Posts from — May 2010

Trudy should never have been able to run unopposed during the last election.  She rubber stamps everything and turns her back on the people she’s supposed to represent.  What has she accomplished since 2005?

The statement below is from the 2009 Voter’s Pamphlet:

TRUDY SARGENT…ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR ALL
Trudy always seeks evidence that programs and initiatives benefit kids, improve achievement and increase opportunities. Now more than ever, schools must focus on identifying and replicating success.

Trudy’s leadership supports:

• setting rigorous academic goals for all students
• improving student achievement for all and closing the achievement gap
• improving the graduation rate

Dear Voter,
     Four years ago I asked for your support in delivering a world-class education to our kids. I renew my commitment to providing every child in every neighborhood with a high quality education AND to ensuring that taxpayers get maximum value out of our limited resources.

I hope I have earned your vote,

Trudy Sargent 

Every neighborhood?  It’s no wonder that Trudy doesn’t support a comprehensive high school in the Marshall neighborhood.  She didn’t send her own kids to their neighborhood high school.  Trudy’s house is 4 minutes from Franklin but her sons attended Cleveland.

At last Monday’s meeting Trudy talked about her unwillingness to support comprehensive neighborhood high schools where large numbers of neighborhood students transfer out.  How much thought could she possibly have put into that view?  Students have been transferring out of Marshall, Roosevelt and Jefferson because of decades of neglect by Trudy and her colleagues.    

Trudy hasn’t earned my vote.  But then again, I may be living in the David Douglas district next school board election. 

Recently when PPS board member Trudy Sargent was asked if she represents the Marshall cluster, she responded by saying “well I live on Mt. Tabor.”  And?  She must have forgotten that she was nominated for Zone 6 which includes Marshall.  She needs to check her PPS bio for a map  of the area.  The Marshall cluster needs some representation.

The turnout for Thursday’s community meeting at Marshall was great despite PPS failure to send out an auto-dialer message as promised.  Carole Smith, Zeke Smith and Mark Davalos took questions and statements from students, parents, and community members.

Unlike all of the other high school redesign meetings that I’ve attended, Zeke Smith started out by sitting in the crowd.  Carole and Mark were in the hot seats while student after student asked the same question.  Why did you choose to close Marshall?  Just when you thought you’d heard the last why Marshall question, another student would ask.  They must have caught on quickly that the answers varied each time the question was asked.

One student switched the why Marshall question to “what was the criteria used to make the closure decision?”  I think it’s reasonable to expect both Carole Smith and Mark Davalos to be able to answer the question but Zeke had to jump in and rescue them.  

One student was very direct and asked if Marshall was selected because district administrators thought it would be the path of least resistance.  Yes students that’s why.  It’s also how PPS makes hiring decisions.  The district hires and promotes administrators that aren’t likely to make waves.  Mark Davalos is an example of that.

There were a couple of common messages from students, parents, staff, and community members. 

• The Marshall community wants and expects to have a comprehensive high school in our cluster.
• Students and parents love the Marshall teachers.  It was great to see the strong relationships between staff, students and parents.  I haven’t seen that since my kids were in elementary school (when our cluster still had them).

There was also broad and strong support for moving the PPS boundaries if the district moves forward on the current high school redesign proposal. 

We will pursue moving the entire Marshall cluster to David Douglas school district if that’s what it takes for students in the Marshall neighborhood to have a comprehensive high school program.

Mark Davalos’ role in the meeting seemed to be focused on making sure time was wasted and that good questions were overlooked.  A community member asked Carole and Mark how the high school redesign supports the Lents Urban Renewal Plan and suddenly it was time to talk about wrapping up the meeting. 

Carole talked with a small group of people after the meeting.  She asked what we saw as the best redesign outcome for Marshall.  We told her that we want a comprehensive high school on the Marshall campus.  Carole started talking about trade-offs and problem-solving a solution for the Marshall campus.  The Lents Education Committee chairperson asked Carole if she would be willing to meet with us so we could problem-solve together.  Carole said yes but backed away from it when the committee chairperson tried to pin her down on a meeting.

Carole did what she usually does which is to praise people on their testimony (that was really powerful) and to say she gets it.  I have no doubt she gets it.  She just isn’t going to do anything about it.

