As a Portland School Board member, I will make sure that “closing the achievement gap” is not just a slogan. Lower-income families and students of color must have access to the same great education that my own three children have received in Portland Public Schools. If any child in Portland gets short-changed of a quality education, then we all lose.
One size or type of school does not fit all. Families need to be able to seek the best fit and the best opportunities for their individual child. We have some truly outstanding focus option and alternative programs in Portland Public Schools, along with our wonderful neighborhood schools. However, the opportunity to transfer to a “better” school across town doesn’t necessarily help students’ achievement, and it certainly doesn’t help strengthen neighborhood schools. Bottom line: low-income children shouldn't have to travel across town to get a decent public education.
The Multnomah County/Portland auditors' June 2006 report, "Portland Public Schools Student Transfer System: District objectives not met" states:
Our audit determined that the transfer system was not able to mitigate the moderate ethnic and socioeconomic segregation in Portland’s neighborhoods or meet the Board’s diversity and equity goals. Further, due to the increasing complexity each year, we do not believe that the system is as open and transparent as it could be. Because the transfer policy competes with other Board policies such as strong neighborhood schools and investing in poor performing schools, we urge the Board to clarify the purpose of the school choice system.
The School Board has yet to follow up this report with the needed comprehensive review of the transfer system. As a school board member, I will make this a priority, paying close attention to the issues raised by the auditors.
Every Portland Public Schools policy needs to take into account how all students will be impacted, not just those in the middle class who happen to have the most power and the strongest voice. No more “trickle-down” education policies!
Let's not experiment with our kids. Imposing top-down educational “reforms” like uniforms and single-sex academies in just one part of town and not the rest, is fundamentally inequitable. If we are considering ideas like uniforms, it should be discussed citywide, not just for the one high school in Portland that is majority African-American.
I will also work for transparency and equity in the funding and resources available to schools. We must address the imbalances between schools: some are able to "buy back" teaching positions and enrich their children's learning environment, but many schools do not have the resources to fundraise. Adequate funding at the state level is the key, but we also have work to do locally to ensure that students in every school get the quality education they deserve.