Category — Equity

The post below originally appeared on December 4, 2010.    It’s now almost a year later and time to look back at what was promised and what’s been done.

Student Representative Henry Li’s Student Representative’s report being distributed at Monday’s board meeting (11/28/11) states ”Students related how, at both Madison and Franklin, TriMet buses were the main way for students to get to their new schools. The buses are so packed that some have to wait for two or three more buses to come before they can arrive at school or home. Some students who live closer to Franklin have to attend Madison instead, and vice versa – because the school district apparently transferred students to their new schools by cohorts: Renaissance Arts, BizTech, etc.” and “at Franklin, students described crowded conditions such that students must sit on windowsills in class.”

Yes, after spending who knows how much on hiring a firm to determine school closures based on enrollment and neighborhood demographics, PPS moved kids based on cohorts not proximity.

And Franklin student, Jazzmine Alcala commented this morning “First of all.. there has been no effort to monitor the former Marshall students’ well being other than the occasional ‘how are you doing?’ from a former Marshall teacher.  I can promise you the number of former Marshall students even attending class is not being monitored because I see that number depleting everyday myself.”  She asks “How many more students does PPS plan on losing, now that even more students will have a harder time finding their way to school?”

From 12/4/10:

A Marshall parent (Kelly McGrath) serving on the Marshall Transition Advisory Committee posed the following questions to PPS.  Their responses are included below:

What’s going to happen with the millions in grant funds that were obtained for Marshall? Will the funds follow the students? How will the district’s funding formulas be changed to address the increased needs of the schools?

A. Some grants were designated for the district and the district decided which schools could benefit. In those cases, money can be moved from one school to the other. Some grants have restrictions on the populations or usage, and they are being reevaluated this year to see what can move with the students. We will not know our funding/budget for several months. The general fund money that pays for many of our employees is expected to be less than this year considering the economy of the state. At this time no funding formulas have been confirmed for the 2011-12 school year.

Q. What is the plan for the 11 Marshall Project Return Homeless Youth students that fall under the McKinney Vento Act?

A. Those students will maintain their Title X status and continue with their present support system when they transfer to Franklin or Madison.

Q. Does the program for teen parents with infants/toddlers move to both Madison and Franklin? What happens to other incoming new or to be parents in the district when Marshall closes? Will they continue to receive TriMet passes?

A. As part of our capacity analysis, we are looking at the feasibility of placing the childcare at Madison where we are anticipating the likelihood of placing Marshall Night School. It is our hope to continue with two district-wide childcare facilities that will serve additional students (one will be at Roosevelt). The district and TriMet are in negotiations. We are advocating for all of our high school students and asking that the free bus passes continue next year.

Q. Will the night school program transfer to both Franklin and Madison? How does the closure affect those currently enrolled?

A. If the night school moves to Madison, we do not anticipate any break in their education.

Q. What are the plans for special education students and ELL concerns?

A. Students who are on an IEP and go to the resource center rooms for support will continue to do that at both Franklin and Madison. They will go to their assigned school based on which small school they are presently attending, exactly the same as non-special education students. We have not yet determined the placement for students who are in our special education self-contained classrooms. This cannot be done until the new boundaries are voted upon by the school board. Where the students live will be a significant factor in their new placement. ELL students will continue to receive the appropriate level learning supports regardless of their placements at Franklin or Madison. Both schools are adequately staffed.

Q. What happens to the MESD Health Clinic and the SUN program? Will Franklin become a SUN school?

A. This is another capacity issue. We have to make certain that there is room for additional programs at both Franklin and Madison. Madison has a health clinic, and Franklin would like to have one if capacity and finances allow for that addition. Madison will maintain its SUN program and Franklin would like to have it at their school if space allows.

Q. Is there any flexibility in school choice for displaced students, especially when programs aren’t currently offered at their new school?

A. The superintendent’s decision regarding school assignments included an option for students to enter into a lottery for the other assigned school. If students are still displeased with the final outcome, they can go through the lottery process with the rest of the district in February.

Q. How do teachers follow students? Will certain science, art, business teachers follow groups of students into each new school?

A. The assigning of teachers to Franklin and Madison will depend on seniority first. The teachers’ contract has a provision for mergers and closures of schools. There are enough students going to a particular school that teachers will follow them depending on their seniority in the district and what courses are taught at the new school.

