Trust Is Earned, Not Given
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board (PPS) wants voters to…
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PPS Bond Request Is Too Big and Too Vague
January 7, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Testimony for Portland Public Schools Meeting on January 7, Agenda Item #9, Resolution 7038
January 7, 2025 Mr. Eddie WangChair, PPS Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland, OR 97227…
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School Choice – A Gift That Fits Every Family
By Kathryn Hickok What if all parents could choose schools based on where…
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Extending the Yellow MAX Line to Vancouver Is TriMet’s Worst Idea Yet
By John A. Charles, Jr. At a December 17th meeting of the Joint…
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Why Are Portland School Construction Projects So Expensive?
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2021, Sherwood School District opened the largest…
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Limits on School-Day Phone Use Will Free Students to Learn
By Kathryn Hickok The Board of Portland Public Schools has been working to…
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Cascade Quarterly Fall 2024
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Portland to Expand Streetcar, Riders Not Included
By John A. Charles, Jr. In mid-November, the Portland City Council approved a…
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Three Ways Oregon Can Help Students Get Back on Track in 2025
By Kathryn Hickok The Portland Tribune recently reported that Oregon elementary students’ academic…
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DEQ’s Plan to Raise the Cost of Driving Should Be Cancelled
By John A. Charles, Jr. On November 21, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission…
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Oregon Ranks 35th Nationally in Return on Investment for Education Spending
By Kathryn Hickok Is more money the answer to Oregon’s abysmal K-12 academic…
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The Closing of Boardman Coal Plant and the Hubris of Fossil Fuel Opponents
By Sam Herrin July 2024 In 1975, the state of Oregon issued permits…
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The Siren Song of free school meals
By John A. Charles, Jr. Thirty years ago, an iconic goal of liberal…
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The nuclear comeback skips Oregon
By John A. Charles, Jr. On October 14, Google announced that it will…
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ESR Testimony to SLB October 2024
October 14, 2024 State Land Board775 Summer Street, NESalem, OR 97301 Re: Agenda…
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Opinion – Oregon’s ‘Rebate’ Proposal Is a Backdoor Tax Increase
By Bill Conerly Will voters in the deep-blue State of Oregon vote for…
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Oregon: Improvement Needed on “Education Freedom Report Card”
By Kathryn Hickok The Heritage Foundation annually releases an Education Freedom Report Card,…
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Testimony: DEQ Climate Protection Plan
September 27, 2024 Ms. Nicole SinghOregon Department of Environmental QualityCPP.20244@deq.oregon.gov Re: Comments on…
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DEQ’s plan to suffocate Oregon’s economy
John A. Charles, Jr. This week the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)…
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Metro, Please Learn from Past Mistakes
By Seth Bowman The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was opened in 1990 with…
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Rising Costs and Diminishing Returns
By Brittany Hjelte The Oregon Legislature has mandated that large utilities deliver 100%…
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With Declining Enrollments, Why Is Portland Building Bigger High Schools?
By Ethan Rohrbach The modernization of Benson Polytechnic High School is nearing completion….
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Why the American Dream Is Just a Dream for Many Urbanites
By Seth Bowman Cities in Oregon are required to have Urban Growth Boundaries…
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Is Affordable, Reliable Electricity a Service of the Past?
By Brittany Hjelte Oregon politicians banned the use of coal for electricity generation…
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Liability, Not Reliability: Solar Panels in Oregon Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2620. The…
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Zero-emissions? Not Really
By Emily Schutte When an Electric Vehicle is marketed as “zero-emission,” consumers expect…
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There is no Field of Dreams at the Expo Center
By Seth Bowman The Portland Expo Center has been serving our region through…
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Cascade Quarterly Spring 2024
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What If Every Child Could Find the Path to Academic Success?
By Kathryn Hickok Children are unique, with different talents, interests, and learning styles….
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Portland Public Schools’ Building Costs Are Shaking Up Budgets
By Brittany Hjelte Worries about the Cascadia Subduction Zone have persisted for the…
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Universal School Choice Comes to Louisiana
By Kathryn Hickok On May 30, Louisiana’s legislature passed SB 313, establishing the…
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Is a New, Earthquake-Ready Burnside Bridge Necessary?
