Students from Jefferson High School pack a School Board meeting on June 16. Photo by Jake Thomas.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

After hitting a number of snags,significant community push back, and facing other serious issues, the plan to significantly overhaul Portland Public Schools’ high school system has been delayed until the fall.
At the school board meeting on Monday, Superintendent Carole Smith, who initiated the redesign project last year to address gaping inequities in the high school system, said that no action would be taken on the plan until September.

The announcement was a major if not temporary reprieve for supporters of Jefferson, Benson and Marshall high schools, neighborhood campuses impacted most by the redesign proposals.
Smith, reading from a prepared statement, said that she and board leadership were in agreement that the complex proposal needed more time, especially when the district had been distracted by the June 4 disappearance of Skyline Elementary student Kyron Horman and a major budget shortfall.

Smith reiterated her support for the redesign program, which would dramatically alter three high schools and roughly equalize the number of students and funding at neighborhood high schools.
Claiming the proposal would bring “game-changers” to the district, she said that it would guarantee the same education to each student, regardless of their race or economic status, and reduce segregation at each school.

“We have tolerated gross inequities in access to educational opportunity. We have allowed (and sometimes forced) communities to negotiate their own trade-offs among advanced and support classes, arts and career exploration. We have pitted schools against each other for enrollment,” she said.

In order to equalize the number of students at each comprehensive neighborhood high school, the redesign as first proposed, would have required the closure of Marshall High School, in southeast Portland, and would significantly reduce the enrollment at Benson High School in northeast. The move drew emotional appeals from supporters of both schools at recent board meetings.

Earlier this month, a majority of board members, took a turn by expressing support for making Jefferson High School a specialized magnet school in order to cope with budget strains.

Backers of Jefferson had supported Smith’s original plan since it would have boosted enrollment and funding, while establishing an academic priority zone that would give it even more resources.

Jefferson community supporters drew a line in the sand over possible closure at a board meeting on June 16.

“It seems that when we play fair, this is the end product,” said Tony
Hopson, prominent alum of Jefferson who heads the public charter school Self Enhancement Inc., which serves low-income and minority students.

Hopson said that supporters of Jefferson were fighting for a school that had steadily lost investment by the district over decades.
He added that if the district planned to move forward with plans to close the school supporters would grow increasingly confrontational at school board meetings, jumping on desks, just like during protests end forced busing efforts in the 1980s- and he didn’t care if they called the police.

On Monday, Smith specifically addressed Jefferson, calling it a “central dilemma in this process for a host of valid, compelling and conflicting reasons,” and seemed to have heard the concerns expressed from Jefferson supporters.

“The question about what happens at Jefferson demands that we address our school district’s long-standing failure to deliver on its promises at the Jefferson campus and to Portland’s African-American community,” said Smith. “It also means that we need to recognize the school’s historical connection to the identity of that community and accept that we must move forward in a way that builds community trust and support.”

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

The pleas to keep Jefferson High School open became demands on Wednesday night at a scheduled school board work session on the district’s plan to rework its high school system, with the head of a prominent charter school threatening civil disobedience if the historically black school was closed.

Earlier this month several school board members stated at a meeting that they couldn’t proceed with plans to revamp the high school system without closing yet another high school to cope with a state budget shortfall, depriving the plan of the votes needed to move it forward. Under the plan, Marshall High School in outer southeast Portland would be converted into a magnet school, and Benson Polytechnic in northeast Portland would become a very small specialized school. School board members reasoned that the because Jefferson had an already small student population, making the school a magnet school would cut down on costs and make the plan feasible.

The district’s headquarters was brimming with boosters of Jefferson. They sat on the steps in the aisle of the board meeting room, they sprawled out on the floor, and generally took up every inch of space. Before the meeting, they recited chants in support of the school in a booming, unified voice.

