About PPS Equity
Portland Public Schools (PPS) policy decisions over the years have led to a two-tiered secondary school system, and an unfair, uneven and confusing system of primary schools.
PPS Equity is not affiliated in any way with the Portland Public Schools district. It is a community-created resource for all PPS stakeholders — parents, teachers, alumni, and community members — to organize and advocate for equity in our district’s public investment.
Public education is among the most important civic institutions in our society, and it is under assault from a number of fronts: No Child Left Behind, creeping privitization, insufficient funding at every level, and local policy leadership in Portland that demonstrably favors wealthier neighborhoods over those that have significant non-white, working class and poor populations.
As our city becomes increasingly integrated, our schools are becoming more segregated, both ethnically and economically. This is not acceptable to an electorate that values diversity and equal opportunity, and it is clear that PPS policy is out of step with the values of greater Portland.
All of our children deserve a first-rate education, and nobody should have to leave their neighborhood to get it.
I personally invite you to get involved and advocate for all of our great city’s children. Participate in the PPS Equity forum, and take immediate action by writing to your school board and superintendent.
Together we can lay the foundation for a 21st century Portland that is truly progressive and multicultural, and where no children are denied opportunity based on the color of their skin or the address on their door.
What PPS Equity is not
PPS Equity is not a membership organization, and it does not seek to replace existing groups that have been working toward equity in Portland Public Schools, like PTAs or the Neighborhood Schools Alliance. It is merely a tool and platform for community organizing.
About the Editor
Steve Rawley is a father of two children in Portland Public Schools. He is a member of the Neighborhood Schools Alliance (NSA), the Jefferson High School PTSA, and the Chief Joseph PTA. He started this Web site to move discussion off his personal blog and create a more useful and appropriate place for the discussion of equity in Portland Public Schools.