Q. Are Marshall students going to be able to get the classes they need to continue their tracks?

A. Courses that are required for graduation are offered at the new schools. There may be unique courses offered at Marshall that are not offered in the new school. That does not mean they could not be offered in the future. Please note, that by attending a school with a larger population, students will actually have more course offerings from which to select.

Q. Will Marshall students have priority in the new schools when registering for classes for 2011-12?

A. Probably not. They will be students of their new school and treated on an equal basis with all other students who are new to the building or already attending.

Q. What is the outline for the cohort program? Based on small schools, location, grade level?

A. The superintendent decided that students of small schools will travel together to their newly assigned high school. There is no Marshall cohort within the new schools.

Q. When will new core programs be revealed in all schools?

A. Entering freshman will have access to the defined core program by the time they graduate. This includes advanced courses (IB or AP), two world languages, career preparation programs, visual and performing arts, and supports, such as ninth grade academies, additional literacy and numeracy support and online credit recovery options. Because ninth graders have very few electives and being off-track in ninth grade is predictive of not graduating, schools will first focus on ensuring that basic supports are in place at all schools for ninth graders; additional elective programs will be phased in over the remainder of students’ careers. However, Madison and Franklin, already offer the vast majority of the core program. For example, both Madison and Franklin offer 9 or more AP courses, at least two world languages and visual and performing arts programs.

Q. What additional resources and supports will PPS designate in Franklin and Madison for former small school students use to a personalized teaching model?

A. It is our hope to have the support services of SUN and Step up at Franklin, and it already exists at Madison. There is a mentor/academic support model at both schools. Every school that has such supports in our district has developed a unique program. As you visit the school, that would be a good question to ask for specific answers.

Q. What happens to Senior Inquiry for current Marshall juniors?

A. The Inquiry classes are not funded under PPS general funding sources. Title I funds were no longer covering this budget item. The Deputy Superintendent, Mark Davalos, used one-time stimulus funds this year to enable the classes to continue. Those particular federal funds will not be renewed to our knowledge. Both Madison and Franklin offer dual credit and AP College credit possibilities which could make up for Senior Inquiry.

Q. How does consideration for scholarships, valedictorian, varsity sports, etc. transfer to the new schools? Athletics – letters of recommendation from Marshall coaches for inclusion in sports?

A. Since all courses on transcripts will transfer over to the new schools, scholarships and opportunities for honors would not be hindered in any way. The school athletic directors and the district athletic director, as well as the coaches, will be meeting to discuss the sports questions and the Marshall students.

Q. How do we monitor Marshall students’ progress through 2014?

A. The school administration and the district Research and Evaluation department have a variety of evaluation instruments to measure student progress. This is done for all students in the district. PPS, through the input of principals and the Marshall Transition Advisory Committee, will also develop measures related to ensuring a smooth transition for Marshall students as well for the High School Design project in general. The Board will be holding the High School Design project accountable to these metrics on a quarterly basis.

Q. How do students receive credit recovery?

A. Both schools presently have credit recovery courses, including online options, and are expecting to continue with them.

Does it sound to anyone like PPS has a plan for Marshall students?

PPS board member Martin Gonzalez recently raised a question about the criteria PPS uses for determining school boundaries.  He got a laugh when he talked about the senselessness of the school boundary map.

I think in the Marshall closure issue one of the key factors in determining Marshall student reassignments was poverty.  I believe that PPS intentionally reassigned kids to ensure that Franklin and Madison fell just below the Title I poverty target.  This prevented those schools from getting Title I resources.  Franklin and Madison took on the high need students from Marshall.  They should have taken a proportionate share of the Title I funding too.

I hear a lot of talk about equity but only for students the Equity Director Lolenzo Poe seems to believe matter.  Those are the students in the Jefferson and Roosevelt areas.

Check out the 2011/12 Title I schools:

Arleta K-8

Astor K-8

Atkinson K-5

Beach PK-8

Boise-Eliot PK-8

Bridger K-8

Chief Joseph PK-5

Creative Science School K-8

César Chávez K-8

Harrison Park K-8

Creston K-8

Faubion PK-8

Grout K-5

Humboldt PK-8

James John K-5

Kelly K-5

King PK-8

Lent K-8

Lewis K-5

Markham K-5

Marysville K-8

Ockley Green K-8

Peninsula K-8

Rigler K-8

Rosa Parks K-5

Roseway Hts K-8

Sabin PK-8

Scott K-8

Sitton K-5

Vernon PK-8

Vestal K-8

Whitman K-5

Woodlawn PK-8

Woodmere K-5

Lee K-8

George

Hosford

Lane

SEI

Jefferson

Roosevelt Campus

Pursuit of Wellness Ed.

