Merkley Holds Senate Hearing on Federal Education Policy at Portland Elementary School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MERKLEY HOLDS SENATE HEARING ON FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY AT
PORTLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Portland, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley visited Gilbert Heights Elementary school in the David Douglas School district this morning to host a Senate field hearing on education policy. The focus of the hearing was on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the importance of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) for our children’s success in the global economy. This official hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) included witnesses from across Oregon who shared their input on education policy.

"It is great to be back in my old school district to hear from Oregonians on education issues facing Congress and specifically on how to replace No Child Left Behind with policies and strategies that will better serve our children’s’ education," said Merkley "This is an opportunity for Oregonians to share Oregon know-how will contribute substantially to writing the bill that will guide our national education policy for years to come."

The ESEA, most recently revamped under the moniker the “No Child Left Behind Act,” is the primary federal law governing K-12 education in America. The reauthorization bill is currently being developed through the Senate HELP Committee in a bipartisan fashion and testimony from today’s hearing will be distributed to all members of the Senate HELP Committee.

The Senator also heard testimony from Oregonians on the importance of STEM education for America’s competitiveness in the global economy. As a longtime advocate on the importance of STEM education, Senator Merkley announced his intent to introduce a bill to increase student access to courses in STEM subjects and provide additional resources to recruit, train, and support teachers of these subjects.

“Today’s global economy requires world-class science and math education for our children,” said Merkley. “If we want to improve America’s competitiveness, we must make crucial investments in the future of our children – and that means that STEM education must be a key component of our nation’s education policy.”

An official list of Senate hearing witnesses is included below:

Panel I:

1) Don Grotting, Superintendent, David Douglas School District (Portland, OR)

2) Mary Cadez, Assistant Superintendent, Salem Keizer School District (Salem, OR)

3) Rachael Harms, Teacher (Salem, OR)

4) Vanessa Otterlee, Parent (Salem, OR)

5) Heidi Sipe, Superintendent, Umatilla School District (Umatilla, OR)

6) Beverly June “BJ” Hollensteiner, Superintendent, North Bend School District (North Bend, OR)

7) Eduardo Angulo, Chairman/Executive Director, Salem/Keizer Coalition for Equality (Salem, OR)

8) Tony Hopson, Executive Director, Self-Enhancement, Inc. (Portland, OR)

Panel II:

1) Dr. Roy Koch, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Portland State University (Portland, OR)

2) Ms. Morgan Anderson, Northwest Region Higher Education and Government Affairs Manager, Intel Corp. (Hillsboro, OR)

3) Melinda Knapp, Mathematics Teacher, Recipient of Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (Bend, OR)

4) Nathan Fuller, Student, Senior Cleveland High School, FIRST Robotics participant (Portland, OR)

5) Nancy Steuber, President, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (Portland, OR)

6) Beth Unverzagt, Director, Oregon After School for Kids (Salem, OR)

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Julie Edwards
Communications Director
Office of Senator Jeff Merkley