Portland Tribune, 4/25/06 Quoted in article about blogger/parent Betsy Richter, regarding K-8 conversion process
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Ruth Adkins, a lead member of the schools alliance and Southwest Portland mother of three, says the group is simply trying to ensure the community and school board don’t rush through the process before the scheduled May 1 vote on the budget and restructuring plan.
Adkins thinks the district should have issued its proposal in the fall and had it finalized by January. She wants to see more supporting data about costs and curriculum and staffing changes, and she wants board members to have all the answers they need.
“So, yes, we are going to question a process that is fundamentally flawed and that we feel will harm our neighborhood schools and our city,” Adkins says. “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. So far, they aren’t doing it right and we fear they are pushing our city down a path toward chaos. For one thing, they simply haven’t got the staff capacity to carry out all these transformations over the next year, and do them all well.”