Rep. Mike Nearman focuses on education reform

Rep. Mike Nearman

(Salem, OR) — Rep. Mike Nearman announced his bills for the 2016 Legislative Session; noting that preserving current education reform, and pioneering new reforms to help improve education are critical. Legislators are allowed two priority bills in the upcoming February legislative session.

Rep. Nearman’s first bill lifts two sunsets on major bipartisan education reforms that were passed in previous sessions. “In 2011, a bipartisan coalition decided that it was bad policy to trap children in failing schools. That year the legislature decided to make progress a priority in education with common sense reform legislation. Protecting progress in education in crucially important for students, teachers, and parents. We’ve made progress in helping kids get a better education. We shouldn’t revert back to outdated education law by allowing these laws to sunset and set back progress.”

Rep. Nearman’s second bill creates the opportunity for more progress to be made in education reform. The bill creates additional extra-salary incentives for teachers that local schools reward for their effectiveness, as well as for teaching at high demand, underperforming schools. “This is a wonderful solution with local controls, which allows teachers to be rewarded for doing the difficult, but rewarding work of teaching kids. I wanted a solution controlled by local schools, and school boards instead of centering power in Salem. Everyone knows that local schools and school boards know their teachers better than we do. It’s important for them to be able to reward their best teachers.”

Representative Mike Nearman is in his first term as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. In the 2015 Legislative Session he served on Consumer Protection & Government Effectiveness, Higher Education, Innovation & Workforce Development as well as the Ways & Means Subcommittees on Public Safety and Transportation & Economic Development and Information Technology. He represents House District 23 which covers four counties and the cities of Adair Village, Amity, Dallas, Dayton, Jefferson, Monroe, and Willamina.