Portland parents write letters to stop 14 school closings
A new campaign asks the school board to vote to defer closures, following earlier protests and rallies.
By Gabriela Flores ·
Portland Public Schools is facing a pushback from families who want to delay planned school closures. A letter-writing campaign launched Friday asks the school board to reconsider closing as many as 14 schools next year. This effort follows a series of protests, rallies, and walkouts held earlier this fall.
Hundreds of parents gathered at Mike Bennett’s Art Studio on NE Fremont to write letters to the PPS board. The group used pens, markers, and construction paper to draft messages under the slogan “Save PDX Schools.” The letters urge board members to vote to defer the closures rather than approve them immediately.
Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong introduced two options in the fall. Scenario A involves closing 14 schools, including 13 elementary schools and one middle school, alongside 38 boundary changes. Scenario B proposes closing 11 schools, including 10 elementary schools and one middle school, with 34 boundary changes. Both plans would convert seven schools from K-8 to K-5. These schools are Beverly Cleary, Laurelhurst, Sunnyside, Bridger, César Chávez, Faubion, and Vernon.
Parents expressed shock that their specific schools appeared on the closure lists. Elly Milder, a parent representative from Buckman Elementary, criticized the process. “PPS says this process is about equity, but the process is anything but equitable,” Milder said.
Matt Coolidge, a parent at Rieke Elementary and a volunteer with the Save PDX Schools coalition, raised concerns about the speed of the transition. “We are talking a massive transition that will impact 70% of students in this district in less than one year,” Coolidge said. “It’s alarming the lack of infrastructure and logistics planning.”
Families also worry about the impact on dual language immersion programs. Eleven of the district's 13 immersion schools are on the closure list. Emiliano Vega, a parent at Beach School, noted that students learning Spanish, Vietnamese, or Mandarin may lose their current placement. “We don’t even know how they are going to get there if this was their neighborhood school but now their school is 5 miles further,” Vega said.
Opposition to the plans has grown among local officials. Portland city councilors and state legislators have asked the district to pause the closures. Virginia La Forte, a PPS school board member, voiced her own reservations. “Scenario A, I’m a hard no. It’s too many buildings,” La Forte said. “Scenario B, I am not convinced we have captured the right buildings there.” Armstrong will present her final plan to the board on Nov. 17. The board will vote on Dec. 15 to either approve the plan or defer the closures to next year.
Source: KPTV
