The Portland Tribune
By Peter Wong
May 16, 2016
Oregon students share similar difficulties with their national peers about restricted access to and the rising cost of education beyond high school, a key congressional Democrat says.
Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the top-ranking member of his party on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, made the observation after a couple of Portland-area meetings arranged by Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici. She also sits on the committee.
One meeting was at the Rock Creek campus of Portland Community College, where students, higher education and workforce training officials discussed not only student finances but also college completion and career readiness.
The other was at Portland State University, where the discussion focused on the affordability of child care and the advocacy of family-friendly policies in a changing workplace.
“I am glad to see him here to hear about some of the things Oregon is doing,” Bonamici said.
“We have a lot of challenges ahead, but these are critical issues for us to address.
“I invited Mr. Scott — a congressional leader on education and workforce issues — to see how the Oregon approach of collaboration and innovation can help solve complicated problems. We will continue our shared efforts to craft policies that give children, young people, and working families the support they need to succeed.”
The committee has brokered bipartisan compromises on the renewal of federal aid to primary and secondary education in the Student Success Act and renewal of the Older Americans Act. Both have passed Congress and been signed by President Barack Obama.