Category: Elections

Election ’08 — Chris Smith

March 2, 2008 by

Chris Smith is the first candidate for council seat #1 to return his PPS Equity questionnaire, with some words about school choice, disinvestment and strong neighborhood schools, as well as the relationship between the city and its school districts.

Comments are open on Smith’s page, so feel free to weigh in!

Steve Rawley published PPS Equity from 2008 to 2010, when he moved his family out of the district.

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Randy Leonard Kicks Off the PPS Equity Election ’08 Coverage

March 1, 2008 by

Yesterday, I sent out a questionnaire to all candidates for city council and mayor. Randy Leonard, the only incumbent in the race, responded right away.

Despite being a virtual shoe-in, Leonard took the time to provide thoughtful and even provocative responses. I encourage you to participate in the discussion on the candidates responses (comments will be open on their own pages), and help shape the city-wide debate going into the May 20 election.

Steve Rawley published PPS Equity from 2008 to 2010, when he moved his family out of the district.

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Questions for the Candidates

February 4, 2008 by

I am planning to submit questionnaires to mayoral and city council candidates to see where they stand on the issues we all care about. I would love some input from the community on these. Here are a couple sample questions I came up with.

  • City Auditor Gary Blackmer and Multnomah County Auditor Suzanne Flynn released a joint audit report in June of 2006 which found that Portland Public Schools’ transfer policy contributes to racial and socio-economic segregation and conflicts with other district goals such as strong neighborhood schools and investing in poorly performing schools. The report requested that the school board clarify the of the purpose of the transfer policy, but nearly two years later, they have not. As mayor or commissioner, will you do anything to hold the school district accountable to this audit?
  • Portland Public Schools’ student transfer policy divests over $40 million annually from our poorest neighborhoods, leaving our most economically vulnerable citizens with gutted educational programs and a disproportionate number of school closures. This puts PPS policy at odds with city policy of strong, livable neighborhoods, with affordable housing near strong schools. As mayor or commissioner, how will you work with the PPS Board of Education to ensure their policies do not work at cross purposes with city policies?

And here’s one just for Sho Dozono:

  • You started the Portland Schools Foundation to support schools, particularly those in lower-income areas, in the wake of Measure 5. Now, more than ten years later, the foundation is frequently criticized as part of the problem, not part of the solution. Is the foundation still relevant today, or should the district administer the equity fund in-house?

What else?

Steve Rawley published PPS Equity from 2008 to 2010, when he moved his family out of the district.

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