Portland Public Schools Spokesman Jon Isaacs Leaving for Uber

Isaacs joined PPS in 2013, after running successful bond campaign in 2012; leaving to be Oregon public relations director for Uber

By Rachel Monahan

Portland Public Schools chief spokesman Jon Isaacs is leaving to work as Uber's Oregon public affairs manager, Superintendent Carole Smith announced Tuesday night at a board meeting.

Isaacs joined PPS in 2013 as chief of communications and public affairs, after running the district's successful bond campaign the previous year.

He had previously worked as a political consultant and as executive director of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, from 2009 to 2011.

As WW reported last week, PPS officials have hired an outside investigator to review a $11,000 contract under which Isaacs hired a friend to create a nine-page spreadsheet.
Update, 8:30 pm:

In a letter today to staff announcing Isaacs’s departure, Smith noted Isaacs had been recruited by Uber and will begin work there on April 25. She credited him for his work on the ongoing school boundary review among other efforts.
In a statement, Isaacs said he was looking forward to his new PPS role: “wearing only my parent hat.”
“I am grateful to Superintendent Carole Smith for giving me the opportunity to serve PPS for the past nearly four years,” he said. “My own kids attend PPS schools and I will always love this great school district.”

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