Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Kim's time on the Medford School Board gave her a comprehensive understanding of education issues, ranging from budgets to policy to curriculum.

First and foremost, we have a responsibility to make our schools a safe place for our students and teachers. It's time to empower educators to creatively maintain control of their classrooms, thereby ensuring all students can learn and thrive in a safe environment.

Career and Technical Education programs increase students' connection to school and motivate them to graduate. These types of programs also build our workforce for family-wage jobs in construction and other trades. Kim advocated for Measure 98, which required the state to fund these programs. However, the 2017 legislature took from this fund, and left students with only a little over half of the dollar amount we voted to allocate to them.

In 2015, 25% of the Medford School District's budget went to PERS payments. That figure is now higher and growing. Burgeoning class sizes are a result of having inadequate funds to hire new teachers. Schools have had to reduce the amount of time students spend with their certified classroom teachers, dispersing them instead among a growing number of part-time classified employees. As PERS costs grow, our schools will likely expand this aide-centric model.

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