
Lars Larson says it’s your kids who pay the price for higher teacher wages and fading test scores
Lars Larson
The Northwest Nonsense
The numbers tell the tale. Oregon and Washington rank as some of the best states in America to be a teacher and the worst if you’re a student.

Fat paychecks and pensions, bottom rank for reading and math.
Both states have doubled spending on schools in the last decade while test scores dropped.
You know who’s getting it right?
Mississippi. I know, reputationally a backwards state and outspent by blue states like Oregon and Washington.
But in the last decade it has gone from the bottom of the American education pile to the top.
And the solution ain’t rocket science.
Students get tested in the third grade and if they’re not ready, they get held back. Students get tutoring.
Eighteen thousand bucks in Oregon per student per year for K-12.
Nineteen thousand in Washington. Tuition for Ducks and Huskies costs far less.
But you have to understand how failure benefits teachers and Democrats.
Failing teachers unions demand bigger paychecks. Union dues fund political contributions, exclusively to Democrats.
And your kids pay the price.
Also read:
- Opinion: ‘This is not the best and most efficient use of the taxpayers’ funds’Ken Vance critiques the announced $14.4 billion I-5 Bridge replacement, questioning funding gaps, the insistence on light rail, unaddressed congestion, and transparency from state officials.
- Letter: Don’t leave Longview in the darkLongview Mayor Erik Halvorson warns that uncertainty in Washington’s energy policy is deterring manufacturing investment, citing a local project’s move to the Gulf as evidence of this statewide challenge.
- Opinion: Hiring someone for jobs around the house?Households in Washington that hire caregivers or cleaners will have to keep records, offer contracts, and follow new compliance rules under HB 2355.
- Letter: Our way or the highway?City emails and memos revealed a clash over hiring control for the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, highlighting the city’s behind-the-scenes influence as public tension mounted in Vancouver.
- Opinion: The ballooning cost of the I-5 bridge between Oregon and Washington is unjustifiedTransit agencies saw ridership fall even as population grew, yet the proposed I-5 bridge replacement now comes with a 240% higher price tag than first estimated.







