Think Out Loud

At the beginning of the year, test exam fees for anyone seeking a social worker license were temporarily waived with funds allocated by the Oregon Legislature. The Oregon Health Authority told KLCC this was meant to address the number of social workers who left the industry during the pandemic and increased demand. The funds have also allowed fees for some license renewals and new applications to be waived as well. 

But with technology, communication and backlog issues facing the Oregon Board of Licensing and Social Work, some applicants have been waiting months to get their license to practice in the state. Currently, the board estimates that process and approval time for a license can take upwards of three months. Nathan Smith is a licensed clinical social worker who waited five months for his application to be approved. He joins us to share his experience. Lou Savage is the interim director of the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers, the state agency that processes and approves social worker licenses. He also joins us to share what the demand has been like the past few years, why wait times are so long and what the agency is doing to address delays.

Portlanders may be familiar with Brian Kidd, the founder of Weird Portland United. He can be seen around town on a unicycle playing a bagpipe, often in a kilt. Kidd founded the nonprofit in 2018 in an effort to bring together artistic and creative types who are all engaged in the effort to keep Portland weird. Kidd joins us, along with Christine Lassiter, host of the "Finding My Own Weird" podcast.

Portland Public School teachers have been on strike since Wednesday. While district offices are open, schools have been closed, and students have not been attending classes. Winnie Keane is a sophomore at Grant High School. Cassidy Goodwin is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells High School. They both join us to share their thoughts on the strike and how they’re spending their new found free time.

During their very first meeting, musicians Lamiae Naki and Nat Hulskamp wrote their first song together and decided to get married. The resulting project was Seffarine, an eclectic ensemble that blends traditional Andalusian and Moroccan music with jazz and other contemporary influences. The band is based in Portland, but has performed and recorded throughout Europe, Africa and North America. Their most recent residency was in Morocco, just days after the devastating earthquake that leveled several remote villages in the Atlas Mountains.

Naki and Hulskamp join us for an in-studio performance and a conversation about their wide-ranging influences, their travels and the band’s upcoming show at the Alberta Rose Theatre, which will benefit earthquake relief efforts in Morocco.

The Career Technical Education Center in Salem is hosting a behavioral health and human services program for students. It’s designed to give high schoolers an inside look into the mental health field and teach students about principles and careers in psychology, sociology, counseling, and social work. Erin Dannecker is an industry teacher at CTEC and a licensed clinical social worker. Nevaeh Humbyrd is a junior in the program. They join us with more about the skills and lessons taught in the program.

The first teachers strike in Portland Public Schools history is currently underway. Schools have closed across the district, which is Oregon’s largest, as teachers lobby for better pay and working conditions. Renard Adams is chief of research, assessment and accountability for PPS. Angela Bonilla is the president of the Portland Association of Teachers. They join us with back-to-back perspectives on where things stand between the district and the union.

More than 80 schools in Portland are closed today, as teachers began their first-ever strike in the history of the Portland Public Schools district. The Portland Association of Teachers represents nearly 4,500 teachers and coaches in Oregon’s largest school district. Negotiations between PPS and PAT have been ongoing for months to ratify a new contract, including sessions held with a state mediator earlier this week. OPB education reporter Natalie Pate gives us an update on the strike, what each side is asking for and what she heard from teachers on the picket line this morning. 

The Portland Art Museum has begun a multi-year construction project that will revitalize the gallery and perhaps help do the same for the city's downtown core. In addition, the museum has opened its new Tomorrow Theater in Southeast Portland. We talk to Brian Ferriso, executive director and chief curator, about the future of the Portland Art Museum, and the role of museums in 2023.

 It’s been four months since the July 1 deadline for Oregon cities to establish codes on where and when people experiencing homelessness can camp outside. We’ll hear from two low-barrier shelters on what has changed in their communities since then. Evan Hendrix is the director of navigation services at Shepherd's House Ministries in Bend. Terry McDonald is the executive director of St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County. They both join us to share more on what demand has been like for their services and how these codes are affecting people experiencing homelessness.

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling blocking states from keeping surplus funds from the sale of foreclosed homes. Now, three Oregonians are a part of a class action lawsuit against Multnomah, Yamhill and Lane counties. Nadia Dahab is a partner with SugermanDahab and is representing some of the plaintiffs in the suit. She joins us to share more on the Court ruling and its impacts.