Posts from — June 2010

The following letter by Cora Potter was sent to the PPS superintendent, school board, Lents Neighborhood Association chair, mayor and city commissioners:

I think the overall goals of the redesign are laudable. We should be using this redesign process to achieve equity. However, the recommended implementation falls far short of these goals and even goes as far as perpetuating extremely negative systemic flaws.

The current proposal manages to help north and northeast Portland. This is commendable. However, the steps being taken are now 10-20 years too late and the mistakes that were made in north and northeast Portland, years ago, are now being repeated in east Portland. The situation in north and northeast Portland has improved. However, east Portland is the only part of the city where poverty has actually increased in recent years. It is also growing more and more diverse – even including some of the populations that have been displaced from north and northeast Portland. If PPS truly wants to right those wrongs, they should be creating opportunity and strong, comprehensive high schools in the communities of east Portland. Not dividing, isolating and “busing” east Portland’s students to flounder in unfamiliar and even hostile new schools where they have less support from their neighbors, mentors and friends. Certainly, we should be trying to create more socioeconomically diverse schools. But, in implementation, we should be extremely mindful of who bears the burden of that integration – and we should be making sure that those with the most resources are sharing and perhaps even bearing the costs. [Read more →]

The superintendent continues to spin the Marshall story.  At the Marshall high school redesign meeting on May 27th, Superintendent Smith heard students, parents, community members and staff express strong support for a comprehensive high school on the Marshall campus.  NOT ONE person (of about 200) expressed support for a focus school on the Marshall campus.  

Does Smith care?  Nope.  Like her predecessor Hurricane Vickie, she’s hellbent on shoving a focus school down our throats.  Instead of listening to us, she picked up the pace of the school closure.  

You have to wonder what could be so special about the focus school that Carole is proposing.  How about that it sounds a lot like a charter school? [Read more →]

I met Paul and Tricia 18 years ago at a parent meeting at our neighborhood elementary school.  Tricia was pregnant with her 5th son (Casey).  I had two boys ages 3 and 6 and an infant daughter (Hayley). 

All of our kids were close in age and our families grew close over the years.  We had the best neighborhood Christmas parties that included stops at 5 or 6 homes.  Tricia and I were stay-at-home moms that never stayed home.   We spent a lot of time volunteering at Clark Elementary. 

My ex-husband and Paul coached  several sports together.  Tricia and I even coached T-ball together.  I’ll never forget the dad that interviewed us about our T-ball coaching skills.  It was the shortest interview I’ve ever had.

Hayley and Casey went to the same preschool, shared babysitters and became best friends.  I wish I had Casey’s preschool picture where Hayley brushed his curly hair just before picture.  They were inseparable until a teacher got wise and separated them   [Read more →]

Everyone from the Marshall cluster (except FRED LOCKE) is invited to share their comments, stories or letters on this blog.  Please email me at carrie.adams@comcast.net if you have something you want to have published.

 Absent from tonight’s school board work session – Close the Gap Not the Schools.  Who saw that coming?  Gosh they seemed so sincere too. 

Present – The Oregonian.  Betsy Hammond attended the Marshall community meeting but didn’t write a story about it.  Nice.  The only school recommended for closure and the Oregonian doesn’t want to give it any ink.  Eastsiders  cancel your subscriptions.   

Superintendent Carole Smith couldn’t possibly be any more disingenuous. She says the same shit at every meeting.  “That was powerful.”  No Smith, people with money whining about property values is powerful.  Smith heard a cafeteria full of Marshall parents and community members say that they want a comprehensive high school on the Marshall campus. 

Smith told me tonight that she struggled with the decision to close Marshall.  She claims she’s heard from a lot of incoming 9th grade Marshall students who want a small focus school.  I hope she took their names because they seem to have disappeared.

With the exception of having somebody at the table (even briefly) who is an experienced and licensed educator (Chief Academic Officer Botana), tonight’s meeting was no surprise.  Marshall was recommended for closure, Carole was fake, Ruth interrupted Martin, Trudy was stingy about sharing resources, Pam talked about career tech ed, two board members were injured and Zeke wore his only suit.   

Note to Zeke – yard boots don’t work with suits.