For nearly two decades Oregon investment in higher education has not kept pace with expenses. The result is a strained system in which institutions are asked to compete with one another rather than collaborate for student benefit.

An example is the current debate over whether community colleges should offer teaching degrees. What sounds like a solution to our teacher shortage actually unnecessarily duplicates programs, diverting limited state dollars and fragmenting a fragile system, (“ Oregon’s community colleges want to train teachers. State’s universities say ‘not so fast,’ ” Aug. 18).

Oregon has the capacity to prepare teachers, but lacks the coordinated investment and student support to move aspiring educators through programs we already have. Institutions like Western Oregon Univ

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