The Portland Tribune reported yesterday ”Ron Hitchcock, superintendent of the Multnomah Education Service District – the entity that would facilitate the move – says both school districts involved in the boundary change must agree to it.  He says boundary changes may not be undertaken unilaterally, or by a third party.”

Neither school district has to agree to a boundary change.  He needs to check again:

ORS 330.092 to 330.101 – The district boundary board on the request of the district school boards of the affected districts or on petition of 5 percent or 500 electors of each affected district, whichever is less, shall merge smaller districts into larger districts or change the boundaries of common or union high school districts.

It’s been done before  and only failed because of a paperwork error.  Lesson learned.  All of the Marshall paperwork will be in.

From today’s Willamette Week:

The Lents Neighborhood Association wants the David Douglas School District to absorb Marshall High School from Portland Public Schools. The association says that would both give rapidly growing David Douglas a second high school in Southeast Portland and save Marshall from PPS’s proposed downsizing in its high-school redesign. Association President Nick Christensen says “the idea has been well received by all those we’ve talked to.” PPS is holding a community meeting at Marshall on Thursday, May 27, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm

It’s clear that Carole and Zeke have already closed Marshall.  They just don’t want a messy ending so Zeke shuts down Marshall student voice at every opportunity.  He makes up public input rules to suit his needs.  The board rarely even mentions Marshall by name during board discussion. 

So while district administration is busy trying to shut Marshall down, the military shows up to recruit.  Why are they at Marshall?  Have they heard that students are uncertain about their future?  Easy pickins?

Dear Members of the Board of Education,
 
Prior to April 26^th, as a parent, I concentrated on advocating for the 3 small schools on the Marshall campus to stay open and educating people about the stigma we have to overcome as a school and community. My testimony and that of my 9^th grade daughter were delivered with these points in mind, mainly concentrated on RA2 since that was where our ‘expertise’ was rooted.  
 
Since April 26th we’ve had the amazing opportunity to connect with parents, students and community members of the Lents neighborhood. My hope was to understand the people most affected by these proposals and become a better advocate.  My main goal was to get the students involved. I had hoped for teacher feedback. After all, this is their community being uprooted and it’s their world that PPS is changing.  Again.  
 
I am not sure if I have succeeded in my goals, but I am writing to share with you what I have learned.  It is clear to me that parents, students and community members are absolutely in favor of receiving the equity that has been promised to all the other schools. Even many students, who treasure their small schools, seem to support a comprehensive model out of a desire for more offerings but also out of fairness to their peers who would lose their school.  No one I have spoken to wants to see Marshall so limited.  In a 2 day Marshall student survey that gathered approx. 275 responses, only 6% chose the focus-option (2 Administrators are included in the 6%). It is widely believed that this focus-option will weaken the community, increase commute times by almost double for students that would land in Franklin or Madison, increase drop-out rates among already at-risk students and will starve off athletics by decreasing the student body. Not one person I have spoken to seems to agree with decreasing Marshall’s population. The common message I have heard is “Increase Marshall”.  
 
So, if the only option for this neighborhood with the largest catchment in the district, for this campus and its current 750+ students is to turn it into an undefined focus option with an undefined core program where only 400-500 students apply to attend, based on a virtually non-existent leasing conversation with another school district, I say no thank you. Can you blame me? Can you blame anyone? It is too limiting and not equitable for this neighborhood.  It’s totally undefined. It does not appear to be secure or sustainable. And even more importantly, I don’t understand dismissing several hundred students and a real chance at building bridges with the Lents community to help improve public perception about Marshall and celebrate its successes to increase the benefit of existing programs.
 
I do understand the main point Superintendent Smith took from the Marshall students was their relationships with teachers. So why limit this effective way of learning to just 400-500 students? Robb Cowie, during a meeting at Marshall on May 20^th, suggested attendance didn’t have to be capped at 500. What exactly does that mean? Would attendance be capped at 750? 1200? 1600? It would be thrilling to have those teacher relationships in every school. If it’s the “relational” aspect that makes Marshall so successful, why not implement this district-wide for everyone? I am positive the beloved test scores would be through the roof, everywhere, closing the gap for sure. Let’s make Marshall another pillar of education by closing the boundaries and allowing all of our students this powerful method of teaching along with the educational equity that the Superintendent is demanding to provide. 
 
