Oregon Tax News

The Taxpayer Foundation is recognizing five outstanding students for their essays on their Oregon education experience and opinions.   The diversity of opinions range from authors in the 5th grade to recent college graduates covering a wide breadth of topics from the personal to policy suggestions.   Oregon is honored to have these young and talented voices in our state.   Please enjoy the five top honored essays below.  

Top Winning Essay
By Kattarin Kirk

Public school, private school, home school, charter schools, correspondence schools, online schools, there are so many options in today’s world but what’s the best one? It used to be that there was only one option but now that’s all changed. The question is still there though, which option is best? Does it depend on the individual or is the old saying “one size fits all” still true when it comes to the education of today’s students?

I have a unique perspective on this. My first two years of high school I spent at public school. Some teenagers thrive in social settings while others struggle. Teachers are kept so busy trying to keep control of dozens of students that they have little time to offer one on one attention to any individual. Students requiring extra help are often neglected because of such limited time. Many students fall by the wayside due to lack of resources, self-motivation, and inability to ask for help. Read more…

By Oregon Tax News,

Tim Geithner, U.S. Treasury Secretary, visited Portland in April and held a private meeting with about a dozen CEOs of major corporations. The Portland Business Journal wanted to know what was discussed behind the closed doors. Only one of those CEOs, Benchmade Knife Company’s Les de Asis, spoke to the media afterward—and little was said. According to de Asis, the execs talked with the Treasury Secretary about the economy. Now, the Portland Business Journal has found out a little more by making a public records request and getting a government employee’s handwritten notes on the meeting. Read more…