Portland Public Schools (Oregon)

Portland Public Schools (or PPS) is a public school district located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a Pre K-12 district with an enrollment of approximately 46,000 students. [Portland Public Schools Enrollment Summary [http://www.mis.pps.k12.or.us/.docs/pg/400/rid/10785/f/FallMembership2007-08_final_.pdf] , page 3] It is the largest school district in Oregon. About 100 schools and 50 special needs sites are maintained within the district.

The Portland Public Schools enrolls 84% of the available school-age children. [ [http://www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/communications/reconfig/conversations/Enrollment_data/PPS_Enrollment_Forecast_Report_2005g.pdf Portland Public Schools Enrollment Forecast 2006-2015] , see page 13] Nonetheless, total school enrollment is declining, accompanying a change in Portland's demographics. As a result, the Portland Public Schools are facing increasing budget pressure.

List of schools

Elementary schools (Grades K-5)

School board

*Carole Smith, Superintendent
*Ruth Adkins (Zone #1)
*David Wynde (Zone #2)
*Bobbie Regan (Zone #3)
*Dan Ryan (Zone #4)
*Sonja Henning (Zone #5)
*Trudy Sargent (Zone #6)
*Dilafruz Williams (Zone #7)

School reconfiguration

On April 4, 2006, Superintendent Vicki Phillips proposed a new school configuration that over a three- or four-year period could phase out at least five under-performing middle schools and one performing middle school (Fernwood) in favor of creating new kindergarten through eighth-grade schools in areas of North, Northeast and Southeast Portland.

The proposals now go out for community review and will be the subject of four School Board hearings throughout the city. After any modifications, the Board will consider the proposals at its May 1 School Board meeting.

In addition to expanding successful elementary programs to K-8, the Superintendent’s proposals suggest some changes to boundaries and feeder patterns to balance enrollment among schools. In four areas of the city, Superintendent Phillips has asked the communities of neighboring schools to come together to address issues of overcrowding or under-utilization of school buildings, boundaries and feeder patterns. Those community proposals are due back to the Superintendent in the fall.

George, James John, Sitton

Superintendent Phillips is asking the community to develop a proposal around George Middle School and James John and Sitton elementary schools.

The goal is to create three strong schools in the area, each with enough students and teachers to support a strong curriculum. Options could include boosting the middle school’s enrollment by attracting more neighborhood students, and further strengthening the educational program at all three schools in their current K-5 and middle school configuration. The community may also explore boundary changes, or options to transition all three schools to the K-8 model.

The number of families and students living in North Portland is expected to grow over the next 10 years, so Superintendent Phillips is not asking the community to consider closing a school building.

The school district’s area director and school principals will work with the school communities (including the school Site Councils and PTAs) and a community-based facilitator to develop a proposal to the Superintendent in the fall of 2006. Superintendent Phillips will then forward her recommendations to the School Board for a vote. Implementation of the plan would start in fall 2007.

Portsmouth, Astor, Ball, Clarendon, Peninsula

Superintendent Phillips is proposing to turn three elementary schools into K-8 schools: Astor, Peninsula and Clarendon. Portsmouth’s middle school program would phase out, and Clarendon K-8 would move into the current Portsmouth building.

Portsmouth Middle School would phase out, accepting no new students. In 2006-07, it would serve only seventh- and eighth-grade students; and in 2007-08, only eighth-grade students, who would be joined by Clarendon’s kindergarten through seventh-grade students.

Clarendon would grow to K-8 over three years. In fall 2006, it would add sixth grade in its current building. In 2007, it would move intact as a K-7, joining the remaining Portsmouth eighth-grade students and creating a merged K-8. The school community might choose to establish a new name for the combined school at that time. The current Clarendon building would be closed.

Astor Elementary would grow to K-8 in its current school building, adding a grade each year and limiting incoming transfers to manage its school size.

Ball Elementary, which moves to New Columbia in the fall of 2006, would continue as a K-5, with students moving to sixth grade in either Peninsula or Clarendon. Peninsula would grow to K-8 by one grade a year in its large building, becoming a year-round K-8 school.

Ockley Green, Humboldt

The Superintendent proposes to merge Humboldt Elementary into Ockley Green, with the timing and transition plan to be developed jointly by the principals and Jefferson Redesign/Implementation Team. Ockley Green has already been approved as a K-8 arts magnet school beginning in the next school year, and students throughout the Jefferson High School attendance area have first priority to attend the school. The community might choose a new name for the arts magnet school.

Under the Superintendent's proposal, the neighborhood attendance area that now feeds Humboldt would be divided among neighboring elementary schools: King, Boise-Eliot and Beach.