The only members of the school board that made it to the meeting included David Wynde, Trudy Sargent, Ruth Adkins, and Bobbie Regan. With such a large absence, Sargent, the board’s co-chair, said that the work session was canceled, but the present school board members would listen to yet another public comment session. She also said that the final decision on the school redesign would have to wait until June 28.

Raul Velasquez, a supporter of Jefferson High School whose son attended it five years ago hold a sign at a school board meeting on Wednesday. “I love Jefferson,” said Velasquez, who said it’s been an important place for African Americans and Latinos alike.

“Realistically, we didn’t come here to talk,” said Tony Hopson, a prominent alum of Jefferson who heads the charter school Self Enhancement Inc., which serves low-income and minority students. Speaking before Superintendent Carole Smith and the board members present, he said that the supporters of the school had fought for too long for a school that had been steadily dis-invested from for decades.

Ron Herndon, a longtime civil rights leader in Portland who lead raucous protests against desegregation efforts that placed a disproportionate burden on black children in the 1980s, told school board members that the city’s African American community has been systematically deprived of educational resources for decades.

He said that promises had long ago been made to the Jefferson community by the district, which hadn’t been forgotten by those with “long memories.” Herndon explained that black children were “scattered” to far away schools during past desegregation efforts, and this was yet another callous move by the district toward this community. Unfair desegregation efforts were only stopped by strong community pressure, said Herndon, who added that would also stop the closure of Jefferson.

The rest of the listening session consisted of protests from supporters of Jefferson who claimed that the move to close the school smacked of racism.

“I liken the busing system and this whole thing going on with Jefferson with slavery,” said Wendy Battles, an African American woman who claimed that closing Jefferson would dissolve an important hub in the city’s black community.

Thomas Lauderdale, a musician known for his work with the band Pink Martini, recalled a story of working with the Jefferson choir, which he described as phenomenal, but saw its talent undermined by a district decision to move an “unqualified” teacher to the school to oversee its music program.

“I think this is indicative of how the district has handled Jefferson for at least the last four years,” he said.

Hopson closed out the meeting saying he was disappointed with how the board expressing support for closing Jefferson after all the meetings and good faith efforts to come to a fair solution.

“It seems that when we play fair, this is the end product,” said Hopson, who told board members that they were “ripping the heart out of black people across the city.”

He also added that if the district planned to move forward with plans to close the school people would get rowdy at meetings, jumping on desks, and he didn’t care if they called the police.

The Portland Observer supports nothing less than success for Jefferson High School as a comprehensive high school.

News that a majority on the Portland School Board is moving toward closing Jefferson as a neighborhood school is a completely unacceptable outcome from a high school redesign process that was supposed to bring equity to the education of our children.

The timeline for making this decision is also very troubling. The proposal came just last Thursday when board members signaled their intentions, going against Superintendent Carole Smith’s plan to build Jefferson into a comprehensive neighborhood school. Now the board is scheduled to form a resolution on a high school redesign proposal on Wednesday with a possible vote to close Jefferson coming as quick as next Monday. It’s unfair to have only 10 days to consider this plan and less than a week to comment on the formal details.

The north and northeast Portland community served by Jefferson is scrambling to make its opposition known. The Portland Observer joins the Urban League of Portland and many other community leaders asking the public to inform the superintendent and school board that the closure of Jefferson is unacceptable.

How can the Portland School District, let alone the city of Portland, justify not having a comprehensive neighborhood school in one of the most populated areas of the city, in the heart of so many communities that are home to minority and disadvantaged populations?

Why should inner north and northeast Portland be forced once again to scatter our children into other high schools and displace our own identity as a community?

Jefferson High School has been hurt by 40 years of school district reforms that have not worked, but instead contributed to parents sending their children to other schools. This trend must stop.
The district should take steps to improve the academic offering at Jefferson and support an environment that will enable Jefferson students to succeed.

