Category: Media

In the news: high school redesign

July 1, 2009 by

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

Comments Off on In the news: high school redesign

In the news: another reason to question K8s

June 11, 2009 by

Reported on both KPTV television and KXL radio, a nine-year-old boy reported he witnessed a possible rape in the restroom of his K8 school, only to be accused of lying by school staff.

Portland Public Schools officials have piled on with further denial, claiming the alleged perp couldn’t have been in the restroom because he hadn’t signed out of class.

PPS has closed most middle schools in poor and minority neighborhoods over the past few years, converting elementary schools to K8s. Most middle schools in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods have been allowed to stay open.

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

13 Comments

In the news: Other line items PPS could cut

June 10, 2009 by

In today’s Willamette Week, Beth Slovic details the “Gravy Trainers,” “Sweet Talkers,” “Real Estate Moguls” and others who seem to be escaping the budget knife, even as the district pushes a budget that would force furlough days on represented employees (without first consulting their unions). Rumor has it that 40 educational aid positions have been cut district-wide.

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

15 Comments

In the news: Portland Observer coverage of HS meeting

May 30, 2009 by

The Portland Observer‘s coverage: “Heated Discussion”.

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

2 Comments

In the news: foundation announces eligible schools

May 22, 2009 by

Nineteen schools are eligible for non-competitive grants under the Portland Schools Foundation’s streamlined formula, reports Jennifer Anderson in the Tribune today.

Under the new rules, these schools will not have to write competitive grants. The will automatically be awarded funds if they submit the proper paperwork along with a school improvement plan.

The eight eligible high schools include: Madison, Benson, Franklin, Roosevelt Campus, Jefferson High School/Young Women’s Academy, Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter High School, and Portland International Community School and Alliance High School (both alternative schools).

The 10 eligible elementary and K-8 schools include: Scott, Woodstock, Lee, Lent, Clarendon-Portsmouth, Clark at Binnsmead, Rigler, Ockley Green, Sitton and Bridger.

One middle school – Beaumont – is eligible for the grants.

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

9 Comments

In the news: teachers “working to the rule”

May 18, 2009 by

Portland Public Schools teachers are currently “working to the rule” to protest stalled contract negotiations, reports the Portland Business Journal.

Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby could not confirm which schools are actually affected by the work slowdown, but he did say that for the past several weeks teachers as several schools have begun “working to the rule.”

Teacher Erin Quinton had a letter to the editor published in the Oregonian Friday, describing her experience with the slowdown.

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

40 Comments

In the news: funding rally, Trib seeks input on principals

May 14, 2009 by

Portland Tribune reporter Jennifer Anderson has put out a call for input on PPS principals.

Also from the Trib, a distributed school funding rally is planned for tomorrow.

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

12 Comments

Wynde: Oregon education commitment “luke warm”

May 8, 2009 by

PPS school board member David Wynde takes the legislature to task in an Oregonian commentary this morning.

It’s no coincidence that Oregon has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation. Our lukewarm commitment to education hurts Oregon’s short-term and long-term economic growth.

Oregon’s response to this crisis couldn’t be more contrary to President Barack Obama’s strategy. The president is using stimulus dollars to blunt school cuts and spur important reforms because he believes education is vital to our nation’s economic growth.

In Oregon, we say education is a priority, then slash schools and programs for lack of funds. The state does not have the same budget flexibility as the federal government, but other states keep their schools operating.

We are suffering a dismal failure of leadership in Salem. Even with a Democratic super majority in the legislature a Democratic governor, nobody is taking the lead in proposing reforms our inadequate, unstable revenue stream, and nobody seems to connect the dots between education and the economy as Wynde does.

Perhaps we need to look at local funding options again. If the state of Oregon doesn’t have the sense to fund our future, perhaps the people of Portland do.

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

3 Comments

“Getting it” with Carole Smith

May 4, 2009 by

Saturday I woke up to this quote by Carole Smith in Anna Griffin’s column in The Oregonian: “It can’t be that where you live determines what kind of education you get, but that’s what we have right now.”

The significance of this statement can hardly be overstated. When board members or school leaders have talked about the equity issue in the past they have always said things like, “There is an equity problem.” or “We need to work to be more equitable.” or any other of many generalized statements. But Smith’s statement is black and white. The schools are not equitable because if you live in a more affluent neighborhood we are giving your child a better education and this is not right.

There it is folks. Step two is complete. First the school leaders recognized there was a problem. Now they have defined the problem.

Where should they go from here? This is what I think.

The district needs to define what equity means. But it can’t do that unless it defines just what a good education entails. How can you know if education is equitable unless you are able to define what a good education is? (Of course, you need a definition which can be layered and prioritized since Portland Public Schools does not always have the money to reach the goal of a good education.)

So a clear definition of what a good education in PPS is at every grade level is necessary first. Then we can evaluate the district in terms of equity, which is the 4th step.

And the final step in this process is to eliminate the inequities which are hindering some children from receiving the good education PPS has defined.

Then we hold the party and afterwards all get busy on the other problems.

Steve Buel has taught in public schools for 41 years. He served on the PPS school board (1979-1983) and co-authored the 1980 School Desegregation Plan. He has followed PPS politics since 1975.

11 Comments

In the news: Oregonian endorsements

April 30, 2009 by

The Oregonian today echoes yesterday’s Willamette Week endorsements, giving their nod to Pam Knowles and Martín González for next month’s school board contest. Ballots go out tomorrow.

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

Comments Off on In the news: Oregonian endorsements

« Previous Entries Next Entries »