Fernwood, Hollyrood, Irvington, Laurelhurst

The Superintendent proposes to transition these four schools into three K-8s located at Fernwood, Irvington and Laurelhurst.

Irvington and Laurelhurst elementary schools would transition to become K-8, adding one grade level a year, starting with sixth grade in fall 2006. Both would limit new transfers to manage school size during the three-year transition.

Hollyrood, now a K-3 program that feeds into Laurelhurst and then middle school at Fernwood, would have all the students removed to the Fernwood facility and become a K-8 program over the next few years at Fernwood. The current Hollyrood building would become a preschool center after the transition of Hollyrood children into the Fernwood K-8. The new school community might choose a new name for the Fernwood facility.

Boundary adjustments among the three elementary neighborhoods (Hollyrood, Irvington and Laurelhurst) would assign additional incoming neighborhood students to Hollyrood and Irvington, from Laurelhurst, to balance enrollment among the three eventual K-8s.

Current Fernwood sixth- and seventh-grade students could continue in their school building through eighth grade.

Superintendent Phillips is asking the Hollyrood and Fernwood communities to collaborate on a proposal to transition toward a K-8 community. The proposal is due to her by May 1.

abin

The Superintendent proposes to create a full K-8 program at Sabin Elementary, with the neighborhood program growing by one grade a year, starting with sixth grade in 2006. The Access Program at Sabin already serves K-8 students. Even as the school expands to offer 6th to 8th grades, Sabin neighborhood students would still have the option of continuing to Beaumont Middle School, as they do now. (Passed by the Portland School Board 4-3, after a Board decision to consider Sabin separately from the other schools that feed students to Grant High School.)

Gregory Heights, Lee, Rigler, Rose City Park, Scott, Vestal

In outer Northeast Portland, the School Board approved proposals to create five K-8 programs: Lee, Rigler, Rose City Park, Scott and Vestal, currently elementary schools.

Lee, Rigler, Scott and Vestal all add one grade each school year for three years until they expand to a K-8 program beginning the 2006-2007 school year.

Rose City Park will add its students to the current Gregory Heights MS building creating a K-8 program in the 2007-2008 school year, and the current Rose City Park building will close. The Gregory Heights program will be phased out, replaced by the newly named Roseway Heights K-8 program.

The boundary between Rigler and Faubion Elementary School, to its northwest, would be adjusted to assign a small number of incoming neighborhood students to Faubion. The Superintendent is not proposing further boundary changes at this time. [ [http://159.191.14.139/.docs/pg/10817 PPS School Board Approves Plans for 19 K-8 Schools] ]

Binnsmead, Clark, Creative Science, Lent, Marysville

Superintendent Phillips is proposing to expand four elementary schools into K-8 programs: Clark, Bridger, Marysville and the Creative Science School. Bridger’s neighborhood program would merge with Binnsmead in the current Binnsmead building to become a K-8.

Marysville would grow to K-8 in its current school building, adding sixth grade next year.

The Creative Science School, now located with Bridger, will grow to a K-8, adding a grade each year (the School Board previously voted to expand the Creative Science School). The Creative Science School would have two years to grow sufficient enrollment (at least 350) to maintain their status as a separate school.

[Clark] would also grow to become a K-8, but would not expand to K-6 until fall 2007 (in fall 2006, sixth-grade students from Clark would attend Binnsmead). Bridger’s neighborhood program would grow to K-6 and would move into the Binnsmead building in fall 2006. The merged schools would operate as a K-8. The school community could choose to establish a new name at that time. As already planned, Bridger will start a Spanish immersion program in fall 2006. It would bring that program to Binnsmead when the neighborhood program moves to that building.

New attendance boundaries for the Clark and Bridger/Binnsmead K-8 schools would be set to balance enrollment between the schools. These new boundaries would affect only students enrolling for the first time, at kindergarten or as they move into the neighborhood. Current students in those schools would not be moved based on the new boundaries, unless they choose to transfer schools.

Lent Elementary would remain a K-5 school, and its sixth-grade students would continue to attend Binnsmead, and then merged Bridger-Binnsmead K-8. Lane Middle School, Kelly, Whitman and Woodmere elementary schools

Superintendent Phillips is calling for a community proposal to improve education options for students attending Lane Middle School and Kelly, Whitman and Woodmere elementary schools.

The goal is to create four strong schools in the area, each with enough enrollment to support a strong curriculum. Options could include boosting the middle school’s enrollment by attracting more neighborhood students, and further strengthening the educational program at all four schools in their current K-5 and middle school configuration. The community might also explore boundary changes, or options to transition all four schools to the K-8 model. They could also work with the neighborhood high school, Marshall, to consider other configurations (K-5, 6-12; K-6, 7-12). The number of families and students living in outer Southeast Portland is expected to grow over the next 10 years, so Superintendent Phillips is not asking the community to consider closing a school building.