School of Arts, Communications & Tech

Spanish-English Int’l School

How does SEI ( charter school) receive Title I funds but reassigned Marshall students do not?  Are they held to NCLB standards?  Why is a disproportionate share of Title I resources focused on schools in two clusters when the need is just as great in outer SE Portland?

The PPS board is set to vote tomorrow night on the controversial STARBASE program. The program is marketed as a way to provide math and science opportunities for at-risk elementary (4th and 5th grade) students. The problem with the program is that the military uses it as a recruitment tool. Their slogan is “First to contact, First to contract.”

The school board has justified contracting with this program because it supposedly gives low-income and minority students exposure to math and science curriculum that they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Why don’t low-income kids have access to the same math and science classes that wealthier students have?

Lolenzo Poe was named Chief Equity and Diversity Officer last January. Where’s he at on this?  Why isn’t he ensuring that all students have equal access?

Is Lolenzo doing anything about the underemployment of PPS staff of color?   How about minority contracting?

I remember Lolenzo recognized PGE as a PPS partner but I’ve never heard him talk about the Portland Teachers Program or Bilingual Pathways.  Does he care that PPS has a problem hiring 6-10 teachers of color from the Portland Teachers Program every year?

Lolenzo has gone above and beyond to support Jefferson High School and Self Enhancement but what about equity in other areas?

How long are we going to talk about the disparities in the public education system?  People have been talking about the over-representation of minority students in SPED and the disproportionate discipline rates for students of color for decades.  PPS comes up with new solutions annually but what are the results?  New reports showing more of the same.

In the last few months, I’ve heard from three different parents who said that their children were suspended or expelled for extended periods of time and they never even received a written notice or participated in a hearing.  All three parents are African American and two of the students are in SPED.

The district claims to be addressing diversity issues in part through ”hiring culturally and racially diverse teachers, aides and administrators and supporting them with mentoring, peer collaboration, skill development and leadership opportunities, while matching their skills to the needs of students in the schools they serve.”

Sounds impressive but what has the district done to move towards that?  Even though the district’s Human Resource Information System (PeopleSoft) has the capacity to track languages, PPS doesn’t track language.  How is that matching educator’s skills to the needs of the students?

PPS is currently in a “partnership” with the Portland Teachers Program and the Bilingual Pathways Program. Both programs were created to increase teacher diversity.  Listen to people involved in those programs and they’ll tell you it isn’t much of a partnership.

I know from my work in PPS HR department that there are many bilingual educational assistants who have teaching degrees from other countries.  PPS could easily create a career ladder program to get them licensed in Oregon but HR administrators have been resistant to doing it.

So what will next year’s plan look like?

Recently, I requested public records on the Marysville fire situation because I wanted to know why the district wasn’t moving forward on rebuilding the school. It’s really pretty simple. PPS has already spent the insurance money.

Records show that PPS has collected $3,084,040 in insurance recoveries but they’ve spent $3,539,002 for a net loss of $454,962.

What did taxpayers get for that? Very little.

PPS has paid $368,309 for security services at the school since November 10,2009. That’s $682 per day.

PPS claims that they’ve made $1,160,059 in repairs. Architects and engineers were paid $576,315.

The most surprising expense is $454,553 for transportation from Marysville to Rose City Park. The reason that it’s so surprising is that it’s vastly different from the transportation costs associated with school closures.

Last year, I requested public records detailing the district’s savings from past school closures. The “report” was bullshit. It looked like someone spent 20 minutes creating a spreadsheet to satisfy my request. You would think that since the district has been talking about the need to close schools for so long that they would actually track the savings but it’s clear that they don’t.

I’ve created the table below to show the difference between what PPS reports transportation costs to be for the purposes of school closure “savings” and an accounting for how Marysville money was spent:

Why would transportation be so much more expensive for Marysville students?  Marysville to Rose City Park transportation costs break down to about $1600 per day.

