I was also appreciative of the district’s response to the Marysville crisis. I know CIPA weren’t the only folks working round the clock to get things done. It really was encouraging to see the whole city work together to help Marysville staff get ready to reopen in a few short days. It gives me hope that Portland might possibly be able to work together to tackle the other quiet crises ppsparent references above.

Thanks again for your time and enjoy the holidays.

The CIPA department does have 50 staff. But those staff are responsible for a range of critical functions including: coordinating before and after-school child care services and pre-K and kindergarten support; communications; operating the Enrollment and Transfer Center, promoting and coordinating family engagement; managing our governmental relations; serving families, including many newcomer families, at the Northside and Southside Family Support Centers; providing interpretation and translation services; developing partnerships with community and governmental agencies; promoting student voice in school district decision-making, and producing PPS’ Web and TV Services.

The people in this department support PPS students, families and staff in a variety of ways, from ensuring that families have access to appropriate language services and health benefits to ensuring that our schools are welcoming and that families have a voice in important decisions, like the future of our high schools.

The Marysville fire was one example of how Community Involvement staff provided important coordinated assistance to families in Portland Public Schools. Community Involvement and Public Affairs staff worked all hours (including over a holiday and through the weekend) from the moment the Marysville fire was reported, until after the students moved into Rose City Park. Among other things, they kept families informed at every step of the way, provided interpretation and translation services to the diverse mix of languages represented among Marysville families and organized and supported the out-pouring of volunteer offers and donations we received. Their work helped to keep Marysville families and the public at large well-informed and supported throughout the ordeal.

For the record, only 4.5 out of the 50 staff in the Community Involvement and Public Affairs staff are dedicated to communications and public engagement. In a school district of 47,000 students and nearly 7,000 employees, and in a community of over 500,000 people (where more than 8 out of 10 residents do not have children currently in the school system and may have little direct knowledge about what is happening there), communications staff play an important role that is vital to keeping people informed and involved in our schools.

“But..you will never convince me that the board DIDN’T PURPOSELY use delay tactics and a tanking economy to avoid an earlier settlement”

Sorry about that. Need more cawfee….

Restlessness? That is not the correct word to use, but I can’t come up with one that is appropriate for this site, ha!

The vacuum of leadership and respect that Carole Smith projects doesn’t help all this. Where is she???????

Vicki Phillips and her negotiating team had the financial backing of a temporary county income tax and the support of some influential city and county political leaders backing her first negotiation with the PAT.

PAT and PPS had been content to go without a contract in hopes of finding enough money to come up with a contract acceptable to both sides. Now restlessness has set in. Are both sides now willing to cooperate in arbitration to work out a contract based on current resources?

I don’t think Carole has the “chutzpah”, ‘gizzards’, male-body-part or whatever you would call it to make a strategic move to heal the rift, drop some of the ridiculous workload demands, give a teeny raise and help everyone move on. She COULD, SHE WON’T. She is insulated from teachers by her staff, and may think we are all just sooooo happy…….????