By Ethan Rohrbach For the past 40 years, the scientific community has been…
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Testimony: Testimony to Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission on PPS Budget
June 4, 2024 Ms. Allegra WillhiteExecutive DirectorMultnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission…
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EVs = bad business
By Emily Schutte Electric Vehicles are bad business. To boost sales in a…
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School Choice Expansion Continues with Missouri Education Package
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Missouri increased educational opportunity for families by expanding…
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Paying Twice for Oregon’s Roads
By John A. Charles, Jr. A committee of the Oregon legislature will soon…
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PPS levy perpetuates ongoing discrimination
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board is asking voters to…
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PPS Climate Policy Is All Cost, No Benefit
By John A. Charles, Jr. At its May 7th meeting, the Portland Public…
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Cascade Policy Institute Seminars: The How-To’s of Making a Difference in Local Policy
Come join us for an exciting free seminar series with Cascade Policy Institute, where you’ll…
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Will School Choice Be on Oregon Ballots Soon?
By Kathryn Hickok 2023 is being called the “Year of Universal Education Choice,”…
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Equity Funding Has Not Closed the Racial Achievement Gap in Portland Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach April 2024 Non-white students have historically performed worse in Portland…
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Testimony: Letter to Director of Power Planning Regarding Ninth Power Plan
April 26, 2024 Ms. Jennifer LightDirector of Power PlanningNW Power and Conservation Council851…
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Do People Have a Right to Camp on Sidewalks?
By John A. Charles, Jr. This week the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral…
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Providing Homes Oregon Families Can Afford Is a Solvable Problem
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Cascade Policy Institute is releasing a new report…
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The Affordable Housing Scam
By Randal O’Toole Executive Summary U.S. taxpayers spend tens of billions of dollars…
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The prudent person principle should be applied to all publicly funded projects
By Karen Rue Last week, Cascade Policy Institute provided suggestions to the Board…
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Letter to the Department of State Lands re: Draft Asset Management Plan
April 3, 2024 Vicki WalkerDirector, Oregon Department of State Lands775 Summer Street NESalem,…
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Letter to PPS Board: Recommendations for Jefferson Highschool Modernization Project
April 2, 2024 Mr. Gary HollandsChair, Portland Public School Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland,…
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Housing Sites Everywhere but No Way to Build
By John A. Charles, Jr. Oregon has a housing shortage, which has been…
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By 2027, All Alabama Students Will Have Educational Choice
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Alabama became the most recent state to increase…
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Repealing Oregon’s EV mandate should be next on Gov. Kotek’s list
By John A. Charles, Jr. Recently Gov. Tina Kotek decided to pull the…
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More Money is Not the Solution
By Joshua Schutte The Oregonian recently reported that “Oregon students as a whole…
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Rose Quarter I-5 Project Testimony on ODOT AVT Proposed Partnership Agreement
March 12, 2024 Ms. Julie BrownChairOregon Transportation Commission355 Capitol Street NESalem, OR 97301…
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Legislative committee wants to extend commuter rail to Salem at a cost of $118 per ride
By John A. Charles, Jr. On February 22, the Joint Committee on Transportation…
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Letter to the PPS Board Regarding the Sale of the District’s Headquarters Building
February 20, 2024 Portland Public School Board501 North Dixon StreetPortland, OR 97227 …
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Testimony Before the House Committee on Education Regarding HB 4161
February 14, 2024 Chair Neron, Vice-Chairs Hudson and Wright, and Members of the…
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Oregon Needs More Than Tiny Homes
By John A. Charles, Jr. The 35-day session of the Oregon Legislature opened…
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Testimony before the Senate Committee on Housing and Development Regarding SB 1537
February 9, 2024 My name is John Charles and I am President of…
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Testimony before the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response Regarding HB 4002, HB 4036 and SB 1555
John A. Charles, Jr.President & CEOFebruary 7, 2024 Cascade’s mission is to promote…
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Oregon’s highway freeze is not about the weather
By John A. Charles, Jr. The last segment of Oregon’s Interstate Highway system…
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In 2024, Will Universal School Choice Become the “New Normal?”