I’d like to know how much of the bond campaign has been charged to Marysville.  There’s no way that PPS has spent $3 million on the school already.

Boston Public Schools are under a federal investigation because of the district’s Redesign and Reinvest plan…which sounds just like PPS’s.

School Board Meeting, March 14, 2011

Here’s something you should be concerned about.  In Portland we are developing a school system that is similar to the separate but equal schools in the South in the 1950’s. Only the determiner is not color of skin but financial circumstance.  And the main differences are manifested not just in things which have been discussed for the last few years, but in the curriculums within the schools themselves.

We have two types of curriculum. In schools in more well-to-do neighborhoods where we don’t have to worry about test scores we often have a vibrant, comprehensive and relevant curriculum.  But in lower socio-economic neighborhoods we often have a test-driven curriculum focused on having students pass the state tests. In effect, the first educates children for what they need in the world and engages them with interesting and relevant material. While the test-driven curriculum does neither, driving kids from school and shortchanging them so they aren’t as prepared when it comes time to take their place in the world.

To a huge degree this discrepancy is a product of the reform movement. Individuals and organizations seem perfectly happy to use test scores to determine decisions in schools or classes which their children do not attend. But they would storm this building if you tried to put a test driven curriculum in their kid’s school or classroom, particularly one based on making sure grade level competencies are met. 

Kind of like in the 1950’s when the white school boards would buy new books for the white schools and send the used books off to the black schools.  We create the worst curriculums in our lower socio-economic schools while the power structure’s neighborhood schools have a far more beneficial curriculum.

You might say, “Don’t we have to make sure kids pass the tests?”  I guess, the answer would be yes, but at the cost of a decent education?  At the cost of not getting enough help for those kids who are way behind, or the kids who are already at grade level but sit through mind-numbing lessons to make sure they pass competencies they already have? That price is too high.

Recently I read that Finland and South Korea, two countries at the top of world education, not only don’t have a lower-grade testing system, but work hard to make sure that the SAT type tests they do have DO NOT affect their curriculum.  We could do that in Portland. We could set up a fair and equitable system where all students get the education they need. Here is what we could do:

1)    No longer judge principals and staff on their test scores, but on the quality of education they have in their school and classrooms.

2)    Limit test prep by creating district-wide, grade by grade test prep lessons using the best information we have, and then tell principals this is what is to be taught and no other test prep work should take place.

3)    Go back to the way we prescribed curriculum several years ago by using a time system – a certain number of hours of social studies, science, PE etc. in each grade. The standards system the state uses now is easily manipulated.

 And finally 4) Focus our improvement plans on getting principals and staff to identify the problems within their school and classrooms and work on fixing those SPECIFIC problems.

Oh those  poor Grant students..maybe they can attend the Jefferson Middle College. 

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=129850630995607500&utm

I just received an urgent message from my state representative.  He wants to hear your school story.

Marshall students, parents, staff and community members: Please share your “I don’t have a school anymore where were you Ben Cannon story.”

Hi friend,

 

Within the Capitol, discussions about budgets and policy can get pretty abstract pretty quickly. It is easy to lose sight of what a budget number means in real terms for real people. It can be difficult to understand the large impact that a seemingly small change to the law can produce.

 

Moreover, our system doesn’t exactly make it easy for people with busy lives to tell their stories. Traveling to Salem on a weekday to testify in front of a legislative committee on short notice just isn’t a realistic option for many people.

 

In advance of the big pro-schools rally here next Monday, I am interested in hearing your story – or your child’s story – about education in Oregon.

 

Do you have a short story to share with me about our schools?  I am especially interested in stories that help illustrate ways in which the system, for example …

 

… fails to provide adequate resources to meet student and teacher needs,

… struggles to attract, support, and retain enough of the best teachers,

… is overly reliant on standardized testing, or

… achieves remarkable results in spite of the obstacles.

 

A story can be powerful tool for helping persuade a colleague — as well as the public — to step up to the difficult task of improving education in Oregon.  I hope you would be willing to share yours by clicking reply to this email, or by joining me at TaborSpace on Saturday for an informal discussion of issues facing the state. And as always, feel free to call our office at 503-986-1446.

 

 

 

State Representative Ben Cannon
900 Court St NE
Salem, OR 97301
rep.bencannon@state.or.us
www.repbencannon.com
(503)986-1446