The school district’s area director and school principals will work with the school communities (including the school Site Councils and PTAs) and a community-based facilitator to develop a proposal to the Superintendent in the fall of 2006. Superintendent Phillips will then forward her recommendations to the School Board for a vote, with implementation of the plan to start in fall 2007.

Kellogg, Arleta, Atkinson, Creston, Woodstock

Superintendent Phillips is proposing to close Kellogg Middle School after one more school year due to declining enrollment and the potential of improving student achievement through K-8 schools in the neighborhood area.

Arleta and Creston elementary schools would transition to become a K-8 school, adding one grade level a year, starting with sixth grade in fall 2006.

Kellogg Middle School would serve only seventh- and eighth-grade students in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the remaining eighth-grade students would be assigned to Hosford Middle School, at 2303 SE 28th Place. The Kellogg building closed in fall 2007. Kellogg is now closed and is used for school district storage.

Atkinson Elementary students now are split between Mt. Tabor and Kellogg middle schools. Under this proposal, all neighborhood program students would be assigned to Mt. Tabor for sixth grade, starting in fall 2006. (Language immersion program students continue to Hosford.) Woodstock Elementary neighborhood program students, now assigned to Kellogg, would be assigned to attend Hosford (Woodstock language immersion students already feed into Hosford). Sellwood Middle School, Duniway, Grout, Lewis, Llewellyn elementary schools and Winterhaven K-8

Superintendent Phillips is asking the community to develop a proposal around schools located in and around the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhoods, including four elementary schools, Sellwood Middle School and Winterhaven, a focus option K-8 school.

The Superintendent wants to spur a community discussion of how to create strong schools in the area, each with enough students and teachers to support a strong curriculum. Another goal is for the community to develop a plan to consolidate programs into five of the six currently operating buildings (several of the current school buildings would require significant and expensive upgrades to keep operating into the future).

Options could include maintaining the current K-5 and middle school configuration but redrawing boundaries to move from four elementary schools to three. The community may also explore the option of transitioning some schools to a K-8 model. The school district’s area director and school principals will work with the school communities (including the school Site Councils and PTAs) and a community-based facilitator to develop a proposal to the Superintendent in the fall of 2006. Superintendent Phillips will then forward her recommendations to the School Board for a vote, with implementation of the plan to start in fall 2007.

Gray, West Sylvan, Bridlemile, Capitol Hill, Hayhurst, Maplewood, Rieke

After public discussions, Superintendent Phillips modified her earlier recommendations, and on May 4, 2006, the School Board adopted the recommendations as modified. Rather than close Rieke Elementary as originally proposed, the Board directed the Rieke community to develop a marketing plan intended to increase the true capture rate of Rieke within its enrollment area. The Rieke community developed that plan, [ [http://www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/communications/reconfig/documents/RiekePlanFinal101106.pdf Growing a school ] ] which was approved [http://www.pps.k12.or.us/depts/communications/reconfig/conversations/rieke/Rieke_final_resolution.pdf] by the Board of Education in October 2006. Pursuant to the plan, Rieke added in fall 2007 an additional Kindergarten class and portable classrooms to accommodate the additional students. The superintendent and board have pledged to work with the school community to provide resources and funds consistent with the plan and proportional to growth at the school. Several board members indicated that Rieke's location in a Metro-designated Town Center intended for future dense growth was a significant motivation for their vote.

The Superintendent also recommended, and the board approved, a community discussion to address crowding at Lincoln High School and West Sylvan Middle School (including the possible phasing out of the East Sylvan building) through a committee made up of the school district’s area director and school principals, as well as school communities (including the school Site Councils and PTAs) and a community-based facilitator to develop a proposal to the Superintendent in the fall of 2006.

Immersion programs

PPS has several Language immersion programs. These include one for Mandarin Chinese at Woodstock Elementary, and a Spanish Immersion program at Atkinson Elementary. Both immersion programs feed to Hosford Middle School, which in turn feeds to Cleveland High School. Beach and Ainsworth Elementary Schools both have Spanish Immersion programs as well, which feed to Lincoln High. There is also a Japanese Immersion Program which runs through Richmond Elementary, Mt. Tabor Middle School, and Grant High School.

See also

*List of school districts in Oregon
*Multnomah Education Service District
*David Douglas School District, serving part of eastern Portland

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.pps.k12.or.us Portland Public Schools] (official site)
* [http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools-c/map/ District Map]