The Bullying Problem in PPS
Superintendent Smith’s recent recommendation to cut paraeducator and bilingual educational assistant staff is certainly consistent with PPS history. Like a playground bully, Smith picks on the weakest members.
Her recommendation to close Marshall is just one more example of that. She doesn’t have the courage to stand up to Grant or Lincoln or Wilson so she took the easy route. She doesn’t expect resistance from the Marshall community.
Her high school redesign plan closes Marshall without giving parents or students the opportunity to be on the focus school redesign team. I’m sure that’s because the “redesign” will be the old design, certain to fail.
The small focus school at Marshall isn’t going to open. There isn’t any student or parent interest in it. Remember the Young Men’s Academy? The high school redesign plan says a representative from Marshall (staff member) wanted a small school at the campus. One person wants it so the community suffers?
The parents and students in the Marshall area have been saying for years that they’ve been cheated by the small schools concept. They weren’t happy with the small schools because they didn’t offer anything.
The high school redesign is our chance to FINALLY get a decent shot at a public education.
The superintendent couldn’t justify her recommendation to close Marshall based on the SEER data so she added bullshit criteria and lies. One of the essential factors that informed decision-making was “local understanding of the city’s topography, neighborhood’s sense of community, and travel routes.” How does she measure the neighborhood’s sense of community? Do they complain about paying premiums for their homes?
Another essential factorinforming Smith’s decision-making is the opportunity for unique partnerships. David Douglas isn’t going to lease Marshall. The letter from David Douglas superintendent Rommell (Smith’s friend) says she’s encouraged by the possibility of providing opportunities for David Douglas and Marshall students. How encouraged? Has David Douglas made a commitment to lease Marshall? Or does Smith expect the PPS board and community to assume David Douglas will be leasing Marshall when closing the school? Has Smith seen David Douglas’ proposed budget?
New homes are cropping up everywhere in the Marshall cluster and enrollment at Marshall has increased since 2004. One issue Smith said she plans to address in the high school redesign is “very large enrollment at Harrison Park”. That would be our multiple award winning Clark Elementary which was merged with Binnsmead Middle School illegally. Harrison Park’s enrollment is very large because of the district’s decision to close Clark while the area was seeing significant growth.
Here’s a profile of Marshall High School now:
| Student population | Marshall High School Average (percentage) | Portland School District (percentage) |
| Free/reduced lunch | 72.7 | 45 |
| Special Education | 17.4 | 14 |
| English Language Learners | 18.9 | 10 |
| Asian | 17.2 | 10 |
| African American | 8.5 | 14 |
| Hispanic | 18.77 | 15 |
| Native American | 3.07 | 1 |
| White | 49.9 | 54 |
| Multiple Ethnicities | 2.17 | 5 |
How does closing a school that serves a higher than average percentage of students who are poor, minorities, and/or have disabilities promote equity? It doesn’t but it does make them an easy target.
14 comments
Carrie, well spoken, but I also think there’s a big piece of the puzzle missing here with the whole Marshall focus school plan- it’s about as far away from both Jefferson and Roosevelt as could possibly be.
The idea here is all about ending transfers. Period. In order to do this, both Jeff and Roosevelt need to be lifted of their NCLB status, and fast ( then transfers will stop completely ).
It’s more than ironic to me that the plan really only offers one focus school choice, and the fact it’s on the fringe if the city ( in terms of location ), who will want to commute an hour each way ( if coming from either the Jeff or Roosevelt area )?
This is also why Benson will be a 2 year school, hence, not an option for upcoming freshman ( Benson has typically been the go-to, lottery-in school for many Jeff and Roos. students ). The hope is kids will get used to and/or adapt to their neighborhood school, making the idea of transferring less appealing.
One sad thing in all this, is the Buckman field ( right next to Benson ) is getting 2 new turf fields. This, I admit, is a conflict of interest for me as my 2 children play for one of the sports organizations spear-heading the field project. Could this mean future plans for the Benson property? What a shame that, after years of Benson operating their sports program on such a meager budget, but still producing some competative teams and some great athletes, and now…the students next door won’t even be able to use the new fields. I wouldn’t be surprised if PIL wasn’t also involved in this ( with the proposal, there will be an even number of schools, which I would think makes sheduling games, etc.. much easier than if there were an odd number of schools in PIl…not sure here, never had to do game schedules ).
Anyway, I do feel that changes are neccessary within Portlands high schools, but feel this plan is going about it all wrong.
I do think that the Marshall closure and changes to the Benson program are intended to force Jefferson and Roosevelt kids to attend their neighborhood schools. While I do have major doubts about PPS ability to deliver on their promises to those schools, I believe it’s more likely they will now that the Jefferson area in particular is majority white. Low-income families have been displaced and forced to move east. Now that the neighborhood has been gentrified even the Oregonian can get behind it.
OK, let’s be honest here: Superintendent Smith keeps saying that this redesign plan will go into effect for the 2011-2012 school year. This is simply not the case! For BOTH Benson and the Marshall Schools, the impact will smack us right in the face before the Board even gets a chance to vote on the proposal. Superintendent Smith, with her creatively defined “wisdom” is allowing all the current 8th graders who have already forecasted for Benson, BizTech, Pauling Academy and Renaissance Arts to CHANGE THEIR MINDS before ever setting foot on the campus! That’s right! The current 8th graders — next year’s FRESHMEN — have been given the option of opting back to their newly defined “neighborhood” school for NEXT YEAR! And we are supposed to believe that this redesign doesn’t start until the year after?
