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OTHER VIEWS Other Views: Oregon schools are still a work in progress Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Sep. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The (Albany) Democrat-Herald Nancy Golden's announcement that she plans to retire from her job as Oregon's chief education officer serves as a stark reminder of how much work remains in our efforts to overhaul the state's public education system. And it suggests as well that this effort remains very much a work in progress — and how easy it would be to just let this work slide, to let Oregon's schools slip back to the status quo. That would be a mistake. Golden, a former assistant superintendent in Albany and a former superintendent of schools in Springfield, said Monday she'll retire in two weeks after about two years on the job. She was chosen by Gov. John Kitzhaber to serve as Oregon's second chief education officer, succeeding the controversial Rudy Crew, who served for about a year before leaving to become president of a college in New York City. Golden's first job in her new role essentially was to put out the fires set by Crew. But the primary role of the chief education officer is working to streamline the state's education system from preschool through college and improve student achievement. In a state like Oregon, which has one of the nation's lowest high school graduation rates, there's obviously work to be done. There's additional work to be done toward reaching the state's other educational goals as well, including ensuring that 80 percent of adult Oregonians by the year 2025 have either a four-year or two-year college degree. At least, those are the overall goals Kitzhaber was aiming for. We haven't heard anyone say that the state should back down from those so-called "40-40-20" educational goals (even though we still have questions about how serious the state is about properly funding those goals). But the chief education officer no longer has the sort of all-encompassing power that Kitzhaber envisioned when he created the post. In the wake of Kitzhaber's resignation in February, the Legislature rolled back some of the authority in the position. Now, the chief education officer shares authority with the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, state schools chief Salam Noor (who oversees K-12 education) and Megan Irwin, who oversees early childhood education. If you're wondering how all those pieces fit together, well, let's just say you're not alone. In fact, Gov. Kate Brown sent an early signal that she might be wondering the same thing when she appointed Lindsey Capps, a former teachers' union leader who also serves as Brown's education adviser, to fill the post on an interim basis. A representative for Brown said she planned to make a permanent appointment, but having Capps fill the role for the time being gives the governor some time to think about how she wants to proceed. Our efforts to overhaul our education system thus far have created a lot of dust as we move positions around and around. But that motion doesn't hide the fact that Oregon's schools still need to perform better, not just for the sake of our students but for the long-term welfare of the state. Working toward that improvement needs to be the first priority of whoever next assumes the mantle of Oregon's chief education officer. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 7, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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