Demand that your vote is further informed by putting in some time at Marshall and fully understand the neighborhood you are about to drastically affect. Allow your perceptions to change. Spend a day on campus with one of our student representatives. Come to our community meeting next Thursday.  As elected Board of Education members I hope you would take every opportunity to learn about this neighborhood and its complexities and not just spending a moment or two to hear “yes we love our teacher relationships” but to also hear “we want more electives” or “this community deserves better” or “leave our school alone”. 
 
It is not Marshall’s burden to carry to make sure PPS helps other good schools get even better.  It upsets me that when Marshall challenges and dares to ask for a piece of the equity pie, it seems that responsibility is somehow put on Marshall to buck up and take it so everyone else can benefit.  Our 750+ students are not sacrificial lambs, yet we are reminded of the impact “we” would have on other schools by staying fully open. We? This is not OUR proposal. That kind of “reminder” seems similar to blaming the victim. When our students protest, should we start reminding them that they are responsible for making sure other students do better and have more? That somehow, they owe it to the others? That they need not complain about passing their former, closer high school on their way to their newly assigned high school via an extended commute, time for a babysitter, cut hours at work, less time for homework, impossible athletic schedule, because students all over the district might be able to receive a few extra classes?  
 
Finally, if it’s solely up to us as parents and community leaders in any PPS school to create effective communication and education about your process, if PPS representatives are booked to the hilt with meetings, design meetings are being scheduled within and parallel to the 30 day “public input” period, it’s clear that WE ALL NEED MORE TIME. Please extend the public input period and delay your vote. Allow our communities, and others like ours that struggle, to unite and thoughtfully deliver what you need.
 
As the Lents Neighborhood Association’s Educational Committee says,
“Slow Down. Listen. We’ll Help.”
 
Thank you,
 
Kelly McGrath
Parent
 
*****
Marshall’s Community Meeting will be on Thursday, May 27th from 6:30 – 8:30pm in the auditorium.  Light snacks, childcare and translation services will be available.

The news that Cynthia Harris and Reis Willbanks were put on administrative leave this week brought back memories.

My honeymoon with PPS ended in 1997 thanks to John Braunger.  He was a terrible principal but PPS administration refused to do anything about it until he was caught mismanaging school funds. 

I was Binnsmead Middle School’s volunteer coordinator at the time.  A few people didn’t think it was appropriate for me to question Braunger’s performance so I resigned from the volunteer position.

In a memo to staff dated November 3, 1997, “RE: events of last week”, Braunger wrote:

Last week, you received a letter in your mailboxes from Ms. Bauske.  In the letter Ms. Bauske resigns her position as Volunteer Coordinator.  She has worked hard to establish a volunteer pool who can meet staff needs and those of the schools as a whole.  I appreciate what she has accomplished as Volunteer Coordinator and am grateful for her efforts.

In addition to resigning, Ms. Bauske alleges that school money is being mismanaged.  The district takes allegations of this kind seriously and has procedures to determine if there are any irregularities.  Should any be found, corrective action will be taken.  In the meantime, Laurie at the region office will be doing the books…..

Finally, Brenda’s doctors have advised her to take a medical leave.  We will miss her and hope she recovers soon.

Brenda was the school secretary responsible for doing the books. 

The next week I received a threatening letter from the PPS superintendent accusing me of “slander.”  

Four long months later after pushing for an audit report to be released, I  received a copy of the Binnsmead audit.  The report completed on November 13, 1997 found numerous irregularities.  Some of the findings included:

• Five requests for issuance of check forms did not bear evidence of administrative approval.
• Twenty checks were made payable to a specific staff member as reimbursements for purchases of supplies and other items ($3,787.94).  The checks should have been issued to the vendors.
• One additional $468 reimbursement to the same staff member did not appear to have any supporting documentation.
• Two checks reviewed totaling over $2,500 were issued to Nordstrom for the purchase of numerous gift certificates in amounts ranging from $20 to $100. 
• Three disbursements reviewed were purchases of invoiced goods with costs in excess of $1,000.  The transactions didn’t have the required pre-approval.
• One check reviewed was issued to a coffee store for $258.  The supporting request for issuance of check form indicated the expenditure was for refreshments.  Review of the store’s receipt indicated one gift certificate had been purchased.
• Nine student funds had deficit balances.
• The school’s checking account was overdrawn for two months causing $185 in overdraft fees.
• Deposits weren’t made in the required amount of time.