Tony Hopson, a Jefferson graduate who leads the highly successful public charter school Self Enhancement, Inc., said it best, “The same black and white children and families who shop on Alberta and Mississippi and walk their dogs through Unthank Park and who live in the Jefferson neighborhood will attend Jefferson when the district finally respects the neighborhood enough to provide the appropriate long-term resources, when it hires quality leadership, when it provides a rigorous curriculum, when it changes the boundaries and when it lets those of us who know how to cross racial lines to support, enhance and motive all children have the full opportunity to do so.”

We simply cannot support this latest plan that closes Jefferson High School as a neighborhood school. The superintendent’s plan to downscale Benson High School as a four-year school into a specialized two-year program also comes on the backs of Portland’s minority and lower income populations. Benson has been a successful program for African Americans and others for generations and should get the board’s full support.

The Portland School Board is scheduled to vote on the proposals for reconfigurating high schools on Monday, June 21 at 7 p.m. at the Blanchard Education Service Center, 501 N. Dixon.

There will be a public signup period. The Portland Observer encourages you to make your opinion known by attending this meeting and by contacting the board and superintendent through the following telephone numbers and emails:

Superintendent Carole Smith, carolesmith@pps.k12.or.us

Contact for the PPS Board of Education can be found here.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

A high school redesign proposal has hit more snags, putting into doubt whether it will be approved by the school board by a June 21 deadline. The latest skid came Monday when School Board members suggested converting Jefferson High School from a neighborhood school to a specialized magnet program.

Superintendent Carole Smith had recommended making the district’s only predominantly African American high school a comprehensive neighborhood school and enforcing boundary requirements for attendance with limited transfer opportunities.

The initial concept also called for converting Benson Polytechnic High School into a specialized two-year program and Marshall High School into magnet school. The seven other remaining high schools would be transformed into comprehensive neighborhood high schools, with roughly the same amount of students, funding, and course offerings.

But this was before news that the state was facing a massive budget shortfall, which could result in $19 million decrease in funding to PPS. Because of the lack of funds school board member Bobbie Regan and Trudy Sargent, who co-chairs the board, both said they couldn’t get behind the eight comprehensive school model. Martin Gonzalez also said he wouldn’t vote for the proposal because of cuts to Benson.

Last month, Gonzalez suggested moving Benson’s technical programs to Jefferson, which evoked a spirited reaction at a community forum at Self Enhancement Inc., a northeast charter school that serves low-income and minority students that feed into Jefferson.

At the meeting, Tony Hopson, SEI president and CEO, scolded school board members and Smith for continuing a history of ill-fated tinkering at Jefferson that has sapped the school of the resources it needs to thrive.

Interestingly, Jefferson was converted to a performing arts magnet school in 1974 with the aim of attracting more white students to the predominantly black school. The proposal failed to attractive a significant number of white students, and since then the school has struggled to keep attendance from dipping.

According to numbers on the district’s website, only 23 percent of students in the surrounding neighborhoods attend Jefferson. It also has the smallest number of students at 617.

At the school board meeting on Monday, Regan reasoned that the small number of students there made it a good candidate to become a magnet school, as well as its proximity to Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, where a partnership could be formed.

Hopson supported Smith’s original proposal, arguing that the original redesign would equalize funding for the city’s high schools by requiring students to attend their neighborhood school. He said that the proposal would build on the positives Jefferson already has going for it and enhance the image of the school overall.

He also pointed out an aspect of the redesign that has received sparse mention: “academic priority zones.”

One of the driving forces behind the redesign is to close in on the Portland’s sobering achievement gap. These zones would direct successful and experienced teachers and principals to schools including Bridger Elementary, George Middle School, Jefferson High School, Kelly Elementary, King Elementary, Roosevelt High School and Sitton Elementary.

The zones would also allocate greater support for students and families with more intervention, case management, and extended learning opportunities after the school day.

The plans for Benson remain in controversy because Smith estimates a reduction in attendance to 400 students with some cuts to its technical offerings.

“It was kind of a win-lose thing,” said John Slaughter, Benson alum who runs the schools mentoring program.

