Portland Schools Weigh Closing Up to 14 Campuses; Hundreds Pack Board Meeting in Protest
Portland is a city in Multnomah County, Oregon. Portland Public Schools is considering closing as many as 14 schools under two consolidation scenarios released on Monday, October 5, and formally presented to the school board on Tuesday, October 6. The board meeting was packed to capacity: the roughly 300-seat room filled early as parents, students and teachers lined up for hours of testimony, demonstrators pressed past an attempted hold at the district headquarters entrance, and more protesters chanted outside carrying signs urging the district to keep schools open.
Scenario A would close 14 schools — 13 elementary schools and Sellwood Middle School — while Scenario B would close 11. Together with boundary changes and program relocations, the plans could affect up to 42 of the district's 81 schools; seven K-8 schools would become K-5 schools, and dual-language immersion programs would be consolidated but not eliminated. A third option would defer the decision. The district faces a budget shortfall of about $65 million, and enrollment has fallen roughly 12% — about 6,000 students — since the start of the pandemic, with forecasts projecting nearly 6,000 more lost over the next decade.
Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong has defended the plan as matching the district's school portfolio to its enrollment. The district will gather public input through November; Armstrong is expected to deliver her recommendation on November 17, the board is set to vote in December, and any approved changes would take effect in the 2027-28 school year.
(Source: KXL Radio; The Portland Focal)
Source: KXL Radio; The Portland Focal
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：波特兰公立学区富兰克林高中校舍与运动场。摄影：Architect21c，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
