Trudy Sargent Before the Election
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.
18 comments
What? You’re moving too? Bailing like Rawley? “If you can’t beat ‘em–MOVE out of the district” I guess.
Whitebuffalo, You’re pretty quick to judge me. First of all, I could move out of zone 6 and still be in the PPS district. The boundaries could also change where I would be in the David Douglas district. At one point, I did move out of Portland but I stayed involved in PPS. I’ve been at this for over 15 years. I don’t have any plans to discontinue this blog but when I do, I will have served my time.
Amen! I have been at this for 18 years now. But I wouldn’t blame anyone for “bailing” when the goal is to get their children the best education possible with the resources they have.
Carrie, thanks for the last 15 years. And thank you for hosting this blog for all of us to have a place to sound off.
Zarwen, I cheated myself in saying over 15 years…I started volunteering at the school when my oldest son was 5 years old and he’ll be 25 this month. I’m still waiting for my share of that $5 million dollar bill for my services to PPS. Do you suppose PPS included the bill in the budget deficit calculations? Thank you for your 18 years!
PS-How much does PPS owe you?
Nowhere near as much, in view of the fact that I was employed by them for 8 years, but I still put in many, many hours above and beyond what I was paid for. I started volunteering in 2005, and I know I have put in hundreds of hours since then. So, like you and many others, if we decide to bail, I will have served my time, and then some.
We did our time, and more than our fair share of heavy lifting, as far as I’m concerned. I put my name, my family’s privacy, and my wife’s career on the line working for the greater common good. Lot’s of folks were glad I was speaking up, but few were willing to put their own name on the line.
Now, Whitebuffalo, you want to take anonymous pot shots at me for taking care of my own? Real classy. I miss this shit like I’d miss a bad headache.
Steve, your blog was the best thing to happen to PPS since Herb Cawthorne was elected to the school board in 1980. PPS Equity helped wake up huge numbers of people and gave them the opportunity to work together for change. It was the defining feature of the movement for equity. Hopefully that movement will not be lost on the political school people in Portland. Everyone seems to wake up when their number is called or in the case of Marshall, Jeff, Grant, Franklin, and Benson when their school is threatened. You were dedicated to fixing the whole thing, not just your little section. If everyone would show the same perseverence as you did fighting for poor kids and those without the opportunities of a decent education, let alone a good one, then this school district would straighten out pretty quickly. I am afraid, however, we are already returning to business as usual. Where is the talk about making sure ALL kids get a solid education? The administration and school board have no idea what that even would entail, let alone plans to make it happen. Spinning, spinning, spinning, no wonder you got off the merry-go-round. After all, unlike me, you have your own children to consider. Heck, what do I have to lose, can’t even get them to appoint me to a committee to help out. Take it easy. Hope to see you soon.
Steve R and B – both of you rule and have totally inspired me to be a shit-disturber.
Both Steves and Carrie, I guess I can count my 20 years of fighting on behalf of the ESL students in the district. Alot of blood and tears and suffering from isolation and marginalization as a result of being outspoken about the neglect and poor treatment of this student population. There will never be enough money to compensate for what I have had to endure.
Carrie, I misunderstood. I didn’t foresee your secession attempt in my first comment. Good luck with that. I think it’s a bold strategy but don’t think DDHS will fork over the necessary coin for leasing the property from PPS (they will have to even if MESD approves of the change of designation). Stranger things have happened though.
Steve, no apologies from me. You did great work on your blog, you needed to take care of your own, I get that. But, you left right when things are really boiling over–when we needed that venue most. You have good reasons but you still bailed. We are left here dealing with it every day but you can poke your head in from your safe haven and act hurt. You can’t have it both ways. Change happens from the inside.
More big changes are coming down the pike people. Hang on.
ohh, cant wait, more BIG changes. I think PPS does one thing consistantly, change, (for better er worse….)
Whitebuffalo. The inside changes haven’t been worth much of anything for the past 20 years. This redesign has spiraled into a school closure plan which favors the same old insiders. And it will most likely continue down the same political road. The Haves win and the Havenots lose. Same as always.
P.S. Rawley will always be welcome here.
“This redesign has spiraled into a school closure plan. . . .”
Funny, I thought that was what it was all along.
Zarwen, maybe it was, but they spent a lot of time having thousands of people attend meetings under false pretenses then. I guess I still am not as much of a conspiracy theorist as I need to be. Take care.
Unfortunately an unpleasant result of the redesign process was ALWAYS going to be school closure(s). It was one of the main reasons that the process existed. I agree that the school board playing the shell game, “what if we close school X?” or “school Y?” hasn’t helped much and has in fact sidetracked an over 2 year process. But, there are going to be school closures somewhere, nobody wants it to be their school.
The two most painful/ugly types of politics are Church politics and School politics.
Yes, school politics can get ugly, but that is no excuse for perpetuating the ugliness under that guise.
“. . . they spent a lot of time having thousands of people attend meetings under false pretenses then.”
Business as usual.
Hopefully the district gets better legal advice than they got when they illegally fired the custodians.
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