‘Pencil’ gubernatorial candidate pinpoints Oregon’s poor educational performance

Oregonians will have the option to write in an unlikely candidate for governor this November – not just a person, but a Pencil.

J. Schuberth, a former college professor, is protesting the state’s dismal public-school record by dressing up as a six-foot pencil to raise awareness of Oregon’s ranking “dead last in reading” for fourth graders, NPR reported.

“This is an indictment of the people who are running our state,” Schuberth said. “[Democrats] have had a supermajority, or close to it, for a long time. That’s who is determining education policy.”

The news outlet acknowledges the less-than-competitive nature of Schuberth’s race.

“The campaign comes with a caveat: It probably won’t be clear how many votes Pencil receives,” NPR observed. “Under state law, election officials only tabulate write-in votes to individual candidates if the total number of write-ins exceeds votes for the leading candidate.”

However, Schuberth’s campaign aims to send “a wake-up call” to current Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek, who “faces no serious opponent” in the May 19 primary as she seeks another term, according to the article.

“If there’s a ton of write-ins, there’s going to be some questions about what was written in,” Schuberth concluded.

‘Our education system’s horrendous’

From comments gathered at a recent farmer’s market, Schuberth’s campaign stance has found several supporters.

“It’s really a crime,” said Portland resident Suzanne Lassen of the state’s student performance. “Our education system’s horrendous and it’s only gone down.”

Lassen agreed she would write in a pencil simply because “our current administration’s not very effective,” she told journalists.

Meanwhile, Anna Mackay told Schuberth she would “certainly consider” writing in Pencil to send a message to current government officials.

“While our family doesn’t have bottomless means, we’re making the decision to put our children in private school because of some of these outcomes,” she said.

As previously reported by The Lion, Oregon’s public schools have lost more than 37,000 students since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Much of the data collection for students outside public education remains inconsistent, causing officials to rely on estimates for private-school and homeschool students.

The state has also drawn criticism for its response during the pandemic, closing schools for 15 months before reopening.

“I’m not satisfied with this year’s numbers,” Kotek said in a 2024 press release admitting less than half the state’s students achieved grade-level proficiency across all subjects.

“Every child deserves a high-quality, culturally responsive public education to be set up for success.”

Photo credit: Pencil 4 Gov (Facebook)