-time faculty; and deprofessionalizing teaching, through such practices as the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence.
5. We oppose public funding for parochial and charter schools managed by for-profit corporations. We oppose school vouchers and tuition tax credit programs that divert public resources to private and religious schools that are unaccountable to taxpayers, undermine public school funding, and create a two-tier education system.
6. We support publicly funded, full-day, full-year, universal public preschool options. All preschool programs must be child-centered, culturally appropriate, fully inclusive, and designed to facilitate each child’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development.
7. We support positive, collaborative, and inclusive participation by all learning community members, including teachers, administrators, staff, school board members, and parents, in site-based and district-wide planning processes to meet the needs of all students. We encourage student participation where appropriate.
8. We support policies that ensure the safety of students and staff in the classroom and on school grounds, and that reduce bullying, intimidation, disrupted learning, and excessive discipline. We support the complete protection of students’ privacy, human rights, and civil liberties.
9. We support the right of educational professionals to collectively bargain for improved student learning opportunities; working conditions, including class size and caseload; wages and benefits; classroom safety; and job security. Oregon should safeguard public school faculty and staff from arbitrary dismissals to prevent educational disruptions and financial harm to schools.
10. We support broad educational curricula including music and the arts, civics, science, technology and engineering, math, history, economics, languages, literacy in media and climate, as well as other disciplines that develop well-rounded members of society.
11. We endorse historically and scientifically accurate instruction that is respectful of diverse student populations and in service to mastering academic skills, critical thinking, and information literacy. We believe smaller class sizes and caseloads better meet student needs. We support diverse assessment strategies throughout the year to measure student proficiency.
12. We support inclusive learning environments. We advocate for diverse educational settings, in which teachers and staff mirror the student body. 
13. We oppose the school-to-prison pipeline, as it disproportionately affects Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, causing irreparable harm to their education. We also oppose police presence in schools, which leads to increased trauma, arrests, and intimidation of students, starting as young as age five.
14. We believe in educational curricula that include and promote understanding of diverse historical scopes and perspectives, including non-Western ways of learning and histories of marginalized racial, ethnic, and religious groups as well as those of disabled and queer populations.
15. We believe that in order to be fully informed participants in society, students need comprehensive, science-based, and age-appropriate education in such topics as sex education, data and research literacy, evolution, and climate science.
16. We believe educational programs must accommodate student needs including those of second language learners, students who experience neurodiversity, and talented and gifted students. We support providing equitable opportunities, access, and available resources, as required by the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
17. We believe in the use of consistent, transparent, and evidence-based educational standards taught by licensed, professional teachers. Students deserve to receive support from educational assistants and professionally licensed counselors, social workers, school nurses, mental health providers, school psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, who should earn a living wage.
18. We oppose predatory student loan practices and support the elimination of existing student loan debt.
19. We believe that profound, transformative teaching, learning, and research depend on a diverse community with broad backgrounds and perspectives; this demands thoughtful inclusion of diverse populations in admitting and retaining students to institutions of higher learning. Education must support our multicultural democracy.