A few people testified in support of a full CTE program at Benson. Three self identified angry parents of incoming Benson and Marshall freshman talked about how the changes for next year affects their kids. About a half dozen people testified in support of the academic priority zones. Several parents of immersion program students spoke of their concerns about watered down immersion programs. Some parents unhappy about the newest feeder changes (Skyline, Sabin) also testified.

The Lents Neighborhood Association chair testified in opposition to the small focus school proposal for Marshall and the 9th grade changes for next year. He requested that PPS let Marshall go completely if the district isn’t going to provide the students with a comprehensive high school in the Marshall neighborhood. He also responded to an email that Ruth had sent to a Marshall parent. Ruth gave a weakass excuse for closing Marshall. She basically said it’s a tough decision but somebody has to close and each school could come up with reasons not to close. She also tried to sell the idea that placing a small focus school on the Marshall campus could help with the Lents Urban Renewal plan. (She must know more than the people who crafted the economic development plan for the Lents area. The plan relies on the area having good neighborhood schools that bring in families and business. The district’s proposal has the opposite effect.)

I’ve been to more high school redesign meetings than I care to count. There was a time when I thought Carole might not be very smart because she seemed to miss so much. I underestimated her. She’s smart. She’s just a liar willing to do whatever it takes to push this plan.

First, the Benson compromise sounds like the worst of all possible worlds, producing an exceedingly small school (400) that will provide students with neither a comprehensive nor a real CTE program. As described by Carole, there would be only one CTE “strand” available at Benson. As we have seen over and over, schools of only 400 cannot support a sufficient staff to provide the kind of “robust curriculum” that I thought this whole 2-year rolling mess was about. Never mind a “deep” CTE education that has always been Benson’s claim to fame.

Meanwhile, the other CTE “strands” that are currently housed at Benson are apparently going to be farmed out one apiece to various comprehensive schools around town. If a student wants a “strand” that isn’t offered at her/his home high school, s/he can take courses at another school. So the plan now envisions high schoolers schlepping all over town to take specific courses. This sounds remarkably similar to the Regional Flex model that was one of the “Big Ideas” proposed last year and, as I recall, pretty resoundingly shot down — especially by students. Carole has always said that she favored that model from the beginning, so it sounds like we might be getting it after all, just through the back door. (And, in a statement that surprisingly hasn’t elicited any comment that I’ve heard thus far, Carole even floated the idea that this might mean the Jefferson dance program might again be opened up to kids who don’t attend Jeff.)

This new CTE model (that was apparently cooked up in the last couple of weeks) will require a uniform class schedule across all high schools. (And probably an 8 period schedule. I haven’t heard how PAT feels about that.)

In addition, the revisions included the splitting up of several middle school cohorts, an idea that contradicts one of the stated core principals of the original proposal. This change was apparently an attempt to respond to complaints that the redesign did nothing to promote greater diversity. (One interesting footnote to this: Skyline will now articulate to Roosevelt. I don’t actually expect that this will ever actually happen, but I do like the concept.) In any case, the impact on diversity will be marginal at best given the generally segregated housing patterns in town, but will have a big impact on some groups of kids and communities.

Then, of course, we have the wholesale shifting of incoming 9th graders at Benson and Marshall, a whole 2 weeks before summer break. I’m guessing that will make for an exciting summer for them.

The one encouraging point was David Wynde’s request that Carole & Co. clarify exactly what the collaboration with David Douglas around Marshall might look like and how serious a proposition this is. I agree. Clarity might be a nice change of pace.

All in all, it seems to me that the changes are pretty big and I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more pushback. I wasn’t able to attend the public meeting yesterday, so I don’t know what was said there. In fact, I’d love to hear what happened from those who attended. Notes anyone?

So, yeah, the train wreck gathers speed.

The public must demand that the superintendent and board slow this process down. It’s a train wreck in the making.

So, when will these 8th graders know what high school they are going to in 12 weeks? How will they be sure they get the classes they need or want? I’m sure there’s lots of coordination going on at the district level to make sure teachers are being redistributed to these schools . . .

These are some of the district’s most vulnerable students and families who are left in the lurch as the district goes through its machinations. Interestingly, for all the wailing, gnashing and press about the need to “retain the middle class families” in Portland Schools, a significant number of Marshall-area students are fleeing PPS through the porous eastside boundary to go to stable high schools in adjoining districts. Can you blame them? They just don’t get the press coverage, for anything.

Carrie, remember, this “redesign” was never about closing any achievement gap. It has always been about deciding which schools to close and then making some kind of case for it.