Category — Uncategorized

These are Betsy Hammond’s comments that were posted online:

PPS Student Representative Henry Li submitted the following report to the board for the 11/29/11 meeting:

Even though the turnout at our second, November 17th Student Union meeting was 17 students instead of last time’s 26, our group is still coming along! The students who couldn’t make it truly had something else going on, and even though we didn’t have physical representation from two high schools at the meeting, the good news is that I have been communicating and sharing ideas with assigned representatives from every traditional high school in the school district and six alternative schools. Most of those who were absent have promised to be at the next meeting, and everybody is optimistic at the progress we’ve already made.

At the meeting, we made several important decisions. The Student Union will meet biweekly alternating Thursdays and Wednesdays now instead of once every month, giving us more time to get things done. We also made a final list of our “deep-dive” topics. They are: 1) revising money allocation in schools, 2) racial equity, 3) challenging classes that aren’t AP or IB, and 4) YouthPass. Because of the looming budget season, the money allocation topic will probably be the first we focus on. An example of why students are interested in this particular topic is that at Lincoln, a brand-new sports field was recently installed using money that students feel could have been better used elsewhere.

We welcomed PPS guest speakers who talked about the new EdBox gradebook program.  Students expressed how useful the new tool is but also their frustration when teachers failed to upload grades in a timely or regular fashion. This is one area they would like to see improvement in.  We all would love to see unnecessary, wasteful, and expensive progress report mailers eliminated with more consistent and frequent usage of the EdBox program. More than half our teachers don’t even have grades on progress reports anyway. Students were also excited when EdBox staff mentioned more research into how assignments not turned in – given zeroes – could have a more fair and equal weight in the grade calculation process.

Schools with only one representative on the Student Union will automatically have that one representative on SuperSAC, the first meeting of which will be December 5th at Jefferson High School. Some schools reached a consensus as to which of their reps would be on SuperSAC, and other schools will campaign for an upcoming email election. Personally, I am thrilled that SuperSAC is once again meeting regularly with the Superintendent.

The Student Union held a forum for former Marshall students on November 16 th in the Marshall High School library. Even though those who came don’t necessarily speak for every Marshall student, the stories that they shared require the full attention of the district.

Students talked about massive changes in friendship circles and their old lives, and how emotional they still felt. But these changes, no matter how poignant, aren’t really surprises. What are surprises are some aspects of the transition. 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. The SUN program at Marshall transferred to Franklin, and not to both schools. And at Franklin, students described crowded conditions such that students must sit on windowsills in class. Step-Up, an academic support program at Madison, is only for freshmen. Students would like to take part in that. Lastly, the YouthPass is critical for some to even show up for class.

I learned that gaining feedback from these students is a process – and not a one-time event. We will definitely be continuing the conversation in the future. An idea we entertained that I personally like was having once-a-month “Marshall Nights” where students can participate in social events with their “old crowd,” and maybe even at their old school.

I came away from the campus wondering when the computers, hardware, and other resources lying unused could be worked into the high school system. I also wondered, assuming a new facilities bond passes, what would happen to the students of a school being upgraded. I heard there was a possibility they would be sent to Marshall. If that’s true, I hope Madison and Franklin are not the schools being upgraded first.

Through it all, I am very appreciative of how supportive the district is of student voice this year.

Our student group was thrilled to hear we would be having representation on the Long Range Facilities Committee as well as the teacher evaluation committee – both thanks to Superintendent Smith. Thanks also to Lincoln Principal Peyton Chapman for volunteering to be our “principal liaison” this year!

I still hope that through whatever mechanism we end up with, student ideas are heard and taken seriously. EdBox replacing progress reports and having once-a-month “Marshall Nights” are both ideas that I find fantastic, and I hope something becomes of them and other ideas I’ll be bringing in the future. Is there another committee we can have representation on? Just a thought.

Last, but not least, I want to personally thank Ms.Huson for designing a new website for the PPS Student Union and SuperSAC. And thanks to everyone else for helping us get on our feet.

Henry Li

I noted in a recent post that a charter school (Self Enhancement) is receiving Title I funds.  SEI is the only PPS charter school receiving Title I funds and their academic performance is poor.  I emailed PPS General Counsel Jollee Patterson to inquire as to whether a charter school has to meet the same NCLB standards as public schools.  Here’s the district’s response:

From: Kristen Miles

Sent: Friday, November 04, 2011 3:42 PM
To: Jollee Patterson
Subject: RE: Title I question

Yes, they are.  Once a charter school qualifies for and receives Title I dollars, they are required to produce the same deliverables and can have the same school improvement sanctions placed on them that a district school does.  As a charter school, however, a failing Title I charter school can also be non-renewed or
closed for poor academic performance without going through the school improvement process.  Hope that helps –

Kristen Miles

Charter Schools Program, Senior Manager

Do you remember the controversial PPS STARBASE program?  It’s controversial because the Department of Defense uses math and science education as a ploy for gaining access to elementary students.  The students who are mostly low-income are targeted for future military recruitment.

PPS administrators have said that children are not exposed to military staff in uniform and they’re never around weapons.  STARBASE’s own website has shown pictures of kids with men and women in uniform.  Children have been photographed on tanks.

