The Early Learning Design team announced that they will be holding their next meeting on April 4^th.The Early Learning Design Team is the group that will be shaping the Governor's vision for integrating all services for children 0-5 years old.This will impact the local commissions,public health and community mental health.At this time all documents and meeting notices for this project will be posted at the Child Care Division website.  

HB 3017 which renews the Enterprise Zone program passed the House unanimously today.  Reps Conger and Komp carried the bill and spoke forcefully about its effectiveness to create jobs, new investment, and boost property valuations.  It made a huge difference that so many local governments weighed in on why this legislation is so important for economic development.

Congress moves in mysterious ways under normal circumstances and this session is proving to be anything but normal, which means the mystery only deepens. However, we do know that the House Budget Committee is scheduled to release its version of the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2012 Budget on Tuesday April 5th. 

Given the new rules and the budget writing process, it may take a day or two to find out if a reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act is indeed included in the House budget recommendations. If, in fact, the reauthorization is included, we will then find out the details, like for how much, how long, if offsets are needed and all that kind of stuff.

The Senate of course, operates under a different set of rules.  U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and his staff continue their yeoman efforts to get a reauthorization proposal nailed down in the Upper Chamber. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is also actively involved in the effort. Stay tuned. As details develop, AOC will provide you with up-to- minute information. 

How Might PSU's Center for Public Service help Oregon Counties?

Phil Keisling, CPS Director (Keisling@pdx.edu) 

Portland State University's Center for Public Servicewas created to help Oregon's public and non-profit sector managers take far better advantage of the knowledge and capabilities of faculty and students within our Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. A core theme uniting our many programs is talent - finding, developing, and deploying it to help solve real world problems.

Might you or your colleagues be interested in having an exceptionally talented graduate student for a 10-week stint, performing high level planning, analysis, or other project work?

Each summer, the Center's Oregon Fellows program matches 15-25 master degree students from PSU, Willamette, University of Michigan, Duke, and even Harvard - for 10-week stints at sponsoring organizations. AOC itself has sponsored several Fellows - including several current staff members. Fellows must be matched by our April 15 deadline. 

Might you or your colleagues want to pursue a fully accredited, Master degree in Public Administration, on a schedule tailor-made for full-time working professionals?

The Center's Executive Master in Public Administration degree (EMPA) is the only Oregon-based program of its kind. For our September 2011 cohort of 25-30 public and non-profit sector managers seeking this valuable and career-enhancing degree, admissions deadline is May 1. 

Or, might you want to deploy the specific expertise of faculty and graduate students for a time-sensitive project? For example, Clackamas County recently enlisted CPS to assess and evaluate cost savings from its 4-day work-week pilot program (which is now permanent). This --  www.pdx.edu/eli/research/publications -- and many other custom-designed engagements can often be done as part of an inter-agency agreement.

While the challenges we all face are many and daunting, we hope you won't hesitate to contact us if you ever find yourself asking, "I wonder if PSU's Center for Public Service might be able to help?"