By Kathryn Hickok January 21-27 is National School Choice Week, the world’s largest…
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Survey: 72% of Parents Said They Considered a New School Last Year
By Kathryn Hickok The National School Choice Awareness Foundation conducted a survey of…
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Local Celebrations Highlight All the Ways Oregon Students Learn
By Kathryn Hickok January 21-27 is National School Choice Week, the world’s largest…
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Three Ways Oregon Can Help Kids Get the Education They Deserve
By Kathryn Hickok In 2023, eight states passed universal or near-universal educational choice…
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Oregon’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels Is Growing, Not Shrinking
By John A. Charles, Jr. During the holidays, the Oregon Department of Energy…
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Reviving Downtown Portland Requires Stronger Medicine
By John A. Charles, Jr. Last week Gov. Tina Kotek released the recommendations…
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Pennsylvania’s Christmas Gift to K-12 Students
By Kathryn Hickok Christmas came early for children and parents in Pennsylvania when…
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Why 2023 Is the “Year of Universal School Choice”
By Kathryn Hickok Nationwide polling this year revealed seventy-one percent of voters say…
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Student-Focused Solutions Can Address Pandemic Learning Losses
By Kathryn Hickok The New York Times published an editorial November 18 regarding…
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Cascade Quarterly Fall 2023
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Why More Money Won’t Solve the Problems in Portland Public Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. At the Portland Public Schools board meeting last…
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Re: Adoption of RTP and HCT Plan
November 29, 20323 Metro Council600 NE Grand AvenuePortland, OR 97232 Re: Adoption of…
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TriMet’s Existential Crisis
By John A. Charles, Jr. For those of us who came of age…
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Quantifying the Unreliability of Wind and Solar Power in the Northwest
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Executive Summary Over the next decade, Oregon and much…
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Taxpayers Have Been Generous to Portland Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. In any prolonged strike, it is usually assumed…
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Oklahoma’s Education Tax Credit Puts Families First
By Kathryn Hickok Oklahoma’s Parental Choice Tax Credit Program is the first universal,…
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What The New Homeschool Demographic Means For School Choice
By Mia Tiwana The homeschool landscape is changing. Our approach to school funding…
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It’s Time to End Home Equity Theft in Oregon
By Mia Tiwana It’s time to end home equity theft in Oregon. In…
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Oregon’s Assault on the Grid
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2000, the electricity grid was named the…
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School Choice Programs Don’t Cause Tuition Inflation
By Kathryn Hickok A long-standing question about taxpayer-funded school choice programs like vouchers,…
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Policy Picnic – Oregon’s Disappearing Electricity Supply
Please join Cascade Policy Institute for our Policy Picnic featuring CEO John Charles…
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North Carolina Becomes the 9th State to Offer Students Universal School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok North Carolina has become the ninth state to enact universal…
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Offshore Wind Takes a Blow
By Joshua Schutte Lawmakers and activists across the country continue to push for…
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Metro Gives Up on Reducing Traffic Congestion
By John A. Charles, Jr. For the past 30 years, opinion polls have…
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Testimony of Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Submitted to Portland City Council
September 19, 2023 Re: Agenda Item 798—Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF)…
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Portland’s $750 million climate slush fund
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2018, local voters approved the creation of…
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It’s Time to Bring Transit into the Twenty-First Century
By Mia Tiwana Portland’s TriMet transit agency and the Metro regional government have…
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Portland Students Could Strike Out Because of Teachers’ Union
By Mia Tiwana Have you heard of “No-School November”? Portland Public School (PPS)…
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Press Release: Cascade Policy Institute Report Recommends Ways TriMet Can Modernize Transit Service for the 21st Century
September 14, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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TriMet in the Twenty-First Century
By Randal O’Toole Executive Summary The pandemic has made it painfully clear that…
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Westside MAX, Still a Dream at 25
By John A. Charles, Jr. TriMet’s Blue rail line to Hillsboro opened on…
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Parents Say They Want More School Options for Their Children
By Kathryn Hickok As K-12 students return to school, about four-fifths of them…
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2023 – An Outstanding Year for School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok 2023 has been an outstanding year for school choice. Utah,…
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RealClear Opinion Poll Shows 71% of Registered Voters Support School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok A June 2023 RealClear Opinion Research survey of registered voters…
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Oregon Should Let Voters Reconsider Clean Nuclear Power
By Micah DeSilva For over 40 years, Oregon has outlawed the construction of…
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Let Oregon Voters Reconsider Nuclear Power
By Micah DeSilva Earlier this year, Oregon lawmakers proposed legislation allowing voters to reconsider their 1980 decision to effectively ban construction of new nuclear…
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Making Driving More Expensive Won’t Fix Oregon’s Congested Roads
By Micah DeSilva Metro is the regional government of the greater Portland region….
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Cascade Policy Institute’s Bill Expanding Access to the GED Exam Is Signed into Law
By Kathryn Hickok During the 2023 session, the Oregon Legislature passed Cascade Policy…
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The Ghost Train
By Sam Herrin Metro’s 2023 Regional Transportation Plan calls for expanding many different…
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