Prove middle-school plan won't be a disaster, Portland Public Schools: Editorial Agenda 2015

MM8peninsularasmussen.JPG

Students at Peninsula K-8 listen to a story in this October 2014 file photo. Peninsula is one of the K-8 schools that would be converted to an elementary school in one proposal by Portland Public Schools.

(Randy L. Rasmussen/Staff)

Portland Public Schools certainly aimed high in its efforts to solicit community feedback on its sweeping proposals to reconfigure many of its schools and redraw neighborhood boundaries. In just over two weeks, the district held 12 community meetings throughout the city, drawing more than 3,000 people and offering the videos online for those who couldn't come themselves.

But the district should not confuse outreach with approval as it steams ahead on an aggressive timeline to decide whether to dismantle several K-8s and remake them into elementary and middle schools. As community members made clear at a Tuesday meeting, the district gets an F for credibility with families, who know too well the district's history in ramming through changes without providing the planning, support or resources to deliver on the vision it has promised. The clear message coming from many is this: Prove this won't be a disaster.

http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg

Editorial Agenda 2015


Make Portland a city that works
Get pot right
Smart choices for education
Help rural Oregon
Keep people and goods moving
Foster small business growth
Track health reforms
_______________________________

So far, the district has provided little in the way of concrete plans that could assuage the fears of even those who agree that stand-alone middle schools offer better educational opportunities than the current K-8 system.

That's largely because the proposals are expected to change as an advisory committee incorporates public testimony into making recommendations to Superintendent Carole Smith. But at the same time, it means that the district can't, for example, show families at Laurelhurst K-8 just how converting their successful program into an elementary school that feeds to a new middle school will play out. Considering the time, money and sweat equity that families have poured into making their K-8s a success, their resistance and suspicion are understandable.

Even costs are up in the air - a significant factor that should be part of the public and the school board's discussion. Building modifications, reopening closed schools, staff transfers all guarantee costs in the millions.

Few would dispute that PPS has a problem of balancing student enrollment. A student at Jason Lee K-8 told district officials that his school is so crowded that students have nowhere to change for PE, because their locker room is being used for office space. Students attending the overcrowded Beverly Cleary K-8 are spread among three campuses in Northeast Portland.

Oregonian editorials

reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom.

are Mark Hester,

Helen Jung, Erik Lukens,

Steve Moss and Len Reed.

To respond to this editorial:

Post your comment below, submit a

,

or write a

.

If you have questions about

the opinion section,

contact Erik Lukens,

editorial and commentary editor,

at

or 503-221-8142.

Underenrolled schools lack enough students to pay for classes outside the bare essentials, meaning that they don't get the kinds of art, technology, language or other courses that help keep students engaged and introduce them to new interests.

While some K-8s in wealthier neighborhoods have been able to fundraise their way to extra teachers and electives, that's not an option at low-income schools that are underenrolled.

As Scott K-8 parent Nicole Iroz-Elardo testified on Tuesday, parents are scrounging as it is just to get forks and spoons for kids to use at lunchtime. As for electives? Under the school's former principal, the school offered little more than cafeteria aide and office aide.

That's hardly an enrichment opportunity. The fact that the district would allow that at all speaks poorly of its oversight - and its general concern for student education.

Which leads back to the question of trust in the district. Families are still rightly angry over the implementation a decade ago of former Superintendent Vicki Phillips' plan to, at that time, close some schools and reconfigure elementary and middle schools into K-8s - the reverse of the option under consideration now. Many families commenting on the new plan noted the failure of the district to provide the resources they pledged. Instead, families were the ones who raised funds for books for the library and bought beakers for the science lab. It has been through the dedication of parents, teachers and staff that many of these schools have thrived.

The district must consider the clear urgency of the situation for underenrolled schools. As Iroz-Elardo said to The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, "We're failing kids now." But at the same time, it should evaluate whether it can realistically provide the blueprints and cost estimates for such a massive change in time for Smith to make a recommendation in January to the school board.

Solving the districtwide patchwork of overcrowded and underenrolled schools is too important to rush through and risk getting it wrong. Again.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.