The redesign was supposed to convert Benson into a two-year program, but Smith altered the proposal after Slaughter lead a boisterous group of students that pleaded with school board members not to take away its status as a four-year school at a meeting last month.

There are 1,100 students at Benson, according to 2009 numbers found on the district’s website. Slaughter said that having such a drastic reduction in students will affect the overall experience at the school.

The school board will consider the High School System Design proposals again Thursday when a meeting is held at the Blanchard Education Service Center, 501 N. Dixon. The session will begin with a public hearing at 4 p.m. followed by a 5 p.m. work session.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Portland Public School’s Superintendent Carole Smith’s plan to redesign the city’s high school system developed another tangle last night when it became clear she did not have the votes on the school board.

Citing a $19 million reduction in funding to PPS due to a massive state budget shortfall, several members stated that they couldn’t support Smith’s plan, which calls for eight comprehensive high schools and for two neighborhood schools to be transformed into specialized schools.

In order to cope with the shortage of funds, but still move the redesign forward, several members pitched the idea of turning Jefferson High School, PPS’s only predominantly African American school, into a magnet school. Board members reasoned that it’s already a small school, and that its proximity to Portland Community College Cascade Campus would make it well-suited for some sort of partnership.

Martin Gonzalez, a school board member, suggested moving Benson’s career-oriented programs to Jefferson, which drew heated responses.

It’s worth noting that the district has tried converting Jefferson into a magnet, but with a different set of motivations.

For a little perspective, here’s an excellent article by Ethan Johnson and Felicia Williams on the history of the high school.

Here’s a passage that provides some perspective on the district’s past efforts:

In 1971, some of PPS’ top administrators circulated a confidential report, “Portland Schools and Integration — Some Alternatives” with further ideas for ending de facto segregation at Jefferson High School. The plan included seven alternatives, six of which involved clustering or pairing schools with busing to achieve racial integration. The seventh alternative was “closing Jefferson High School or making it an alternative facility.” Realizing the unpopularity of busing Euro-American students, the school board chose option seven and changed Jefferson High School from a general curriculum high school to a magnet performing arts school in 1974. This change failed to reduce the percentage of minority students at Jefferson because too few Euro-American students were interested in transferring to the magnet program. By 1978, the new arts magnet program had attracted 124 new students. Ninety of those were Euro-American, but the total number of incoming students was not enough to reduce the racial imbalance at Jefferson High School.

Smith has explicitly stated that the plan will result in greater diversity at each high school, but has denied that it’s a concerted effort to desegregate PPS.

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times ran a story on Superintendent Carole Smith’s plan to revamp Portland Public Schools’ high school, focusing on the specter of segregation that is still present in the city.

From the opening paragraphs:

For years, urban schools have struggled with segregation. When busing failed, many lured students out of racially isolated neighborhoods with irresistible programs in theater, technology and advanced academics at schools across town.

Here in Portland, as in many other cities, the plan backfired: White, middle-class parents adept at school bureaucracy got their children into the best schools. Poor families got left behind in ever-shrinking, underfunded and poorly performing neighborhood schools.

Some of them, like Jefferson High School in northeast Portland, grew so emaciated that African American and white families alike were running for the exits.

Now, in a move that in another era and another city might have been seen as segregationist, Portland is preparing to abandon its liberal cross-town transfer policy and go back to the once-discredited model of neighborhood schools.

It’s worth noting that Smith touts her proposal as a force that will bring more diversity to each school by requiring students to attend their neighborhood schools, which says a lot about how much the city has changed in recent decades.

The article ends with a quote that might encapsulate what is at stake with the changes that could be in store for PPS:

The timing is crucial, said Glenn Singleton, president of the San Francisco-based Pacific Educational Group, which administers the race conversation program, because Portland is a city with a relatively small adult minority population, while the schools, a window into the future, have a population that is only 54% white.

“It’s important to recognize that the struggle over what to do with Jefferson mirrors a larger struggle over Portland,” Singleton said. “What is the city going to become?”