How seriously could the district possibly take allegations of financial mismanagement when the only difference between 1997 and now is the dollar amounts?  Who was responsible for following up on Jefferson’s financial mismanagement concerns?  The district let the Jefferson concerns go for a long time then addressed them right after a controversial meeting. Smart

Fundraiser Event for Nakia Hentz: A Brave Young Heart Patient

Nakia Hentz celebrated 2010 a healthy happy 17 year old.  A junior at Franklin High School, she was anxiously anticipating being involved in Franklin’s play “Oklahoma!”.   Nakia’s health went into a downward spiral when a common cold turned into a serious case of pneumonia and on March 8 2010 doctors told Nakia she needed a new heart to live.

Portland, Oregon May 17, 2010—On May 28, a fundraiser Dinner & Movie night will be held to raise money for a Portland teen diagnosed with a rare heart condition.

Deanna Hess, a friend of the Hentz family has decided to take action by creating a fundraising event called “Dinner and Movie Night” to benefit Nakia.

Nakia was diagnosed on March 8^thwith cardiomyopathy, a condition that affects only 1 in 100,000 kids under 18.  Her doctors believe this is likely a result of a viral infection that has affected her heart’s ability to pump.  She spent time in the hospital undergoing medication therapy for 16 days.  When it was clear that Nakia was unfortunately not responding to the medication, she was fitted with a defibrillator vest that would detect any irregular heart beat and deliver a shock to restart her heart if necessary.

On April 8^th,Nakia had surgery to implant an LVAD, a device that will artificially regulate the pumping of her heart.  On April 22^nd she underwent more surgery to install the defibrillator and pacemaker. This is a temporary fix as the need for a heart transplant has become more urgent.

Nakia’s new heart will cost $800,000. 

The fundraiser Dinner & Movie night at Franklin High School’s auditorium is set for Friday May 28th.  Doors will open at 4:30 and there will be concessions for dinner and snacks.  Two major films will be shown.  The first movie will start promptly at 6:00 PM and the second feature will run directly after.  We cannot disclose the names of the movies outside the school grounds due to copyright laws but we can say that we will be encouraging everyone to wear their “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” attire!

Thankfully, Nakia’s family does have health insurance, but only a small amount of the necessary procedures and costs are covered.  Her parents have been by her side since she was hospitalized, missing work and causing a further drain on their financial situation

“The moment I heard about Nakia’s condition I knew I had to do everything possible to make sure she gets what she needs to live a full long life, says family friend Deanna Hess. “ I’ve known that baby girl since she was about 18 months old and she’d be first in line to do something like this to raise funds if it were one of my sons in her place.  She has so much to live for and to accomplish yet, and I intend to do everything possible to make sure she gets that chance.”

Please help.  You can contribute several ways:

Web site: http://www.helpnakiahentz.webs.com/ There is a button on the right hand side to donate any amount of money.  Nothing is too small!  Everything helps and every penny goes to Nakia’s medical expenses.

The donation is tax deductible. Here’s the address:

Nakia Heart Fund
5025 SE Henry
Portland OR 97206

EIN number is 80-0580699

Be sure to visit Facebook to join the group Dinner and Movie Night: Fundraiser for Nakia Hentz.

Come to the Dinner & Movie night Friday May 28^th at Franklin High School Auditorium. Tickets for this event are being offered for a $5 donation.  Dinner items will be available for an additional cost.

You can read more about Nakia here.

PPS administration has attempted to frame the high school redesign issue in a way that pits low-income area schools against each other.  They would be happy to see Marshall attack Jefferson, Roosevelt or Benson but why should we?

Each of those schools have suffered from PPS actions or inactions.  Those schools along with Marshall have been underfunded, denied resources, mismanaged and neglected while Lincoln, Wilson, Cleveland and Grant have benefitted. 

The question isn’t why does Jefferson or Roosevelt get resources that Marshall doesn’t?  The question is why does Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland and Wilson continue to get so much more than everyone else? [Read more →]