HB 3030 Scholarships based on race

Oregon already tried a similar program before. A teacher named Tyler Lynn, who teaches Spanish and has worked in our schools for over 20 years, was told he could not get the same help the state was giving to other teachers, simply because he is white. He took the state to court. The state settled the case and shut the program down. That case is called Lynn v. Goff. Now, HB 3030 is trying to do the same thing all over again. But courts have said many times: the government cannot treat people differently just because of their race. This breaks the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. The state has no strong proof that this kind of race-based program is needed, and that means it likely won’t survive a legal challenge.

We should help all future school leaders—no matter what they look like or where they come from. Fairness means treating people equally.