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What I am hearing on the campaign trail

As I am out on the campaign trail meeting parents, teachers, neighbors, elected officials and community leaders, hearing their ideas and concerns about our schools, it’s very clear that parents and Portland residents love our schools and are eager to help them succeed.
What I am hearing emerge as a common theme — whether from the great-grandmother and neighborhood volunteer from St. Johns; the young mom with the baby sleeping on her chest in Mt. Tabor; the civic leader from SE Portland agonizing whether to keep her children in public schools; the realtor from SW Portland who can’t sell properties around the boarded-up Smith School; the teacher from NE Portland contending with inadequate resources to do her job; the many educators deeply concerned about the proposed core curriculum — is the desire to be heard about their concerns and the willingness to help lend a hand and be involved.
My two main goals if elected to serve a School Board member are to:
  • Help Portland Public Schools communicate and work more closely with the public; and to
  • Focus PPS on positive, proactive planning for future growth and stability.
We have so much going for us in Portland—the crucial missing link is to bring our schools into our urban planning efforts and, working together as a community, figure out how to sustain our wonderful public schools. This makes sense to me as a taxpayer, 19-year resident of Portland, and parent of three children in our public schools — and it makes sense to everyone I talk to, as well.
Key to the future stability of our public schools—and thus, of our city—is increasing enrollment in Portland Public Schools by retaining and attracting families to live in Portland and send their children to public schools. The starting point is a shift in attitude to the positive.
We can increase enrollment and achievement in Portland Public Schools if we:
  • Establish growth and stability (not decline and instability) as the dominant value and overarching goal for the school district;
  • Tap into the talents and energies of the community to help get the word out about Portland’s schools;
  • Work with the City to develop family housing near schools so young families can afford to live in the city;
  • Foster creative ideas to locate community groups, nonprofits or government services within school buildings to help defray costs and bring the community into schools;
  • Create partnerships and summon the political will to preserve and maintain our school buildings in the hearts of our neighborhoods;
  • Keep and expand upon what’s already working well in the district, while embracing diverse and creative ideas for improving achievement for all;
  • Celebrate and support the expertise of our teachers and the great work they are doing our schools to help all our children learn and succeed.
We can do all this and more, but it takes leadership and vision from the School Board. I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to provide that leadership and vision, should I be elected to serve.

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