These current 8th graders have until June 10th to “change their minds” — despite the Board not even voting until June 21st. Then, after all teachers, students and staff have gone home for the summer, the District will decide if enough freshmen have vacated each of these campuses to permit them to reassign FTE out of Benson, BizTech, Pauling and Renaissance Arts and into Franklin, Madison and other locations.
If you are one of these 8th graders, or a parent of one — listen up: Benson, BizTech, Pauling and Renaissance Arts all have amazing opportunities to offer their freshmen — opportunities that few other schools int he District can offer: Benson students are able to begin classes in their “major” beginning from their first semester of freshman year; BizTech freshmen take a full year of computers (from typing to web design) and have the opportunity to earn free college credits as freshmen through these computer classes and more (Accounting, for example); Pauling freshmen take English and Modern World History in a unified block, allowing for more intentional interdisciplinary units of study; Renaissance Arts freshmen can take courses in Art, Choir and Dance. And the list of opportunities for students at the campuses only increases the longer students stay there. And more importantly, if I were the parent of an 8th grader: class sizes average in the low to mid-20s — not the 30-40 on other campuses. Students do not need to waitlist for a foreign language class; they do not need to rush to class early just to get a seat; they do not need to be lost in the sea of students in front of a teacher…
So then WHY are Benson, BizTech, Pauling and Renaissance Arts facing the sharp end of Superintendent Smith’s axe? Is it because she got no resistance from students, staff and community members? Is it because somebody from David Douglas mentioned renting out space from Marshall Campus in an off-hand brainfart? Or is it because she made up her mind two years ago — long before any of the community meetings began — to begin to trim the edges of PPS to ultimately exclude the outer southeast portion of the District? Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: Benson and Marshall Campus are getting the short end of the stick…
HotCorner, I want to be clear that I’m not endorsing kids fleeing Marshall. I’m advocating that Marshall be given the same opportunities and supports that other schools are given.
People should take note that the redesign plan specific to Marshall says “depending on the overall share of students qualified for free and reduced price meals, the schools are likely not to receive Title I funding in the future.” In other areas of the plan where Benson is given a full FTE Marshall is given half. It looks to me like they plan to starve the school to kill it off before it opens.
FYI, the “representative from Marshall (staff member) who wanted a small school at the campus” is David Hamilton, Principal of the Pauling Academy. He was extremely forthcoming about this at the Brewhaha last February, at which he was one of the panel members.
Carrie, your last remark about “starve the school to kill it off before it opens” is right on the money. The long-term plan is to sell the building to David Douglas, just like Collins View got sold to Riverdale. And PCC will finally get Jefferson, as they have been trying to do for decades. I don’t know exactly what Benson’s destiny is, but I foresee a sale in the future—which I originally predicted in 2008.
Fred Locke, Principal of Renaissance Arts Academy, has also been very upfront about his desire to be the focus option school on Marshall Campus… In fact, of the planning groups on the campus currently putting together proposals for the focus options, one is spearheaded by Dr. Hamilton, one by Mr. Locke, and a third by actual teachers. Interesting side note to consider the Superintendent’s requirement of these proposal groups being “teacher-led”…
The redesign plan also provides “an assurance that schools will be able to hire 100% of their staff through an interview and selection process resulting in mutual consent placements.” That’s for the comprehensives. I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean but it sounds like the rules are different for Marshall.
So, apparently more than one person wanted a focus option at Marshall. But so far, it looks like all of the more-than-one work there. I don’t suppose anyone actually considered what the families want?
Does anyone know what happens with students who are already on transfer? Under the propsed plan, will they be expected to return to their neighborhood schools, no matter what year they’ll be fall of 2011? Can’t imagine a student who has spent 3 years at one school will be expected to switch for their senior year. One woud think this would have a reverse effect on improving graduation rates, etc..
My understanding is that once a transfer is approved, a student is approved up to the highest grade level that school offers (HS through 12th; MS through 8th; etc). This would include all students currently on transfer at a neighboring high school — they would be grandfathered in as the last of the transfers…
Thanks, HotCorner, this is what I thought though wasn’t 100% sure of. I did email S.Singer ( one of the the H/S Redesign PPS contact people ) awhile back and she said this is current policy, and that in order for it to be changed, the Superintendant would have to go against it. I would think she has enough on her hands, this would just add to the brewing storm.
I’m also guessing that students from other districts will no longer be allowed to ” transfer” into any of PPS high school? Unless, perhaps the school they were wanting to attend were low on numbers? I really think the district has been saving a small percentage of transfer spots for kids from other districts.
The “100% mutual hiring by consent” provision is for schools in the Academic Priority zone. Roosevelt and Jefferson are the only high schools that fall into this category.
Leah, Will Marshall qualify if they stay open?
Xavier stood up and said cutting para educators hours was o.k. and he could sleep at night after making the decision. Notice he didn’t talk about administrators and himself taking a pay cut. Then he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep. Good riddance to him.
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