Posts from — April 2010

Let’s Talk About Marshall

PPS proposes major changes to the Marshall campus.  Have you been heard? 

Monday, May 3^rd, 2010

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Lents Commons (92^nd Ave and Foster Road)

 Learn about the Portland Public Schools High School System Design, hear from neighbors, families and students, help discuss next steps to support Marshall and student success in our community!

Sponsored by Lents Neighborhood Association’s Education Committee, Families and Students.

Questions:  Call Becca Stavenjord, 503-810-7873 or email stavenjord@hotmail.com

Find us on Facebook: search “Lents Education Committee”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Matt Shelby, PPS Communications, 503-916-3027

Superintendent to comment on proposed high school changes Superintendent Carole Smith is available this afternoon to comment on her proposal for a PPS High School System. Orcilia Zuniga-Forbes, trustee for Meyer Memorial Trust, Andrew Dyke, EcoNorthwest senior analyst and Charles McGee from the Black Parent Initiative will also be on hand to share their thoughts on the proposal.

When: 1:30 p.m. today, April 27 Where: Marshall Campus library, 3905 S.E. 91st Ave.

On Monday, Superintendent Carole Smith presented the Portland School Board her plan to develop a PPS High School System that provides all students access to a comprehensive high school while maintaining choice for those seeking a more specialized or personalized environment.

Under Smith’s proposal: Cleveland, Franklin, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Madison, Roosevelt and Wilson high schools would operate as community comprehensive schools with neighborhood boundaries and an equitable, well-rounded high school program.

The Marshall Campus schools – Renaissance Arts, BizTech and Pauling – would close in fall 2011.

At that time, a new Focus School built upon the strengths of small schools in PPS would open on the campus to all PPS students.

 Benson Polytechnic High School would, in fall 2011, become an advanced learning center for career-related and technical learning experiences. 11th and 12th grade students across PPS would have the opportunity to apply to spend half the school day or week at Benson and the remainder at their home school to pursue an in-depth career or technical program. (The proposal for Benson High School is similar to the current successful model of The Center for Advanced Learning.)

In addition, transfers among community schools would be limited and some community school boundaries would change. Monday’s presentation kicked off a comment period where members of the public can offer feedback in a variety of ways. Feedback opportunities and a timeline for decision making are available on the PPS website.

My favorite part of the PPS boardbooks is the business agenda.  It’s about the only area where PPS is even moderately transparent.  Last night’s board book includes these expenses:

Lloyd Center Double Tree Hotel  $6,400 payment ($25,412 total contract)

One day districtwide venue and catering for Portland Leadership Collaborative for Cohort 2 and Nike School Innovation Fund.

The Ambridge Event Center $40,000 payment ($35,863 total contract)

Districtwide venue and catering for Equity Project, Courageous Conversations trainings.  Hey PPS, have you hired a Workforce Diversity Director yet? 

Lloyd Center Double Tree Hotel  $5,650 payment ($25,412 total contract)

Districtwide venue and catering for “Universal Design for Learning” professional development seminar for K-12 teachers, TOSAs, department staff, and administrators.

Where are the Close the Gap Not the Schools people now?  Will they be there to support the Marshall community as their school closes?  If the discussions taking place right now within the Grant Google group are any indication, the answer is no.

I’ve heard several stories of PPS retaliating against employees for speaking out just in the last couple of weeks.  I experienced that myself when working in PPS HR department.  I’d gone to the superintendent to complain of a hostile work environment and employment discrimination and a few weeks later my position was cut.  Imagine that.  

People need to fight back.  Here are some links that provide information about employee rights: 

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 

EEOC – Retaliation

Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) - Civil Rights Complaint Process 

BOLI – Whistleblowing

Dear Honorable Mayor Adams, City Commissioners, Superintendent Smith, School Board Directors, Planning Commission members, and Community: [Read more →]

Calvin Henry
541 745 5570 

Last night I attended King School’s community meeting for hiring a new principal.  The process is still as fake as it’s always been.   [Read more →]

The superintendent is proposing cuts to the classrooms but she continues to add administrators at the central office.  She could easily make central office cuts without affecting students. [Read more →]

This Wednesday’s Willamette Week included a blurb about proposed changes to PPS English as a Second Language (ESL) program. 

The district wants to cut 23 bilingual educational assistants (EAs) and replace them with 12 ESL teachers.    That would be a mistake. 

The bilingual EAs are often the only ones in the schools able to speak the language of the students and their families.  The district can’t even find 12 bilingual ESL teachers. 

No Child Left Behind requires the bilingual educational assistants to have a minimum of 2 years of college or the equivalent.  When NCLB first passed, the PPS Human Resources department asked all bilingual EAs to submit their transcripts to HR for review.  Many of the bilingual educational assistants were college graduates in their home countries and some were teachers prior to moving to the United States. 

Bilingual EAs submitted their foreign transcripts to HR but they just sat in a box for over a year.  The assistant director of HR refused to use Title I funds to cover the cost of translation and evaluation of the transcripts even though that was an allowable use of Title I funds.  She claimed it wouldn’t be fair to other employees.  Never mind that she didn’t have a problem with administrators hiring their kids for “Limited Term” positions. 

It would have been to HRs advantage to have the transcripts evaluated because the bilingual EAs would have been a natural pool of candidates for a career ladder program.  They were already working in the schools, college educated, committed and BILINGUAL.   

PPS HR administrators have long argued that they can’t find bilingual ESL teachers.  While working in the PPS HR department, I researched the effectiveness of the Bilingual Teacher Pathway program.  The career ladder program is a partnership between PPS and Portland State University.  The PSU website says:

The Bilingual Teacher Pathway (BTP) is a teacher preparation program designed to fill critical shortages of bilingual education/ESL teachers in the Portland metropolitan area. This is accomplished by recruiting and supporting bilingual/bicultural educational assistants so they can become licensed teachers.

My research found that 1/3 of the program participants became teachers, 1/3 left PPS and 1/3 remained in bilingual educational assistant positions with the district.  That meant that the district was investing their resources into a program with a 33% success rate.   

The program has the potential to be effective but like most activities involving equal opportunities district administrators create barriers to equity. 

Those barriers contribute to the rapidly increasing gap between Oregon’s teaching staff and student diversity.  Oregon Department of Education’s State Report Card shows a 30% minority student population compared to a 5% minority teacher population.  What’s worse is that the minority teacher population has remained virtually unchanged since 1998.

The ESL program clearly has problems but it’s not because of having too many bilingual EAs.  They should not have to take the fall for the incompetence of district administrators.

The superintendent and board need to put their money where there mouth is and invest it in the kids.  No more bull shit about how they’ve cut Central Office staff.  It’s actually doubled in the last 10 years.  Keep the bilingual EAs, cut twelve of those Central Office administrators (I could provide a list) and hire the 12 bilingual ESL teachers!