Last year, PPS board member Bobbie Regan toured the STARBASE site to see if parent concerns were valid.  She reported that children weren’t targeted for recruitment and they weren’t exposed to military staff in uniform.  The school board voted to renew the STARBASE contract.

The contract is up for a vote again this Monday.  This year Trudy (and maybe Pam) expressed interest in touring the STARBASE site.  No doubt their investigation will be as thorough as Bobbie’s.

Meanwhile, the military has a new strategy for recruiting children.  It’s a mentoring program for at-risk 6th graders:

DOD STARBASE 2.0 differs from our regular STARBASE-Atlantis program in that instead of one day a week for five weeks at the academy, these kids spend one afternoon per week with a mentor for five months working on a team project at their school,” said Nick Jordan, director of the STARBASE-Atlantis academy at Naval Base San Diego. “These kids are older, and all are veterans of STARBASE-Atlantis. In addition to STEM-related activities in the 2.0 program, the students and their mentors work together on numerous goal-setting and teamwork activities.

To find out more about STARBASE, check out Communities for Alternatives to STARBASE Education.

So far this school year, there have been three reported incidents involving guns/shootings at or near PPS high schools.  While gang activity and violence has increased, PPS leadership has decided to utilize school security staff for supervision of required study halls.

The study halls are wrong for many reasons but using security staff in this way compromises safety.  The resources allocated to study hall could be used for game coverage when most of the incidents have happened.

Do you feel that your child is safe in PPS?

I don’t mean just safe from school shootings.  Is your child bullied by kids or staff?

Years ago, a PE teacher at Harrison Park put his hand on my daughter’s forehead and knocked her backwards to the ground…not once but twice.  He admitted doing it but said he got caught up in the heat of the moment.  The teacher had been reprimanded for the same thing in the past.  A letter of reprimand had been placed in his file years earlier and it said that he couldn’t be alone with female students.  Nobody enforced it.

While my son was at Benson, he observed a school custodian buying weed from a student.  The vice principal and campus security coerced him into participating in the investigation saying it would be anonymous.  Then they took him into the hall and had him identify the custodian face-to-face.  My son rode the MAX daily with this same custodian.  The custodian was fired and came back to the school the next day.  Campus security caught him after he’d cut some phone or power lines.

I was livid and told my son that he should never be alone with the administrator again.  The next day my son was called into the vice principal’s office but didn’t go.  He called me for advice then left school.  The Benson principal suspended him for insubordination for not going to the office.  Outside of district discipline policy, she gave him a MAJOR suspension.  It was just a few weeks until graduation and I wasn’t sure if he’d make it.  I dreaded every day that he went to school.

Do you trust the building conditions (air, water, hazardous materials…) at your child’s school?

PPS staff knew for years that students were sitting in a toxic building at Whitaker but they allowed it.  When they did move the students; they moved them to other dangerous sites.

Do you trust safety related decisions made by your child’s school principal?

Again, years ago at Harrison Park, the school caught fire but the principal refused to let anyone call 911.  He was afraid it would make the school look bad.  I may be crazy but I think calling the fire department to put out a fire would look better than losing student lives and the upper floor to a fire that you tried to put out yourself might look worse.

I am so grateful that all of my kids are now out of PPS.  Am I alone in my concerns about student safety in PPS?  What are your experiences?

It looks like it could be another interesting school year at PPS.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) my new job keeps me pretty busy and I don’t get much time to write for the blog.

I am still looking for guest authors.  Volunteers?

The district has released a 2011/12 principal contact list.  There are a few people (Susan Kosmala and Fred Locke) that I was disappointed to see on the list.

I love page 2 of the list.  See “Leader/Office”.  It doesn’t take much to be a leader.  I guess you can do it with one follower.

It’s that time of year when the deck is shuffled and district administrators end up in new places.  Why is it that it’s never for the better?

A reader tipped me off that:

Sarah Carlin Ames (formerly with PPS bloated communications department) is now working with the Governor’s Education Investment Project through March.

AND Sara Allan is working for the Gates Foundation with Hurricane Vicki.

There is an unusually large influx of 6^th-graders coming into Winterhaven from Llewellyn and Duniway.  Does anyone know what’s going on at Sellwood?  Why are families in one of Portland’s best neighborhoods abandoning their neighborhood middle school?

Parents – If your child’s school has a new principal, do some research on them before school starts.  Don’t rely on the information PPS provides on them.  Google them, talk to people who know them and get to know them yourself.

New principal hires for 2011/2012:

• Carol Campbell, Benson HS

• Karl Newsome, Astor K-8 School

• Brenda Fox, Bridger K-8 School

• Filip Hristic, Creative Science School

• Ben Keefer, George Middle School

• Beth Madison, Robert Gray Middle School

• John Walden, Harrison Park K-8 School

• Lisa McCall, Irvington K-8 School

• Margaret Calvert, Jefferson High School — Middle High College for Advanced Studies

• Pam Joyner, Lane Middle School

• Leslie O’Dell, Lee K-8 School

• Annie Tabshy, Maplewood Elementary School

• Macarre Traynham, Metropolitan Learning Center

• Shawn Garnett, Markham Elementary School

• Sarah Lewins, Roseway Heights K-8 School

• David Wood, Skyline K-8 School

• Amy Kleiner, Sunnyside K-8 School